Amnesty International

The escalation in hostilities across the Middle East and North Africa region following the US and Israel attacks on Iran, and Iran’s retaliation, is putting civilians at grave risk. @amnesty urges all parties to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law. Civilians must be protected. We are closely monitoring developments to assess civilian harm and the broader human rights impact.

Amnesty International has designated Russian poets Artyom Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Dayneko as prisoners of conscience. Following their 2022 arrests for reading anti-war poetry in public, Kamardin and Shtovba were sentenced to seven and five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, and Dayneko four years in a penal colony. Imprisonment for their acts, which were no threat to Russia’s national security, is a clear retaliation to their freedom of expression. The poets must be released immediately and unconditionally, and allegation of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly investigated.

Several countries across the Americas are adopting restrictive legal frameworks to weaken, control, and even dismantle civil society organizations. What we are seeing is a worrying regional pattern. So-called ‘anti-NGO laws’ reflect the rise of authoritarian practices aimed at silencing critical voices and consolidating power at any cost. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

Across the world, people are still suffering the long-lasting effects of slavery and colonialism and struggling to get the reparations they deserve. To mark International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, here we have Rym Khadhraoui break down reparatory justice ⬇️

Amnesty International is launching a series of perspectives titled 'Voices of Reparatory Justice’. We begin with Sylvie Njobati, a Cameroonian activist embarked on a life-changing mission to bring a sacred ancient artefact home, after it was stolen by the Germans during the colonial period from 1884 to 1916 ⬇️ amn.st/6013B6XgTV

🚨By continuing to condone the presence of clubs based in illegal settlements in the OPT in Israel’s league, the Israeli Football Association is indirectly legitimizing Israel’s unlawful occupation and its severe human rights violations against Palestinians, including the crime against humanity of apartheid. @FIFAcom must not continue to ignore the International Court of Justice’s 2024 Advisory Opinion. FIFA has an unequivocal responsibility to act. It must also ensure full transparency and publish the legal advice FIFA received on this matter and provide the full rationale for its unjust decision.. 🔗 Read more: amn.st/6019B6XsvS #KeepFootballApartheidFree

🎙️ “Women human rights defenders are losing their lives as we speak. We @amnesty have the backbone to resist these attacks" @AgnesCallamard said in an interview with @WNYC about the global backlash against gender justice, the repression of brave Iranian women like @nargesfnd, the impact of cuts to foreign aid & more. wnyc.org/story/amnesty-…

Ever heard of Palantir? Here's why it matters: Palantir is a US software company. It specialises in data products, used widely by governments for surveillance, intelligence and military purposes. In January 2024, Palantir signed a contract with the Israeli military to use its technology in support of “war-related missions.” Palantir has a deep relationship with US law enforcement. It supplies ICE with tools that can be used to surveil and target migrants in the US. Now, that same company is working at the heart of our NHS. Palantir has already received £330 million of our money for its contract with our NHS England. Healthworkers and patients have been ringing the alarm for years: this is not right. What’s happening in Gaza is an ongoing genocide. We shouldn’t have a company linked to human rights abuses have anything to do with our precious NHS. Learn more: amnesty.org.uk/issues/interna…

By refusing to take action against clubs based in Israeli settlements, FIFA has failed to enforce its own rules and is blatantly flouting international law. FIFA had a clear opportunity to stand up for Palestinians’ rights and international law – with this decision it has shamefully chosen to abandon both. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

Iran's authorities are carrying out arbitrary executions to instil fear among an already traumatized population, under bombardment from Israel & the US, cut off from the world due to authorities' deliberate internet shutdown since 28 Feb & reeling from the Jan protest massacres

We reiterate our call for all parties to the conflict in the #MENA region to refrain from unlawful attacks on energy infrastructures. The potential for vast, predictable, and devastating civilian harm arising from strikes targeting energy infrastructure, including uncontrolled deadly fires, major disruptions to essential services, environmental damage, and severe long-term health risks for millions. Civilians must be protected.

📍Lebanon: Israel is deploying the same deadly playbook it used in 2024 in Lebanon to kill dozens of health workers and devastate healthcare services. Israel must halt attacks on healthcare workers, medical facilities and first responders. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

Austrian authorities’ responses to people expressing solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in a chilling effect on the right to freedom of expression. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

Human rights defender Tommy Olsen was arrested in Norway for his work defending the rights of refugees and migrants. He should be immediately released & must not be extradited to Greece. amn.st/6012B6pG1w

The proposed amendments to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act mark a serious rollback of rights recognised in the 2014 Supreme Court NALSA judgment. Instead of strengthening protections, the bill risks increasing state control over transgender people’s identities.

We are beyond delighted and relieved that Leqaa Kordia has been granted bond and released from arbitrary immigration detention. After spending a harrowing year in ICE custody, Leqaa can return to New Jersey to reunite with her family and loved ones – just in time for the end of Ramadan and start of Eid celebrations. Today is a powerful reminder that freedom of expression and peaceful protest are human rights – entitled to all. amnestyusa.org/press-releases…

The Israeli military's killing of the Bani Owda family is the latest in a pattern of increasing use of deadly force by Israeli forces against Palestinians. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable, Palestinian victims must have justice and redress. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

NEW: Our in-depth investigation finds that US has violated international humanitarian law by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm. US is responsible for the deadly attack on a school in #Minab packed full of children. US authorities must ensure that their investigation is transparent, thorough, and that the results are made public. amn.st/6018B6upqk

It's time for the EU & India to: ➡️get their houses in order on human rights ➡️deliver on their promises and ➡️counter mounting global attacks on human rights amnesty.eu/news/eu-india-…

🚨Rising harmful online content in Bangladesh, including misinformation & sectarian narratives targeting minority communities could result in serious human rights abuses if left unaddressed. Online harms do not stay online. They are real & cause harm. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

The decision by Israel’s Military Advocate General to drop charges against 5 Israeli soldiers accused of abusing & sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees at Israel’s Sde Teiman military prison marks is another shameful example of the impunity granted to perpetrators of grave crimes against Palestinians amn.st/6017B6z4Oc