Quotes & Media Coverage
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Groups call for US inquiry into police killing of ‘Cop City’ protester
Tags Share In April 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requesting an investigation into the 2023 murder of Manuel Esteban Páez Terán (known as “Tortuguita”), an environmental activist who was killed by police while peacefully protesting the construction of Atlanta’s “Cop City” facility. Speaking with…
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In Shifting US Ties with Niger and Africa, Focus on Human Rights and Democracy to Strengthen Partnerships
Tags Share After Niger’s recent move to end military cooperation with the United States, how can the U.S. prioritize human rights and democracy in the region moving forward? Writing in Just Security, our staff attorney Ikechukwu Uzoma examines changing dynamics across Africa’s Sahel region and outlines key considerations for the United States’ future engagement with…
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Guards at Louisiana ICE facility accused of illegally pepper-spraying protestors
Tags Share In January 2024, ICE officers at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana pepper-sprayed hundreds of detainees who were participating in a peaceful demonstration and hunger strike. Guards retaliated by indiscriminately deploying pepper spray – an attack that blatantly violated individuals’ rights under the U.S. constitution, federal and state law, and ICE’s own legal standards…
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Cornell Law School: Immigration Clinic Visits Batavia Detention Center
Tags Share In March 2024, Cornell Law students and faculty from the 1L Immigration Law and Advocacy Clinic visited the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, NY, to provide legal assistance to detained immigrants. Partnering with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the NYCLU, and Prisoners’ Legal Services of NY, the team met with detainees to…
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Controversial Canadian Silver Mine ‘Likely’ To Reopen in Guatemala Despite Opposition
Tags Share For years, the Xinka people – an Indigenous nation in Guatemala – have opposed a massive silver mine that threatens their culture and territory. Speaking with BIV and the Pulitzer Center, our VP of International Advocacy & Litigation Angelita Baeyens details the Xinka people’s ongoing battle against one of the biggest companies in…
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Trans murder in Honduras
Tags Share In 2009, 26-year-old trans woman and LGBTQ+ rights activist Vicky Hernández was murdered in Honduras during a coup d’etat perpetrated by a right-wing sector of society. For years, the legal team at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights fought for accountability in Vicky’s case. In 2021, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a…
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Alexey Navalny Wrote Letters to Kerry Kennedy
Tags Share “He was the Mandela of Russia. He carried forth the vision of accountability…and free expression.” Speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, our president Kerry Kennedy reflects on the life and legacy of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Noting Mr. Navalny’s leadership in bolstering civic space, Kerry urges the U.S. – and the world –…
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Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words
Tags Share In the final months of his life, Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny found solace in the words of Robert F. Kennedy and the reminder that a “ripple of hope” can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. Read more about Mr. Navalny’s legacy as a human rights leader, and his correspondence…
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Lawyer in the Guillermo Cano case
Tags Share Over three decades after the brutal murder of journalist Guillermo Cano, the government of Colombia has finally accepted responsibility for the lack of justice in Cano’s case and offered a public apology to his family. Speaking with Colombian newspaper El Espectador, our VP of International Advocacy & Litigation Angelita Baeyens explains the significance…
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ACLU represents Louisiana man seeking justice after violent encounter with LSP
Tags Share The ACLU of Louisiana and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed a writ application to appeal a misdemeanor criminal conviction on behalf of Anthony Monroe, a Louisiana man who was beaten by Louisiana State Police during a traffic stop and then convicted at a bench trial of resisting arrest. Mr. Monroe is now…
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Pressure to shut down Louisiana detention center mounts with release of reported abuses
Tags Share Reckon Media highlights a new report co-authored by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights that documents years of abuse and torture at Winn Correctional Center in Lousiana. Staff attorney Sarah Decker comments on Winn’s history of human rights violations, including abusive use of solitary confinement. “We very frequently see ICE weaponizing solitary confinement,” she…
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Citing history of alleged abuse, groups call on ICE to end contract at former La. prison
Tags Share Speaking with Verite News, our staff attorney Sarah Decker calls on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to shut down Winn Correctional Center, a Louisiana ICE detention center with a long history of violence, abuse and negligence.
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