Urge the White House to Ensure Vulnerable Afghans Are Evacuated to Safety ASAP

From Amnesty International USA (http://www.amnestyusa.org):

We are watching a horrifying crisis unravel in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, the Taliban poured into the capital city of Kabul, toppled the Afghan government, and assumed control of the country.

Thousands of vulnerable people — including activists, journalists, women’s rights defenders, and those who work with foreign governments (like interpreters) — are trapped, at severe risk, and have few avenues for escape.

Videos circulating on social media show crowds frantically racing in an attempt to enter planes at Kabul’s airport tarmac… and dozens of people clinging to the wings of the planes trying to take off.

This is an unspeakable tragedy that should have been foreseen and averted. And unless the international community, including the U.S., takes concrete action, the situation on the ground will only get worse.

Amnesty is mounting a massive emergency response and we need your help. Go to https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/88338/action/1 to urge the White House to ensure that vulnerable Afghans are evacuated to safety ASAP, and that emergency funding is earmarked for humanitarian response.

The current course of action by the White House has only fanned the flames of this humanitarian catastrophe. Each moment that the U.S. government decides against course-correcting could have horrific consequences, and exacerbate the failures to support the people of Afghanistan, including the Afghans who risked their lives and their families to provide assistance to the U.S.

Amnesty International has been campaigning for decades to protect Afghanistan’s human rights defenders and vulnerable populations in the country. Our colleagues and friends in Kabul are telling us they are absolutely petrified as to what is about to unfold now that the Taliban has taken control.

Here’s the truth: to do the right thing right now will cost a fraction of what the U.S. has spent doing the wrong thing for decades.

Over the last two decades, the U.S. government has poured trillions of dollars into the longest war in U.S. history and committed atrocious human rights violations along the way. There are so many promises to protect vulnerable populations in Afghanistan that U.S. leaders made but have not kept.

The thought that in this critical moment, the White House would not do everything to ensure safety for the most vulnerable people right now is unconscionable — and unacceptable.

It’s not too late to protect those at greatest risk: President Biden must take immediate action to ensure the evacuation of thousands of Afghans facing Taliban reprisals, and provide a lifeline to millions of internally displaced Afghans and Afghan refugees.

As this situation unfolds, we are hearing from a groundswell of Amnesty members who are looking to take action.

We hear you.  We must hold governments accountable to their human rights responsibilities. Providing sanctuary and safety is supposed to be an American ideal.

In the coming days, we will share more ways to take action to help protect and evacuate vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. As always, thank you for taking action when it is needed most.