June Justice Roundup

GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL PARDONS LONGTIME NEW YORK RESIDENT PAUL PIERRILUS, HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS URGE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO BRING PAUL HOME

On May 24, New York Governor Kathy Hochul granted Paul Pierrilus a gubernatorial pardon. The pardon, requested by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Haitian Bridge Alliance earlier this year, is a meaningful step to securing the safe return of Paul from Haiti following his unjust deportation in 2021 to a country he had never before stepped foot in.? Read more →

RFK HUMAN RIGHTS WELCOMES THE RELEASE OF EGYPTIAN T-SHIRT DETAINEE MAHMOUD HUSSEIN

More than a month after a judge ordered Mahmoud Hussein’s release, he has returned home. Known as "the T-shirt detainee," Hussein was first arrested in 2014 for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “a nation without torture” while on his way home from a peaceful demonstration commemorating the January 25 Revolution. While RFK Human Rights celebrates this victory, we remain firm in calling Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against him. Hussein’s next court session is on June 26th. Read more → ?

ICYMI: HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD RECOGNIZES ARELY WESTLEY’S ADVOCACY FOR IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS AND LGBTQ+ YOUTH

On June 6, we proudly presented the RFK Human Rights Award to anti-detention and LGBTQ+ advocate Arely Westley. Featuring remarks by Kerry Kennedy and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ceremony celebrated Westley’s unwavering commitment to advancing immigrants’ rights and uplifting LGBTQ+ youth in New Orleans, LA. Watch the ceremony and learn more about Arely → ?

DISPATCHES FROM DETENTION: DETAINING THE ELDERLY AND INFIRM

RFK Human Rights’ U.S. Advocacy and Litigation reports on abuses in immigration detention?from the Buffalo Service Processing Center in rural New York. This month’s installment of Dispatches from Detention shares the story of Pierre, a 63-year-old lawful permanent resident facing deportation, struck by sudden-onset paralysis in a detention center ill-equipped to provide him sufficient medical care. ? Read more → ?

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate activists have quickly become the most targeted human rights defenders, with many facing physical violence, intimidation, and judicial harassment. The criminalization of environmental defenders threatens climate justice and encroaches on civic space, as Senior Staff Attorney for Civic Space Sofía Jaramillo noted during last month’s Inter-American Court hearings in Manaus. Requests for advisory opinions from international and regional courts and tribunals, including the Inter-American Court, aim to clarify the relationship between environmental defenders and States’ environmental and human rights obligations. Read more → ?

BEHIND THE HEADLINES: PROPOSED ROLLBACKS OF CRIMINAL LEGAL REFORMS DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY

Proposed rollbacks of criminal legal reforms in California are part of troubling backlash amidst rising trend of politicians inaccurately representing crime. Despite falling crime rates, most voters believe that crime is actually spiking, with potentially devastating impacts for those now facing more stringent policies.? Read more → ?

PROTECTING WOMEN JOURNALISTS IN AFRICA: PANEL DISCUSSES RESEARCH AND SOLUTIONS

On June 5th, RFKHR partnered with AFIC for a panel to discuss avenues for strategic litigation to support women journalists facing gender-based violence.? Read more → ?

THIS EDITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Anthony Enriquez ?(@Anthony Enriquez ) is the vice president of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. He works to reduce mass incarceration in the United States by exposing and stopping human rights abuses in the criminal legal and immigration systems. He leads a team of advocates fighting for accountability for state-sponsored racial discrimination, torture, and extrajudicial killings.