Press Releases and Statements

Masih Alinejad, one of the most outspoken opponents of the Islamic regime in Tehran, was honored today by American Jewish Committee (AJC) with the global advocacy organization’s Moral Courage Award. AJC honored Alinejad for her “moral, intellectual, and physical courage, extraordinary bravery, and commitment to the protection of human rights.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauded the UN General Assembly decision to suspend Russia’s membership on the UN Human Rights Council. “Today’s momentous vote to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council is a principled action reflecting the grave concern shared by many governments about the gross, systematic violations of human rights that Russian forces have committed during the invasion of Ukraine,” said Felice Gaer, Director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights.

A new report by AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) finds that antisemitic violence has increased in the two years since a landmark UN report on global antisemitism warned governments of its dangers.

The remarkable achievements of Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, were recognized today at the American Jewish Committee (AJC) 2021 Virtual Global Forum in a conversation between him and Felice Gaer, Director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI).

His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, addressed a worldwide audience of thousands participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee Virtual Global Forum. In a conversation with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, the foreign minister discussed the historic Abraham Accords, Bahrain-U.S. relations, and the Iranian threat.

The JBI report, One Year Later: The Historic United Nations Report on Antisemitism as a Human Rights Concern, surveys the landscape of global antisemitism during the 12-month period following the presentation by Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, of his historic report on antisemitism as a human rights concern to the UN General Assembly in October 2019.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today called on U.S. federal agencies to ensure that any changes to the U.S. asylum system respect the universal right to seek asylum and the prohibition on returning people to places where they face persecution or torture. An official comment by AJC and its Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights calls on U.S. agencies to withdraw a sweeping set of changes they have proposed to implement to the U.S. asylum system.

Authored by Felice Gaer, Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), the report details the AJC efforts, led by AJC President Judge Joseph Proskauer and Jacob Blaustein, Chair of AJC’s Executive Committee, to ensure that the preeminent multilateral organization to emerge from the ashes of the Holocaust would have human rights at its core.

The report, Antisemitism: A Persistent Threat to Human Rights, and its annex survey incidents of antisemitic expression and violence in countries around the world from October 2019 to April 2020, both before and since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The JBI report comes six months after an unprecedented report by a United Nations expert recognizing global antisemitism as a serious human rights challenge.

Mithal Jamal Al-Alusi, an Iraqi politician who has reached out to Israel and world Jewry, was honored today with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Jan Karski Award.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly supports calls for establishing an inclusive civilian government in Sudan that supports human rights, the rule of law and democratic freedoms for all.

AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) and several other key Jewish organizations have sent a letter to the UN Secretary General welcoming the internal inquiry into UN activities in Myanmar since 2011.

AJC remembers with profound sorrow the brutal murder of over 800,000 Tutsis, moderate Hutus, and others in a 100-day campaign of horrific violence that began 25 years ago this month.

“The series helps explore the critical roles of special rapporteurs, the rationale and strategy behind their country visits and how to make them more effective,” said JBI Director Felice Gaer. Rapporteurs have been called “the eyes and ears” of the UN human rights system.

AJC welcomes the UN report on genocide committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and urges the UN Security Council to take concrete action to implement the report’s recommendations.

Following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order yesterday, which restored major sanctions on Iran, AJC CEO David Harris issued the following statement: We support the U.S. decision

Felice Gaer, Director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), received an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) today in recognition of her steadfast advocacy on behalf of international human rights causes.

AJC CEO David Harris, responding to President Trump’s announcement today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, issued the following statement:

AJC deplored the European Parliament for barring a cross-party group of EU lawmakers from hosting a cartoon exhibition highlighting Tehran’s human rights violations.

AJC noted President Trump’s announcement today that the U.S. will not pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and will again waive the reimposition of sanctions, but will take punitive steps against Iran for issues not directly related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).