Sentenced to death at age 17

Then he was freed – this is the power of Amnesty [View in Browser]( [Amnesty International candle logo]( [We can end the death penalty - and this is how we plan to do it. Button: Check out our plan]( Hafez Ibrahim was only 17 years old when he was brought before a row of officers with rifles in hand, even though it was illegal to execute someone his age in Yemen. He thought the last thing he’d see was a small prison yard in Yemen. But just before he was about to be shot, he was taken back to his cell, with no explanation. Hafez later learned that Amnesty supporters had urged Yemen’s President to stop his execution, and the message was heard. A couple of years later, when Hafez was scheduled for execution again, he sent a text to Amnesty saying, “they are about to execute us.” This message saved his life. His call for help sparked an international campaign to stop his execution for a second time and eventually release him. {NAME}, Hafez’s case is one of the many examples of how our grassroots movement – your collective action and your generosity — is saving lives. [Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, learn about how we’re making progress around the world »]( Nearly half of states in the U.S. and two-thirds of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty. With your help, we are: - mobilizing activists to pass legislation to respect human rights; - campaigning to stop executions in urgent cases around the world; and - shining a light on the injustice caused by this irreversible punishment. There’s more urgent work to do. [Amnesty’s latest global report on the death penalty]( has revealed a spike in the number of people known to have been executed worldwide — including a significant increase in executions for drug-related offenses.1 As governments scale their use of the death penalty to enforce political repression and instill fear among the public, we must ramp up our campaigns and efforts to end this most cruel and inhuman punishment. [See what’s at stake and how to help.]( Thank you for moving us forward, Alireza Azizi Volunteer Country Specialist | Yemen Amnesty International USA P.S. I invite you to join us for a virtual event tonight about death penalty abolition work with guest speaker Stephen Bright — [details and RSVP here!]( P.P.S. Check your inbox later today for a special opportunity to take action for a global end to the death penalty. Want to make a direct impact right now? [Give today to get us closer to a world without the death penalty, where human rights are enjoyed by all »]( [DONATE NOW]( © 2023 Amnesty International USA 311 W 43rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036 | 1-800-AMNESTY Please don't reply to this email. You can send questions to aimember@aiusa.org. We’re so happy you’re here to hear about the most important updates on human rights! If necessary, you can [opt to receive fewer emails]( or [unsubscribe here](. [supporter]