Three super provocative ads featuring President Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un won't see the light of day -- at least not in our nation's capital ... TMZ has learned.
Amnesty International USA wanted to place the ads in metro stations in the D.C. area. The org tried making the deal on February 12, but it got nixed 4 days later.
The point of the ad campaign ... "a message of protecting human rights around the world" that coincided with its annual conference in nearby Bethesda, MD.
We had heard the objection to the ads was the unflattering pic of Trump, but upon further digging we were told the ads violate a D.C. ordinance prohibiting political ads on public transit, which is interpreted to include metro stations.
The law specifically prohibits advertisements intended to influence public policy.
Margaret Huang, the Exec Director of Amnesty International USA, is fiercely opposed to banning the ads, telling us the ads are all about upholding human rights, which is neither a partisan nor political.
She says the law is all the more misguided because it makes advocacy ads difficult to post in the most important place ... where policies are made.
Under the category, 'If At First You Don't Succeed' ... the org plans to run ads in other major cities ...