ROBERT F KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS: AUGUST HUMAN RIGHTS INSIDER.

 

U.S. JUSTICE INSIDE THE BLACK HOLE: SYSTEMIC HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST IMMIGRANTS DETAINED & DISAPPEARED IN LOUISIANA Every day, over 6,000 people are locked in immigration detention in Louisiana, the second-largest state number for a state behind Texas. The New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office (“NOLA ICE”), the federal office that oversees immigration detention in Louisiana, has a long history of persistent, systemic abuse at their jails. A new report, published by a coalition of immigrants’ rights groups including Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, highlights just how shocking the conditions at NOLA ICE’s detention centers truly are: People shackled in five-point restraints for 26 hours, unable to use the bathroom or eat and drink, left with deep cuts on their wrists and legs.  Women denied menstrual products and people in solitary confinement denied clean laundry and bedding for as long as three months. Rat infestations, black mold, leaking ceilings and food clearly marked with expiration dates long passed and infested with worms and larvae. Read the full report → Learn more about NOLA ICE →   INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES: A STATE-SANCTIONED WEAPON FOR REPRESSION In 1989, during the Guatemalan Civil War, four courageous human rights defenders were arbitrarily detained and disappeared by the Guatemalan Army because of their work to liberate Indigenous peoples forcibly conscripted into military service. The whereabouts of Agapito Pérez Lucas, Nicolás Mateo, Macario Pú Chivalán, and Luis Ruiz Luis remain unknown. Recognized under international law as a crime against humanity, enforced disappearances like those in the case of Agapito Pérez Lucas, et. al. v. Guatemala continue to be used by repressive regimes as a state-sanctioned weapon to punish opposition, silence human rights defenders, limit freedom of expression, and create a culture of fear. On International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we’re remembering the victims and the countless relatives still seeking information about their loved ones, hoping for justice and answers. Read more →   HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION “NOW I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT”: THE POWER OF YOUTH COMMUNITY ORGANIZING WORKSHOPS In a three-part youth organizing workshop led by Karen Robinson, program director of Human Rights Education at RFK Human Rights, students from two New York area schools had the opportunity to learn about human rights, principles of organizing, and how to develop concrete action plans for their community projects. These workshops empower the next generation of human rights defenders to take effective action through targeted campaigns that assess the needs of their communities. Read more about their projects and learn how to register for upcoming Human Rights Education events this fall. Read more → Browse upcoming Human Rights Education events →

RFK HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEWS Sarah Decker in Bloomberg—New report highlights shocking abuses faced by migrants in ICE detention centers in Louisiana: A new RFK Human Rights report featured in Bloomberg highlights shocking abuses faced by migrants in ICE detention centers in Louisiana. “We see these jails almost as ‘black sites’ in the national immigration system… The existence of these facilities in Louisiana cannot be maintained. This entire network of jails must be shut down,” said U.S. Staff Attorney Sarah Decker, one of the report’s lead authors. Wade McMullen in Axios—Michael Brown killing met with mixed changes nearly 10 years later: A decade since Michael Brown was killed by a Ferguson, MI police officer, our SVP Wade McMullen spoke to Axios about how he hopes the recent hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will lead to a renewed pursuit for accountability. "(It) can add more fuel and legitimacy to the organizing and advocacy that we're doing to eventually reopen the case with a special prosecutor or a new prosecutor in Missouri," McMullen said. UPCOMING EVENTS September 5—Bid on our CharityBuzz Auction! Bid on your chance to see Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and Grammy-Award winner, Peter Frampton at a show of your choice on The Positively Grateful Tour. Learn more and place your bid by September 5! September 18 and 25—Human Rights Education: Service Learning Workshop: Integrate human rights into your pedagogy and engage your students with tailored, hands-on service learning projects in your community! Meet with other educator leaders across the country in this virtual course on September 18th and September 25th—learn more and register today.  September 19, October 17, and November 21—Human Rights Education: Youth Organizing Workshop: Is there an issue you care about? Do you think things could be better in your community? Well, it’s time you start making good trouble by participating in the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights youth organizing workshop! Learn more and register today. December 11—2024 Ripple of Hope Award Gala, New York, NY: This year's laureates include Susan Clark Livingston, partner at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.; Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter, actor, director, and producer; Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise; John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments; and Tom Wilson, chair, president, and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. The laureates will be honored on Wednesday, December 11, at a ceremony in New York City emceed by Alec Baldwin. Learn more about this year’s laureates and register for the ceremony.

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