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Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Human Rights Violations During Mozambique’s Post-2024 Election Crackdown

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Footnotes

    [1] Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), “User Guide: OONI Probe Desktop App”, 25 October 2022, https://ooni.org/support/ooni-probe-desktop/

    [2] Amnesty International, Mozambique: turn the page! A human rights manifesto for political parties and candidates, October 2019 election (Index: AFR 41/1019/2019), 17 September 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/1019/2019/en/; Amnesty International, “Mozambique: Civil society calls for the unconditional and immediate release of the Gaza-18 election party delegates”(Index: AFR 41/1427/2019), 25 November 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/1427/2019/en/; Amnesty International, “Mozambique police must only use live ammunition to protect life during demonstrations”(Index: PRE 01/301/2010 ), 1 September 2010, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pre01/301/2010/en/; Amnesty International,“Mozambique: authorities must launch a full and impartial investigation into the killing of journalist” (Index: AFR 41/2361/2015), 31 August 2015, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/2361/2015/en/; Amnesty International, Mozambique: media freedom in ashes (Index: AFR 41/2947/2020), 31 August 2020, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/2947/2020/en/; Amnesty International,“Mozambique: civil society groups call for the unconditional and immediate release of radio journalist” (Index: AFR 41/0205/2019 ), 11 April 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/0205/2019/en/; Amnesty International, “What I saw is death”: war crimes in Mozambique’s forgotten cape (Index: AFR 41/3545/2021), 2 March 2021, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/3545/2021/en/; Amnesty International, “Mozambique: Torture by security forces in gruesome videos must be investigated”, 9 September 2020, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/09/mozambique-torture-by-security-forces-in-gruesome-videos-must-be-investigated/

    [3] Amnesty International, “What I saw is death” (previously cited); Amnesty International, “Mozambique: Authorities must promptly investigate arrest of journalist while covering demonstration”, 7 June 2024, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/06/mozambique-authorities-must-promptly-investigate-arrest-of-journalist-while-covering-demonstration/; Amnesty International, “Mozambique: Authorities must investigate killing of newspaper editor João Fernando Chamusse”, 15 December 2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/mozambique-authorities-must-investigate-killing-of-newspaper-editor-joao-fernando-chamusse/; Amnesty International, “Mozambique: Fears grow for election monitors secretly transferred to new prison”, 18 November 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/11/mozambique-fears-grow-for-election-monitors-secretly-transferred-to-new-prison-2/; Caitlin Sturridge and others, Copping with the risk of conflict, climate and internal displacement in northern Mozambique: ‘We can’t just sit here with our arms crossed’, November 2022, https://media.odi.org/documents/USAID_CCD_Mozambique_final.pdf; Republic of Mozambique, Estratégia Nacional de Desenvolvimento (2015-2035), [National Development Strategy (2015-2035)], July 2024, https://www.mef.gov.mz/index.php/publicacoes/estrategias/397-estrategia-nacional-de-desenvolvimento/file; Human Rights Watch (HRW), Mozambique: abuses against media, activists before elections, 11 September 2024, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/11/mozambique-abuses-against-media-activists-elections 

    [4] Africa News, “Frelimo’s candidate wins in Maputo amid ongoing vote count”, 14 October 2024, https://www.africanews.com/2024/10/14/frelimos-candidate-wins-in-maputo-amid-ongoing-vote-count/

    [5] Times Live, “Africa: Frelimo extends 50-year rule in Mozambique as it retains power in disputed general elections”, 24 October 2024, https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2024-10-24-frelimo-extends-50-year-rule-in-mozambique-as-it-retains-power-in-disputed-general-election/

    [6] Associated Press (AP), “Long-ruling party leads in Mozambique’s election as opposition candidate calls for strikes”, 16 October 2024, https://apnews.com/article/mozambique-election-frelimo-vote-6987692541d92a9c6a287be4af89a524

    [7] The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), “Mozambique opposition lawyer shot dead”, 19 October 2024,  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4d3j1mm2yo 

    [8] Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), “Elvino Dias was killed preparing a draft of the PODEMOS appeal to the Constitutional Council: Mozambique elections 316- 20 October 2024”, 20 October 2024, https://www5.open.ac.uk/technology/mozambique/sites/www.open.ac.uk.technology.mozambique/files/files/Election-Bulletin-316_20Out24_Murders_Will-CNE-change-results.pdf

    [9] Deutsche Welle (DW), “Mozambique: Police fire tear gas at opposition leader”, 21 October 2024, https://www.dw.com/en/mozambique-police-fire-tear-gas-at-opposition-leader/a-70561138; Venâncio Mondlane, “REVOLUÇÃO: Venâncio Mondlane anuncia nova manifestação [“REVOLUTION: Venâncio Mondlane announces new demonstration”], 22 October 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG5g-SbnNy8    

    [10] Interview by voice call with lawyer, 12 February 2025; HRW, “Mozambique: Abuses against media, activists before elections”, 11 September 2024, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/11/mozambique-abuses-against-media-activists-elections

    [11] Integrity Magazine, “CNE confirma Daniel Chapo e Frelimo como vencedores das eleições de 9 de Outubro”, [“The National Electoral Commission confirms the victory of Daniel Chapo and Frelimo the winners of the 9 October elections”], 25 October 2024, https://integritymagazine.co.mz/arquivos/33773

    [12] DW, “Mondlane: “Está-se a cometer crimes contra a humanidade”, [“Mondlane: “Crimes against humanity are being committed”], 26 October 2024, https://www.dw.com/pt-002/ven%C3%A2ncio-mondlane-est%C3%A1-se-a-cometer-crimes-contra-a-humanidade/a-70608646

    [13] DW, Venâncio Mondlane anuncia “manifestação four by four”, [“Venâncio Mondlane announces “demonstrations four by four””], 2 December 2024, https://www.dw.com/pt-002/ven%C3%A2ncio-mondlane-anuncia-manifesta%C3%A7%C3%A3o-four-by-four/a-70938463; Al Jazeera, “Clanging pans: why Mozambique’s election protesters refuse to go away, 15 November 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/15/clanging-pans-why-mozambiques-election-protesters-refuse-to-go-away

    [14] Al Jazeera, “Clanging pans: why Mozambique’s election protesters refuse to go away, 15 November 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/15/clanging-pans-why-mozambiques-election-protesters-refuse-to-go-away

    [15] Al Jazeera, “Mozambique’s controversial election result upheld: What to know”, 23 December 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/mozambiques-controversial-election-result-upheld

    [16] Al Jazeera, “Chapo sworn in following Mozambique’s disputed presidential elections”, 15 January 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/15/chapo-sworn-in-following-mozambiques-disputed-presidential-election 

    [17] BBC, “Injuries as Mozambique police fire on opposition protest”, 6 March 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjd3y2eyxy3o

    [18]  Televisão de Moçambique (TVM)’s video of President Chapo’s address, 24 February 2025, on file with Amnesty International; Radio France Internationale – International French Radio (RFI), “Daniel Chapo vows to fight “terrorism and demonstrations”, 25 February 2025, https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica-lus%C3%B3fona/20250225-daniel-chapo-promete-combater-terrorismo-e-manifesta%C3%A7%C3%B5es

    [19] Amnesty International identified these units based on the uniforms apparent in visual evidence and description of uniforms provided in interviews with eyewitnesses and victims.

    [20] Amnesty International, Kinetic Impact Projectiles in Law Enforcement – an Amnesty International Position Paper, March 2023, pg. 18; https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2023/03/Amnesty-position-paper-kinetic-impact-projectiles.pdf?x55122

    [21] Interview by voice call with doctor, 17 February 2025; Interview by voice call with doctor, 22 February 2025.

    [22] Interview by voice call with doctor, 17 February 2025; Interview by voice call with doctor, 22 February 2025.

    [23] Interview by voice call with doctor, 17 February 2025; Interview by voice call with doctor, 22 February 2025.

    [24] TV Mirramar, “Ordem dos medicos preocupada com aumento de feridos por armas de fogo” [“Order of Doctors concerned about increase in firearm injuries”], 29 October 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0YqkTsYGaI&t=52s; Interview by voice call with doctor, 17 February 2025.

    [25] Interview by voice call with doctor, 17 February 2025; Interview by voice call with doctor, 22 February 2025.

    [26] For instance, interview by voice call with victim’s relative, 21 and 27 February 2025; Interview by voice call with victim’s relative, 18 and 21 February 2025

    [27] Interview by voice call with victim, 17 February 2025.

    [28] Interview by voice call with victim’s relative, 17 February 2025.

    [29] Plataforma DECIDE, “Preliminary report on the post-electoral context in Mozambique: 21 October 2024- 21 January 2025”, Undated, https://pdecide.org/blog/preliminary-report-on-the-post-electoral-context-in-mozambique-3-months

    [30] TVM, “Police records” Bernardino Rafael reports 956 acts of violence and records 96 deaths”, 23 January 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTS1gRRNJmY  

    [31] BBC Africa, “President Chapo on Mondlane’s ‘parallel government”, 22 January 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqSIetyQHyQ

    [32] Attorney General of Mozambique, Speech at the opening of the judicial year, 4 February 2025, on file with Amnesty International; Club of Mozambique, “Mozambique: 651 cases opened during post-elections protests- Attorney General”, 4 February 2025, https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-651-cases-opened-during-post-election-protests-attorney-general-275268/

    [33] Venâncio Mondlane, Facebook post, “O que se falou no encontro? [What was said at the meeting?]”, 24 March 2025, https://www.facebook.com/venamondlane/videos/998522575570322/  

    [34] Amnesty International, Guidelines on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (Index: ACT 30/8426/2024), November 2024, ACT3084262024ENGLISH.pdf

    [35] HRC, General Comment 36: Article 6 (The Right to life), 30 October 2018, UN Doc. CCPR/C/GC/36, para. 7. The right to life is protected by article 6.1 of the ICCPR and article 4 of the ACHPR. Article 4.2 of the ICCPR also protects the right to life in exceptional circumstances, such as internal political instability or any other public emergency. See, also, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Resolution 1989/65: The Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, adopted on 24 May 1989.  

    [36] Amnesty International, Guidelines on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (Index: ACT 30/8426/2024), November 2024, ACT3084262024ENGLISH.pdf

    [37] UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (Basic Principles), 7 September 1990.

    [38] Amnesty International, Use of Force – Guidelines for Implementation of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by law enforcement officials, August 2015, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/use_of_force.pdf; UN Basic Principles.

    [39] HRC, Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, A/HRC/26/36, para 63.

    [40] Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), 10 December 1984. Mozambique ratified the CAT on 14 September 1999. United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body Database – Mozambique, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx

    [41] Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment on extra-custodial use of force and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, A/72/178, para. 46. 

    [42] HRC, General Comment No. 37, (previously cited), para. 78. 

    [43] UN Guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement, 2020, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdf, guideline 6.3; HRC, General Comment No. 37 (previously cited).

    [44] UN Guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement (previously cited), HRC, General Comment No. 37 (previously cited), para. 88; https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/07/guidelines_use_of_force_eng.pdf?x90620

    [45] Amnesty International Guidelines on the use of force (previously cited), guideline 5b and p. 114

    [46] African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission), African Commission Guidelines for the Policing of Assemblies by Law Enforcement Officials in Africa, para. 21.3.1 https://achpr.au.int/en/soft-law/guidelines-policing-assemblies-law-enforcement-officials-africa

    [47] UN Guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement (previously cited), guideline 6.3; Amnesty International, Guidelines on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (previously cited), guideline 14.1.

    [48] UN Guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement (previously cited), guideline 7.5; Amnesty International, “Kinetic impact projectiles in law enforcement”, March 2023, https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2023/03/Amnesty-position-paper-kinetic-impact-projectiles.pdf?x36065

    [49] UN Guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement (previously cited), guideline 7.5; HRC, General Comment No. 37 (previously cited), para. 87; Amnesty International, “Kinetic impact projectiles in law enforcement”, March 2023, https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2023/03/Amnesty-position-paper-kinetic-impact-projectiles.pdf?x36065

    [50] Amnesty International, “Chemical irritants in law enforcement”, June 2021, https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2021/07/Amnesty-position-paper-chemical-irritants.pdf

    [51]  Video published on the platform X on 27 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861915616598167924

    [52] Video sent to researchers via messaging app, on file with Amnesty International.

    [53] Amnesty International, Guidelines on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (Index: ACT 30/8426/2024), November 2024, ACT3084262024ENGLISH.pdf

    [54] In addition to the PP and TP, one eyewitness identified the presence of the Rapid Intervention Police that day. Interview by voice call, 14 February 2025.

    [55] In addition to the PP and TP, one eyewitness identified the presence of the Rapid Intervention Police that day. Interview by voice call, 14 February 2025.

    [56] RFI, “Moçambique: Polícia confirma morte de um manifestante pró-Mondlane no Niassa” [“Mozambique: Police confirm death of pro-Mondlane protester in Niassa”], 28 October 2024, https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica-lus%C3%B3fona/20241028-mo%C3%A7ambique-pol%C3%ADcia-confirma-morte-de-um-manifestante-pr%C3%B3-mondlane-no-niassa

    [57] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 11 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 14 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 17 February 2025.

    [58] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 11 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 14 February 2025.

    [59] Video provided by eyewitness; on file with Amnesty International

    [60] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 11 February 2025.

    [61] Videos provided by eyewitness, on file with Amnesty International

    [62] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 14 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 17 February 2025.

    [63] Inerview by voice call with eyewitness, 27 February 2025.

    [64] Video provided by eyewitness; on file with Amnesty International

    [65] Video published on Facebook and YouTube, respectively, on 26 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1173170507612261, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj_AfHK_JcI

    [66] Video provided by eyewitness, on file with Amnesty International.

    [67] Interview by voice call, 11 February 2025; Interview by voice call, 14 February 2025; Interview by voice call, 17 February 2025.

    [68] Video published on Facebook and YouTube, respectively, 26 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1173170507612261, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj_AfHK_JcI

    [69] RFI, “Moçambique: Polícia confirma morte de um manifestante pró-Mondlane no Niassa” [“Mozambique: Police confirm death of pro-Mondlane protester in Niassa”], 28 October 2024, https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica-lus%C3%B3fona/20241028-mo%C3%A7ambique-pol%C3%ADcia-confirma-morte-de-um-manifestante-pr%C3%B3-mondlane-no-niassa

    [70] Facebook profiles managed by Albino José Síbia. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084198734038 https://www.facebook.com/ShottasOficial, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069938172987

     

    [72] Videos published on the platform X on 12 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/mozinforma/status/1867313710223831438

    [73] 360 Mozambique, “General Protests: Ressano Garcia Border Returns to Normal”, 16 December 2024, https://360mozambique.com/business/general-protests-ressano-garcia-border-returns-to-normal/

    [74] A section of the video posted on the platform X on 12 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1867262509016920434

    [75] Video posted on the platform X on 12 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/justicefrontil/status/1867281218351640723

    [76] Video posted on Facebook on 12 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1526742851326323

    [77] Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), “Albino Sibia (Mano Shottas)”, https://cpj.org/data/people/albino-sibia-mano-shottas/

    [78] Mozambique ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on 21 July 1993 and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on 22 February 1989. See United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body Database – Mozambique, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx and ACHPR, https://achpr.au.int/en/charter/african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights/

    [79] Interview by voice call with someone with intimate knowledge of the situation, 10 February 2025; Adriano Nuvunga, Facebook post: “CDD entra com uma acção contra o Estado mocambicano pelo assassinato Bárbaro do jovem blogueiro “Shottas”” [“CDD files a lawsuit against the Mozambican state for the barbaric murder of the young blogger “Shottas””], 30 December 2024, https://www.facebook.com/Prof.adrianonuvunga/videos/cdd-entra-com-uma-ac%C3%A7%C3%A3o-contra-o-estado-mocambicano-pelo-assassinato-b%C3%A1rbaro-do-/1029506992507642/

    [80] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 10 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 27 February 2025; Miramar, “UIR invade cemitério e dispara no momento de luto” [“UIR invades cemetery and shoots during mourning”], 14 December 2024, https://miramar.co.mz/noticias/mocambique/uir-invade-cemiterio-e-dispara-no-momento-de-luto-14-12-2024-49489 

    [81] Videos published on the platform X on 14 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International 
    https://x.com/mozinforma/status/1867929771835076734/video/1 https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1867936730910703888
    https://x.com/mozinforma/status/1867929771835076734/video/1

    [82] Inerview by voice call with eyewitness, 27 February 2025.

    [83] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 27 February 2025.

    [84] Video published on Facebook on 14 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=595714569533356

    [85] Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), “COMUNICADO- MISA condena baleamento de repórter pela UIR” [“-STATEMENT- MISA condemns the shooting of a reporter by the UIR”], 20 December 2024, https://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/destaques/noticias/327-comunicado-misa-condena-baleamento-de-reporter-pela-uir

    [86] Interview by voice call with person known to the victim, 19 February 2025.

    [87] DW, “Vários mortos no regresso de Mondlane a Moçambique” [“Several dead on Mondlane’s return to Mozambique”]; 9 January 2025, https://www.dw.com/pt-002/v%C3%A1rios-mortos-no-regresso-de-mondlane-a-mo%C3%A7ambique/a-71257510; Observador, “Chegada de Mondlane a Maputo. Número de mortos em Moçambique sobe para três – como aconteceu” [“Mondlane arrives in Maputo. Death toll in Mozambique rises to three – as it happened”], 9 January 2025, https://observador.pt/liveblogs/mondlane-chegou-a-maputo-estou-aqui-presente-de-carne-e-osso/

    [88] Video published on YouTube on 9 January 2025, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnA0Ur-Eb8I

    [89] Video published on YouTube on 9 January 2025, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCVLf30Ajfs

    [90] Video published on Facebook on 9 January 2025, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1194732825606271

    [91] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 13 February 2025.

    [92] Interview by voice call with “Pedro”, 1 March 2025.

    [93] Interview by voice call with “Pedro”, 1 March 2025.

    [94] Interview by voice call with “Pedro”, 1 March 2025.

    [95] Interview by voice call with “Pedro”, 1 March 2025.

    [96] Videos published on the platform X on 9 January 2025, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/AllexandreMZ/status/1877368651554124233
    https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1877308762274329016
    https://x.com/AllexandreMZ/status/1877304210435330388/video/1

    [97] Videos received via messaging app; on file with Amnesty International; Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International.
    https://www.facebook.com/tvsucessoofficial/videos/1049942656916240/

    [98] Interview by voice call with an eyewitness, 12 February 2025.

    [99] Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1049942656916240

    [100] Interview by voice call with an eyewitness, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 21 February 2025.

    [101] Interview by voice call with an eyewitness, 12 February 2025.

    [102] Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1049942656916240

    [103] Amnesty International reviewed videos and X-rays. The videos indicate the injury was caused by a tear gas canister. The X-rays clearly show a fracture in the tibia.

    [104] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 21 February 2025.

    [105] Videos sent via messaging app, on file with Amnesty International.

    [106] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 21 February 2025.

    [107] VOA, “Jornalistas moçambicanos feridos em manifestação em Maputo” [“Mozambican journalists injured in protest in Maputo”], 21 October 2025, https://www.voaportugues.com/a/jornalistas-mo%C3%A7ambicanos-feridos-em-manifesta%C3%A7%C3%A3o-em-maputo/7830621.html 

    [108] Publico, “Pelo menos 30 pessoas foram detidas nos confrontos em Maputo” [“At least 30 people were arrested in the clashes in Maputo”], 22 October 2024, https://www.publico.pt/2024/10/22/mundo/noticia/menos-30-pessoas-detidas-confrontos-maputo-2108971

    [109] Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/tvsucessoofficial/videos/8571222766325965/

    [110] Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/tvsucessoofficial/videos/8571222766325965/

    [111] Video published on Facebook on 21 October 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://www.facebook.com/tvsucessoofficial/videos/8571222766325965/

    [112] Videos sent via messaging app, on file with Amnesty International.

    [113] Principle 5(c) of the UN Basic Principles (previously cited).

    [114] RFI, “Moçambique: Três mortos e dezenas de feridos nas manifestações” [“Mozambique: Three dead and dozens injured in protests”], 8 November 2024, https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica-lus%C3%B3fona/20241108-mo%C3%A7ambique-tr%C3%AAs-mortos-e-dezenas-de-feridos-nas-manifesta%C3%A7%C3%B5es; Radio Renascença (RR), “Protestos em Maputo deixam 57 pessoas feridas por arma de fogo“ [“Protests in Maputo leave 57 people injured by firearms”], 8 November 2024, https://rr.pt/noticia/mundo/2024/11/08/protestos-em-maputo-deixam-57-pessoas-feridas-por-arma-de-fogo/400690/

    [115] Videos published on the platform X on 7 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1854544977507856444 https://x.com/wilkerDias13/status/1854464732637327870 https://x.com/wilkerDias13/status/1854464732637327870

    [116] Videos published on the platform X on 7 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International.  https://x.com/wilkerDias13/status/1854461552214114747/video/1
    https://x.com/wilkerDias13/status/1854485342604104076

    [117] Video published on the platform X on 7 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/wilkerDias13/status/1854461552214114747/video/2

    [118] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 19 and 20 February 2025.

    [119] HRC, General Comment No. 37 (previously cited), para 80; ACHPR Guidelines on the Policing of Assemblies in Africa (previously cited), para. 3.2; Amnesty International, Guidelines on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (previously cited), guideline 7.5.

    [120] Videos published on the platform X on 27 and 28 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861684733605806131 https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1862014546333856026 https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861685433677013386

    [121] Video published on the platform X on 27 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861931525492617413

    [122] Video published on the platform X on 27 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861919381283827798

    [123] Videos published on the platform X on 27 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/Cidiachissungo/status/1861919381283827798

    [124] Pictures published on the platform X on 30 November 2024, on file with Amnesty International. https://x.com/AllexandreMZ/status/1862832887285854247

    [125] VOA, “Ministry of National Defence admits to having run over young man [sic] in protest in Maputo”, 27 November 2024, https://www.voaportugues.com/a/ministério-da-defesa-nacional-reconhece-ter-atropelado-jovem-em-protesto-em-maputo/7879042.html

    [126] VOA, “Ministry of National Defence admits to having run over young man [sic] in protest in Maputo”, 27 November 2024, https://www.voaportugues.com/a/ministério-da-defesa-nacional-reconhece-ter-atropelado-jovem-em-protesto-em-maputo/7879042.html

    [127] Interview by voice call with individual with intimate knowledge of the situation, 11 February 2025.

    [128] Interview by voice call with individual with intimate knowledge of the situation, 11 February 2025.

    [129] Plataforma DECIDE, “Preliminary report on the post-electoral context in Mozambique: 21 October 2024- 21 January 2025” (previously cited), pg. 2.

    [130] Plataforma DECIDE, “Preliminary report on the post-electoral context in Mozambique: 21 October 2024- 21 January 2025” (previously cited), pg. 2.

    [131] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [132] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [133] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [134] Plataforma DECIDE, “Preliminary report on the post-electoral context in Mozambique: 21 October 2024- 21 January 2025” (previously cited), pg. 2.

    [135] Plataforma DECIDE, “Preliminary report on the post-electoral context in Mozambique: 21 October 2024- 21 January 2025” (previously cited), pg. 2.

    [136] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [137] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [138] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [139] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025.

    [140] Interview by voice call with a victim of arbitrary detention, 12 February 2025.

    [141] Interview by voice call with a victim of arbitrary detention, 12 February 2025.

    [142] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025; Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025.

    [143] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 19 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a victim of arbitrary detention, 12 February 2025; Interview by voice call with a relative of a detainee, 18 and 21 February 2025.

    [144] Interview by voice call with son of victim of detainee, 18 and 21 February 2025.

    [145] Interview by voice call with son of victim of detainee, 18 and 21 February 2025.

    [146] Interview by voice call with a victim of arbitrary detention, 12 February 2025.

    [147] Interview by voice call with a victim of arbitrary detention, 12 February 2025.

    [148] Interview by voice call with a lawyer, 12 February 2025.

    [149] Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025.

    [150] Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025.

    [151] Photos of victim taken on 6 and 7 December 2024, on file with Amnesty International.

    [152] Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025.

    [153] Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025.

    [154] ICCPR, Article 9.1; ACHPR, Article 6.

    [155] ICCPR, Article 14; ACHPR, Article 7. See also the African Commission, Principles and Guidelines on the Rights to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa.

    [156] African Commission Principles and Guidelines on the Rights to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa; article 1(e) and (g).

    [157] For instance, ICCPR, Articles 7 and 10. Conditions of detention which violate article 10 of the ICCPR may also violate Article 7 of the ICCPR (prohibition of torture or other ill-treatment). See also, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Interim report, 3 August 2009, UN Doc. A/64/215 paras 48, 55.

    [158] The 1955 UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules); Rules 15; 16; 19; 20; and 19. See also the ACHPR Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pre-Trial Detention in Africa (the Luanda Guidelines), March 2015; and The UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, 1990.

    [159] Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Article 37(b).

    [160] African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), Article 17.2(b). See also, ICCPR, Article 10.2(b).

    [161] ICCPR, Article 9.1; ACHPR, Article 6; Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique, 16 November 2004, Article 59.1.

    [162] ICCPR, Article 17.

    [163] ICCPR, Article 2.3. See also, HRC, General Comment 31: The Nature of the General Legal Obligation Imposed on States Parties to the Covenant, 26 May 2004, UN Doc. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add. 13.

    [164] ICCPR, Article 9.5.

    [165] CAT, Article 14. See also, Committee Against Torture, General Comment 3: Implementation of article 14 by States parties (Article 14), 13 December 2012, UN Doc. CAT/C/GC/3; UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Resolution 22/21: Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment: rehabilitation of torture victims, adopted on 12 April 2013.

    [166] Photo of police complaint, on file with Amnesty International.

    [167] Interview by voice call with victim, 18 and 19 February 2025 and correspondence on 1 April 2025.

    [168] Integrity Magazine, “Moçambique enfrenta 18 horas de corte de internet em meio `a tensão pós-eleitoral [“Mozambique faces internet shutdown amid post-electoral tension”], 26 October 2024, https://integritymagazine.co.mz/arquivos/33806; Sahara Reporters, “Social media platforms down in Mozambique ahead of protests against disputed election results”, 31 October 2024, https://saharareporters.com/2024/10/31/social-media-platforms-down-mozambique-ahead-protests-against-disputed-election-results

    [169] Internet Outage Detection & Analysis (IODA) and Cloudflare, “Mozambique’s post-election fallout: fatal protests and widespread internet shutdowns”, 26 February 2025, https://ioda-dev.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/reports/mozambiques-post-election-fallout-fatal-protests-and-widespread-internet-shutdowns/

    [170] Club of Mozambique, “Mozambique elections: Mondlane calls for week-long strike and a national march to Maputo”, 29 October 2024, https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-elections-mondlane-calls-for-week-long-strike-and-a-national-march-to-maputo-269757/

    [171] IODA and Cloudflare, “Mozambique’s post-election fallout: fatal protests and widespread internet shutdowns”, 26 February 2025, https://ioda-dev.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/reports/mozambiques-post-election-fallout-fatal-protests-and-widespread-internet-shutdowns/

    [172] Netblocks, X post, 25 October 2024, https://x.com/netblocks/status/1849839619291988399

    [173] IODA and Cloudflare, “Mozambique’s post-election fallout: fatal protests and widespread internet shutdowns”, 26 February 2025, https://ioda-dev.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/reports/mozambiques-post-election-fallout-fatal-protests-and-widespread-internet-shutdowns/

    [174] Netblocks, X post, 8 November 2024, https://x.com/netblocks/status/1854830014555914571

    [175] IODA and Cloudflare, “Mozambique’s post-election fallout: fatal protests and widespread internet shutdowns”, 26 February 2025, https://ioda-dev.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/reports/mozambiques-post-election-fallout-fatal-protests-and-widespread-internet-shutdowns/

    [176] IODA and Cloudflare, “Mozambique’s post-election fallout: fatal protests and widespread internet shutdowns”, 26 February 2025, https://ioda-dev.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/reports/mozambiques-post-election-fallout-fatal-protests-and-widespread-internet-shutdowns/

    [177] Tmcel is a state mobile company that resulted from the merging of telecommunication company Telecomunicações de Moçambique (AS30619) and Mcel (mobile company).

    [178] Netblocks, X post, 31 October 2024, https://x.com/netblocks/status/1851892913292071349

    [179] OONI Probe testing of ‘www.facebook.com’, ‘www.instagram.com’ and WhatsApp services in Mozambique between 15 October and 18 November 2024.

    [180] Club of Mozambique, “Mozambique Elections: Second internet shutdown – AIM”, 1 November 2024, https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-elections-second-internet-shutdown-aim-269982/

    [181] Club of Mozambique, “Mozambique Elections: Second internet shutdown – AIM”, 1 November 2024, https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-elections-second-internet-shutdown-aim-269982/

    [182] RFI, “Moçambique: Ministro justificou restrições na internet para impedir ’destruição’ do país” [“Mozambique: Minister justified internet restrictions to prevent “destruction” of the country”], 11 November 2024, https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica-lus%C3%B3fona/20241111-mo%C3%A7ambique-ministro-justificou-restri%C3%A7%C3%B5es-na-internet-para-impedir-destrui%C3%A7%C3%A3o-do-pa%C3%ADs

    [183] Text messages shared with researchers by Vodacom, Movitel and Tmcel clients, on file with Amnesty International. See also, HRW, “Mozambique: post-election internet restrictions hinder rights”, 6 November 2024, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/06/mozambique-post-election-internet-restrictions-hinder-rights

    [184] Ngani, “Manifestações pós-eleitoral: mais um apagão dos serviços de internet em Moçambique” [“Post-election demonstrations: another blackout of internet services in Mozambique”], 1 November 2024, https://ngani.co.mz/tech/01/11/2024/manifestacoes-pos-eleitoral-mais-um-apagao-dos-servicos-de-internet-em-mocambique/

    [185] Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (Centro para Democracia e Direitos Humanos – CDD), “Depois da proibição do bloqueio pelo tribunal: submetida acção principal contra as operadoras de telefonia móvel por bloqueio de internet” [“After a blockage from court has been denied: a complaint against internet shutdown by mobile companies submitted down”], 18 December 2024, https://cddmoz.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Submetida-accao-principal-contra-as-operadoras-de-telefonia-movel-por-bloqueio-de-internet.pdf

    [186] Video sent by eyewitness, on file with Amnesty International.

    [187] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 11 February 2025; Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 14 February 2025.

    [188] Interview by voice call with eyewitness, 11 February 2025.

    [189] Interview by voice call with media professional, 12 February 2025.

    [190] ICCPR, Article 19.2.

    [191] ICCPR, Article 19.3(a)(b). See also the African Commission, Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, November 2019; the Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, 1 October 1995.

    [192] ACHPR, Article 9.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Supreme Court outcome ‘disappointing’ but court affirms right of trans people to protection from discrimination and harassment

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Following the Supreme Court’s decision today in the case of For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers, Amnesty International UK Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh said, 

    “The outcome of today’s judgment is clearly disappointing. It is a long and complex judgment, and we will take time to analyse its full implications.  

    “There are potentially concerning consequences for trans people, but it is important to stress that the court has been clear that trans people are protected under the Equality Act against discrimination and harassment. 

    “The ruling does not change the protection trans people are afforded under the protected characteristic of ‘gender reassignment’, as well as other provisions under the Equality Act. 

    “Amnesty intervened in this case to remind the court that legal gender recognition is essential for trans people to enjoy the full spectrum of rights each of us is entitled to, including safety, health and family life. 

    “The Supreme Court itself today made clear that the vilification of a marginalised minority group is absolutely wrong.”  

    “All public authorities in the UK need to unequivocally enforce protections for trans people against discrimination and harassment.”  

     

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Mozambique: Authorities must bring perpetrators to justice for reckless and deadly protest crackdown

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Mozambican security forces used reckless and unnecessary force in a widespread crackdown on protests following last October’s election, resulting in unlawful killings and devastating injuries, Amnesty International said in a new report. 

    The report, Protest under attack: Human rights violations during Mozambique’s post-2024 election crackdown, documents security forces firing lethal weapons, tear gas and kinetic impact projectiles (commonly known as “rubber bullets”) at protesters and bystanders, including children. Authorities also conducted mass arbitrary arrests and targeted journalists, including by intimidating them and confiscating their equipment, while internet access was restricted at key moments.  

    “The Mozambican security forces’ deadly crackdown was a shameful overreaction to post-election protests,” said Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “Instead of listening to people’s grievances and allowing them to voice their concerns, the FRELIMO-led government unleashed a wave of violence on demonstrations resulting in serious injuries, unlawful deaths and a slew of other human rights violations.” 

    “If President Daniel Chapo’s new government wants to turn the page, it must ensure thorough and transparent investigations into all allegations of human rights violations committed during the crackdown, and hold suspected perpetrators accountable,” Khanyo Farise said. 

    Mozambique held national elections on 9 October 2024. Soon after, the opposition PODEMOS party and the candidate it backed, Venâncio Mondlane, alleged vote-rigging in favor of the ruling FRELIMO party and its candidate, Daniel Chapo. On 21 October, protests broke out and spread across the country, continuing through Chapo’s 15 January inauguration. 

    Civil society has reported more than 300 deaths and more than 3,000 injured between 21 October and 16 January. Police put the death toll at protests at 96, including 17 officers. 

    Amnesty International’s new report is based on 105 verified videos and photos, plus review of other open-source information, as well as 28 interviews, mostly with witnesses and survivors, between October 2024 and January 2025. 

    Mozambican authorities did not respond to Amnesty’s request for comment. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The human cost of the repressive cooperation between the US and El Salvador

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Against the backdrop of President Nayib Bukele’s official visit to the White House on 14 April, Amnesty International released a public statement warning of the deepening human rights crisis in El Salvador and the complicit stance now taken by the United States by partaking in repressive practices that violate international law.

    In the light of the recent arbitrary expulsion of Venezuelan nationals from the United States to CECOT, a Salvadoran mega prison, which has not only worsened the human rights situation in El Salvador, but also sets an alarming precedent of repressive cooperation between governments leading to the enforced disappearance of 261 individuals, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said:

    “El Salvador is implementing a systematic state policy of massive and arbitrary deprivation of liberty. After three years, more than 85,000 individuals remain behind bars without sufficient admissible evidence, the victims of a judicial system now transformed into a tool for collective punishment and widespread repression. Attempts to export this policy to the situation of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the United States highlights the lack of protection and the risk that hundreds of thousands of people now face of having their human rights violated by not one, not two, but three different states.

    El Salvador is implementing a systematic state policy of massive and arbitrary deprivation of liberty. (…) Attempts to export this policy to the situation of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the United States highlights the lack of protection and the risk that hundreds of thousands of people now face of having their human rights violated by not one, not two, but three different states.

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    “This repressive cooperation has now led to the enforced disappearance of more than 200 Venezuelan nationals arbitrarily deported to El Salvador’s CECOT. This situation further entrenches the vulnerability of the victims, who have been deliberately deprived of their right to a defence, to due process and contact with their relatives and lawyers, causing deep distress to both those detained and their families. Cooperation between states must be centred on improving the living conditions of the population, not on dismantling their human rights.”

    Amnesty International called on the Salvadoran and US authorities to bring an immediate end to these actions, ensure full respect for human rights, restore due process, guarantee the right to asylum and the principle of non-refoulement, and effectively protect all detainees from torture, incommunicado detention and enforced disappearance.

    Piquer concluded: “We remind the authorities in El Salvador and the United States of America that the rights to freedom, a fair trial, asylum, legal defence and protection against torture and enforced disappearance are not privileges, but rather obligations that their governments must uphold at all times. Security cannot be built on the ashes of justice, nor can models that replace the violence of criminal organizations with institutional violence be considered a success.“

    We remind the authorities in El Salvador and the United States of America that the rights to freedom, a fair trial, asylum, legal defence and protection against torture and enforced disappearance are not privileges, but rather obligations that their governments must uphold at all times. Security cannot be built on the ashes of justice, nor can models that replace the violence of criminal organizations with institutional violence be considered a success

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Gaza has become a mass grave for Palestinians and those helping them

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Jerusalem – As Israeli forces resume and expand their military offensive by air, ground and sea on the Gaza Strip, Palestine, forcibly displacing people and deliberately blocking essential aid, Palestinian lives are once again being systematically destroyed, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). A series of deadly attacks by Israeli forces have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of humanitarian and medical workers in Gaza.

    We call on Israeli authorities to immediately lift the inhumane and deadly siege on Gaza, protect the lives of Palestinians, humanitarian and medical personnel, and for all parties to restore and sustain the ceasefire.

    “Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance. We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza,” says Amande Bazerolle, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza. “With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care.”

    Over 50,000 people have been killed since October 2023, nearly a third of whom are children, according to the Ministry of Health. Since the resumption of hostilities on 18 March, more than 1,500 people have been killed, according to local authorities.

    According to the United Nations, at least 409 aid workers, most of whom were UNWRA staff, the main provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, have been killed since October 2023. Eleven MSF colleagues, some while on duty, have been killed since the start of the war, including two in just the past two weeks.

    In the latest instance of a ruthless attack by Israeli forces on aid workers, the bodies of 15 emergency responders and the ambulances they were traveling in were found in a mass grave on 30 March in Rafah, southern Gaza. The group was killed by Israeli forces while trying to assist civilians caught in shelling on 23 March. Recent publicly shared evidence has shown that the workers and their vehicles were clearly marked and identifiable, challenging the initial claims given by Israeli authorities.

    “This horrific killing of aid workers is yet another example of the complete disregard shown by Israeli forces for the protection of humanitarian and medical workers. The silence and unconditional support of Israel’s closest allies further emboldens these actions,” says Claire Magone, General Director of MSF France. 

    MSF considers that only international and independent investigations can bring to light the circumstances of, and the responsibilities for, these attacks on aid workers.

    Although the situation has already been catastrophic for over 18 months, over the past three weeks, MSF has witnessed several incidents involving the killing of humanitarian and medical workers. The coordination of humanitarian movements with Israeli authorities, known as the Humanitarian Notification System, an already imperfect mechanism, has become more unreliable and is now barely affording any protection guarantees.

    Notified locations, in which humanitarians have informed Israel of their presence, such as health facilities where we work, compounds of humanitarian stakeholders, and MSF offices and guesthouses have been hit by shells or bullets. Areas near healthcare facilities have been subjected to strikes, fighting and evacuation orders.

    Medical facilities are not exempt from attacks and evacuation orders by Israeli forces. MSF teams have had to leave many facilities, while others continue operating with staff and patients trapped inside, unable to leave safely for hours at a time.

    On 7 April, MSF teams and patients found themselves trapped in the MSF field hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza. Rockets were launched by Hamas in close proximity to our field hospitals in Deir Al-Balah endangering both patients and staff and leading to an evacuation order of the area by Israeli forces, who also carried out strikes near the compounds of Al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals. We strongly denounce these actions by the warring parties and call on them to respect and protect healthcare facilities, patients and medical staff.

    Since 18 March, MSF has not been able to return to Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza where our teams were set to begin paediatric care but had to flee the field hospital, which was set up right next to the compound. MSF mobile clinics in north Gaza were suspended, and in the south, teams have been unable to return to Al-Shaboura clinic in Rafah.

    The full siege on Gaza has depleted food, fuel and medical stocks. MSF is especially facing shortages in medications for pain management and chronic illnesses, antibiotics and critical surgical materials. The lack of fuel replenishment across the Strip will lead to the inevitable suspension of activities as hospitals rely on generators for electricity to keep critical patients alive and conduct lifesaving operations.

    “Israeli authorities have deliberately blocked all aid from entering Gaza for over a month. Humanitarians have been forced to watch people suffer and die while carrying the impossible burden of providing relief with depleted supplies, all while facing the same life-threatening conditions themselves,” says Bazerolle. “There is no way they can carry out their mission under such circumstances. This is not a humanitarian failure — it is a political choice, and a deliberate assault on a people’s ability to survive, carried out with impunity.”

    Israeli authorities must end their collective punishment of Palestinians.

    We urge Israel’s allies to end their complicity and stop enabling the destruction of Palestinian lives.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The Beginning and End of Summer Make Me Anxious

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Time to bolster ourselves for another year of climate crisis and action

    FILE PHOTO (2024): A thermal image (inset) shows surface temperatures reaching as high as 61.1℃ along Plaza Miranda and Quiapo Church. The Philippines has been experiencing severe El Niño, aggravated by the climate crisis. © Greenpeace

    I used to enjoy Holy Week—the Visita Iglesia in the day, candlelit nights, the circulating bands of door-to-door prayer squads greeted by every household with whispers and reverence. This was the 90s, the height of the long summer blackouts. Even if your family had AC, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it most nights. I remember playing in the streets. It was very hot, but not intolerable. Patintero under the moon, taguan under stars.

    This is obviously a whole lot of children’s-book nostalgia, but there must be some truth to the feeling. I bring it up because I don’t look forward to summer anymore. Now, all I can think of when the days start getting warmer is the inevitable heat stroke I’ve gotten every year since 2020, more record-breaking temperatures, the bloated Meralco bills. I don’t remember daytime ever being so white hot and skin searing that every moment outdoors in the hours around noon feels like an assault. And while we know relief will come in a few months–it will be in the form of torrential rains capable of submerging all the cars in my neighborhood.

    In other words, the beginning and end of summer gives me, an adult in my 40s, anxiety. Right now is the end of the short season of reprieve: after the storms but before the high heat–which will be lifted by a new round of typhoons and supertyphoons.

    FILE PHOTO (2020): A man rests on debris following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, international name ‘Vamco’ in Rodriguez town in Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Ulysses battered the northern Philippines with heavy rains and strong winds knocking out power in several provinces including areas in Metro Manila and leaving thousands homeless and damaged or destroyed establishments along its path as it blew west. © Basilio Sepe / Greenpeace

    It is not lost on me that I am privileged: I live in a relatively sheltered, less flood-prone area of the capital. Millions of Filipinos live in impoverished communities hit hard and often by extreme weather that causes sickness, destruction, loss of livelihood and life. For many, this relentless cycle could be interpreted as a Sisyphean ordeal—endure one disaster after another and try to rebuild, only to be met with new threats and new loss. The reality of climate change looms large, with anxiety hanging thick in the air, never far from mind.

    Do you remember Frank Nicol Melgar Marba, the teacher and public servant from Dinagat Islands? He made headlines joining a transnational climate lawsuit against a French fossil fuel company. In 2021, Super Typhoon Odette, one of the strongest recorded storms on Earth, destroyed Frank’s family home, and left them traumatized. He once told the press: “Whenever there’s news of a typhoon coming our way, my grandmother still shakes in fear.”

    Polls and studies stretching back a decade tell us this is increasingly becoming the norm. The majority of the nation is worried about the climate crisis. Many Filipinos, especially the young, are burdened by climate anxiety.

    In 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) killed thousands and displaced millions in Eastern Visayas. A year later, a study found that an estimated 800,000 people in affected areas were reported to be suffering from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Many may still be feeling the effects to this day. Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted a poll in 2023 which determined that 8 in 10 Filipinos believe climate change poses dangers to physical and mental health. 87% say they have personally experienced climate impacts in the past three years. 81% consider climate change a threat to their mental well-being.

    It does not help that much needed climate action by world governments is sluggish and lackluster. Majority of governments are missing deadlines for crucial greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Almost half of corporations around the world abandoned pledged climate targets and got away with it scott free. Fossil fuel consumption is on the rise, which is heating the planet. The heating planet is driving more energy consumption which then prompts the release of more emissions. It feels like being alive today–facing the notion of this escalation of climate change and its consequences–comes in two flavors: 1) aware and in despair or 2) blissfully ignorant, possibly in denial.

    Despite all of this, though, the kids seem to be alright–to a degree. True to the trope (and no, please don’t bring the resilience thing into this) Filipinos, especially the youth, are powering through even the worst circumstances. Climate anxiety is translating to climate awareness, which, in the best of cases, translates to motivation to act.

    The same cadre of local and international pollsters have found that Filipino youth are some of the most eager to do their part in addressing climate change. The 2023 SWS, for instance, says 74% of respondents agree with the statement: “People like me can do something to reduce climate risks.” Another survey from 2023 said 81% of Filipino young people are aware their actions could make a positive change in improving climate policies in the country.

    FILE PHOTO (2020): Children wearing protective masks stay inside a modular tent at the Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Tondo, Manila evacuation center. About 22 families living in flood-prone areas in San Juan were forced to evacuate due to super typhoon Rolly, international name Goni. © Basilio Sepe / Greenpeace

    I wonder if today’s young people ever got to experience childhood summers like mine. Or were they, armed early with access to all the world’s information, too addled by early onset awareness of what we’ve done to the environment? Give them a platform, place, and opportunity to channel anxiety into something. Give them support, encouragement, solidarity. Join them. Action, especially collective action, bodes well for the planet, and can ease a little panic.

    Holy Week is for rest and fortification–mental, emotional, or spiritual–for the year ahead. It’s an opportunity to decide, in the quiet of our own company, or in the company of family and friends, on who to vote for in the coming elections, on what we can do to contribute; if it is in us to be brave, for ourselves and for others, in the midst of a crisis larger than any of our fears.

    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!

    Pocholo Goitia is a writer and environmental advocate from Quezon City.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace slams Impossible Metals’ deep-sea mining lease bid as desperate move amid industry collapse

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Greenpeace International activists from the Rainbow Warrior attach a flag reading ‘Stop Deep Sea Mining” to the cable holding the prototype robot, Patania II. Part of the ongoing ‘Protect the Oceans’ campaign. © Marten van Dijl / Greenpeace

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (APRIL 15, 2025)—Today, Greenpeace USA condemned Impossible Metals’ application for a deep-sea mining lease off the coast of American Samoa, in U.S. federal waters, calling it a reckless and desperate attempt to prop up a speculative and struggling industry by exploiting one of Earth’s most fragile and least understood ecosystems.

    Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA Oceans are Life Campaign Lead said: “Opening up the U.S. seabed to deep sea mining runs counter to the long history of leadership in ocean stewardship set by the United States. It’s a destructive act of violence against ocean ecosystems and the Pacific communities whose culture is so closely linked to the deep ocean.”

    A Desperate Power Grab by an UnprovenIndustry

    Impossible Metals’ application for a deep-sea mining lease in U.S. federal waters is not a sign of industry momentum—it’s a glaring red flag of desperation. The move comes on the heels of a cascade of failures across the deep-sea mining sector that reveal the fundamental instability of the industry.

    In February 2025, Impossible Metals itself was forced to postpone its highly publicized 2026 mining test in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, citing that its technology “isn’t ready.” Just weeks later, in March, Loke Marine Minerals, a Norwegian firm once poised to become the world’s largest deep-sea mining operator, filed for bankruptcy—an event that sent shockwaves through investor circles and exposed the financial fragility of the entire sector.

    That same month, The Metals Company (TMC) stunned international observers by announcing it would sidestep the United Nations’ regulatory process—governed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA)—and seek a U.S. mining license under the little-known and long-dormant Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA). The announcement raised serious concerns about regulatory breakdowns and attempts to fast-track exploitation while global safeguards remain unresolved.

    Adding to the pressure, in July 2024, American Samoa became the first U.S. territory to enact a moratorium on deep-sea mining, citing threats to marine life, cultural heritage, and the territory’s tuna fishery—the cornerstone of its economy. Greenpeace USA applauded this historic decision, calling it a bold act of ocean stewardship and a model for U.S. policy. That Impossible Metals would now seek a lease in federal waters adjacent to a territory that has explicitly rejected deep-sea mining is not only tone-deaf, but a profound sign of disrespect to Pacific communities and their right to self-determination.

    In this context, Impossible Metals’ federal lease bid is less a step forward and more a scramble for relevance—an attempt to salvage investor confidence and secure regulatory footholds while public scrutiny and scientific warnings grow louder.

    Solomon Kaho’Ohalahala, Hawaiian elder with the Maui Nui Makai Network  said: “In July of last year, American Samoa decided that deep sea mining is not in their territorial interests—including the potential to impact tuna fisheries, currently their territory’s primary economic driver. 

    The Pacific has spoken clearly: our ocean is not a sacrifice zone. American Samoa’s moratorium reflects a deep cultural, ecological, and economic understanding of what’s at stake. For Impossible Metals to pursue a mining license just beyond those protected waters is not only reckless—it’s a betrayal of the values and sovereignty of Pacific Peoples. We as people of the Pacific do not recognize lines in the ocean drawn by Western governments.  The fish can’t see those lines, we don’t see those lines.  All of the Pacific is sacred. The U.S. government must respect the sovereignty and autonomy of Pacific Peoples and let them make decisions for their own waters, and reject any application that threatens our ocean and our way of life.” 

    No Science, No Safeguards, No Justification

    The scientific community remains united: we lack the knowledge to mine the deep sea safely. Over 90% of species in areas like the Clarion-Clipperton Zone remain undescribed. Ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling and newly discovered phenomena like “dark oxygen” production, are only beginning to be understood. There is no adequate environmental baseline, no long-term impact data, and no way to manage what we don’t yet comprehend.

    Furthermore, most current “research” is industry-led and profit-driven, not the result of independent, precautionary science. This push for premature mining risks sacrificing biodiversity for short-term speculative gains.

    Call for a Moratorium

    Greenpeace stands with the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Indigenous communities, scientists, and governments around the world calling for an immediate moratorium on deep-sea mining. Given the irreversible risks and profound scientific uncertainty, deep-sea mining must not move forward. The deep ocean should remain off-limits to mining—now and for the foreseeable future—until and unless independent science, robust global governance, and clear social consent can truly demonstrate that it can be done without harm.

    Contact: Gujari Singh, Greenpeace USA Campaign Communication Manager, [email protected], 631-404-9977

    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: Week 4 of “Dirty Dems” campaign highlights dismal record of Assemblymember James Ramos on environmental justice

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SAN BERNARDINO, CA (April 15, 2025)—As part of the ongoing “Dirty Dems” campaign, Greenpeace USA, in collaboration with the California Working Families Party and Courage California, continues to hold California State legislators accountable for their damaging connections to the oil and gas industry and their failure to support critical climate, economic justice, and progressive priorities.

    This week, the spotlight is on Assemblymember Jamos Ramos of the 45th District – spanning portions of Southern California’s Inland Empire and San Bernardino. Elected in 2018, he has already directly accepted more than $89,600 in oil and gas industry money, including $19,000 in the last session. Chevron alone has directly given Ramos over $31,000.

    Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner, said: “Assemblymember Ramos is failing his constituents left and right. Despite being the first Native American elected to the California State Legislator, and the fact that he represents a diverse, working class district with a significant Democratic voter advantage, Ramos has failed to establish himself as a principled voice for all his constituents, especially those most disadvantaged. He has one of the worst records on environmental justice, workers rights, economic justice, and other progressive priorities among the Democratic Caucus in the California State Legislature, and he consistently sides with corporations over his communities.”

    Assembly Member Ramos has received a failing grade every single year in office from California Environmental Voters, and from the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA). In 2023, his score from CEJA was an atrocious 28%. Assembly Member Ramos has never received higher than a C grade from both the California Labor Federation and from the Sierra Club. Courage California has him on their Dishonorable Mention list, as he’s received an F every year he has been in office. Initiate Justice has also given him a failing F grade since their scorecard began in 2023.

    Other lowlights of his time in office include voting no on a bill to lower pollution near homes in his very district to reduce health and safety impacts (AB 2840). He also skipped a vote aimed at reducing pollution in other parts of the state too – a bill aimed at fenceline monitoring of noxious pollutants that have been linked to asthma and cancer (AB 674). Assembly Member Ramos repeatedly voted with big corporations  on a bill aimed at moderately reducing single use plastic packaging (SB 54), and skipped a vote to reduce toxins in packaging (AB 2761). He even voted against common sense reforms aimed at making children safer by requiring firearms be properly and safely stored (SB 53), and skipped voting on a top labor priority to establish a council to determine minimum wages, working hours, and health and safety standards for fast food workers (AB 257).

    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: Hungary: Global fight back begins as anti-Pride law comes into effect

    Source: Amnesty International –

    As discriminatory legislation that could be used to ban Pride marches in Hungary comes into effect today, Amnesty International has announced the launch of an international campaign calling on the Hungarian authorities to “Let Pride March”. 

    The campaign, launched tomorrow in the run up to the 30th anniversary of Budapest Pride, is calling on the city’s chief of police to enable people to take part in Pride safely, free from intimidation, harassment or violence. It is also encouraging people around the world to show support and solidarity with LGBTI people and their allies in Hungary. 

    In June, Budapest Pride will take place, and we will be marching alongside all those who oppose discrimination 

    “For the last 30 years, people in Hungary have marched through the streets of Budapest to celebrate Pride and demand equality and dignity for LGBTI people. In June, Budapest Pride will take place, and we will be marching alongside all those who oppose discrimination and the rollback of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Dávid Vig, Director of Amnesty International Hungary. 

    “The recent anti-Pride law is the latest measure targeting and stigmatizing LGBTI individuals and groups and attempting to strip away the hard-won rights of LGBTI people. Large numbers are expected to peacefully take to the streets, and they must be permitted to march safely.” 

    Under the terms of the new anti-Pride law which was rushed through parliament in March in an expedited procedure without consultation – it is ‘forbidden to hold an assembly in violation’ of 2021 legislation banning the ‘depiction and promotion’ of homosexuality and diverse gender identities to people under 18. Under the law, the authorities have the power to use facial recognition technology to identify participants and to fine those who participate in any prohibited assembly. According to the Criminal Code, organizers of an assembly which is banned risk criminal charges and up to one year imprisonment.  

    It is vital that the Hungarian authorities do not impose undue restrictions or a pre-emptive ban on Budapest Pride

    The new law also widens the conditions under which the police may disperse a notified assembly. An unlawful dispersal of Pride participants could create unrest, tensions and possible escalation of violence. Amnesty International is calling on the police to respect, protect and facilitate people’s right to protest as required by their obligations under international law. 

    The adoption of this new law was made possible by yesterday’s vote in the Hungarian Parliament passing an amendment. The vote provides a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities of some people in Hungary and which allows the authorities to curtail rights, in particular those of LGBTI people, in the name of protecting children.

    As people around the world celebrate Pride, we invite them to join our campaign demanding Hungarian authorities #LetPrideMarch

    “It is vital that the Hungarian authorities do not impose undue restrictions or a pre-emptive ban on Budapest Pride. Instead, the march should go ahead unhindered and the response of the police, who have operational responsibility, should be fully human rights compliant,” said Catrinel Motoc, Amnesty International’s Senior Campaigner on the Right to Protest. 

    “As people around the world celebrate Pride, we invite them to join our campaign demanding Hungarian authorities #LetPrideMarch and end the use of legislation based on harmful stereotypes, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia. Protest is a human right, and we must support the brave protesters of Budapest Pride.”  

    Background  

    Budapest Pride is scheduled for 28 June and the #LetPrideMarch campaign launches tomorrow and will go live here at 00:01 GMT. 

    The new anti-Pride law modifies the Act on the Right of Assembly, the Act on Petty Offences and the Act on Facial Image Analysis making it a crime to organize and a petty offence to attend assemblies that violate Hungary’s Propaganda Law, which prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality and diverse gender identities to under-18s. A fine of up to 200,000 HUF (500 EUR) may be applied for people who attend Pride, if banned.  

    The legislation has sparked protests in Hungary that have gone on for more than a month.

    In a report published in July 2024, Amnesty International documented an array of trends and patterns of restrictions and violations to the right to protest in 21 countries, including Hungary.

    Hungary is among the countries flouting its international and regional human rights obligations to respect, protect and facilitate peaceful assemblies, to remove obstacles and to avoid unwarranted interferences with people’s right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sudan: ‘A day of shame’ – Two year anniversary of civil war as UK holds ministerial international conference on the conflict

    Source: Amnesty International –

    UK to host a ministerial-level international Sudan on 15 April aimed at strengthening the international community’s response to the conflict 

    ‘Bringing together international leaders could not come at a more vital time for the UK to champion the protection of women and girls from conflict in Sudan’ – Sacha Deshmukh

    ‘Shame on the world for turning away while Sudan burns. Shame on the countries that continue to add fuel to the fire’ – Erika Guevara Rosas

    April 15 marks the two-year anniversary of the outbreak of civil war in Sudan. Last week, Amnesty International released a new investigation finding the Rapid Support Forces committed widespread sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, amounting to possible crimes against humanity. 

    Despite these atrocities, the world has largely chosen to remain passive. The UN Security Council has failed to implement a comprehensive arms embargo on Sudan to halt the constant flow of weapons fueling these heinous crimes. 

    Today the UK will host a ministerial-level international Sudan Conference in London aimed at strengthening the international community’s response to the conflict.

    Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s, Chief Executive, said: 

    “Bringing together international leaders could not come at a more vital time for the UK to champion the protection of women and girls from conflict in Sudan. However, the UK’s own drastic aid cut plans are deeply worrying and set a poor example – especially when the world is seemingly turning its back on those experiencing extreme violence.

    “Despite the Prime Minister stressing that the UK will still hold a key humanitarian role in Sudan, its aid cut plans may well discourage additional funding from other states. This conference must recognise the horrendous findings from Amnesty’s report and remain prioritising funds for those most at risk.” 

    On the two-year anniversary of the outbreak of Sudan’s civil war, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, said: 

    “Today is a day of shame. Shame on the perpetrators on both sides of this terrible conflict who have inflicted unimaginable suffering on civilians. Shame on the world for turning away while Sudan burns. Shame on the countries that continue to add fuel to the fire. 

    “Over the last two years, the Sudan Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces and their allies have committed atrocity crimes, including sexual violence against women and girls, tortured and starved civilians, rounded people up and killed them, and bombed markets, displaced persons camps and hospitals. These atrocities amount to war crimes.  

    “While the world has failed to support the victims of the war in Sudan – many of whom are facing famine or have been forced to flee their homes – it has contributed a paltry 6.6% of the funds needed to address the country’s humanitarian catastrophe. President Trump’s drastic cuts to USAID are the latest cruel twist of the knife against Sudanese civilians who, through no fault of their own, are experiencing their greatest time of need.

    “The people of Sudan urgently need support and solidarity. The UN Security Council must institute an arms embargo on all of Sudan, while countries around the world must steeply increase their humanitarian assistance. Sudan’s partners must also exert real pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop targeting civilians and to bring the perpetrators of international humanitarian and human rights law violations to justice.  

    “The world must stop ignoring Sudan.”

     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Kyrgyzstan: Detention of human rights defender Rita Karasartova is alarming sign of deepening repression

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the detention of prominent Kyrgyzstani human rights defender Rita Karasartova, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

    “The detention of Rita Karasartova is a troubling development in Kyrgyzstan’s deepening crackdown on civic space. It appears linked solely to her public engagement with a politically sensitive case.”

    “Kyrgyzstani authorities must immediately provide a clear legal basis for Rita Karasartova’s detention, ensure that her rights are fully respected and she has access to adequate healthcare. If she is being detained solely for exercising her right to freedom of expression – as seems to be the case – she must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

    Kyrgyzstani authorities must immediately provide a clear legal basis for Rita Karasartova’s detention, ensure that her rights are fully respected and she has access to adequate healthcare

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

    “Kyrgyzstan’s human rights defenders must be able to carry out their vital work free from harassment or reprisal.”

    Background

    On the evening of 14 April 2025, law enforcement officers conducted a search of Rita Karasartova’s home in Bishkek. According to eyewitnesses, a group of 12 officers – three of whom were masked and armed – confiscated electronic equipment and documents. Rita Karasartova was taken to police headquarters for questioning and subsequently placed in a temporary detention facility for 48 hours.

    The search and arrest occurred shortly after she shared on her Facebook page a letter from exiled Kyrgyzstani activist Tilekmat Kurenov, who according to reports has recently gone missing in the United Arab Emirates.

    Authorities have yet to file formal charges against Rita Karasartova but cite Article 278(3) of the Criminal Code (“mass riots”) as the basis for her detention.

    Rita Karasartova featured in Amnesty International’s 2023 Write for Rights campaign. She recently underwent surgery and is in need of specialist healthcare.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sudan: Two years of war and shameful international neglect

    Source: Amnesty International –

    On the two-year anniversary of the outbreak of Sudan’s civil war, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, said: 

    “Today is a day of shame. Shame on the perpetrators on both sides of this terrible conflict who have inflicted unimaginable suffering on civilians. Shame on the world for turning away while Sudan burns. Shame on the countries that continue to add fuel to the fire. 

    “Over the last two years, the Sudan Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces and their allies have committed atrocity crimes, including sexual violence against women and girls, tortured and starved civilians, rounded people up and killed them, and bombed markets, displaced persons camps and hospitals. These atrocities amount to war crimes.  

    “Last week, Amnesty International released a new investigation finding the Rapid Support Forces committed widespread sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, amounting to possible crimes against humanity. 

    “Despite these atrocities, the world has largely chosen to remain passive. Alarmingly, the UN Security Council has failed to implement a comprehensive arms embargo on Sudan to halt the constant flow of weapons fuelling these heinous crimes. 

    “While the world has failed to support the victims of the war in Sudan – many of whom are facing famine or have been forced to flee their homes – it has contributed a paltry 6.6% of the funds needed to address the country’s humanitarian catastrophe. President Trump’s drastic cuts to USAID are the latest cruel twist of the knife against Sudanese civilians who, through no fault of their own, are experiencing their greatest time of need. 

    “The people of Sudan urgently need support and solidarity. The UN Security Council must institute an arms embargo on all of Sudan, while countries around the world must steeply increase their humanitarian assistance. Sudan’s partners must also exert real pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop targeting civilians and to bring the perpetrators of international humanitarian and human rights law violations to justice.  

    “The world must stop ignoring Sudan.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: New Amnesty International Hong Kong office opens overseas

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International has announced the launch of a new Hong Kong section based overseas, following the closure of its offices in the city in 2021 amid a crackdown on human rights.

    The new entity, Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas (AIHKO), will be led by Hong Kong diaspora activists operating from key international hubs including Australia, Canada, Taiwan, the UK and the USA.

    “The opening of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas marks a new chapter in the organization’s strengthened commitment to human rights in Hong Kong and its support for the Hong Kong diaspora around the world,” said Chi-man Luk, the new AIHKO Executive Director.

    “The gutting of Hong Kong’s civil society has been a tragedy for the city with more than 100 non-profits and media outlets shut down or forced to flee. But since the closing of Amnesty International Hong Kong three years ago, our dedication has only grown. We are now ready to intensify our efforts by building new communities of support driven by the Hong Kong diaspora.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: EU should press Bhutan to free political prisoners

    Source: Amnesty International –

    • New report from UN experts finds fair trial violations, inhuman conditions

    The European Union should press Bhutanese authorities to release dozens of political prisoners held for decades in dire conditions, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. An EU human rights dialogue with Bhutan is scheduled later this month, just weeks after UN human rights experts issued a communication raising concerns over reports that the prisoners were “denied due process and fair trials, including access to lawyers,” and allegedly subjected to torture.

    The communication by six UN human rights experts, published on 4 April, raises concerns that “the broad and vague definitions [of “treason”], combined with the severity of the punishments, have a severe chilling effect on the enjoyment of human rights… and consequently on democratic life and civic space in the country.”

    “Bhutan portrays itself as a land of ‘mindfulness’ and ‘gross national happiness,’ but UN reports paint quite a different picture,” said Smriti Singh, Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

    “Dozens are still detained, mistreated and tortured solely for peacefully dissenting against the government’s policy, an ordeal Bhutan’s King could end at the stroke of a pen.”

    Dozens are still detained, mistreated and tortured solely for peacefully dissenting against the government’s policy, an ordeal Bhutan’s King could end at the stroke of a pen

    Smriti Singh, Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International

    Bhutan is seeking to enhance its international partnerships and economic co-operation including with Australia, India, Thailand and the European Union. The relationship with the EU includes tariff and quota-free access for Bhutanese exports to the EU market under the Everything But Arms scheme, which is linked to international human rights obligations.

    The EU is also providing assistance intended to promote human rights and civil society space, as well as investment in infrastructure development. The EU should insist that Bhutan shows its commitment and respect for human rights by immediately releasing all 32 political prisoners and others detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said. On 14 April, Members of the European Parliament holding key positions on EU political and trade relations with Bhutan formulated similar calls in a letter to the country’s prime minister.

    The UN experts’ communication examines the cases of 19 named individuals, “among others,” expressing serious concern that their fair trial rights appear to have been violated, that they were “severely tortured, both to extract confessions and to punish them,” then convicted under “vague” laws, and jailed in inhumane conditions.

    In 2023, Human Rights Watch documented the cases of 37 political prisoners in Bhutan. Since then, five have completed their sentences, leaving at least 32 still serving terms of between 32 years and life without parole.

    In November 2024, another group of UN experts, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, adopted an opinion on three of the prisoners’ cases, finding that they met the definition of arbitrary detention, which would make their detention illegal under international human rights law. Both groups of experts asked the Bhutan government to respond to the allegations but have received no response.

    Most of the cases relate to events in around 1990, when about 90,000 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese were expelled from Bhutan amid widespread rights violations, and became refugees in Nepal. Those who remained in or returned to Bhutan, who publicly opposed the arbitrary citizenship determination, were arrested, tortured and convicted in unfair trials based on coerced confessions. The longest serving political prisoners have been in jail since 1990, while others were arrested in 2008 after they re-entered Bhutan to campaign for the right to return.

    Most of the cases relate to events in around 1990, when about 90,000 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese were expelled from Bhutan amid widespread rights violations, and became refugees in Nepal

    Tens of thousands of Bhutanese refugees eventually received refugee resettlement in third countries, including in United States. However, the Trump administration has deported close to a dozen of these resettled refugees, stating that they have been accused or convicted of crimes in the United States. This is a clear violation of international human rights law, including customary international law and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which prohibits the transfer of any person to another State where the individual could be at risk of being subjected to torture.

    The Bhutan government permitted the US government to deport them to Bhutan, and then promptly expelled them to Nepal via India, suggesting that the Bhutanese authorities continue to discriminate against this community.

    The new UN communication raises allegations that “[p]olitical prisoners are reportedly given inadequate food, water, heating, bedding and warm clothing” and that “detainees [also] suffer shortages of medicines and access to doctors. Those with physical illnesses – some as a result of alleged torture – do not receive necessary medical treatment, which may have contributed to the death of two detainees.” The detainees are prevented from communicating with their families, they said.

    The UN experts noted that in 1999 the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, granted amnesty to 40 political prisoners, including some serving life sentences.

    In 2022, the present King granted amnesty to a political prisoner serving a life term. “We implore the King to exercise His Majesty’s power to pardon and release from prison the remaining political prisoners, so as to demonstrate Bhutan’s commitment to upholding human rights and its international legal obligations,” the UN experts wrote.

    “Bhutan has adopted significant reforms since 2008, but the continued detention of political prisoners represents a major stain on its human rights record,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Bhutan’s international partners and investors, including the EU, should make it clear that they expect Bhutan to comply with its human rights obligations and release them without further delay.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Lebanon: Authorities must immediately dismiss complaint against independent media outlets

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Lebanese authorities must immediately dismiss a criminal complaint filed against independent media outlets Daraj Media and Megaphone News, Amnesty International said today, following news that the two independent digital media outlets have been summoned for interrogation by the Cassation Public Prosecution Office on Tuesday 15 April in connection with the complaint.

    The complaint came shortly after the media outlets’ criticism of certain candidates for the governorship of the Central Bank and their calls for accountability for Lebanon’s financial and economic crises. The complaint, filed in March, was initiated by three lawyers acting in a private capacity following the media outlets’ reporting on government financial decisions, appointments, and the Central Bank. Both outlets have investigated and reported on allegations of financial mismanagement, corruption, and money laundering. The complainants accused the media outlets of “undermining the state’s financial standing, undermining confidence in the local currency, inciting the withdrawal of bank deposits and the sale of government bonds, receiving suspicious foreign financing with the aim of undermining confidence in the state, inciting strife, undermining the reputation of the state, weakening national sentiment and attacking and conspiring against the security of the state.”

    “The Lebanese authorities’ decision to summon Daraj Media and Megaphone News for questioning signals a willingness to allow powerful political and financial interests to instrumentalize the criminal justice system to intimidate and harass critical voices. The authorities should be protecting press freedom, not undermining it,” said Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

    “The targeting of these media outlets represents a dangerous escalation in ongoing efforts to intimidate independent journalism in Lebanon and to stifle the necessary scrutiny that outlets like Daraj Media and Megaphone News have provided through their reporting of the role of powerful actors in creating and prolonging the financial and economic crisis that continues to have a devastating impact on people’s rights.

    “The Lebanese authorities must immediately dismiss the complaint and ensure independent media are able to continue their work without fear of intimidation or harassment.”

    The targeting of these media outlets represents a dangerous escalation in ongoing efforts to intimidate independent journalism in Lebanon and to stifle the necessary scrutiny that outlets like Daraj Media and Megaphone News have provided through their reporting

    Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

    The authorities’ prompt response to complaints against journalists also stands in stark contrast to the slower pace at which investigations into allegations of corruption and other misconduct, including torture, have progressed.

    Moreover, the proceedings against Daraj Media and Megaphone News are flouting domestic laws regarding criminal investigations, including those establishing safeguards for journalists. Both Daraj Media and Megaphone News confirmed receiving notification of the summons through a phone call and that they were not provided with written detail of the charges being brought against them or the legal basis for their summons.

    Article 147 of Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure requires that summons must be provided in writing, and the document must include, among other things, the offence that is the subject of the investigation and the legal provision(s) on which it is based. Additionally, the Publications Law requires that complaints based on journalistic work are handled through the Publications Court, rather than the public prosecutor. The summons follows a broader smear and disinformation campaign over the past weeks against Daraj Media and Megaphone News led by non-state actors and entities with ties to political and economic power centers.

    Amnesty International has documented a worrying increase in the use of vague legal provisions to harass and intimidate journalists, activists, and critics in Lebanon, with thousands targeted by criminal investigations since the onset of the economic crisis in 2019. The summons against Daraj and Megaphone News are yet another example of the misuse of these provisions in an attempt to suppress critical voices.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Testimony from Gaza: ‘To be a mother during genocide is to fight, every minute, every second.’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    21 March marks both the beginning of spring and Mother’s Day in Palestine. A day of celebration, of hope, but it is hard for us to think of hope now.

    My 12-year-old son apologized to me because he could not buy me a present on Mother’s Day, I hugged him and said that their survival – for now – is the most precious present that God has given me, I want nothing more.

    I live in Beit Lahia. We are still sweeping the rubble, trying to restore our damaged house, to make it livable, more than a month after our return to the north. Everything here is a struggle: to be a mother during genocide is to fight, every minute, every second to maintain your family when nothing is available. Getting clean water is a battle; securing food is a battle; getting fresh vegetables or fruits is a dream, but I am a lucky mother because my children are still alive.

    I look at my children and feel guilty because they have been denied their childhood, they were forced into the cruel world of adulthood, of war: no schools, no playgrounds, no daily walks by the sea. I hear bombs and wish I could wrap them with my own body, wish that my love, larger than the universe could protect them, shelter them.

    Half an hour before we were due to break our fast, on Mother’s Day, in Ramadan, we saw that the Israeli military has ordered our area to “evacuate,” but to where? We are tired of displacement, of carrying an entire life on our shoulders and fleeing again, starting all over again; we are trying to rebuild the remnants of our lives: we were hoping to do that without fearing the non-stop bombs raining on us. Was that too much to ask?

    You have no choice under genocide. You gamble with death: please stay away from my children; We were already displaced on nine occasions to flee death. We try to cheat it, but eventually you know that we are all defenseless against this.

    A mother from Beit Lahia, Gaza.

    You have no choice under genocide. You gamble with death: please stay away from my children; We were already displaced on nine occasions to flee death. We try to cheat it, but eventually you know that we are all defenseless against this.

    I do not know if we will survive this round of bombardment, I do not know if the world will remember that one day people lived in a small place called Gaza, which had the most beautiful coastline in the world. Here lived people who wanted to live, they had so many dreams, they wanted to raise their children under normal circumstances but never got the chance to do so.

    All I know that if we do not make it, we will leave knowing that we did everything in our power and beyond to protect our children. Beit Lahia is the capital of strawberries and flowers; it is now a city of rubble, smoke, and stench of death. But please remember us by our strawberries and poppies and remember the names and faces of our martyred children, who will never have the chance to give their mothers a present on Mother’s Day.

    The author’s name has been withheld for security reasons.

    To join Amnesty International’s call to end Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza take action here.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ghana: Hundreds accused of witchcraft urgently need protection

    Source: Amnesty International –

    A new Amnesty International report has shed light on the hundreds of victims of witchcraft accusations in Ghana and ritual attacks that have forced them to flee their communities fearing for their lives.

    “Branded for life: How witchcraft accusations lead to human rights violations of hundreds of women in North Ghana”, documents the situation across four informal camps where 500 accused people, primarily older women, are currently living with insufficient access to health services, food, safe housing, clean water and economic opportunities.

    The report shows how the accusations, which can lead to threats, physical attacks or even death, usually start within the family or among community members following a tragic event such as an illness or a death. Older women living in poverty, with health conditions or disabilities are at greater risk, as well as women who do not conform to stereotypical gender roles.

    Women accused of witchcraft have no safe place to run to other than camps overseen by religious leaders in the northern and north-east regions of Ghana, which are now more than a century old. Although the camps offer shelter, the living conditions are inadequate. There is no governmental programme to support victims of witchcraft accusations.

    Michèle Eken, Senior Researcher at Amnesty International, said:

    “Witchcraft accusations and related abuses infringe on a person’s right to life, to security, and to non-discrimination. This deeply rooted and prevalent practice has led to untold suffering and violence. While the belief in witchcraft is protected under international law, harmful practices that stem from the belief are not and those impacted need protection and reparation.”

    Genevieve Partington, Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana and member of the Coalition Against Witchcraft Accusations, an association set up following the lynching of a 90-year-old woman in July 2020, said:

    “The authorities should pass legislation specifically criminalising witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks, including protective measures for potential victims.

    “We urge the adoption of a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of the abuses including social and economic reintegration programmes, along with protection and reparations to persons who suffered abuses due to an accusation.

    “The government should establish a properly resourced long-term national awareness campaign challenging cultural and social practices that discriminate against women and older people, including witchcraft accusations.”

    This report is based on research conducted between July 2023 and January 2025. Amnesty interviewed 93 people accused of witchcraft living in four camps, including 82 women, most of them aged 50 to 90.

    First person testimonies:

    Fawza*, resident of Gnani camp: “My neighbour said he dreamt […] that I was trying to kill him. He doesn’t want me [in the community], that’s why he accused me.”

    Fatma*, resident of the Kukuo camp: “I refused for the [village] chief to marry any of my daughters. One day, a child got sick in the community and the chief accused me”

    Alimata* struggles with her accommodation in the camps: “I have my own room here, but it needs reroofing. Water comes down through the roof when it rains.”

    A resident of the Kukuo camp in her eighties, has not been able to support herself since she fled her village: “I miss a lot [from home]. I had everything. I was harvesting shea nuts. Now, if someone doesn’t feed me, how would I eat?”

    Another resident of the Kukuo camp about 60 years old, said: “They always have plans of putting allegations against you, especially if you are hardworking and are still strong and doing well as a woman.”

    * Names have been changed to protect identity.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: No end in sight: Sudan’s two years of war story Apr 14, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    As the war in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) enters its third year, millions of people remain unseen, bombed, besieged, displaced, and deprived of food, medical care, and basic lifesaving services. Sixty percent of the country’s 50 million people need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN, amid simultaneous health crises and limited access to public health care.

    Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reiterates our call on the warring parties and their allies to ensure that civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams are protected and that all restrictions impeding the movement of humanitarian supplies and staff are lifted, especially as the rainy season fast approaches.

    “The warring parties are not only failing to protect civilians—they are actively compounding their suffering,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator. “Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs—overwhelming, urgent, and unmet. Millions are receiving almost no humanitarian assistance, medical facilities and staff remain under attack, and the global humanitarian system is failing to deliver even a fraction of what’s required.”

    Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs—overwhelming, urgent, and unmet. 

    Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator

    As front lines have shifted over the course of the war, especially in Khartoum and Darfur, civilians have feared retaliatory attacks from both warring parties. For the past two years, both RSF and SAF have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely populated areas. The RSF and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, including systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, looting of aid, erasure of civilian neighborhoods, and occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid. 

    Newly displaced families arrive in Tawila on April 13 following new attacks in Zamzam camp. | Sudan 2025 © Marion Ramstein/MSF

    Sudan’s largest displacement camp is under attack

    RSF and allied armed groups launched a large-scale ground offensive on April 11, attacking Zamzam camp and leaving its residents starved, shelled, and deprived of lifesaving assistance. Marion Ramstein, MSF emergency field coordinator in North Darfur, described the situation:

    “There are reports of people fleeing and many casualties, although we can’t verify how many at the moment. 

    “Back in February, we were forced to suspend all MSF activities in the camp because of escalating security issues. Repeated shelling, shooting at our ambulances, and a tightened siege that prevented us from resupplying facilities and sending staff made it impossible for MSF to continue working in Zamzam despite the immense needs. 

    “The communication network with Zamzam has been shut down. We don’t have news of many of the people who worked with us and decided to remain with their relatives in the camp after the suspension of our field hospital. We’re horrified by what they have to endure, and extremely worried about them and the hundreds of thousands of people already on the brink of survival in the area. We were appalled to learn that nine staff from Relief International were killed. It was the only international humanitarian organization still operating in Zamzam.

    We were appalled to learn that nine staff from Relief International were killed. It was the only international humanitarian organization still operating in Zamzam.

    Marion Ramstein, MSF emergency field coordinator

    “On April 12 and 13, our team in Tawila saw more than 10,000 people fleeing from Zamzam and nearby areas. They arrived in an advanced state of dehydration, exhaustion, and stress. They have nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, nothing to eat, nothing to drink. They sleep on the ground under the trees. Several people told us about family members left behind—lost during the escape, injured, or killed.”

    MSF set up a health post at the entrance of Tawila city to receive the new arrivals and provide water and medical care. Our teams quickly distributed what we had on hand, such as blankets, mosquito nets, and buckets; and we are referring the most critical cases to the local hospital MSF has been supporting since last October. MSF teams are also screening newly arrived children for malnutrition so they can immediately receive therapeutic food and be enrolled in our nutritional program for adequate care.

    A health worker screens a child for malnutrition in Tawila, North Darfur. | Sudan 2024 © MSF

    Hunger and famine take hold

    Widespread starvation is taking hold in areas across Sudan, according to the UN: Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations. Famine was first declared in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in August 2024, and has since spread to 10 more areas. Seventeen additional regions are now on the brink. Without immediate intervention, hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.

    In March, MSF supported multi-antigen catch up vaccination campaigns for children under 2 years old in South Darfur. The over 17,000 children who received vaccinations in 11 of the 14 localities were also screened for malnutrition, with 7 percent of those screened found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition and with 30 percent with global acute malnutrition. In December 2024, during a therapeutic food distribution in Tawila locality, North Darfur, MSF teams screened over 9,500 children under 5 years old. They found a staggering 35.5 percent global acute malnutrition rate, with 7 percent of the children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

    MSF staff hold a meeting at the mobile clinic in Atam, South Sudan, which has received thousands of Sudanese refugees. | South Sudan 2025 © Paula Casado Aguirregabiria/MSF

    Simultaneous emergencies compound crises

    Sudan is facing multiple, overlapping health emergencies at the same time. MSF teams have treated over 12,000 patients—including women and children—for trauma injuries directly resulting from violent attacks. During the first week of February 2025, MSF teams in three areas of Sudan—Khartoum, North Darfur, and South Darfur states—treated mass influxes of war-wounded patients. Sudan is also experiencing one of the worst maternal and child health crises we are seeing anywhere in the world. In October 2024, in two MSF-supported facilities in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, 26 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking care were acutely malnourished. 

    “Outbreaks of measles, cholera, and diphtheria are spreading, driven by poor living conditions and disrupted vaccination campaigns,” said Marta Cazorla, MSF emergency coordinator. “Mental health support and care for survivors of sexual violence remain painfully limited. These compounding crises reflect not just the brutality of the conflict, but the dire consequences of the crumbling public health care system and a failing humanitarian response.” 

    Since April 2023, more than 1.7 million people have sought medical consultations at hospitals, health facilities and mobile clinics MSF supports or is working in, and more than 32,000 people were admitted to our emergency wards.

    About 13 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN—many of them displaced multiple times. Of these, 8.9 million remain displaced inside Sudan, while 3.9 million have crossed into neighboring countries. Many live in overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters, without access to food, water, health care, or a sense of the future. People depend entirely on humanitarian organizations—but organizations are not responding everywhere. 

    MSF doctors examine Sameera, who developed an arm infection from a poorly administered injection following a home delivery. | Sudan 2025 © Belen Filgueira/MSF

    Health facilities destroyed 

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 70 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas are barely operational or completely closed, leaving millions without access to critical care amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Since the war began, MSF has recorded over 80 violent incidents targeting our staff, infrastructure, vehicles, and supplies. Clinics have been looted and destroyed, medicines stolen, and health care workers assaulted, threatened, or killed. 

    “Buildings were destroyed, even beds were looted, and medicines ,” said Muhammad Yusuf Ishaq Abdullah, MSF health promotion officer in Tawila, North Darfur, about the state of Tawila’s hospital after being attacked and looted in June 2023. “From afar, it looked like a hospital, but when you entered it, it was a shelter for snakes and grass.”

    These attacks must stop. Medical personnel and facilities are not targets. 

    A mother cares for her child in the pediatric section of the cholera treatment center in Kosti, which experienced a cholera outbreak. | Sudan 2025 © MSF

    The threat of rainy season approaches

    The fast-approaching rainy season threatens to make an already catastrophic situation even worse—severing supply routes, flooding entire regions, and cutting off communities just as the hunger gap peaks and malnutrition and malaria spike.

    MSF calls for immediate preparedness measures ahead of the rainy season. More border crossings must be opened, and key roads and bridges must be repaired and kept accessible, especially in Darfur, where seasonal flooding isolates communities year after year. 

    In addition, humanitarian restrictions must be lifted, and unhindered access must be guaranteed. MSF urges all actors—including donors, governments, and UN agencies—to enable and prioritize aid delivery, ensuring that assistance not only reaches the country but is transported swiftly and safely to the hardest-hit and most remote communities. Without a serious commitment to overcoming the political, financial, logistical, and security barriers that hinder last-mile delivery, countless lives will remain beyond the reach of help.

    The people of Sudan have endured this horror for too long. They cannot and should not wait any longer to access essential needs. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF outraged by armed looting of hospital in South Sudan

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • On 14 April, armed men stormed the MSF hospital and office in Ulang, Upper Nile state, South Sudan, looting the premises and threatening our staff.
    • This incident has forced us to suspend services at the hospital, leaving the area without a functioning health facility.
    • We continue to support health facilities in other areas of Upper Nile state, and call on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect health facilities, patients, civilians, and medical staff.

    Upper Nile state – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) strongly condemns the armed looting of our hospital and premises in Ulang, Upper Nile state, South Sudan. On the morning of 14 April, dozens of armed men stormed the MSF hospital and office in Ulang town, threatened staff, and looted vital medical supplies and equipment. As a result, all medical services at the hospital — the only functioning health facility in the area — have been suspended.

    “We are outraged by the attack on our hospital and the threats against our medical staff in Ulang,” says Zakariya Mwatia, MSF head of mission in South Sudan. “This facility has been a lifeline for the community at a time of escalating violence and an active cholera outbreak. Such attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers are completely unacceptable. We are gravely concerned about the devastating impact the closure of medical services will have on already vulnerable communities, who now face even greater barriers to accessing lifesaving care.”

    On the night of 13 April, as violence drew closer to Ulang town, patients began fleeing the hospital in fear — despite being under medical care. At the time, more than 100 patients were admitted and receiving critical treatment, including trauma care, maternity services, and paediatric care. While some patients remained as long as they could, they were ultimately forced to flee when armed men entered the facility and began looting room by room.

    Although no injuries to MSF staff have been reported, we remain extremely concerned for the safety of our teams and patients.

    “The safety of our staff and patients is our foremost priority. We are taking all necessary measures to evacuate our teams as we fear further escalation of violence,” says Mwatia. “This unacceptable act of violence shows a complete disregard for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law, and it has directly affected our ability to provide care at a time when it is most urgently needed.”

    The attack on Ulang hospital is part of a broader pattern of insecurity affecting healthcare in the area. In January 2025, two clearly marked MSF boats carrying six staff were attacked by armed men while returning to Ulang after delivering medical supplies to Nasir County hospital. That incident forced MSF to suspend all outreach activities in the region.

    In Ulang, MSF has been operating a hospital alongside a network of decentralised healthcare services since 2018. In 2024 alone, MSF teams provided over 10,000 outpatient consultations, admitted 3,284 patients, and assisted with 650 maternal deliveries. Over the years, the 60-bed hospital has served as a critical facility for communities affected by violence, disease outbreaks and limited access to healthcare.

    The suspension of services at the hospital represents a major blow to healthcare provision in the area, which is now left without a single functioning health facility. This disruption also results in the suspension of critical support by MSF to several healthcare centres across the region, halting vital efforts to treat cholera patients and control the ongoing outbreak. Furthermore, more than 800 patients living with HIV, tuberculosis, and chronic diseases have lost access to their treatment, putting their lives at significant risk.

    MSF continues to support health services in other parts of Upper Nile, including Renk and Malakal counties. MSF urgently calls on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect health facilities, patients, civilians, and medical staff, in accordance with the international humanitarian law.

    “MSF remains committed to providing impartial, lifesaving care wherever it is needed, but the safety of patients and health workers must be guaranteed,” says Mwatia.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sudan: Two years into the conflict, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis now threatens regional stability

    Source: Oxfam –

    Upcoming rains and aid cuts could further hamper humanitarian efforts and push millions of people to famine  

    As Sudan’s conflict enters its third year, massive displacement and fighting are spilling over into neighbouring countries, worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.  The looming rainy season, combined with aid cuts by the US and other key donors, will severely hamper humanitarian efforts putting millions of lives at risk, a new Oxfam report warned today. 

    Sudan’s brutal conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. More than 12.7 million people —nearly one-third of the population— have been forced to flee their homes, including 3.7 million to neighbouring countries. One in two Sudanese is hungry. Five areas in the country are already experiencing famine, and nearly eight million more people are at risk of starvation. 

    The upcoming rains could turn roads to mud, and trigger the collapse of vital bridges, cutting off entire areas and communities from essential aid and services. This period coincides with the annual lean season, when food insecurity already peaks.  

    The Oxfam report –The Unravelling of the World’s Largest Humanitarian Disaster: From the Sahel to the Red Sea – published jointly with humanitarian organisations responding to the Sudan crisis, highlights the staggering human cost of the Sudan conflict. It warns that the crisis is now spilling over neighbouring South Sudan and Chad, where humanitarian needs are already dire.  

    Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director, said: 

    “We are already witnessing clashes between armed groups from South Sudan and Sudan. This volatile situation is simmering like a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Unless the fighting stops and the humanitarian crisis is addressed, the situation could quickly turn into a full-blown regional catastrophe.”  

    Two of the host countries, South Sudan and Chad, are already among the world’s poorest countries. They grapple with ongoing conflict, food insecurity, and climate shocks, leaving them ill-equipped to manage the crisis.  

    “We are already witnessing clashes between armed groups from South Sudan and Sudan. This volatile situation is simmering like a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Unless the fighting stops and the humanitarian crisis is addressed, the situation could quickly turn into a full-blown regional catastrophe.”  

    Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director

    Oxfam International

    In South Sudan, the arrival of people fleeing Sudan’s conflict has put more pressure on already scarce resources, which is deepening local tensions and threatening the fragile peace South Sudan has struggled to maintain.  

    Nadia, a mother of five-year-old son Ismail who fled and is now sheltering in Renk, South Sudan, after soldiers killed her husband and two children says: “The war took everything. We left with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Here, we are safe from bullets, but there is no food, we are dying of hunger.” 

    The report also found that 17 million children in Sudan are out of school, while 65 percent of refugee children in Chad lack access to education — heightening risks of child labour, marriage, trafficking, and recruitment by armed groups. 

    For the first time in the history of modern humanitarian response, a single country –Sudan – reaches over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Yet, despite the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis, international support is falling severely short. Only 10 percent of this year’s UN appeal for Sudan has been met to date. 

    The recent suspension of approximately $64 million USAID funding for Chad and South Sudan in 2025 has also dealt a severe blow to lifesaving efforts. In 2024, the U.S. was the largest donor to both countries.  

    “Turning a blind eye to this crisis would not only be a profound political and moral failure, but a failure of our core humanity. Without immediate injection of funds, millions of people will simply die of starvation or disease,” added N’Zi-Hassane. 

    The report urges all warring parties to halt fighting and prioritize diplomacy, in order to forge an immediate and lasting ceasefire.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ghana: Hundreds accused of witchcraft urgently need protection and reparation

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The Ghanaian authorities have failed to protect and fulfil the human rights of hundreds of victims of witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks that forced them to flee their communities fearing for their lives, said Amnesty International in a new report.

    “Branded for life: How witchcraft accusations lead to human rights violations of hundreds of women in North Ghana”, documents the situation across four informal camps where accused people, primarily older women, are currently living with insufficient access to health services, food, safe housing, clean water and economic opportunities. At the time of Amnesty International’s visits in November 2023 and April 2024, more than 500 people were residing in the camps.

    “Witchcraft accusations and related abuses infringe on a person’s right to life, to security, and to non-discrimination. This deeply rooted and prevalent practice has led to untold suffering and violence. While the belief in witchcraft is protected under international law, harmful practices that stem from the belief are not and those impacted need protection and reparation,” said Michèle Eken, Senior Researcher at Amnesty International.  

    The accusations, which can lead to threats, physical attacks or even death, usually start within the family or among community members following a tragic event such as an illness or a death. Older women living in poverty, with health conditions or disabilities are at greater risk, as well as women who do not conform to stereotypical gender roles.

    In some cases, accusers even base their claims on having had a bad dream about a person.

    They always have plans of putting allegations against you, especially if you are hardworking and are still strong and doing well as a woman.

    A resident of the Kukuo camp

    “My neighbour said he dreamt […] that I was trying to kill him. He doesn’t want me [in the community], that’s why he accused me,” said Fawza*, resident of Gnani camp. “I refused for the [village] chief to marry any of my daughters. One day, a child got sick in the community and the chief accused me,” said Fatma*, resident of the Kukuo camp.

    Another resident of the Kukuo camp about 60 years old, said: “They always have plans of putting allegations against you, especially if you are hardworking and are still strong and doing well as a woman.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ghana: Branded for Life

    Source: Amnesty International –

    For decades, hundreds of women in the north of Ghana have been accused of witchcraft—a label that has stripped them of their homes, families, and dignity. Branded as outcasts, many are banished to remote camps where they endure extreme poverty, inadequate shelter, and limited access to food, clean water, and healthcare. A new report by Amnesty International, Branded for Life: How Witchcraft Accusations Lead to Human Rights Violations of Hundreds of Women in North Ghana, exposes the systemic failures that leave these women trapped in cycles of abuse and neglect.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: US: Ruling that Mahmoud Khalil can be deported sends ‘painfully chilling’ message

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In response to the court decision allowing deportation proceedings for Mahmoud Khalil to continue, Justin Mazzola, Deputy Director of Research at Amnesty International USA, said: 

    “This decision by the court sends a painfully chilling message to anyone living in the United States – under the Trump administration, free speech is only reserved for the few and not for all.  

    “Let’s be clear, this is a dangerous step towards further repression of freedom of expression and the right to protest for everyone in the U.S. on any issue. 

    “Targeting and threatening peaceful protesters and their immigration or residency status flies in the face of human rights.

    “The continued targeting of immigrant students and communities – from silencing their speech to arbitrarily shackling people and sending them to cruel prisons in El Salvador without any due process – further pushes people deeper in the shadows in fear that they could be next.

    “What the Trump administration has done to Mahmoud Khalil and too many other students across the country is to leverage the mass deportation machine in service of silencing dissent at home and crushing advocacy to stop the ongoing war crimes and genocide by Israel against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. At the same time, the U.S. is continuing to provide weapons to the Israeli government. 

    “Colleges and universities across the country should protect their students and faculty who wish to express their opinions freely without the threat of arrest, detention, and deportation by the Trump administration. 

    “Far too many students are now facing a similar fate. This is nothing but racism.

    “While Mahmoud Khalil has been unlawfully and arbitrarily detained, including in one of the harshest ICE facilities in the country, he remains a lawful permanent resident with the rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and due process—rights that all who live in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, unquestionably have. 

    “Amnesty International will continue to strongly advocate for Mahmoud Khalil and all students and faculty being unjustly targeted by this administration’s racist policies.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Two years of war in Sudan leave millions more in need than ever

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • As Sudan marks two years of war, people continue to experience the catastrophic consequences and can no longer wait for real assistance.
    • As the rainy season approaches, humanitarian organisations must scale up, and the warring parties must allow, desperately-needed humanitarian assistance.
    • As bombing and violence continues, MSF calls on the warring parties to ensure civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams are protected.

    Sudan – As the war in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) enters its third year, people remain unseen, bombed, besieged, displaced, and deprived of food, and basic lifesaving services. Of the country’s 50 million people, 60 per cent need humanitarian assistance, and people are facing simultaneous health crises and limited access to public healthcare. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reiterates our calls on the warring parties and their allies to ensure that civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams are protected. All restrictions on the movements of humanitarian supplies and staff must be removed, especially as the rainy season fast approaches.

    “The warring parties are not only failing to protect civilians — they are actively compounding their suffering,” says Claire San Filippo, MSF Emergency Coordinator. “Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs — overwhelming, urgent, and unmet.” 

    “Millions are receiving almost no humanitarian assistance, medical facilities and staff remain under attack, and the global humanitarian system is failing to deliver even a fraction of what’s required,” says San Filippo. 

    As frontlines have shifted over the course of the war, especially in Khartoum and Darfur, civilians feared retaliatory attacks from both warring parties. For the past two years, both RSF and SAF have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely- populated areas. RSF and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, including systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, looting of aid, erasure of civilian neighbourhoods, and occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid. 

    Widespread starvation is taking hold, according to the UN; Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations. Famine was first declared in Zamzam internally displaced people’s camp in August 2024, and has since spread to a further 10 areas, while 17 additional regions are now on the brink. Without immediate action, hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.  

    In March 2025, MSF supported multi-antigen catch up vaccination campaigns for children under the age of two in South Darfur.  Over 17,000 children who received vaccinations were also screened for malnutrition, with a rate of 30% global acute malnutrition, and 7% suffering from severe acute malnutrition. In December 2024, during a therapeutic food distribution in Tawila locality, North Darfur, MSF teams screened over 9,500 children under five years old. They found a staggering 35.5% global acute malnutrition rate, with 7% of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.  

    A scene in the busy emergency room at Al-Nao hospital, supported by MSF in Omdurman. Khartoum state, Sudan, March 2025.
    Tom Casey/MSF

    Simultaneously, Sudan is facing multiple, overlapping health emergencies. MSF teams have treated over 12,000 patients — including women and children — for trauma injuries directly resulting from violent attacks. During the first week of February 2025, MSF teams in Khartoum, North Darfur, and South Darfur states treated mass influxes of war-wounded patients. Sudan is also experiencing one of the worst maternal and child health crises we are seeing anywhere in the world. In October 2024, in two MSF-supported facilities in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, 26 per cent of the pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking care were acutely malnourished. 

    “Outbreaks of measles, cholera and diphtheria are spreading, driven by poor living conditions and disrupted vaccination campaigns,” says Marta Cazorla, MSF Emergency Coordinator. “Mental health support and care for survivors of sexual violence remain painfully limited.” 

    “These compounding crises reflect not just the brutality of the conflict, but the dire consequences of the crumbling public healthcare system and a failing humanitarian response,” says Cazorla. 

    Since April 2023, more than 1.7 million people have sought medical consultations at hospitals, health facilities and mobile clinics MSF supports or is working in. More than 320,000 people were admitted in our emergency wards. 

    More than 13 million people have been displaced by the conflict,  many of them multiple times. Of these, 8.9 million remain displaced inside Sudan, while 3.9 million have crossed into neighbouring countries. Many live in overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters, without access to food, water, or healthcare. People depend entirely on humanitarian organisations — but only where these organisations are responding. 

    Health facilities destroyed 

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 70 per cent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas are barely operational or have closed, leaving millions of people without access to critical care amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Since the war began, MSF has recorded over 80 violent incidents targeting our staff, infrastructure, vehicles, and supplies. Clinics have been looted and destroyed, medicines stolen, and healthcare workers assaulted, threatened, or killed. 

    In June 2023, Tawila hospital, in North Darfur, was attacked and looted.

    “Buildings were destroyed, even beds were looted, and medicines were burned to the ground,” says Muhammad Yusuf Ishaq Abdullah, MSF health promotion officer in Tawila. “From afar, it looked like a hospital, but when you entered it, it was a shelter for snakes and grass.”  

    These attacks must stop — medical personnel and facilities are not targets. 

    Zahra Abdullah holds her baby inside the kitchen of shelter after receiving her food basket. South Darfur, Sudan, January 2025.
    Abdoalsalam Abdallah

    Upcoming rainy season 

    The rainy season, fast approaching, threatens to make an already catastrophic situation even worse. Supply routes could be severed and entire regions flooded, cutting off people just as the hunger gap peaks, and malnutrition and malaria spike.

    MSF calls for immediate preparedness measures ahead of the rainy season. More border crossings must be opened, and key roads and bridges must be repaired and kept accessible, especially in Darfur, where seasonal flooding isolates communities year after year. 

    Humanitarian restrictions must be lifted, and unhindered access must be guaranteed. MSF urges all groups — including donors, governments, and UN agencies — to enable and prioritise aid delivery, ensuring that assistance not only reaches the country but is transported swiftly and safely to the hardest-hit and most remote communities. Without a serious commitment to overcoming the political, financial, logistical, and security barriers that hinder last-mile delivery, countless lives will remain beyond the reach of help.  

    The people of Sudan have endured this horror for two years too long; they cannot and should not wait any longer. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace activists crash Coalition launch event to say: Don’t Risk Dutton’s Nuclear 

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SYDNEY, Sunday 13 April 2025 – Greenpeace activists have staged a ‘hazard cleanup’ at the Coalition’s election campaign launch at Liverpool Catholic Club in Western Sydney to send a clear message to Australian voters: Don’t risk Dutton’s nuclear. 

    Greenpeace activists dressed in hazmat suits and gas masks staged the clean up with Geiger counters outside the launch event during Peter Dutton’s election launch, and displayed banners reading: “Don’t risk Dutton’s nuclear”. The activists were escorted away from the entrance by security, but continued protesting near the building. Greenpeace is calling on Peter Dutton to dump his nuclear policies, saying the plans are too risky for Australia.

    Speaking from the event, David Ritter, CEO at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

    “We’re here today because Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan is too risky and too dangerous to proceed. We’re sounding the alarm on the dangers of the Coalition’s reckless nuclear plan that could expose Australian communities to an accident involving highly radioactive waste, and will prolong the use of climate-wrecking coal and gas for decades.

    “Greenpeace will always challenge policies that harm people, nature, and the climate. That is why today we have sent a loud and clear message to Australian voters — don’t risk Dutton’s nuclear plan. 

    “The Coalition has no plan for dealing with toxic waste safely, nor for protecting locals and emergency services in communities like Collie, LaTrobe Valley and the Hunter Valley, where it wants to build nuclear reactors. 

    “Nuclear is a dangerous distraction from the urgent need to slash emissions this decade and phase out coal, oil, and gas at emergency speed and scale. It is a smokescreen to prolong coal and gas while we wait decades for nuclear. 

    “We have the solutions — why risk nuclear when we’re already almost halfway towards powering Australia with clean, safe and affordable wind and solar power? A credible energy policy is one that rapidly scales up renewables and storage, not one that locks us into dangerous, unnecessary nuclear and fossil fuels for decades. 

    “Greenpeace is calling on Peter Dutton to dump his unpopular, unviable, and dangerous nuclear plan, and instead support the proven, safe, and affordable renewable energy solutions that will benefit our economy, our communities and our planet.”

    —ENDS—

    Photos and video of the protest will be uploaded here by 2pm

    For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 [email protected] or Kimberley Bernard on 0407 581 404 [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Tanzania: Stop repression of opposition leaders and immediately release Tundu Liss

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to news that treason charges were brought against Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema) on 10 April, following his arrest on 9 April, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:

    “The Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general elections.

    “The authorities’ campaign of repression saw four government critics forcibly disappeared, and one unlawfully killed in 2024. The police have also prevented opposition members from holding meetings and other political gatherings, subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary detention and unlawful use of force.

    “Instead of using these heavy-handed tactics to silence critics, authorities in Tanzania should focus on upholding fundamental human rights in the country, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

    Tundu Lissu

    Tundu Lissu was arrested on 9 April 2025 after holding a political rally in Mbinga town, southwest of Tanzania. He was then transferred to Dar es Salaam, more than 1,000 kilometres away by road during the night. Police used excessive force, including by firing teargas and shooting in the air to disperse his supporters who gathered around during the arrest.

    On 10 April, police charged him with the non-bailable offence of treason, in relation to social media posts he made on 3 April calling for Tanzanians to boycott the forthcoming elections, citing the possibility of rigging.

    The state also charged him with three offences in relation to the “publication of false information” using the country’s cybercrime laws. On 3 April 2025, Tundu Lissu, in a You Tube post also stated that Tanzanian police participated in alleged electoral malpractices that he claimed were ordered by the president following the November 2024 local elections. He further stated that judges in the country are not independent and subject to pressure of the ruling party.

    Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official, disappeared on 26 July 2024 when he left home following a telephone conversation with an unidentified person. Deusdedith Soka and Jacob Godwin Mlay, both Chadema youth activists, and Frank Mbise, a motorcycle taxi driver, were abducted by a group of men suspected to be police officers on 18 August 2024.

    The body of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior Chadema member, was found on 8 September 2024. Suspected security agents had abducted him from a bus on 6 September 2024 while he was travelling home to Tanga from Dar es Salaam. According to a post-mortem his body had been soaked in acid and bore signs of a beating.

    Tundu Lissu will be arraigned in Kisitu Magistrates Court of Dar es Salaam on 24 April 2025.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Tanzania: Stop repression of opposition leaders and immediately release Tundu Lissu

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to news that treason charges were brought against Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema) on 10 April, following his arrest on 9 April, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:

    “The Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general elections.

    “The authorities’ campaign of repression saw four government critics forcibly disappeared, and one unlawfully killed in 2024. The police have also prevented opposition members from holding meetings and other political gatherings, subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary detention and unlawful use of force.

    The Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general elections.

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

    “Instead of using these heavy-handed tactics to silence critics, authorities in Tanzania should focus on upholding fundamental human rights in the country, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

    Background

    Tundu Lissu was arrested on 9 April 2025 after holding a political rally in Mbinga town, southwest of Tanzania. He was then transferred to Dar es Salaam, more than 1,000 kilometres away by road during the night. Police used excessive force, including by firing teargas and shooting in the air to disperse his supporters who gathered around during the arrest.

    On 10 April 2025, police charged him with the non-bailable offence of treason, in relation to social media posts he made on 3 April 2025 calling for Tanzanians to boycott the forthcoming elections, citing the possibility of rigging.

    The state also charged him with three offences in relation to the “publication of false information” using the country’s cybercrime laws. On 3 April 2025, Tundu Lissu, in a You Tube post also stated that Tanzanian police participated in alleged electoral malpractices that he claimed were ordered by the president following the November 2024 local elections. He further stated that judges in the country are not independent and subject to pressure of the ruling party.

    Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official, disappeared on 26 July 2024 when he left home following a telephone conversation with an unidentified person. Deusdedith Soka and Jacob Godwin Mlay, both Chadema youth activists, and Frank Mbise, a motorcycle taxi driver, were abducted by a group of men suspected to be police officers on 18 August 2024.

    The body of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior Chadema member, was found on 8 September 2024. Suspected security agents had abducted him from a bus on 6 September 2024 while he was travelling home to Tanga from Dar es Salaam. According to a post-mortem his body had been soaked in acid and bore signs of a beating.

    Tundu Lissu will be arraigned in Kisitu Magistrates Court of Dar es Salaam on 24 April 2025.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Keystone oil spill shows need to protect rights to protest and free speech

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA (April 11, 2025)–In response to a reported 3,500 barrels of oil spilling from the Keystone pipeline this week in North Dakota, Sushma Raman, Interim Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, said: “We know fossil fuels are unhealthy at every stage of their life-cycle. There is no failsafe way to transport oil and gas, and the risks unfairly fall on the people who live near the route, while the company reaps the benefits. The Keystone spill – the latest in a long history of spills – shows exactly why we need to protect protest, free speech, and the right to speak up against harm. Everyday people, public watchdogs, and advocacy groups have a right to raise their voices and criticize a corporation when their health and livelihoods are on the line.

    “Yet this type of ordinary advocacy is exactly what is under attack in the more than $660M jury verdict against Greenpeace entities in a lawsuit brought by pipeline company Energy Transfer. Oil companies know that protest works – which is why they’re trying to make the stakes so high no one will be willing to take the risk,” Raman said. 

    Contact: Lindsay Bigda, Communications Director, Democracy Resilience Program, Greenpeace USA, [email protected] 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF condemns the shooting that left one person dead in the Kyeshero hospital, Goma, DRC

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    GOMA – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns the shooting that left one person dead in the Kyeshero hospital

    Faced with a resurgence of violent incidents affecting healthcare services in the ongoing conflict in the provinces of North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) once again condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of weapons in and around healthcare facilities. The latest example led to the death of a person in a hospital in Goma where MSF teams work.

    On the night of Friday 4 to Saturday 5 April 2025, around 20 armed men belonging to the M23/AFC entered the grounds of the Kyeshero hospital in Goma in search of people who had taken refuge inside the hospital and stayed for several weeks. During this operation, the MSF teams supporting the Intensive Nutritional Treatment Unit (UNTI) of this private structure linked to the Ministry of Health witnessed these armed men shooting outside the hospital wards. One person was killed and three others were wounded. Two members of hospital staff were severely beaten. Although the gunmen did not enter the wards, bullets landed inside some of them.

    “The use of force and weapons inside the Kyeshero hospital has transformed a medical facility, which was supposed to remain a safe place at all times, into a dangerous zone where one person was killed. The shooting spread fear and disrupted medical services. A bullet passed through a window and landed in a patient’s mattress. Such events are unacceptable and must never be repeated, either in Goma or elsewhere,” explains Margot Grelet, MSF emergency coordinator in Goma and North Kivu.

    This violent incident is not an isolated event but reflects an alarming increase in violence perpetrated by all parties to the ongoing conflict, affecting health facilities and workers and endangering the lives of patients and medical staff in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of 2025.

    Since the beginning of the year, MSF teams have had to deal with around 15 violent incidents directly affecting the structures and hospitals they support in the two provinces. One of the latest tragic examples took place on 20 February, in Masisi Centre in North Kivu, when in clashes between VDP/Wazalendos and M23/AFC fighters shot and wounded two people in the MSF base, including MSF employee Jerry Muhindo Kavali, who died of his injuries two days later. In Walikale, 150 kilometres from Masisi, a crossfire hit our base on 19 March, impacting our structures and some of our vehicles during clashes between FARDC and M23/AFC, and their respective allies.

    In South Kivu, the General Referral Hospital in Uvira came under fire in mid-February during clashes in the town, seriously endangering patients and staff. Medical activities had to be interrupted, and patients had to take cover to avoid being hit. Armed men had also entered the hospital premises, moving around and shooting inside.

    MSF reiterates its commitment to providing medical care alongside local health services in the conflict-affected provinces of eastern DRC. However, the increased frequency and severity of these incidents is straining our capacity to respond and may lead to the suspension of some services. “Without minimum security guarantees, health workers and humanitarian organisations cannot work. They must not risk their lives to continue providing vital care to the population. We call on all parties concerned to preserve the civilian character of health facilities,” adds Margot Grelet.

    In Goma, as in several localities in North and South Kivu, MSF supports several health structures, particularly in the provision of primary and secondary healthcare, maternal, paediatric, cholera and malnutrition care and care for victims of sexual violence. MSF has been working in the Kyeshero hospital in Goma for several years, particularly in the management of cases of malnutrition. MSF teams have also supported the Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals in Goma, as well as the Minova General Referral Hospital and the Numbi hospital centre in South Kivu, in treating people wounded in armed clashes at the start of the year.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Azerbaijan: Authorities must immediately release Tofig Yagublu and urgently provide medical care as his health deteriorates

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the deteriorating health condition of Tofig Yagublu, a prominent opposition activist from Azerbaijan, who is serving a nine-year prison term, and who has been on a hunger strike since 1 April, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

    “Tofig Yagublu has endured years of politically motivated persecution and ill-treatment by Azerbaijani authorities. This time, not just his freedom, but his health and life are at stake. His condition has been significantly deteriorating, and every day counts.”

    “The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tofig Yagublu, who has been imprisoned solely for his outspoken criticism of government, and should urgently provide him access to all necessary health services.”

    Background

    On 10 March 2025, the Baku Serious Crimes Court sentenced Tofig Yagublu, a leading member of the opposition Musavat Party and the National Council of Democratic Forces, to nine years in prison on charges of “fraud resulting in substantial harm” and “document forgery.” Amnesty International has recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.

    Tofig Yagublu has long been a target of Azerbaijani authorities. He has been arbitrarily detained multiple times and has been sentenced to prison on three separate occasions on various politically motivated charges. Tofig Yagublu has been on hunger strike since 1 April to protest against his most recent nine-year sentence. He said, “I am released at 75 years old, is this a life? If it is [not a life], I will choose to die before”.

    According to Tofig Yagublu’s family, his health, already weak after years of persecution, detention and ill-treatment, has been rapidly deteriorating. His lawyer, who visited him recently, described him as being very weak, pale, rapidly losing weight and having difficulty walking. Tofig Yagoublu’s health has reportedly been damaged as a result of the ill-treatment he was subjected to during his previous detention. He is suffering from chronic asthma, which has been worsening due to poor prison conditions and lack of adequate medical care. His lawyer’s request for an independent medical examination has so far not been granted.

    MIL OSI NGO –