Amnesty Ends Up Running its Rejected Campaign

Although this ad campaign from Amnesty International USA was rejected by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), it got displayed on a truck with LED video panels as it drives through Washington DC, stopping at landmarks.

The series of ads, which features US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jongun, warn that “a storm is brewing.”

“We want to send a message to Washington – there’s a storm brewing and we’re ready to stand strong for human rights. Our world leaders, including President Trump, need to know that when human rights are denied, Amnesty International and our supporters won’t be silent. We will continue to fight injustice around the world and here at home,” said Amnesty International USA executive director, Margaret Huang.

The ads were originally intended to run as a teaser to the launch of Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of the world’s human rights. The report highlights the growing importance of activism in an era of “state-sponsored hate” in which leaders are openly pushing hateful rhetoric and policies that are undermining human rights.

However the ad campaign was rejected by WMATA on the grounds that it violates its policy against issue-oriented advertising. Amnesty International USA rejects the notion that these ads are political, given they focus on human rights, which is a matter of international law.