NewzIntel.com

Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Why does digital violence against LGBTI people in Thailand and Taiwan continue even after marriage equality?

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Content warning: This blog includes descriptions of violence against LGBTI people. We are publishing these details to bear witness to survivors’ experiences.

    Thailand and Taiwan are hailed as champions of the rights of LGBTI people in Asia, as the only two places in the region to legalize same-sex marriage. However, rights won at the registry office do not always translate into safety online. Digital violence continues to threaten LGBTI people, undermining their human rights and progress made. Thai and Taiwanese authorities must do more to combat it.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Russia: Book publishers arrested in anti-LGBTI campaign

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the Russian security forces’ detention of at least 10 book publishing professionals in Moscow on “extremism”-related charges over alleged “LGBTI propaganda” in books published by affiliated printing houses, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director, said:

    “In their ruthless campaign against LGBTI people, Russian authorities have now come after book publishers, accusing them of ‘extremism’ for merely doing their job: bringing books to readers. This shameless heavy-handed use of state apparatus against literature is as absurd as it is terrifying.”

    In their ruthless campaign against LGBTI people, Russian authorities have now come after book publishers, accusing them of ‘extremism’ for merely doing their job: bringing books to readers

    Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director

    “One thing is clear: no amount of bans, arrests or prosecutions will erase the existence of LGBTI people in Russia, or anywhere else. History has shown that attempts to supress identity and censor knowledge are ultimately futile. Love and knowledge will always endure over hatred and repression.

    “The detained publishing professionals must be immediately released, the criminal charges against them dropped and the ongoing persecution of LGBTI people, organisations and initiatives in Russia must be brought to an end.”

    Background

    On 14 May, Russian security forces detained at least 10 individuals in Moscow as part of a criminal investigation into alleged “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization,” “participation in the activities” of such an organization, and “organizing its work using official position” (Article 282.2(1.1), (2), (3) of the Criminal Code) for publishing LGBTI-themed books. At least 10 individuals were taken in for questioning, including Anatoly Norovyatkin, distribution director at EKSMO, as well as Popcorn Books co-founder Dmitry Protopopov and former sales director Pavel Ivanov. On 15 May, three people were formally charged, their names are not yet disclosed. If convicted under these charges, they could face prison sentences of up to 12 years.

    According to the lawyer, the case is based on the alleged distribution of over 900 copies of ten LGBTI-themed titles, none of which have been officially banned or labelled “extremist.” Among the books named in the case is The Summer in a Pioneer Tie (translated in English as Pioneer Summer), a bestselling novel by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova depicting a same-sex romance between two Soviet teenagers. The authors were arbitrarily designated “foreign agents” by the Ministry of Justice in February 2024. Other titles include Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and Becky Albertalli’s Leah on the Offbeat and Love, Creekwood – all published by Popcorn Books between 2019 and 2022.

    The arrests take place against the backdrop of an accelerating crackdown on LGBTI rights following a November 2023 decision by Russia’s Supreme Court to ban the so-called “International LGBT Movement” as “extremist,” enabling the persecution of anyone associated with LGBTI identities or advocacy under anti-extremism legislation. Since the ban came into force in January 2024, Russian authorities have launched at least 12 criminal cases, conducted raids on LGBTI venues, issued administrative fines and short-term detentions for displaying rainbow-themed symbols and forced the closure of LGBTI advocacy groups.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Cameroon: Deplorable life sentence handed to peace activist an “affront to justice”

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The life sentence handed down to Anglophone peace activist Abdu Karim Ali is an affront to justice, and he should be released immediately, Amnesty International said today, after obtaining the judgment convicting him.

    Abdu Karim Ali, who was charged with “hostility against the homeland” and “secession”, was sentenced by the military Court in Yaoundé on 16 April. He had been arrested without a warrant in Bamenda in August 2022 after he denounced torture committed and broadcast online by the leader of a pro-government militia in the south-west region of the country. He has been arbitrarily detained since then.

    The authorities tried Abdu Karim Ali in a military court, in violation of Cameroonian law and international human rights law and standards.

    Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa

    “Abdu Karim Ali waited nearly three years before being tried by a military court and sentenced to an extreme punishment simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression. This shameful judgment breaches international human rights law and standards,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

    “The authorities unlawfully held Abdu Karim Ali in prolonged arbitrary detention, and tried him in a military court, in violation of Cameroonian law and international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International calls for his immediate and unconditional release.”

    In May 2024, Abdul Karim Ali challenged the jurisdiction of the military tribunal in a letter, refusing to recognize its authority. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia, after he refused to appear in the military court.

    His lawyer told Amnesty International: “To think that he was prosecuted for his thoughts, national origins, associations and political opinion is the quintessential case of political persecution.” The lawyer also said that he has appealed the sentence.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Government plan for return hubs is a ‘harmful distraction’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the Government’s announcement today that it will begin talks with other countries on “return hubs” for people whose asylum applications have been refused, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

    “Talk of ‘return hubs’ is a harmful distraction from the real issue – the Government urgently needs to face its responsibilities and stop trying to push them on to other countries.

    “Instead of constantly promoting the false narrative that the UK can outsource its obligations, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary must ensure everyone who seeks asylum here can have their claim dealt with fairly and efficiently.

    “Refugees can then move on with their lives while the Home Office manages the safe return of anyone properly found to have no basis to stay.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Northern Ireland: Executive’s racial equality strategy fails amid rising racist attacks in a ‘year of hate’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    New PSNI report shows 1,807 racist incidents 1,188 crimes in the year to end of March 2025 – the highest levels recorded since records began in 2004/05

    Level of race hate incidents hit new high during summer 2024

    ‘These police figures should be a wake-up call to the Executive. Its racial equality strategy has failed. Promises made years ago remain broken. Meanwhile racism has grown’ – Patrick Corrigan 

    The last 12 months were a ‘year of hate’ according to Amnesty International following new figures published today (15 May) showing racist attacks hit an all-time high over the last year. 

    The figures were published today in a report by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which tracked recorded hate crimes and incidents for the 12 months to the end of March 2025. 

    The report reveals that there 1,807 incidents 1,188 crimes recorded by the police in the year to date. There were 454 more race incidents and 349 more race hate crimes recorded in the last 12 months than in the previous corresponding period.  

    Six of the eight highest monthly levels of race incidents since records began in 2004 were recorded between May and October 2024. 

    More than half (635) of recorded race hate crimes in the period were in Belfast.   

    Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director, said: 

    “The past year has been a year of hate for victims of racism in Northern Ireland. These figures should serve as a stark wake-up call for the Northern Ireland Executive. 

    “The Executive’s ten-year racial equality strategy has failed. Promises made years ago remain broken, while racism has been allowed to flourish. Last year, race hate crime hit an all-time high – a shameful milestone. 

    “As the current Racial Equality Strategy nears its expiration at the end of this year, the Executive must deliver more than rhetoric. It must implement a bold, effective action plan to confront and dismantle the toxic prejudice that has taken root across Northern Ireland.” 

    An independent review of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Racial Equality Strategy 2015 – 2025, commissioned by the Executive and published in December 2024, found the strategy has been undermined by the lack of an action plan and budget. 

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: “This is my home, and I will never leave”: Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    For decades Israel has been confiscating Palestinian land and demolishing Palestinian homes often to make way for the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. 

    Since October 2023 there has been a sharp rise in the forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Gaza Strip, where Israel has forcibly displaced most of the population and recently threatened to permanently seize territory and subject the population to forcible transfer or deportation.  

     In January 2025, an Israeli court ordered the eviction of 27 families from their homes in Batn Al-Hawa, in the village of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, after a decade-long case filed by the Israeli settler organization Ateret Cohanim who claim the land is rightfully owned by a Jewish trust.  

    15 May is Nakba Day, which commemorates when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or forced to flee their homes in what became Israel in 1948. They continue to be denied the right to return to this day. 

    This Nakba Day Zuheir Rajabi, whose family is among those who have been ordered to evacuate Batn Al-Hawa within six months, describes his experience as a Palestinian facing displacement in Jerusalem. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Siege of Gaza: MSF denounces new aid mechanism proposed by US and Israel story May 15, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    As hunger deepens and Gaza’s health system collapses, the US and Israel are pushing a new aid mechanism, which raises widespread ethical, legal, security, and logistical concerns, said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières on Wednesday.

    The plan—centered around the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—seeks to bypass UN-led coordination and place aid delivery under direct Israeli control, effectively forcing a militarized system on humanitarian organizations, donors, and civilians, said MSF.

    The United States, the UN, EU member states, and all those with influence over Israel must urgently use their political and economic leverage to stop the instrumentalization of aid.

    Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF USA

    Rather than facilitate access, the plan threatens to further institutionalize obstruction, instrumentalize aid, and entrench the Israeli occupation. By conditioning lifesaving assistance on displacement and compliance with Israeli screening, the plan violates humanitarian principles. Making aid conditional on forced displacement and vetting of the population would be another tool in the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population. MSF firmly rejects and condemns this plan of full control over who receives aid. We  cannot accept a system which subjugates humanitarian aid to military and occupation objectives.

    We are witnessing, in real time, the creation of conditions for the eradication of Palestinian lives in Gaza, said MSF.

    Children hold empty pots waiting in line at a community kitchen in northern Gaza. | Palestine 2025 © Nour Alsaqqa/MSF

    The obstruction of humanitarian aid is a direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720, which calls for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. Claims that aid is being diverted by Hamas remain unverified and in no way justify such measures. As the occupying power, Israel must facilitate impartial humanitarian assistance for the population in need.

    “The United States, the UN, EU member states, and all those with influence over Israel must urgently use their political and economic leverage to stop the instrumentalization of aid,” said Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF in the United States. “Humanitarian supplies, food, fuel, and medicines must be allowed to reach the people of Gaza now. Humanitarian aid must reach all the people who desperately need it.”

    A 5-month-old child is screened for severe acute malnutrition at Nasser Hospital. | Palestine 2025 © Nour Alsaqqa/MSF

    Since Israel’s resumption of attacks and its total blockade of aid launched on March 2, Gaza has become hell on earth for Palestinians. The survival of Palestinians lies at the mercy of Israeli authorities, who are denying the entire population access to food, water, medical care, and shelter. Israel continues to pursue its campaign of ethnic cleansing by deliberately destroying the conditions necessary for life.

    Organizations including World Central Kitchen and the World Food Programme (WFP) have announced that they have no more food stocks available in Gaza. Most community kitchens and bakeries have closed. MSF medical teams in Gaza City have seen a 32 percent increase in the number of patients presenting with malnutrition over the past two weeks.

    Message from Gaza: “We are running out of time to save lives”

    View the timeline

    Dwindling fuel stocks are limiting the ability to desalinate and distribute water. The health facilities that are still functioning—already critically inadequate in number and capacity for the population—are still being attacked and are suffering from rapidly diminishing stocks of medications and other essential supplies. MSF teams in Gaza have not been able to receive any supplies for 11 weeks and face critical shortages of essential medical items such as sterile compresses and sterile gloves.

    This 4-year-old child was severely burned and lost her mother and two siblings in an Israeli airstrike that struck their tent in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. She is unable to heal properly because of the lack of proper nutrition and protein. | Palestine 2025 © Nour Alsaqqa/MSF

    Israel’s evacuation orders and established no-go military zones now cover 70 percent of Gaza. The population has been forcibly transferred from one place to another, while not a single area of Gaza has been spared from attacks. The desperateness of the situation is such that MSF teams have treated and discharged patients only to see them return with new injuries.

    Israel’s plan to instrumentalize aid is a cynical response to the very humanitarian crisis they created. If they wished, Israel and its allies could lift the blockade today and let humanitarian aid reach all those in Gaza whose survival depends on it.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace organizations challenge perverse damages in Energy Transfer lawsuit

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Deepa Padmanabha, Greenpeace USA Sr. Legal Advisor, center, surrounded by Greenpeace legal team, staff and supporters talks to the media outside the Morton County Memorial Courthouse in Mandan, North Dakota shortly after the jury in the case rendered their verdict. © Stephanie Keith / Greenpeace

    MANDAN, ND (May 15, 2025) — In the first hearing since the trial concluded in Energy Transfer’s bullying lawsuit against Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, and Greenpeace International, the defendants argued to reduce the more than $660 million damages awarded to Energy Transfer. Arguments included the fact that damages awarded exceed what is allowed by the law and bear no reasonable relationship to Energy Transfer’s alleged damages.

    Deepa Padmanabha, Senior Legal Advisor, Greenpeace USA, said: “Our fight is far from over. Today’s hearing was another step in this important legal battle to protect the rights to protest and free speech, especially as we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on these rights. As we await the Court’s decision on our motion to reduce the damages award, we will continue to fight back against all attempts to silence and intimidate those speaking truth to power.” 

    Kristin Casper, General Counsel, Greenpeace International, said: “While the Court reserved its ruling on today’s motions and did not enter a final judgment, we presented compelling arguments to reduce the perverse damages the jury awarded. Regardless of the outcome, Greenpeace International is committed to exhausting all legal avenues to challenge and overturn any outcome that violates our rights.”

    The next hearing on May 27, 2025 will address renewed requests by Greenpeace defendants for the Court to rule in their favor — despite the jury reaching a different conclusion — because the evidence presented at trial was legally insufficient to rule in Energy Transfer’s favor. Other post-trial matters could also be raised and argued at the upcoming hearing.

    Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected]

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Report: Deadly Gaps

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    In September 2025, the Global Fund, the main funder of a worldwide response to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, will host its eighth replenishment conference, where donor countries will make pledges to fund its vital, life-saving work.

    Ahead of the conference, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has released a report based on our experience with the communities we serve. This report highlights the challenges this replenishment faces, including the impact of shrinking donor support. Without sufficient funding there will be antiretroviral, antimalarial and tuberculosis drug stockouts, people will travel long distances only to be turned away at dispensaries, community health workers will go unpaid or under-supported, and critical prevention activities will be neglected. These challenges are not confined to ‘fragile’ settings. People in countries with functioning health systems that are simply under-resourced will also feel the impacts.

    This report references findings from Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Philippines, South Sudan, and Sudan.

    The stakes for replenishment are high. Now is the time to step up—to protect gains made and ensure a future where HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria do not threaten millions of lives.

    Deadly Gaps: Executive Summary pdf — 3.37 MB Download
    Deadly Gaps: Don’t turn away from saving lives pdf — 11.64 MB Download

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK government must immediately close Wethersfield mass containment site for asylum seekers

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • A new report released by MSF shows how people staying in Wethersfield mass containment site in the UK are experiencing severe mental health distress.
    • Wethersfield continues to be used as an accommodation site for asylum seekers despite the government promising to end its use.
    • We call on the UK government to end the use of mass containment sites for asylum seekers and encourage the use of dignified and safe accommodation within communities. 

    For over one year, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in partnership with Doctors of the World (DOTW) UK, ran a general healthcare mobile clinic outside the main gates of the former Royal Air Forces base at Wethersfield, in the United Kingdom (UK). Between November 2023 and December 2024, we documented how the isolated site, which accommodates up to 800 men aged between 18 and 65, causes immense harm.

    A new report based on medical data and interviews with the men held at Wethersfield in 2024 highlights mental health distress amongst our patients and protection concerns at the site.

    “A Lonely Place” How Wethersfield is harming asylum seekers pdf — 1.6 MB Download

    “When I first saw the military camp, it was a reminder of the military camps in my home country. Very isolated atmosphere. You can’t socialise and you can’t learn,” says a resident at Wethersfield in 2024.

    The top five countries of nationality of patients attending our mobile clinic were Iran, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan. As such, many have fled violence, persecution and conflict and will go on to be recognised as refugees by the UK government.

    “Most of the consultations were for psychological problems. Many people felt anxious and stressed and said Wethersfield reminds them of previous difficult experiences such as imprisonment, torture or living in areas of conflict,” says Emma Withycombe, MSF’s medical activities manager. “It seems very cruel that people who have experienced so much hardship are now living here. The government has chosen to accommodate people in a place that causes harm.”

    In the absence of safe alternatives, many people seeking safety are forced to risk their lives and take dangerous journeys to reach the UK.

    The report reveals:

    A lack of safe routes to the UK

    Everyone who accessed our services had crossed the Channel by small boat. In interviews, participants described dangerous journeys to get to the UK. Three quarters of patients disclosed previous experiences of violence or abuse in their countries of origin and on their journeys to the UK.

    Mental health impacted by the site

    The men we interviewed spoke about the major impact the site was having on their mental health, as well as on the mental health of those around them. 62 per cent of those accessing our service presented with severe mental distress and 30 per cent reported suicidal ideation.

    Serious failures to protect and safeguard

    Our medical team observed that many individuals were accommodated onsite despite being ‘unsuitable’ according to the Home Office’s own guidance. We made a total of 226 safeguarding referrals due to concerns about individual patient safety and wellbeing.

    “People are dying at the UK borders, dying in camps and hotels. Our patients in Wethersfield have survived conflict, persecution, and harrowing journeys to the UK with no safe route to asylum. The government should not be putting refugees into camps once they arrive here,” says Simon Tyler, Executive Director of DOTW.

    Despite evidence that mass containment causes immense psychological harm and suffering, and the government’s own promises to end its use, Wethersfield remains open. In April 2025, Prime Minister Starmer refused to set a date for when the site would close.

    “It is beyond comprehension that Wethersfield remains open, a site which has been the source of intense suffering for people who came to the UK in search of safety. From MSF’s work at the site, we know many of the individuals accommodated here have experienced violence and trauma and will have complex psychological needs,” says Jacob Burns, project manager for MSF. “We had hoped this Labour government would establish a dignified and compassionate asylum system. Instead, we are witnessing a continuation of the same inhumane and restrictive policies, that are fundamentally failing those who are most in need of care and protection.”

    MSF calls on the UK government to:

    • Close Wethersfield immediately and end the policy of mass containment for people seeking safety in the UK.
    • Place people seeking safety in the UK in dignified and safe accommodation in the community.
    • Ensure access to specialist mental health support for asylum seekers in the UK.
    • Home Office accommodation sites must have clear and transparent safeguarding pathways in place before opening.
    • Open new and expand existing safe routes for people seeking safety to reach the UK.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: May budget revise makes the case for California’s Climate Superfund Act even stronger 

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SACRAMENTO, CA (May 14, 2025) –In response to the recently released May revise of the California state budget, which revealed a projected $12 billion deficit, Benjamin Smith, Greenpeace USA Senior Strategic Partnerships Advisor, said: “Today’s news of the huge budget deficit in the May revise shows that California is sinking deeper into an affordability crisis. That’s why it’s crucial California legislators pass pieces of legislation like the Climate Superfund Act. Our investments in the future shouldn’t have to come from taxpayers who are already struggling to make ends meet. 

    “It’s time for the biggest polluters who created this toxic mess and the subsequent escalating, expensive climate disasters to pay their fair share. This is a common sense policy that is urgently needed to protect our public sector workers, critical social programs, and both state and local budgets.

    “We can’t continue draining the coffers of services that Californians need, especially when there’s money available from some of the wealthiest corporations in history who have been making record profits. To take the words right out of President Trump’s mouth: instead of 30 yachts this year, the corporate CEOs making millions could do just fine with two.”

    Contact: Katie Nelson, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ukraine: Establishment of the special tribunal for the crime of aggression must ensure victims-centered justice

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (the ICJ) and the undersigned organizations are encouraged by steps taken towards the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, although regrettably final details on the mechanism’s legal framework, including its Statute, have not been made public. In this regard, the organizations call on the Council of Europe to urgently publish the draft Statute of the Tribunal to ensure the transparent and inclusive participation of civil society, especially victims and survivors, as the Tribunal is established and, certainly, in its proceedings.

    The initiative to establish a Special Tribunal has been precipitated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and the creation of the Special Tribunal is a significant step towards holding those responsible, up to the highest levels, for the crime of aggression. In its annual meeting held on 14 May in Luxembourg, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invited the Organisation’s Secretary General to lead the process for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, to be created on the basis of an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine.

    “The Tribunal is an important breakthrough for the international justice community and especially for the millions of Ukrainians who have been harmed by the Russian aggression”, said Oleksandra Matviichuk, FIDH Vice-President and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties. “For the court to be truly effective however, it must not become a remote and hollow entity that does not engage with the Ukrainian victims or give them access to proceedings.”

    Until the draft Statute of the Tribunal is published, it is not possible to specifically comment on its contents. However, based on a recent explainer published by the Council of Europe regarding the proposed Tribunal, a number of observations can be made.

    As a key preliminary observation, the organizations expect the Tribunal to be able to investigate and prosecute senior government and military leaders responsible for the crime of aggression, up to and including heads of state. In this regard, the organizations deeply regret the availability of “personal immunities”, which, according to the Council of Europe explainer, will be granted to the members of the Troika (Head of State, Head of Government and Minister for Foreign Affairs). The organizations firmly oppose the reported availability of personal immunities within the Tribunal’s legal framework. Immunity has no bearing on a person’s potential individual responsibility and the mechanism cannot allow such immunities to lead to impunity by enabling those who likely bear the most responsibility for the crime of aggression to escape prosecution. The organizations call on all stakeholders, in particular the Council of Europe and Ukraine to urgently amend the draft Statute for the Tribunal to remove the availability of personal immunities, which are not recognized by international criminal tribunals and for which there is a growing body of law and practice excluding them.

    Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine said: “The creation of the Special Tribunal is a step towards addressing some of the far too many accountability gaps confronting the delivery of justice for Ukrainians. It should ensure that the crime of aggression is thoroughly investigated. However, immunity goes hand in hand with impunity. In Amnesty International’s view, pursuing accountability at the highest level of Russia’s and other states’ political and military leadership must be a paramount objective of the Tribunal. Consequently, any immunity provisions which are currently in the Tribunal’s draft legal framework must be urgently removed or risk compromising future justice for victims of aggression. The Tribunal must not shy away from seeking indictments against all those who ordered, planned and implemented the crime of aggression against the people of Ukraine, including those most responsible.”

    The possibility of holding trials in absentia (without the presence of the accused) also marks a regressive development from previously established international criminal tribunals. Although the Special Tribunal’s draft Statute is reported to ensure that an accused person has the right to request the reopening of proceedings if they had not previously waived their right to appear or accepted the initial judgment, the Tribunal will need to ensure any trials held in absentia respect the fair trial rights of the accused, including by effective representation by counsel even where they do not appear. In particular, trials in absentia may affect perceptions of objectivity and impartiality of trials where an accused person is not present to defend themselves. For these reasons, such trials should be avoided by the Tribunal. 

    We also emphasise the importance, and perception, of impartiality and independence in all investigations, prosecutions and adjudications, in line with international law and applicable European Convention on Human Rights’ standards.

    “The Tribunal has to ensure complete compliance with international standards to maintain credibility,” said Kate Vigneswaran, Director of the Global Accountability Initiative at the ICJ. “Cases of aggression should normally be investigated and adjudicated by the ICC, and Rome Statute States Parties should ratify the Kampala amendment on the crime of aggression to ensure the Court’s capacity to do so.”

    FIDH, Amnesty International, the ICJ and the undersigned organizations call on the international community, especially on all Council of Europe member and observer States, members of the Core Group, and international organizations, to pursue all avenues to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine. To this end, cooperation by all stakeholders will be critical for effective investigations.

    The organizations also underline that effective cooperation must be established between the Tribunal, the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage and the Claims Commission once established, as well as with the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The organizations also call on States to ratify the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes as a basis of cooperation with the Tribunal, as well as international cooperation between states.

    The Special Tribunal should be able in legal and capacity terms to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine. However, while the Tribunal is an important step, at the present juncture the need for comprehensive accountability for the crime of aggression requires the United Nations and the international community to continue to work towards a global and international justice response for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and other countries. Such an international mechanism should also exclude, if established under the auspices of the United Nations, the possibility of any immunity for those alleged to have committed the crime of aggression.

    Victims of Russia’s aggression deserve justice now – peace must be accompanied by justice. All victims must be heard, and their rights to truth, justice and reparations must be central to all discussions and actions taken as the establishment of the Special Tribunal moves forward.

    Background

    Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which resulted in widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, the ICC has issued arrest warrants for six Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, the ICC currently lacks jurisdiction to prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

    The agreement establishing the Special Tribunal is expected to be signed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe following the decision of the Committee of Ministers adopted on 14 May 2025. Ukraine officially requested the Council of Europe to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression on 14 May 2025.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Russia: Sentencing of election observer Grigory Melkonyants a brazen attack on peaceful activism

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the sentencing of Russian civil society activist and prisoner of conscience Grigory Melkonyants to five years in prison, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

    “The Russian authorities instigated this criminal case in order to silence one of the country’s most respected election observers. Grigory Melkonyants has committed no crime – his only ‘offence’ was defending the right to free and fair elections in Russia. This is nothing more than a brazen and politically motivated clampdown on peaceful activism.

    Grigory Melkonyants has committed no crime – his only ‘offence’ was defending the right to free and fair elections in Russia

    Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director

    “Grigory Melkonyants must be released unconditionally and his conviction quashed. The legislation that was used to target him must be repealed. The international community cannot remain silent – neither on this appalling verdict nor on the outrageous assault on civic space that is taking place in Russia.”

    Background

    The Basmanny District Court of Moscow also imposed a 9-year ban on Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the independent election watchdog Golos, participating in any civic activity. He was charged with purportedly organizing the activities of an “undesirable organization” – a nebulous term arbitrarily used by the Russian authorities to ban any organization they regard as a threat and to criminalize any association with said organizations.

    The charges stem from Grigory Melkonyants’s alleged links to the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was declared “undesirable” in Russia in 2021. Melkonyants and Golos have consistently denied any institutional connection to ENEMO.

    Grigory Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience, prosecuted and imprisoned solely for his peaceful activism.

    Throughout its 25-year history, Golos and its activists have faced harassment and persecution by the authorities. In 2013, it became the first organization in Russia to be labelled a “foreign agent” and was dissolved in 2016. Following the “foreign agent” designation, a movement under the same name was founded, which also engaged in election monitoring. In 2021, the movement and 20 of its activists and coordinators were declared “foreign agents.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: South Sudan: UN Security Council must renew and enforce arms embargo to protect civilians

    Source: Amnesty International –

    • Ugandan military presence in clear breach of embargo terms
    • Satellite images of South Sudanese military helicopters suggest ongoing embargo violations
    • Arms embargo, in place since 2018, due to expire on 31 May

    The deployment of armed Ugandan soldiers and military equipment to South Sudan since 11 March 2025 flagrantly violates the arms embargo, Amnesty International said today, ahead of this month’s UN Security Council vote on the embargo’s renewal.

    The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), which was sent to South Sudan amid escalating violence in Upper Nile State, has given conflicting accounts of the purpose of its mission. Media reports quote UPDF officials saying that they were deployed at South Sudan’s request to secure the capital Juba and that they are “not there for peacekeeping.” However, the UPDF states on its website that the objective of the deployment is to “maintain peace and security in the country.”

    The human rights organization also documented evidence of the ongoing use of attack helicopters by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), strongly suggesting that the supply of spare parts – an arms embargo violation previously documented by Amnesty International – continues. On 4 May, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that two helicopter gunships bombed their pharmacy in Old Fangak the day before and fired at the town, killing seven and injuring 20 others. A deliberate attack targeting a hospital performing its humanitarian function would violate international humanitarian law and constitute a war crime. Just days later media cite eyewitnesses alleging that SSPDF helicopter gunships killed six civilians in Mayom County, Unity State.

    We urge the Security Council to renew the embargo, enforce it and protect civilian lives

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

    “While the UN arms embargo has not been a panacea, the human rights situation would almost certainly be worse without it. Now is not the time to lift the embargo and add more weapons into the fray. We urge the Security Council to renew the embargo, enforce it and protect civilian lives,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The Amazon can wait no longer

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Warriors for the Amazon (Guerreras por la Amazonía)

    Throughout our lives, we have witnessed the suffering and devastation wrought on the Amazon region by oil extraction. We, the young women who today call ourselves “Warriors for the Amazon“, are part of a movement that, together with the Union of People Affected by Texaco’s Oil Operations (UDAPT), the “Eliminen los Mecheros, Enciendan la Vida” (Remove the flares, Ignite life) collective and our communities and families, is fighting for the present and future of the Amazon and against oil pollution.

    We grew up alongside the gas flares, those fire monsters used for oil extraction that pollute our air and our water. Every single flame from the monsters represents more pollution, more suffering and more sickness for our people, as well as more destruction for the home we share with thousands of species. We watch every day as insects and animals are burned in the flames. Pollution is killing our loved ones: our mothers, fathers, grandparents, neighbours and friends, who are falling prone to diseases such as cancer. Many of them face long journeys to Quito or other cities to seek specialist medical care. Some do not survive this unjust reality.

    The flares are also time bombs, releasing methane and other pollutants that heat our atmosphere and contribute to climate disasters that disproportionately affect those of us already suffering from pollution.

    Despite all this, the Ecuadorian state continues to allow these flares to operate and multiply unchecked. Together with UDAPT, other collectives, our families and our communities, since 2020 we have been bringing legal action calling for the flares to be eliminated. After a long and exhausting battle, in July 2021 the courts ruled in our favour. And yet the state has ignored us for more than three years now. The number of flares has increased, from 447 in 2019 to 486 in 2023. This situation is unsustainable and constitutes a violation of our human rights.

    We are not asking for the flares to be turned off. Rather, as ordered by the court, we are demanding the removal of all the flares that affect our lives, nature and other communities. The Ecuadorian state, and all other countries in which flares are used, must undertake not only to remove them, but also to repair the damage already done. We cannot allow oil extraction to continue destroying lives.

    We call upon Ecuador’s president-elect, Daniel Noboa, to acknowledge that he has a duty not only to govern, but also to protect life, health and nature. During 50 years of oil exploitation, no president has taken meaningful action on human rights and environmental justice because these issues have not been a priority for them. In regions such as the Amazon or Esmeraldas, which were recently hit by a devastating oil spill caused by negligence on the part of Petroecuador, the Ecuadorian state continues to extract oil wealth at the expense of people’s land and rights. For those of us who live in these sacrifice zones, all that remains is pollution and death. Our fight is not only against the flares, but also to bring to an end the violation of our rights and the rights of those affected by the oil industry and climate change.

    We cannot allow the Ecuadorian government to continue to ignore the harsh reality facing communities in the country’s Amazon region or those affected by oil extraction. It must stop putting money before health or life. In the context of the climate crisis, urgent action can no longer be put off. Our struggle, which should be shared by the entire country, is a struggle for a future in which our families can live in peace, breathe clean air and drink water that is not polluted.

    This is not a message of despair, but rather one of hope for change. We know we are not alone. Every day, more and more people join our cause from both within and outside Ecuador, recognizing that our struggle is a fight for life itself. At this critical juncture, we urge presidential candidates to avoid empty rhetoric and take concrete action instead. The time has come to build a true common home for us and for those who will come after us.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF denounces deliberate humanitarian catastrophe caused by siege on Gaza

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    The US-Israel proposition to control the distribution of supplies in Gaza, Palestine, under the guise of humanitarian aid raises grave humanitarian, ethical, security and legal concerns, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Making aid conditional on forced displacement and vetting of the population is another tool in the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population. MSF firmly rejects and condemns any plan that further reduces availability of aid and subjugates it to Israeli military occupation objectives.

    We are witnessing, in real time, the creation of conditions for the eradication of Palestinian lives in Gaza, says MSF.

    The obstruction of humanitarian aid is a direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720, which calls for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. Claims that aid is being diverted by Hamas remain unverified and in no way justify such measures. As the occupying power, Israel must facilitate impartial humanitarian assistance for the population in need.

    UN, EU member states, and all those with influence over Israel must urgently use their political and economic leverage to stop the instrumentalisation of aid. Humanitarian supplies, food, fuel and medicines must be allowed to reach the population of Gaza now.

    Since Israel’s resumption of attacks and its total blockade of aid on 2 March, Gaza has become a hell on earth for Palestinians. The survival of Palestinians lies at the mercy of Israeli authorities, who are denying the entire population access to food, water, medical care and shelter. Israel continues to pursue its campaign of ethnic cleansing by deliberately destroying the conditions necessary for life.

    Organisations including World Central Kitchen and the World Food Programme (WFP) have announced that they have no more food stocks available in Gaza: most community kitchens and bakeries have closed. MSF medical teams in Gaza City have seen a 32 per cent increase in the number of patients presenting with malnutrition over the past two weeks.

    Dwindling fuel stocks are limiting the ability to desalinate and distribute water. Those health facilities that still function – already critically inadequate in number and capacity for the population – are still being attacked and are suffering from rapidly diminishing stocks of medications and other essential supplies. MSF teams in Gaza have received no supplies for 11 weeks and face critical shortages of essential medical items such as sterile compresses and sterile gloves.

    Israel’s evacuation orders and established no-go military zones now cover 70 per cent of Gaza. The population has been forcibly transferred from one place to another, while not a single area of Gaza has been spared from attacks. The desperateness of the situation is such that MSF teams have treated and discharged patients only to see them return with new injuries.

    Israel’s plan to instrumentalise aid is a cynical response to the very humanitarian crisis they created. If they wished, Israel and its allies could lift the blockade today and let humanitarian aid reach all those in Gaza whose survival depends on it.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MEDIA ADVISORY: JOINT PRESS BRIEFING ON GAZA’S ESCALATING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

    Source: Oxfam –

     What

    Representatives from leading humanitarian organisations, including those who are in or just left the Gaza Strip, will brief the press on the impact of Israel’s total siege on Gaza – which has lasted now more than 70 days, and Israel’s plan to control and limit aid distribution moving forward.  

    Areas of focus:   

    • The catastrophic conditions for Palestinians in Gaza after 10 weeks of a full blockade of aid, water and medical supplies
    • The militarization of aid, including:
    • Israel’s plan to control and limit the distribution of aid, through the use of private organisations and security contractors
    • The impact of forcibly displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians into designated areas
    • Aid being withheld from people who are not registered and aid being limited to the bare minimum
    • Israel’s new rules for the registration of international NGOs amid a continued crackdown on civil society 

    When

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025 –  9am ET/2pm UK/3pm CET/4pm Gaza 

    Where

    Please register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fsCVX0UHTY6xuBRaMsRCVA 

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 

    Who:  

    Moderated by: Soraya Ali, Global Media Manager MEANEE, Save the Children 

    Speakers to include: 

    • Bushra Khalidi, Policy Lead, Oxfam
    • Mohammed Saleh, Director of Al-Awda Hospital in North Gaza
    • Mahmoud Isleem, General Coordinator/ Country Director, Médecins du Monde France
    • Yazdan El Amawi, Gaza Director, Anera
    • Salwa Al Tibi, Palestine/Gaza Country Director, MedGlobal
    • Amande Bazerolle, Gaza Coordinator, Médecins Sans Frontières France 

    Spokespeople’s Bios: 

    • Bushra Khalidi is the Palestinian Territory Policy Lead at Oxfam, specialising in protection, humanitarian access, and accountability. She influences decision-makers, engages with international institutions, and advocates for rights-based humanitarian action, ensuring Palestinian voices are represented. Bushra leads initiatives on ceasefire efforts, humanitarian space protection, and ending settlement trade.
    • Dr Mohammed Saleh is the current Director of Al-Awda Hospital near Jabaliya, North Gaza. When the former director, Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, was taken into custody by Israeli forces on 17 December 2023, Dr Saleh stepped in and led the hospital through the devastating four-month siege of Jabaliya of October 2024-January 2025 — the second siege faced by the hospital since the beginning of the escalation. Since his family had to flee to southern Gaza, he has had minimal contact with them, as he chose to stand by the hospital’s patients and staff.
    • Salwa Al-Tibi is Country Director for Palestine/Gaza at MedGlobal. Herself a refugee whose family has faced numerous displacements, she lives in Gaza City and specializes in community mental health. She has over 25 years of experience working with different NGOs and local organizations in Gaza, including previous senior positions at Save the Children, CARE international, and Catholic Relief Services.
    • Mahmoud Isleem is General Coordinator/ Country Director of Médecins du Monde France (MdM) in the occupied Palestinian territory. He has 20 years of humanitarian work experience in Palestine in both Gaza and the West Bank. As a Palestinian of the West Bank, he is currently based in Ramallah due to access restrictions to the Gaza Strip imposed by Israeli authorities on WB ID-holder humanitarians.
    • Amande Bazerolle is an emergency coordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) France. After her first mission in Palestine in 2011, she has worked for MSF Asia programs, notably as a head of mission for Pakistan. Since September 2024 she has been overseeing MSF emergency response in Gaza. She has just spent four months in Gaza, coordinating the work of 900 Palestinian staff.
    • Yazdan El Amawi is the Gaza Director at Anera. He has over two decades of experience working across the humanitarian and development fields in Gaza and has managed many programs on livelihoods, health, water, sanitation, education, and emergency response. He holds an MBA from the University of Northern Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Marquette University. 

    For more information and for interviews, please contact:

    Oxfam Media office | Media.OPTI@oxfam.org   

    Jacqui Crocoran | Oxfam Media Lead in Jerusalem, Occupied Palestinian TerritoryOxfam |  jacqui.corcoran@oxfam.org

    For real-time updates, follow us on X and Bluesky, and join our WhatsApp channel. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Libya: Government of National Unity must ensure militia leaders are held to account after outbreak of violence in Tripoli 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to yesterday’s armed clashes in Tripoli between various militias, which resulted in the surrender of many members of the notorious Stability Support Authority (SSA) militia and the killing of its leader,  Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Gheniwa”, as well as subsequent decisions by the Government of National Unity (GNU) today, including appointing a new head of the infamous Tripoli-based Internal Security Agency (ISA) and dissolving the Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International, said: 

    “For years, the SSA and the ISA terrorized people in Tripoli through enforced disappearances, torture, and other crimes under international law. SSA members subjected hundreds of migrants and refugees to torture, forced labour and rape after intercepting them at sea and returning them to detention centres under SSA’s command.  

    “Now, the GNU must prioritize the rights of victims and break the cycle of impunity. It must ensure that all members of these militias, including their leaders, who are suspected of committing crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations are held to account. The GNU must immediately open thorough, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into the crimes committed by these groups over the past years. But accountability must not turn into revenge: militia members who are arrested or surrender must be treated humanely while in detention and be protected from the risk of torture or other ill-treatment. 

    The GNU must prioritize the rights of victims and break the cycle of impunity. It must ensure that all members of these militias, including their leaders, who are suspected of committing crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations are held to account.

    Mahmoud Shalaby, Libya Researcher

    “The GNU’s appointment of a new head of the ISA today must bring to an end the ISA’s vicious campaign of repression against people who peacefully exercise their human rights. The GNU must also ensure that the former head of the ISA, Lotfi al-Harari, is held accountable for all crimes under international law allegedly committed under his command. In particular, while he was deputy head of the Abu Salim Central Security Force, another militia, he is suspected of having been involved in crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations since 2011, including arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances. 

    “The GNU’s decision to dissolve the DCIM and integrate its members into the Ministry of Interior must include rigorous and thorough individual vetting to ensure that alleged perpetrators of well-documented crimes against migrants and refugees, including sexual violence, extortion, forced labour, and inhuman detention conditions across DCIM centres, are held accountable.” 

    Amnesty International is also calling on the GNU to ensure the immediate release of all individuals who are detained without charge or a legal basis in official or unofficial places of detention controlled by the SSA and all other militias, including the ISA. All those held arbitrarily must have access to effective remedies. 

    Background 

    On 12 May 2025, armed clashes erupted in Tripoli between rival militias amid reports of the killing of one of the most powerful militia leaders in Tripoli Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Gheniwa”. Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a governmental health institution, stated that six dead bodies were collected from the streets of the Abu Salim neighbourhood in Tripoli after the clashes, without clarifying whether they were civilians or fighters. 

    On 13 May 2025, the GNU issued several decisions, including establishing a governmental committee tasked with inspecting detention facilities and ensuring respect for the humane treatment of detainees. The committee is also tasked with reviewing the legality of arrests and detentions in order to guarantee that decisions on release or continued detention by judicial authorities are implemented The GNU’s decisions included the dissolution of DCIM, as well as the appointment of another head for the ISA. 

    The SSA, created by the GNU in 2021, was commanded by, Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Gheniwa”, who was appointed despite the well-documented history of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations allegedly committed by militias under his command since the 2011 uprising.  Amnesty International has documented crimes including enforced disappearances and deaths in custody by SSA militia members under “Gheniwa’s” command, as well as interceptions of refugees and migrants at sea that have been marred by reports of violence, leading to loss of life at sea. 

    For years, Amnesty International has documented crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations across DCIM detention centres, in which migrants and refugees have been subjected to indefinite arbitrary detention and reported extortion and forced labour, cruel and inhuman detention conditions, sometimes amounting to torture, severe beatings with various objects, and sexual violence.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: British citizen Ahmed al-Doush receives a 10 year sentence

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Manchester based British national Ahmed al-Doush been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Saudi Arabia

    It is unknown to Ahmed’s family and UK legal team what the charges were for

    He has faced multiple violations to his fair trial rights

    Amnesty International has documented the Saudi authorities’ increasing crackdown on freedom of expression

    Manchester based British national Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison following his arrest by Saudi authorities on 31 August 2024 on a family holiday to the country.

    His domestic lawyer in Saudi Arabia has refused to share with Ahmed’s family what the sentencing was for. Five months after his arrest, Ahmed was told that charges would be issued against him for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news against the Kingdom, and that he was accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened the Kingdom’s national security.

    Based on the questions asked during his extensive interrogations, his family believes these accusations may relate to a 2018 tweet he made concerning the situation in Sudan, with no mention of Saudi Arabia, which he then deleted, and that the second accusation is related to his alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile with whom he has no relationship beyond knowing his son.

    Since his arrest, Ahmed has faced multiple violations to his fair trial rights. He was subjected to extensive interrogation without a lawyer present and before being informed of the charges against him. For over two months after his arrest, his family had no contact with him and received no information about his condition or the reasons for his detention, and he was also denied consular access. Since then, his contact with his family and UK based legal team has continued to be severely restricted.

    His wife was pregnant at the time of his arrest and he therefore missed the birth of his fourth child.

    Amnesty International has documented the Saudi authorities’ increasing crackdown on freedom of expression, targeting both citizens and foreign nationals, many of whom have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. 

    Commenting on the news of the sentence, Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said:

    “We strongly condemn this sentence and reiterate our urgent call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed al-Doush, if he is being held solely for peacefully exercising his human rights. He must be allowed to return to his family in the UK without delay. In the meantime, Saudi authorities must uphold his fair trial rights, promptly share his court documents with him and guarantee regular access to both his family and legal counsel.

    “We also urge the UK government to take all necessary steps to secure his immediate and unconditional release. The arbitrary detention of another British national abroad cannot be tolerated. Immediate and decisive action is essential.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Amnesty response to London High Court hearing on UK arms exports to Israel

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Photo featuring a masked figure of Keir Starmer holding a placard denying the mass atrocities in Gaza © Marie-Anne Ventoura/Amnesty International

    Amnesty International UK spokesperson available for interviews throughout the week

    Images available here: striking photos featuring a masked figure of Keir Starmer holding a placard denying the mass atrocities in Gaza © Marie-Anne Ventoura/Amnesty International

    Today (13 May) is the first day of a four-day hearing where the UK government will appear at the High Court to defend its ongoing licensing of arms exports to Israel. These exports have been linked to potential war crimes in Gaza, including bombings in Al-Mawasi, a designated safe zone where at least 90 people were reported to have been killed in a single attack.  

    Amnesty International UK staged a visual protest featuring a masked figure of Keir Starmer holding a placard denying the mass atrocities in Gaza, emblazoned with the words: ‘What Genocide?’ – a visual critique of political silence amid mass civilian suffering. Images available here © Marie-Anne Ventoura/Amnesty International.

    Amnesty International UK and Human Rights Watch have intervened in the case to submit evidence that demonstrates the Israeli authorities’ lack of commitment to international humanitarian law, and legal argument regarding the UK government’s failure to properly implement its obligations to prevent genocide, under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.

    Commenting on the first day of the hearing, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said:

    “Under the Genocide Convention, the UK has a clear legal obligation to do everything within its power to prevent genocide. Yet the UK government continues to authorise the export of military equipment to Israel – despite all the evidence that genocide is being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. This is a fundamental failure by the UK to fulfil its obligations.

    “What is unfolding in Gaza is not hidden – it is being broadcast to the world in real time. Entire Palestinian families are being wiped out in their homes. Civilians are being targeted in what should be safe spaces. Gaza’s medical system has been systematically dismantled, its water and sanitation infrastructure destroyed, and its population subjected to starvation and siege. Over a million people have been forcibly displaced, with no safe place to go. These acts are not accidental and there’s only one conclusion that can be reached: this is genocide.

    “The time for equivocation is over. The UK must immediately suspend all arms exports to Israel and uphold its obligations under international law. Anything less makes a mockery of the UK’s stated commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and the principles of the Genocide Convention.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK Special Forces: Justice Needed for Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the BBC Panorama investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings and cover-ups by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan, Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said:

     “The allegations of extrajudicial killings and cover-ups by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan, as presented by BBC Panorama, are profoundly serious and  would amount to war crimes. The reported deliberate killing of detainees – including children and wounded individuals  – would constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law.

    “It’s deeply concerning that these allegations span many years and point to a potential pattern of institutional concealment and failure in oversight within the Ministry of Defence. Reports of falsified accounts, planted evidence, and apparent efforts to suppress or manipulate investigations suggest the possibility of a systemic cover-up.

    “We welcome the ongoing public inquiry and stress that it must remain fully independent, adequately resourced, and empowered to compel testimony and access all relevant evidence – including classified material.  Those alleged to be individually responsible for war crimes and other abuses – regardless of rank – must be transparently investigated and prosecuted in fair, independent and impartial trials within the UK and potentially at the International Criminal Court.

    “Justice must not be delayed. The victims of these alleged abuses, and the public, deserve full truth, transparency, and accountability.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Increase in admissions at MSF centre specialised in treating people for extreme violence in Mexico City

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Mexico City – The number of mental health consultations and new patients admitted to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Comprehensive Care Centre (CAI, in Spanish) for victims of extreme violence, based in Mexico City, Mexico, has increased significantly in the last six months. MSF attributes the increase to continued violence at the hands of various armed groups — both organised crime groups and security forces — along the migration route through Central America and Mexico, fuelled by a slew of harsh changes to immigration policies by the United States (US) and other governments in the region. As needs increase, we urge public entities and NGOs to strengthen assistance to people in Mexico who have been victims of violence and are seeking safety.  

    In the first quarter of 2025, MSF teams provided 485 individual mental health sessions to patients at the CAI, including to migrants in transit through or stranded in Mexico and Mexican citizens. This represents a 36% increase compared with the number of sessions provided in the three months prior. Throughout 2024, MSF provided an average of 300 to 350 individual mental health sessions each quarter. Between January and March this year, the most common conditions people presented with were post-traumatic stress disorder (48%) and depression (39%), as well as acute stress reactions (7%), grief, and anxiety. 

    “Since the end of January, we have treated people with severe mental health issues due in large part to the impact of restrictive immigration policies recently implemented by the US and other governments in the region,” says Joaquim Guinart, coordinator of the CAI.  

    48 %

    48%

    Post-traumatic stress disorder

    39 %

    39%

    Depression

    7 %

    7%

    Acute stress reactions

    A flurry of executive actions taken by US President Donald Trump in January included the declaration of a national emergency at the US southern border—effectively militarising immigration enforcement— and the temporary suspension of refugee admissions to the US. 

    Even before the executive orders were issued, the new administration took swift action to shut down the CBP One app that, despite its flaws, was the only way to apply for asylum at the US southern border. The impact of these restrictions is further compounded by funding cuts to humanitarian programmes, severely affecting access to shelter and basic healthcare needs. 

    “These abrupt changes have left many people trapped in legal limbo, with no pathway to seek asylum and no access to essential services or protection,” says Guinart.  

    These combined measures further erode access to asylum and increase the risks for migrants—particularly children and other vulnerable groups—as people are pushed towards using increasingly dangerous routes and methods to seek asylum or trapped in unsafe locations where they are at heightened risk of kidnappings, extortion, and sexual violence.

    The CAI opened in 2016 to provide comprehensive care for survivors of extreme violence and torture, including medical care, psychology sessions, and physical therapy, among other services. The goal is to help patients regain their autonomy and heal physically and emotionally. Most people receive three to six months of treatment, and there are between 30-50 patients admitted at any one time. In 2024, MSF teams identified 4,500 victims of moderate to extreme violence through our projects in different points of attention in Mexico or through partners. We admitted 186 to the CAI for comprehensive treatment, others were provided care through mobile and fixed clinics or referred to other organisations for care.  

    Although most patients admitted are migrants, since the last quarter of 2024, the CAI has also focused on treating Mexican patients who are displaced or affected by violence occurring in various parts of the country. This coincides with a significant increase in admissions to the CAI during that period—64 in total, which represents an increase of more than 50 per cent over the usual quarterly average of 40.

    “The goal is for patients to regain their functionality and reintegrate into society,” says Guinart. “The CAI is a refuge for those affected by violence. Kidnappings, extortion, abuse, sexual violence, and other forms of violence affect many people along the migratory route from the south of the continent to Mexico’s northern border with the United States.”  

    “At the CAI we find extremely vulnerable people,” says Guinart. “Women and children make up the bulk of the cohort. We also care for many LGBTQI+ people. Violence leaves deep scars, not only causing physical damage, but also serious psychological disorders. Specialised care is required as many patients experience changes in their perception of safety, trust, and well-being,”.

    “I didn’t know if I would be able to trust people again,” says Elena*, a patient at the CAI. “The violence made me feel unworthy of love or respect.” Through therapy, Elena has begun to regain her self-esteem. “I’ve learned that my past doesn’t define me and that I can build a better future.”  

    “Every day is a struggle,” says another patient. “Anxiety consumes me, but here I feel I have a safe space to express myself and heal.”

    “The difficulty in accessing adequate care makes recovery for many people affected by extreme violence much more arduous,” says Henry Rodríguez, MSF’s general coordinator in Mexico. “In these challenging times of cuts in humanitarian aid, it is essential to recognise the importance of providing comprehensive support and cooperation between public entities and non-governmental organisations to direct these people to the few services available.” 

    *Name has been changed.  

    MSF’s work in the region: Between January 2024 and February 2025, MSF teams in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama treated nearly 3,000 victims and survivors of sexual violence and provided more than 20,000 individual mental health consultations, many of them precipitated by violence, displacement, and difficulties in the migration process. 

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: Migrant domestic workers face severe exploitation, racism and exclusion from labour protections

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Kenyan women hired as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia endure gruelling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions, which often amount to forced labour and human trafficking, Amnesty International said in a new report. The report highlights how employers subjected the women to extreme exploitation in private homes, often fuelled by racism, and how domestic workers continue to be excluded from Saudi Arabia’s labour law and other limited reforms.

    Locked in, left out: the hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, documents the experience of more than 70 women who previously worked in Saudi Arabia. Often deceived by recruiters in Kenya about the nature of their jobs, once in Saudi Arabia they were made to work under brutal conditions, regularly toiling for more than16 hours, being denied days off and prevented from ever leaving the house. The women also faced awful living conditions and inhumane treatment including sexual, verbal and physical assault. Employers typically confiscated their passports and phones and sometimes withheld their wages.

    “These women travelled to Saudi Arabia in search of work to support their families but instead endured unspeakable abuse in the homes of their employers,” said Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya. “The Kenyan government is actively encouraging labour migration, and the Saudi Arabian authorities claim that they have introduced labour rights reforms, yet behind closed doors domestic workers continue to face shocking levels of racism, abuse and exploitation.”

    “These women travelled to Saudi Arabia in search of work to support their families but instead endured unspeakable abuse in the homes of their employers

    Irungu Houghton, Executive Director, Amnesty International, Kenya

    “The Saudi and Kenyan authorities must listen to these women; who’s labour sustains families and contributes significantly to the economic development of both countries. The Saudi authorities should urgently grant domestic workers equal protection under the labour law, introduce an effective inspection system to tackle widespread abuses in private homes, and fully dismantle the Kafala sponsorship system that binds foreign workers to employers, fosters exploitation and perpetuates systemic racism.” 

    Neither the Saudi nor the Kenyan authorities responded to Amnesty’s request for comment or information.

    The Saudi authorities should urgently grant domestic workers equal protection under the labour law, introduce an effective inspection system to tackle widespread abuses in private homes, and fully dismantle the Kafala sponsorship system that binds foreign workers to employers, fosters exploitation and perpetuates systemic racism.

    Irungu Houghton

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: New Federal Environment Minister can define Labor’s legacy on nature and ocean protection

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SYDNEY, Tuesday 13 May 2025 — In response to the appointment of Senator Murray Watt as the new Federal Federal Environment Minister, Dr Susie Byers, Head of Advocacy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: 

    “Greenpeace congratulates Senator Murray Watt on his appointment as the new Federal Environment Minister in the Albanese Government at this critical moment for our environment. 

    “There has never been a more important moment to lead this portfolio with grit and ambition, with the health of nature and oceans in sharp decline across the country. Minister Watt has no time to lose, and will be faced with potentially the most important decisions of his whole term within just a few weeks of starting the job.

    “First off the mark must be the rejection of Woodside’s unacceptable gas plans in Western Australia, including the North West Shelf extension, and Browse proposal which would see drilling for gas underneath the fragile and pristine Scott Reef, threatening species like the pygmy blue whale and green sea turtle.

    “We know the Albanese Government has unfinished business on both reforming our broken nature laws so they properly address the ongoing destruction of nature and wildlife; and on addressing dangerous fossil fuels. Australia is an aspiring host of COP31 and has a responsibility to meet its international obligations, including setting out its plan to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems’ as soon as possible.

    “Ahead of the UN Oceans Conference next month, Minister Watt has an opportunity to define Labor’s legacy on ocean protection by ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty with 100 days of government, and creating vast ocean sanctuaries where marine life can flourish and is protected from destructive industrial fishing.

    “Australians voted overwhelmingly for action to protect nature and climate — Minister Watt’s initial decisions will demonstrate what kind of government we’ll see this term. Greenpeace looks forward to working constructively with Minister Watt to deliver the bold action needed to protect our environment and iconic wildlife from destruction.

    “We also acknowledge the contribution of Tanya Plibersek in progressing ocean protection including the significant expansion of Macquarie Island Marine Park and Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park, and laying the groundwork for nature law reform.”

    -ENDS-

    For more information or interviews contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘Tinkering at the edges’: Woodside’s revised Browse plans fail to mitigate Scott Reef risk

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SYDNEY/PERTH, Tuesday 13 May 2025 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has welcomed the WA EPA’s rare decision to reopen public consultation for Woodside’s revised Browse offshore gas proposal submitted in March.

    The WA EPA assessed Woodside’s original proposal as “unacceptable”, citing concerns about serious potential impacts to the environmentally sensitive Scott Reef. This included risk of an oil spill, impacts on threatened species, and the subsidence of Sandy Islet, a vital rookery for the endangered green sea turtle.

    Over 20,000 public submissions were lodged in response to Woodside’s previous proposal. Woodside’s Browse plans would see drilling for gas directly underneath the Scott Reef. 

    Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “Greenpeace welcomes the rare decision by the WA EPA to reopen public consultation for Woodside’s disastrous Browse gas proposal, which threatens our oceans and marine life, and places communities across Australia at increased risk of climate harm.

    “Woodside’s revised plans are merely tinkering at the edges of what is a fundamentally problematic proposal, which fails to address the risk of subsidence at Sandy Islet, and hinges on a yet to be proven technology to mitigate the risk of a major oil spill — it is incompatible with the protection of the fragile Scott Reef. 

    “It’s unthinkable today that we would allow a multinational fossil fuel company to drill for gas on the Great Barrier Reef — we must not accept this at Scott Reef, home to vibrant coral, threatened species like pygmy blue whales and a critical green sea turtle rookery.

    “Time and time again, Woodside has demonstrated it can’t be trusted with our oceans. Community opposition to this project is growing stronger by the day and we expect to see a large number of submissions in response to these revised plans. 

    “Greenpeace and our supporters will be watching this closely — we urge the WA EPA and the new Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt to heed community concerns and reject Woodside’s reckless gas expansion plans once and for all.”

    -ENDS-

    For more information or interviews contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Central African Republic: Former rebel leader Sayo’s arrest a reminder of the urgent need for justice for past crimes

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the opened judicial procedure against Armel Sayo, the former leader of the rebel armed group Revolution and Justice (RJ), Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said:

    “Armel Sayo’s arrest should serve as a reminder that the atrocities committed between 2014 and 2019 by the movement Revolution and Justice have yet to be investigated. Victims have long awaited justice.

    “Armel Sayo was charged in February 2025 for rebellion, war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the activities of the Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Recovery created in 2024. We urge courts in the Central African Republic (CAR) to effectively conduct investigations on crimes committed against civilians these past two decades and not only focus on the most recent crimes and/or infractions against the state.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Scotland: ‘Consciously cruel’ – UK social security system is pushing people beyond the brink – new report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Human rights in the UK in crisis as new report exposes crushing evidence of a social security system ruining lives

    • Discrimination and dehumanisation reported as rife as punitive system drives poverty by policy 

    • ‘I am barely holding on financially. I always feel just one step away from rock bottom’ – Isla

    • ‘Lives are being ruined by a system that is consciously cruel – it erodes dignity by design’– Neil Cowan, Amnesty 

    Amnesty International UK’s new report takes a deep dive into the UK social security system. The unique research is an extensive look through the lens of human rights violations across our basic rights to housing, food, education, healthcare and social security.  

    The evidence delivers damning conclusions on how the system processes, punishes, harms and dehumanises people and fails to meet international legal obligations. Successive UK governments have ignored the UN’s pleas to take urgent action to fix this. 

    Poverty is a visible sign of a failing social security system. When the UK government knowingly makes choices to make poverty worse, it is deliberately violating basic human rights. We have moved from a society that supports people to a punitive system that drives poverty by policy. 

    The rate of poverty in the UK is now higher than at any point in the 21st century. Sixteen million people in the UK are living in families in poverty – almost a quarter of the UK*. Of these, 5.2 million are children, 9.2 million are working-age adults, and 1.5 million are pension-age adults. While poverty rates in Scotland are now marginally lower than in the rest of the UK, 20% of people in Scotland are living in the grip of poverty including almost one in four children. 

    For its report ’Social Insecurity’ Amnesty’s collaborated with over 700 benefit claimants – including 74 claimant interviews in Scotland – and advisors to provide a platform for the people most gravely affected and show how politicians are playing with people’s lives and ignoring our most basic rights. In 2024 86% of low-income families on Universal Credit went without essentials such as heating, food and clothing. 

    With the backdrop of the Spring Statement and devastating disability social security cuts, Amnesty’s report delivers a crushing blow of evidence on the UK’s social security system and political choices that have pushed people into poverty and centres real-life experiences throughout, demonstrating the depth of dehumanisation. 

    Recommendations from the report call for: 

    • System overhaul: A landmark, independent Social Security Commission with statutory powers to overhaul the UK’s broken social security system—rooted in dignity and human rights. 

    •  Urgent protection from harm: The UK Government to urgently reverse harmful social security cuts, sanctions and caps including the two-child limit and ensure upcoming reforms of PIP, ESA and Universal Credit, meet international human rights standards and are shaped by those most affected. 

    •  Legal protections: The UK Government to put in place legal frameworks protecting economic, social and cultural rights to ensure everyone’s basic human rights to food, housing, and dignity are protected in law and prevent failures in social security policy from causing wider harms. 
       

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Trump Puts New England fishermen at risk

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Washington, D.C. (May 9, 2025) In response to the White House Press Secretary’s announcement that President Trump will be issuing an Executive Order to deregulate New England’s fishing industry, including opening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument up to commercial fishing, John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s Oceans Campaigns Director said: “Trump is going to ‘unleash’ America’s fishing industry straight into collapse. This administration’s approach to fishing is to pander to the most reckless and short-sighted lobbyists, at the expense of a whole industry that will suffer. And so will our oceans.” 

    “Opening this monument to commercial fishing will not boost the fishing economy in the way the Trump administration claims. There is no evidence that commercial fishing was harmed in the creation of this Monument. But opening deep-water coral habitats to industrial fishing gear will cause irreparable harm. It took a lot of time and effort to start rebuilding Atlantic fish stocks, and deregulation will quickly reverse that progress. When fish populations collapse, so do fishing jobs and fishing communities.” 

    The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is the first and only National Marine Monument established in the U.S. Atlantic. It protects unique and vulnerable deepwater habitats and abundant wildlife, including right whales, Risso’s dolphins, and leatherback sea turtles. It is estimated to be home to over 1,000 species, including at least 58 deep-sea coral species. 

    Scientists recommend protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 to help marine life recover and thrive. This goal, known as “30×30,” aims to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) and other conservation measures to safeguard marine biodiversity and support coastal communities. With this announcement and the recent Executive Order opening vast swaths of protected ocean to commercial exploitation, including areas within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, the Administration is moving in the opposite direction of what science demands.

    Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]  

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: A vote for the next generation

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    This year, Mother’s Day comes a day before the 2025 national midterm elections. Before Filipinos vote for future legislators and local officials, Virginia Benosa-Llorin reflects on the intersection of motherhood, climate anxiety, and the hope of having a say in what the future holds.

    My son married a wonderful woman last year and they are now expecting their first child. Like many other young parents, they gathered family and friends to celebrate with them as they reveal the gender of their upcoming baby. 

    The excitement grew as the couple asked us to answer trivia questions and for each correct answer, my son or daughter-in-law’s picture appeared on something like a crossword puzzle displayed on the screen.  

    After all the questions were answered, the photos of my son formed a straight horizontal line, which means we are going to have a baby boy! 

    The crowd cheered, and congratulations echoed throughout the room. I had hoped for a girl, only for a selfish reason that I could doll her up. But of course, any gender will be most welcome. I am already super excited to have a baby in the family. This early, I have already mapped out the pampering he will get from me. 

    It was a joyous moment, a celebration. 

    But then, it dawned on me: My first grandchild will be born this year during a time when the heat index is already considered dangerous.

    Graph from 2019 Lancet Report showing extent to which current and future generations will experience a hotter and different world.

    In my day, class suspensions were only due to flooding, but now it is different. Hot temperature prompts class suspensions as a precautionary health measure.

    As I looked at my son and daughter-in-law’s proud and happy, hopeful smiles, I couldn’t help but think about their future and how they will raise Amari. His name is going to be Amari, which means Promised by God.

    I felt a lump in my chest—the kind that mothers feel when they are worried.

    And I have my reasons. According to a 2019 Lancet Report, a child born today will encounter a world that is more than four degrees warmer than the pre-industrial average, with climate change impacting human health from infancy and adolescence to adulthood and old age.

    A warmer planet will have serious consequences for people, especially those living in poor conditions—health-wise, economically, and educationally. It is frightening to think about these consequences.

    I recently attended a forum on climate change and health, organized by the Institute of Child Health and Development, University of the Philippines Manila. The presentation by Dr. Ronald Law caught my attention the most. Dr. Law clearly and interestingly discussed the intergenerational inequity of climate change, noting that children are considered a particularly disadvantaged population due to their physiological and developmental vulnerabilities, as well as their higher likelihood of experiencing severe effects of climate change in the future.

    Dr. Ronald Law, Head of the Climate Change Unit of the Department of Health with Greenpeace Campaigners Virginia Benosa-Llorin and Khevin Yu

    Dr. Law, head of the newly established Climate Change Unit at the Department of Health, encourages advocacy and awareness-raising on the intersectionality of climate change and health. He emphasized that the medical and public health communities need to recognize, acknowledge, and speak out about the health burdens of climate change and their disproportionate effects on children. 

    Sadly, despite the recognized impacts of climate change, many people—including those running for political office—fail to grasp the importance of addressing environmental issues. I’ve attended several electoral forums organized by civil society groups. Candidates for the midterm elections were invited to share their environmental platforms. 

    Not surprisingly, only a handful, if none, of the candidates that top the surveys attended. Is this a reflection of their commitment to environmental protection? What gives? You decide. 

    This brings me back to my grandson and to my final point. 

    Is there still hope? Of course! If we act together, our collective actions can rebuild our society. We can engage in impactful acts that drive meaningful change in the system. 

    And this change can start on May 12. When you cast your votes, please think about Amari, his generation, and the next ones.

    Virginia Benosa-Llorin is a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines.

    You might want to check out Greenpeace Philippines’ petition called Courage for Climate, a drive in support of real policy and legal solutions in the pursuit of climate justice.

    Courage for Climate

    The climate crisis may seem hopeless, but now is the time for courage, not despair. Join Filipino communities taking bold action for our planet.

    Make an Act of Courage Today!

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Solidarity and dedication in response to devastating Myanmar earthquake

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    On 28 March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar. From the epicentre in the city of Sagaing, the tremors were felt across Thailand, Bangladesh, China and Laos. Our teams already in the country immediately mobilised to travel to the affected areas in Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Southern Shan states to assess initial needs, while our emergency teams prepared to arrive in Myanmar as earlier as possible.

     

    Jessa Pontevedra, emergency coordinator based in southeast Asia was one of them. She shares her experiences from the first week of our emergency response in Myanmar.

    Jessa Pontevedra, medical coordinator in Myanmar What I witnessed in Naypyidaw deeply affected me as a public health professional, but the devastation in Mandalay touched me to my core as humanitarian.

    Jessa Pontevedra, Switzerland, 2024.
    © Pierre-Yves Bernard/MSF

    We landed in Yangon in the middle of the night on 1 April and headed directly to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) office for briefings. After a few hours of rest, we set out the next morning on the 6.5-hour long drive to Naypyitaw, mainly along the highway to join the team who had already gone there on 30 March.

    But about 100 kilometres from the city we started seeing the impact of the earthquake – cracks marred the road, a stark reminder of the disaster’s reach. We entered this well-designed city, Myanmar’s capital, and checked into a hotel, where some displaced families who could afford it had taken refuge.

    In the evening, we met the rest of the emergency team to set the objectives for the coming days. As a medical coordinator, my role is to assess the health situation: evaluating both the condition of medical facilities and the urgent needs of affected people.

    A maternity ward in a jewellery museum

    Before the earthquake, Naypyidaw boasted major medical institutions: a 1,000-bed hospital, a 500-bed paediatric hospital, 500-bed orthopaedic hospital, 500-bed maternity, and more. Yet, all of these large, specialised hospitals couldn’t operate to their full capacity due to structural damage to the facilities.

    One of the more striking examples of adaptation was the repurposing of a 500 beds-obstetric-children’s hospital. The patients, staff and some of the equipment relocated to an unoccupied private jewellery museum that was untouched by the earthquake. The owner, eager to help, welcomed the maternity in his building and compound. The museum, originally intended to be a high-end tourist attraction, had become an emergency healthcare space. Inside the grand rooms, there were rows and rows of beds set up for pregnant women about to give birth.

    A metal detector at the entrance now served as the triage point, with desks further inside used for antenatal and postnatal consultations. Other rooms were transformed into emergency wards, and an operating theatre was already performing caesarean sections. Staff, who were themselves displaced, had set up tents to sleep in the compound, as well as the families of patients. A brick building in the back of the compound which looked like a train station, was used as the administration offices and kitchen for the staff. 

    The express road connecting Mandalay to Sagaing was cracked by the earthquake on 28 March and parts of it are still unusable. Myanmar, April 2025.
    Lena Pflueger/MSF

    I saw a lot of solidarity and dedication

    There, I met the superintendent of the hospital, who took the time to speak with us despite the challenging situation. Amid the hectic environment, she was still smiling. Staff and patient’s families were sharing the place, sharing meals, offering donations to the ones in need, supporting each other… acting as a big community. Everyone was coping as best they could… collectively.

    A paediatric hospital, originally another 500-bed facility, had been relocated across the city and was now operating as a 32-bed township hospital – without any operating theatre. Looking at the community’s needs – pregnant women give birth, and kids get sick even amidst a natural disaster –, a 500-bed hospital becoming a 32-bed hospital, the math was not adding up.

    The encounter with the superintendent at this facility, deeply touched me. The healthcare professionals were so dedicated, trying their best. The community spirit everywhere and coming together really resonated with me as I am southeast Asian, and this is a big part of our culture. Coming together in times of needs… They were also appreciative that MSF is with them in this emergency.

    Many people experiencing homelessness in an urban space

    Five days later, I left Naypyidaw, taking the old highway instead of the express road. As we approached Mandalay city, we saw makeshift shelters of plastic sheeting on one side of the road, housing perhaps 1,000 people. On the other side, buildings lay in ruins. The following days, as we moved around the city to assess the hospitals, we saw similar damages – collapsed homes and communities in disarray. Many affected people were quite vulnerable, without access to water and sanitation, lacking the basic requirement to preserve their dignity. 

    A patient receives medication at an MSF mobile clinic set up inside a monastery, which is currently sheltering about 80 families from the neighbourhood whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged and are no longer safe to live in. Myanmar, April 2025.
    Lena Pflueger/MSF

    In Mandalay, families who chose to stay close to their damaged or collapsed houses were staying at the gates or front yard, or along the street – some even re-entering their damaged houses, risking further injury just to access basic facilities like bathrooms. The hospitals were partially functional and able to attend to the injured – although oftentimes outside barely shielded from the elements by simple tarps.

    Throughout these assessments, our teams have already been providing basic health consultations, psychological first aid to the affected communities and distributed essential items such as hygiene kits in cooperation with local civil society organisations. The logistics teams have been working tirelessly to restore water and sanitation facilities, setting up latrines in monasteries where many displaced families sought refuge.

    More challenges may come

    With the rainy season approaching, the challenges are mounting. The situation might become increasingly precarious. If thousands of people are experiencing homeless in urban areas, and with the risk of disease outbreaks, responding to their needs will be incredibly challenging.

    What I witnessed in Naypyidaw touched me to my core as a public health professional, but what I saw in Mandalay touched to my core as humanitarian.

    For now, the communities are finding ways to support one another. I remember one couple staying at the same hotel in Naypyidaw, that I met when I was out for my usual run. They were also doing their morning exercise. It was the man’s birthday that day. But given the situation, the celebration would not be a party. “We have lost our home too,” he said, “But we are bit more blessed, so we want to give back.” And they did so by doing food, water and essential item distributions in one of the most affected neighbourhoods of Naypyidaw.

    I also keep in mind this doctor I met. He was from a less affected town who had rallied a group of healthcare colleagues to set up a free clinic. They quickly began receiving donations from people abroad – food, essential items, and more. This spirit of community in Myanmar is powerful, but I can’t help but wonder: how long can it last?

    Our emergency teams continue to work almost around the clock, further assessing and anticipating the needs, supporting the relief efforts wherever possible along with the communities that are so engaged. The recovery from this massive earthquake will be long for the affected people, no matter where they live, they need to have access to life-saving humanitarian assistance. 

    MIL OSI NGO –