In this powerful episode, we hear from Farah, a Palestinian-American, as she shares her personal experiences navigating life in the U.S. while staying deeply connected to her roots in Palestine. Farah reflects on the emotional and political complexities of being a Palestinian in the diaspora, shedding light on the human side of the ongoing conflict.

Farah Jan 31_4upload

Veronika Velch (Ukraine Section Director of Amnesty International) and Ben Linden (Eurasia Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA) talk about Ukraine and what the U.S. government could do to prioritize human rights. For more information visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/the-trump-administration-must-protect-and-prioritize-human-rights-in-ukraine/


Veronika Velch and Ben Linden on Ukraine Feb 2025_4upload

Patricia Rodriguez, who is the International OGI (Optical Gas Imaging) Analyst and Advocate at Earthworks talks about the process of measuring methane and other compounds in Latin American countries. With her infrared camera she can document fugitive emissions, flaring and venting at sites, producing data that local communities can use to push for greater environmental protection from their governments. Around the world environmental activists have been targeted and killed in recent years, hundreds of them in Colombia alone.

Patricia Rodriguez Feb 14_4upload

Magnus Fiskesjo talks about Uyghur refugees in Thailand that have already spent ten years in prison. Thailand must decide whether or not to send them back to China, where the risk of torture or execution is high.
For more information visit: https://freedomhouse.org/article/after-long-decade-detention-uyghur-men-thailand-face-transnational-repression
Also: https://www.rfa.org/english/uyghur/2025/02/14/thailand-court-petition/
And: https://uhrp.org/?s=thailand

Update since the show aired: On Feb. 27, 2025, Thailand deported over forty Uyghur refugees to China, despite a pending court hearing for next month, which was set aside and was perhaps a lie to begin with. The shameful deportation was done under the cover of night, in buses with black-out windows, to prevent the press from seeing the prisoners [https://prachataienglish.com/node/11322]. A Chinese plane flew them direct from Bangkok to Kashgar in the Uyghur region, where the concentration camps now await them. 
Thailand has now violated both the UN convention on torture, which it signed, and the principle of non-refoulement, sending refugees in harm's way. Thailand's betrayal of human rights also overrides the Thai politicians and lawyers and others who tried to protest, and argued that refugees had suffered enough, languishing in Thai jails for over ten years, with five dying, including two children. It is obvious it was done only to obey China, where state media celebrated getting their hands on the refugees. 
For more see: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14jjxz8re6o

Magnus Fiskesjo Feb 21_4upload

We talk about the current challenges following the flurry of executive orders by the Trump administration and how that impacts refugees, refugee agencies, and refugee resettlement.

Julie Ficarra Feb 28_4upload

TJ Riggs, who is the Amnesty International USA Alabama State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator, talks about the recent commutation of Rocky Myers' death sentence. Rocky Myers has spent more than 30 years on death row in Alabama after he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Rocky Myers was one of the cases featured on the "Write for Rights" campaign last year. His legal team worked with several organization to plead his case. Together more than two million actions were generated. Myers continues to be in prison but is no longer on death row. His legal team is now working to get him pardoned. 
For more information visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/rocky-myers/


Patricia Rodriguez Feb 14_4upload

WRFIhumanrightsshow

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