Criminal Legal System
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US police use lethal, military-grade force against Black people and civic space activists: report to UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Police use of lethal force in the United States is on the rise, with more police killings reported in 2024 than any other year on record. This gruesome milestone was reached due to increased access to military-grade weaponry, aggressive suppression of civic space, and the continuation of a historical pattern of violence against Black people.
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RFK Human Rights Submits Evidence to UN Special Rapporteur of Disproportionate, Deadly Policing in the U.S.
Tags Share Washington, D.C., June 6, 2025 – Today, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (“RFK Human Rights”), submitted a detailed report to the Special Rapporteur, an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, highlighting emerging trends and patterns in U.S. law enforcement’s use of lethal force. Submitted ahead of the 80th Session…
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Quarterly Investor Risk Briefs for Private Prison Companies Geo Group and CoreCivic
Our quarterly investor risk briefs highlight timely risks for shareholders in GEO Group and CoreCivic.
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Monroe v. United States: Dismantling barriers to accountability for police brutality
This case seeks to protect the human right to a remedy and reparation for survivors and victims of U.S. police brutality. It asks the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to instruct the United States to reform civil laws to ensure access to civil remedies for people subjected to police brutality.
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The Associated Press: Rights groups sue to free Venezuelans deported from the US and held in El Salvador
Tags Share Earlier today, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and three other human rights organizations filed an emergency petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, urging the release of over 200 Venezuelan migrants deported by the U.S. and imprisoned without due process in El Salvador. Filed on behalf of the families of 18 detained…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share U.S. Press Freedom Falls to Historical Low Press freedom in the United States has hit a record low, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders. Press freedom in the U.S. now falls in line with developing countries, such as Gambia, Uruguay and Sierra Leone. While physical threats against journalists…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share International Tribunal Condemns U.S. Border Officials for Torturing, Killing Immigrant Nearly 15 years after Anastasio Hernández Rojas’ wife began pushing for justice in her husband’s killing, an international human rights commission found that U.S. border officials were responsible for his death — and that they tortured him before he died. This is the first time that…
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US used lethal force to suppress climate change activism: report to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
Receiving Body United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Report Type Submission for the report of the Special Rapporteur, to be presented to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly Tags Partners
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Human Rights Groups Urge United Nations Racial Justice Body to Address Legal Barriers for Victims of Police Violence
Tags Share Washington, D.C., April 28, 2025 – Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Louisiana, and the Juror Project submitted a report to a United Nations experts body highlighting legal barriers for victims of police violence who seek civil remedies. The report was submitted ahead…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump Guts Key Civil Rights Protections With New Executive Order On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would further weaken civil rights protections and make it more difficult for plaintiffs to prevail in discrimination cases in areas such as education, housing, health care and public benefits. The order instructs federal agencies to stop enforcing laws and regulations…
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US imposes barriers to accountability for police brutality: report to UN International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement
Receiving Body United Nations International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement (EMLER) Report Type Submission for the Fourth Annual Report to the Human Rights Council Tags Partners
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump Administration Directs Judges to Deny Asylum Without Hearings A new Trump administration policy urges immigration judges to swiftly deny asylum to migrants whose applications they deem unlikely to succeed. The expedited dismissals would circumvent the normal hearing process, which typically takes years to wind through the backlogged courts. Trump Measures Make Life…
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