NewzIntel.com

Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ukrainian agency toward peace must be honored and preserved: Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    In response to the US-Russia meeting yesterday (Feb 18) on the future of the war in Ukraine, Nicola Bay, Director of the Oxfam in Ukraine Response Team said: 

    “Any path toward a genuinely sustainable and just peace must obviously include Ukrainians, with the voice and agency of Ukrainian women and civil society made prominent. Russia’s invasion breached international law and its act of aggression must not be rewarded. Legitimizing an act of aggression risks setting a dangerous precedent that would threaten the very fabric of the international laws that are designed to prevent wars before they start. Whether or not Ukraine and Russia agree to negotiate a peace plan, civilians must be protected from harm, in line with the countries’ obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.” 

    “The Ukrainian people have been the backbone of all the efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis sparked by Russia’s illegal war. Despite being underfunded and often marginalized, local Ukrainian organizations have shown remarkable strength, determination, and the have been successful in helping to save people’s lives and provide them with aid and support. 

    Rhea Catada, Communications Manager Oxfam Ukraine Response: rhcatada@oxfam.org.uk 

    For real-time updates, follow us on X and Bluesky, and join our WhatsApp channel tailored specifically for journalists and media professionals. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: EU/Israel: Ministers should not ‘roll out the red carpet’ for Israeli foreign minister

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar to visit Brussels on Monday

    EU leaders will welcome Sa’ar whose prime minister and former defense minister are subject to arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity

    Israel’s military is actively engaged in committing crimes under international law, including genocide

    Commenting on EU foreign ministers hosting Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, in Brussels for the EU-Israel Association Council on Monday 24 February, Eve Geddie, Amnesty International’s Director at European Institutions Office, said:

    “It is unconscionable that the EU is rolling out the red carpet for Foreign Minister Sa’ar whose boss, Prime Minister Netanyahu, is wanted by the ICC.

    “Discussions on the EU’s future relationship with Israel should above all be premised on an insistence that Netanyahu and former defence minister Gallant face justice at the ICC for the crimes they are alleged to have committed, as well as on Israel’s adherence to international law and an end to apartheid.

    “EU leaders must put their commitments to international law, human rights and the ICC above carefully choreographed diplomatic conferences with Israel.

    “The EU’s shameful silence on threats to the ICC and lack of urgent practical mitigating measures gives the firm impression that the EU has prioritised relations with a government implicated in the commission of genocide and war crimes, over support to an institution which is pursuing individual accountability for these crimes.

    “EU leaders should be deciding what measures to take to prevent the EU from aiding Israeli genocide, apartheid and unlawful occupation instead of brushing these under the carpet for a diplomatic handshake in Brussels.”

    Israeli settlements

    Despite the International Court of Justice clearly laying out the responsibility of third states to prevent trade and investment that contributes to maintaining the unlawful occupation, the EU continues to trade and invest in Israeli settlements.

    Amnesty calls on the EU with over 160 civil society organisations and in our letter on 10 February urging leaders to use the meeting to present Israel with clear requests to address its grave violations of international law and ensure justice and reparation for crimes under international law, while laying out the consequences for the relationship between the EU and Israel if no action is taken. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Police forces ‘supercharging racism’ with crime predicting tech – new report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty’s new report ‘Automated Racism’ reveals dangerous discrimination in police prediction tools

    Almost three-quarters of police forces attempt to predict crime by racially profiling communities across the UK

    ‘These systems have been built with discriminatory data and serve only to supercharge racism’ – Sacha Deshmukh

    A new 120 – page report from Amnesty International UK ‘Automated Racism – How police data and algorithms code discrimination into policing’ has exposed the grave dangers to society from ‘predictive policing’ systems and technology used across almost three quarters of the UK’s police forces.

    This is the first report to demonstrate how these systems are in flagrant breach of the UK’s national and international human rights obligations

    Amnesty found that at least 33 police forces – including the Met Police, West Midlands, Avon and Somerset, Manchester and Essex police – across the UK have used predictive profiling or risk prediction systems. Of these forces, 32 have used geographic crime prediction, profiling, or risk prediction tools, and 11 forces have used individual prediction, profiling, or risk prediction tools. 

    Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive at Amnesty International UK, said:

    “No matter our postcode or the colour of our skin, we all want our families and communities to live safely and thrive. 

    “The use of predictive policing tools violates human rights. The evidence that this technology keeps us safe just isn’t there, the evidence that it violates our fundamental rights is clear as day. We are all much more than computer-generated risk scores.

    “These technologies have consequences. The future they are creating is one where technology decides that our neighbours are criminals, purely based on the colour of their skin or their socio-economic background.

    “These tools to “predict crime” harm us all by treating entire communities as potential criminals, making society more racist and unfair.

    “The UK Government must prohibit the use of these technologies across England and Wales as should the devolved governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Right now, they can demand transparency on how these systems are being used.  People and communities subjected to these systems must have the right to know about them and have meaningful routes to challenge policing decisions made using them.

    “These systems have been built with discriminatory data and only serve to supercharge racism.”

     There are two main types of racist predictive policing systems that raise several human rights concerns: 

    Location: make predictions about the likelihood of crimes being committed in geographic locations in the future. The systems in all locations specifically targeted racialised communities. The chair of the National Police Chiefs Council has publicly admitted that policing is ‘institutionally racist’. In the year ending March 2023 there were 24.5 stops and searches for every 1,000 Black people, 9.9 stops and searches for every 1,000 people with mixed ethnicity, 8.5 for every 1,000 Asian people – and 5.9 for every 1,000 white people. Racialised people are over-represented in stop and search compared to both their representation in the population and even their involvement in police records of crime.

    The vast majority of stops and searches in the UK – 69 per cent – lead to no further action

    Profiling: individuals placed in a secret database and profiled as someone at risk of committing certain crimes, in the future. 

    Areas such as London, West Midlands, and Manchester with high populations of Black and racialised people are repeatedly targeted by police and therefore crop up in those same police records. Black people and racialised people are also repeatedly targeted and therefore over-represented in police intelligence, stop-and-search or other police records.  

    Forces using racist and failing systems

    The Metropolitan Police Service’s Violence Harm Assessment profiles people based on intelligence reports and about people who are ‘suspects’ and an individual can be profiled without ever having offended or committed a crime.  

    An initial period of Risk Terrain Monitoring-influenced policing targeted the north of the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark from September 2020 onwards. Between December 2020 and October 2021 Lambeth had the second highest volume of stop and search of all London boroughs. In the same period, people of ‘black ethnic appearance’ (as defined by the Metropolitan Police Service) had the highest rate of stop and search encounters per 1,000 population of any ethnic group: they were stopped and searched more than four times, than people of white ethnic appearance. 80 per cent of these stops and searches resulted in no further action. In the same period, Lambeth had the second highest volume of police uses of force in all London boroughs, and police used force most against people recorded as ‘black or black British’. 

    In Southwark in the year ending March 2021, Black people were stopped and searched 3.3 times more than white people. Police used force against people in Southwark at least 8,924 times between September 2020 and September 2021, and 45 per cent of those times it was against ‘black or black British’ people.  (p67)

    West Midlands Police has deployed predictive crime mapping tools to predict knife crime and serious violence since 2021 and 2022, respectively. These tools have been funded by the Home Office Grip ‘hotspot’ policing programme and are part of West Midlands Police’s ’Project Guardian’ team, which focuses on youth violence and knife crime. 8 times out of 10  the system got it wrong.

    Influenced by the knife crime and prediction tool, West Midlands Police continues to conduct racial profiling and discriminatory policing. In the force area in 2024 white people were stopped and searched 2.3 times out of every 1,000, while Black or Black British people were stopped and searched 10.3 times out of every 1,000, almost five times as much.  (p44)

    Essex Police’s Knife Crime and Violence Model’s use of data on criminal associates criminalises people by association, without any evidence of criminality. The use of data on people’s mental health and drug use is another way in which health issues are taken to be markers of criminality. In other words, people are being criminalised for health issues. In the Essex Police force area in 2024 Black people were on average almost three times more likely to be stopped than white people, and in some areas of Essex as much as six and seven times more likely.

    There is no conclusive evidence from the Essex Police pilot or subsequent studies of the implementation that the use of so-called hotspot mapping had any impact on crime. There is, however, evidence that the use of the system reinforced and contributed to racial profiling and racist policing. (p38)

    Greater Manchester Police’s gang profiling is based on suspicion or even ‘perception’ without objective evidence of offending, or even any evidence of offending.

    The disproportionate representation of Black and racialised people on the ‘gang profiling’ XCalibre database is discriminatory and evidences the racial profiling that XCalibre conducts. This police tactic is also clear infringement of these young people’s right to freedom of association. It continues the targeting of black cultural and music events, as with the Metropolitan Police’s Form, which required events spaces to provide details to the police about the type of music played and the ethnic background of attendees.

    The Greater Manchester Police tactic of banning people from events in Manchester because they were perceived to be linked with gangs is one element of their so-called gang profiling. The XCalibre Task Force sought to exclude people from a cultural event based on its data-based profiling of their alleged involvement in gangs. (p91)

    Human rights violations exposed

    Racial profiling: The use of these systems by police results in, directly and indirectly, racial profiling, and the disproportionate targeting of Black and racialised people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This in turn leads to their increased criminalisation, punishment, and exposure to violent policing. 

    There’s no right to a fair trial: Predictive systems target people and groups before they have actually offended, which risks infringing on the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.

    Mass surveillance:  This is indiscriminate and can never be proportionate interference with the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of association and of peaceful assembly.

    Zara Manoehoetoe, Kids of Colour and Northern Police Monitoring Project3, said:

    “The way in which these systems work is that you’re guilty until you can prove yourself innocent. Criminalisation is a justification for their existence. There is the presumption that people need to be surveilled and that they need to be policed.” 

    Chilling effect 

    People who live and reside in areas targeted by predictive policing will seek to avoid those areas as a result, leading to a chilling effect. Participants in the Essex discussion group said that if police were targeting certain areas, they would avoid those areas.

    Recommendations

    • A prohibition on predictive policing systems
    • Transparency obligations on data-based and data-driven systems being used by authorities, including a publicly accessible register with details of systems used. 
    • Accountability obligations including a right and a clear forum to challenge a predictive, profiling, or similar decision or consequences leading from such a decision. 

    Secrecy, scare tactics and surveillance – the view from those affected

    Anon contributor to the report said:

    “It’s not fair to over-police areas that have these challenges because of intentional underfunding, and to now [be] adding police to a situation that you’ve created as a part of the state system, is just adding to the problems of the community that you claim you want to protect.”

    John Pegram, Bristol Copwatch, said:

    “It doesn’t matter if you offended 13 or 14 years ago for something, you’re known to us for this, and therefore we’re going to assign a score to you. It’s risk scoring, it’s profiling, often racist profiling.”

    Hope Chilokoa-Mullen from the 4Front Project, said:

    “We’ve had members who have been stopped and told: ‘You’ve been stopped because you’re on a database.’ They don’t know what database it is. I suppose that’s the point of it, you’re not really meant to know how it’s used.”

    Anon contributor said:

    “It targets and profiles entire areas. It targets you based on the community you live in. It’s a clear example of how racism structures policing.”

    See full report here

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: EU/Israel: Stop supporting Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid in Palestine and start upholding international law 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    On Monday 24 February, EU foreign ministers will host Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, in Brussels for the EU-Israel Association Council. It is the first time in the EU’s history that its leaders will welcome the foreign representative of a state whose prime minister and former defense minister are subject to arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity and whose military is actively engaged in committing crimes under international law, including genocide.

    “It is unconscionable that the EU is rolling out the red carpet for foreign minister Sa’ar whose boss, Prime Minister Netanyahu, is wanted by the ICC. Discussions on the EU’s future relationship with Israel should above all be premised on an insistence that Netanyahu and Gallant face justice at the ICC for the crimes they are alleged to have committed, as well as on Israel’s adherence to international law and an end to apartheid. EU leaders must put their commitments to international law, human rights and the ICC above carefully choreographed diplomatic conferences with Israel,” said Eve Geddie, Director at Amnesty International European Institutions Office.

    “The EU’s shameful silence on threats to the ICC and lack of urgent practical mitigating measures which it should have already taken following President Trump’s egregious sanctions on the ICC, gives the firm impression that the EU has prioritized relations with a government implicated in the commission of genocide and war crimes, over support to an institution which is pursuing individual accountability for these crimes.

    “EU Leaders should be deciding what measures to take to prevent the EU from aiding Israeli genocide, apartheid and unlawful occupation instead of brushing these under the carpet for a diplomatic handshake in Brussels.”

    Background

    Despite the International Court of Justice clearly laying out the responsibility of third states to prevent trade and investment that contributes to maintaining the unlawful occupation, the EU continues to trade and invest in Israeli settlements.

    For more information, see Amnesty International’s calls on the EU with over 160 civil society organizations and our letter on 10 February urging leaders to use the meeting to present Israel with clear requests to address Israel’s grave violations of international law and ensure justice and reparation for crimes under international law, while laying out the consequences for the relationship between the EU and Israel if no action is taken. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘They said that I should die if I can’t stop being trans’ 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Manun Wongmasoh, known as “Noon”, is a 26-year-old Muslim Thai transgender woman and an LGBTI activist. Raised in a religious family in Nakhon Nayok province, central Thailand, Noon was inspired to become a human rights activist to address certain interpretations of Islamic principles that she believed had been misused to discriminate against LGBTI individuals in Thailand.  

    Her advocacy and lived experiences, including the significant challenges she faced as a transgender woman in Thailand’s conservative Muslim community, were recently featured in an Amnesty International report highlighting the effects of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TfGBV) against women and LGBTI activists in Thailand. She has been sharing her story of resilience while actively raising awareness about online harassment. 

    My father was a religious teacher and I was raised in a Muslim family. I used to practise reading the Qur’an and Islam is actually very kind to people in general. I still think it’s good that I have learned Islam and remain a practising Muslim, but I disagree with how it is commonly interpreted. 

    Many people in my religion perceive being transgender as a sin. This is why I decided to stand up for myself, for my identity. I’m transgender, and I’m also a human. God is the only one who is entitled to judge me in the afterlife. This is what I’m fighting for. 

    I started this struggle because of my family. They have hurt me the most. I can take what other people say to me but when my family talks about me behind my back, that is the most painful thing. I was kicked out of the family home when I was in high school. I found a way to support myself, but it still hurts. Because of my gender, they decided not to support me.  

    My family tried conversion therapy for me. At the time, I was still in school. They sent me to a religious school. It was the saddest time of my life. I was bullied. I received a lot of verbal abuse. It was a very tough time for me. Being trans is not like having a flu that can be treated. Religion is not the problem but the people who use it to oppress other people.  

    Since my dad passed away, my mum has started to accept who I am — but not my siblings. My siblings do not accept me. 

    I went to my grandmother’s funeral. I had just finished my breast surgery. My elder brother beat me up and kicked me. My mum couldn’t protect me. It became very difficult for her as well. And I feel deeply scared. I can only see her when no one else is at home. It’s the only time I can spend time with my mum, when other people are not around. 

    I want to create a safe zone for LGBTI people, including in the Muslim society. I’ve been affected a lot because I don’t have a comfort zone or safe space. I used to live in Thailand’s Deep South during my undergraduate studies. It’s a Malay Muslim-majority area and I have seen a lot of gender inequalities in how LGBTI people in this region faced mistreatment and discrimination. 

    When I started speaking out about safe spaces for LGBTI people in Muslim society, someone printed my photo and distributed it to certain police forces. They said they would hurt me and even kill me if they see me in person. “You’ll get to see your death before the time comes”, they told me. I filed a complaint with the police, but they couldn’t do much, they just logged a record. I have been sexually harassed as well because of how I dress. Friends from middle school attacked me through my Facebook account. The comments are so harsh. My friend from the Deep South told me they had seen my photo being posted in Muslim Facebook groups. 

    Most of them are men and super religious. Only a few women attacked me online, but it was mild, I could handle it. But the men — it was unbelievable. It was abusive.  

    Manun Wongmasoh is one of the activists featured in this video highlighting women and LGBTI activists in Thailand who have face technology-facilitated gender-based violence

    There should also be a law to protect people from online harassment. I think it will be useful to protect marginalized people, ethnic groups and LGBTI people who are more vulnerable to online abuse. That’s why I want to see this law.  

    Government agencies have not helped. We have the Gender Equality Act. When I received death threats online, I would have wanted to file a complaint, but the law has a clause that allows for using religion to justify gender-based violence. We have been left with no option to seek any remedies or justice.  

    We must talk about intersectionality and also safe spaces for LGBTI people. Online spaces are very important because it’s the easiest way to reach a lot of people and give them information. The challenge is that you cannot talk about anything online because we could face endless harassment and even death threats like I did.  

    On top of such online abuse, we have the Computer Crimes Act and national security laws that have been used to silence activists and the public for expression and online protest. Criminal defamation, too, so you can’t talk about the people who violate your rights. For example, there is a case about another LGBTI activist, who assisted a survivor of sexual assault committed by a politician. The politician filed a defamation charge against her. 

    These problems are the reasons why I work with human rights organizations. I strongly believe that everyone’s rights must be respected, and I really hope one day that all LGBTI people, including those of us in the Muslim community, can have a safe space — both offline and online.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The Right To Seek Asylum Does Not Exist at U.S.-Mexico Border

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International has found that the right to seek asylum in the United States is non-existent at the U.S.-Mexico border, in violation of U.S. human rights national and international obligations. The organization outlined its findings in a new briefing released today, which documents the treatment of people seeking safety in the United States interviewed between February 3-9 at the border.

    These alarming findings stem from the Trump administration’s executive actions and the increased militarization of the border by the Mexican government.

    The briefing, Lives in Limbo: Devastating Impacts of Trump’s Migration and Asylum Policies, outlines the complete gutting of the right to seek asylum by the U.S. government at the U.S.-Mexico border, with virtually no way for people seeking safety to go through the legal process. According to U.S. immigration law, asylum seekers must apply at a port of entry.

    The organization concluded in its research findings that while the mandatory use of the CBP One App to seek asylum was unlawful, the end of its usage has ultimately left tens of thousands of people stranded in Mexico with nowhere to go – even unaccompanied minors are stuck without a way to seek safety.

    Without CPB One appointments, people are trapped in risky and precarious situations on the southern side of the border, which is especially dangerous for Mexican asylum seekers. Amnesty conducted interviews with dozens of people experiencing the impact of this change in border policies and those testimonies are provided in the briefing.

    Along with targeted ICE enforcement across the U.S., the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ended rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution like birthright citizenship, along with other anticipated actions rooted in racism and white supremacy.

    “The Trump administration has made the U.S.-Mexico border a zone that is overtly hostile to human rights and displays utter disregard for the humanity and dignity of people on the move,” said Amy Fischer, Director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at Amnesty International USA. “The right to seek asylum simply does not exist at the border, and vulnerable people are stranded with border organizations—who themselves could now be subject to retaliation and criminalization from the U.S. government— struggling to prevent an even bigger humanitarian disaster.”

    The Trump administration has made the U.S.-Mexico border a zone that is overtly hostile to human rights and displays utter disregard for the humanity and dignity of people on the move

    -Amy Fischer, Director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at Amnesty International

    This timely research comes within the broader context of the Trump administration’s stripping of funding for crucial humanitarian organizations working at the border that received money from USAID and other government programs whose funding is now frozen.

    Humanitarian and immigration organizations that operate on the border to provide shelter, legal orientation, and humanitarian care to people seeking safety are also now facing a crisis as they are left with no financial means to continue to operate and carry on their life-saving work.

    “Shelters at the border struggle to tell children that they have no options left,” added Mary Kapron, Amnesty International’s Researcher. “Many of the kids barely understand what is happening to them in the first place. And those who do are left with an impossible decision: either go back to where they fled and understand that they may not survive or put their lives in the hands of traffickers.”

    Shelters at the border struggle to tell children that they have no options left. Many of the kids barely understand what is happening to them in the first place. And those who do are left with an impossible decision: either go back to where they fled and understand that they may not survive or put their lives in the hands of traffickers

    -Mary Kapron, Amnesty International’s Researcher

    In Mexico, the government deepened the militarization at the border by sending 10,000 new members of the Mexican military, fueling a climate of fear among people seeking safety and leading to mass detention and deportation.

    “The fact that it is now impossible to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border places Mexicans seeking safety at particular risk,” said Mónica Oehler Toca, Amnesty International’s Researcher. “Unlike individuals of other nationalities, they are fleeing persecution in Mexico and now have no way of seeking international protection in the United States.”

    Amnesty International continues to call on the United States to urgently adopt solutions that abide by human rights obligations and to stop playing politics and stoking fear with people’s lives to facilitate the adoption of increasingly draconian border and immigration policies that violate the human rights of people seeking safety, fuel violence against Black, brown, and Indigenous communities, and exacerbate the dysfunction of an already-beleaguered immigration system. 

    The fact that it is now impossible to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border places Mexicans seeking safety at particular risk. Unlike individuals of other nationalities, they are fleeing persecution in Mexico and now have no way of seeking international protection in the United States

    -Mónica Oehler Toca, Amnesty International’s Researcher

    The organization also calls on the Mexican government to cease collaboration with the U.S. on harmful immigration policies and immediately implement measures to ensure the safety and security of asylum seekers transiting through Mexico.

    Finally, Amnesty International will continue to document human rights abuses, advocate for the human rights of all immigrants and people seeking safety in the United States and hold U.S. and Mexican government officials accountable.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Job Opening: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    This is a permanent role based in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, or Manila.

    Greenpeace activists and volunteers gather at a wind farm at Baru beach during Buru Baru festival to hold letters forming a banner reading: ‘#ActionForClimate.’ Part of a Global Day of Action in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace

    About the Role

    The Executive Director will provide visionary leadership, ensuring alignment with Greenpeace’s core values. This includes overseeing operations in four countries, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, driving international collaboration, and maintaining accountability across governance, human resources, and financial management. The role requires a proactive approach to campaign contributions within Greenpeace’s global objectives.

    The job holder will have the following key responsibilities:

    Strategic Leadership

    • Develop and communicate a clear vision and strategic objectives aligned with Greenpeace’s mission.
    • Empower staff and volunteers to foster a shared sense of purpose and organisational culture.
    • Monitor external developments and implement responsive strategies as needed.

    Operation, Finance, and Fundraising

    • Oversee all organisational functions, ensuring strategies and policies align with core values.
    • Maintain financial discipline and ensure adherence to auditing practices.
    • Collaborate with the Fundraising Director to explore alternative funding streams and improve grassroots contributions from individual donors across the region.
    • Recruit, train, and develop staff with a focus on accountability and high performance.

    Change Management

    • Drive organisational transformation through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and transparent decision-making.
    • Align global objectives with mission-focused strategies to enhance morale, inclusivity, and overall effectiveness.
    • Determine and implement effective management structures and systems to achieve organisational objectives.
    • Foster cross-country collaboration to enhance efficiency and inclusivity.

    Communications and Network

    • Enhance internal communication and information flow across departments, countries and hierarchy levels.
    • Build and maintain productive relationships with NGOs, media, government, and relevant stakeholders.

    Governance and Relationship to The Board

    • Create and adapt annual, mid-term and long-term strategies in partnership with the Board and Greenpeace International.
    • Ensure compliance with legal, statutory, and regulatory responsibilities.
    • Identify and mitigate organisational risks while maintaining operational effectiveness.
    • Provide regular reports to the Board, ensuring informed decision-making.

    Campaign Advocacy and Representation

    • Create and adapt annual, mid-term and long-term strategies in partnership with the Board and Greenpeace International.
    • Ensure compliance with legal, statutory, and regulatory responsibilities.
    • Identify and mitigate organisational risks while maintaining operational effectiveness.
    • Provide regular reports to the Board, ensuring informed decision-making.

    Personnel, Health, and Safety

    • Lead and implement impactful campaigns on rainforest conservation, climate justice, ocean, plastic and coal reduction.
    • Drive grassroots mobilisation, engage key stakeholders, and amplify GPSEA’s successes through strategic advocacy efforts.
    • Represent GPSEA at international meetings and in public forums.
    • Act as a spokesperson for the organisation.

    Personnel, Health, and Safety

    • Ensure adherence to best practices in all operational areas, balancing ambition with available resources.

    Skills and Experience

    • Environment movement background.
    • Proven leadership in a complex organisation, with a focus on effective management and accountability.
    • Deep understanding of global environmental issues and sustainability principles.
    • Strong systems thinking, strategic planning, and horizon-scanning skills.
    • Ability to inspire and unite diverse stakeholders around a compelling vision.
    • Commitment to Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA) and grassroots campaigning.
    • Financial literacy and a positive attitude toward digital innovation.
    • Fluency in English; additional language skills are an asset.

    Personal Attributes

    • Responsive and adaptive. 
    • Highly emotionally intelligent with strong interpersonal skills.
    • Courageous, empathetic, and humble leadership style.
    • Committed to social and environmental justice.
    • Activist spirit with a passion for Greenpeace’s mission.
    • Understanding of Southeast Asia’s cultural and operational dynamics.

    Greenpeace’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

    Greenpeace values diversity as essential to its mission and success. The organisation fosters an inclusive environment that respects varied cultural experiences and perspectives, promoting solutions rooted in social and environmental justice.

    Deadline for applications: March 20, 2025

    Jobs

    Do you have a passion for this planet and want to do more? Work with us!

    TAKE ACTION

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘No going back’: Greenpeace applauds Albanese gov’s investment in green industry and jobs

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SYDNEY, Thursday 20 February 2025 – Greenpeace Australia Pacific has welcomed the Albanese government’s announcement of a new Green Iron Fund in Whyalla today, a move it says will support workers as well as national efforts to tackle climate pollution.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $1 billion Green Iron Fund in Whyalla, SA today to, “boost green iron manufacturing and supply chains by supporting early mover green iron projects and unlocking private investment at scale.”

    Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “Greenpeace applauds the Albanese government’s significant investment into a green iron industry in Australia. 

    “Green iron presents enormous economic opportunities for Australia, and in particular states like Western Australia with its skilled industrial workforce, export infrastructure, and abundant clean wind and solar energy. 

    “As our export partners move to rapidly decarbonise their supply chains, now is the time for the government to invest in the future of local workers and businesses by supporting green industry and technology. Today’s announcement sends a strong signal globally that Australia is serious about future-proofing our industries and economy, and serious in its commitments to reduce climate pollution.

    “The clean energy transition is well underway and there’s no going back — by investing in green jobs and industry now, and ramping up the rollout of renewable energy backed by storage, we can build a world-leading green economy, protect our precious nature, and support global efforts to address the climate crisis.

    “This is just the beginning — we urge state governments, particularly the WA Government, to follow suit and lay the foundations for the green economy of the future, to ensure our workers and industries don’t get left behind, and to support a safe, liveable planet for all.”

    —ENDS—

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Egypt: Release social media users detained for supporting calls to end President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s rule  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Egyptian authorities must immediately release dozens of people arbitrarily detained and prosecuted on terrorism-related charges, solely for posting online content supporting calls for an end to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s rule, Amnesty International said today. The crackdown took place ahead of the anniversary of the 25 January 2011 revolution, a time when authorities routinely escalate repression to prevent any peaceful protests.

    Since late December 2024, security forces have arbitrarily arrested at least 59 people, including at least four women, for sharing content from the Facebook page “Revolution of the Joints” or interacting on a Telegram channel with the same name. Both platforms are critical of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government and demand political change. Security forces only brought the detainees before prosecutors from 8 to 12 February, following weeks of enforced disappearance or incommunicado detention, during which some were subjected to beatings.

    “Rather than obsessively arresting dozens of people across the country every year at this time, the Egyptian authorities must address the root causes of popular discontent, including economic hardship. It is incredible how the government has the audacity to lock people up for complaining about its failure to guarantee people’s economic, social and cultural rights amid a deteriorating standard of living,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt Researcher at Amnesty International.

    “Rather than obsessively arresting dozens of people across the country every year at this time, the Egyptian authorities must address the root causes of popular discontent, including economic hardship” – Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt Researcher

    “People must be allowed to freely express their views on the government without the risk of arrest and arbitrary detention.”

    Amnesty International documented the cases of seven male detainees who were arbitrarily arrested between 23 December 2024 and 16 January 2025 in connection with content they posted on social media. Security forces arrested five of them at their homes and two on the streets in the governorates of Mansoura, Suez, Cairo, Qualyubiya, Damanhur and Alexandria, according to their lawyers.

    The lawyers told Amnesty International that after their arrest, the authorities escorted the men to National Security Agency (NSA) facilities in their respective governorates. NSA agents held the men in incommunicado detention for periods ranging from four to six weeks before presenting them before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) between 8 and 12 February. Two of the detainees were subjected to enforced disappearance for 28 and 41 days, as their relatives inquired about their whereabouts at local police stations, but the authorities denied their presence and refused to reveal any information about their fate.

    Prosecutors questioned the detainees about their social lives, political affiliations, and the reasons for publishing content calling for the change of the government. The men explained that the main drive for posting such content was the ongoing economic crisis and their struggle to meet basic needs amid rising prices.

    The SSSP prosecutors investigated the men on terrorism-related charges including “joining a terrorist group,” “spreading false news,” “inciting committing a terrorist crime,” and “committing a crime of funding terrorism.” Prosecutors ordered the pretrial detention of the seven for 15 days pending investigations.

    During their interrogations by the SSSP, the men told prosecutors that NSA agents questioned them while blindfolded and/or handcuffed and without a lawyer present. Four of the men reported being subjected to verbal insults and beatings at least once, while two described being subjected to electric shocks. However, prosecutors have not opened any investigations into these claims.

    “There will be no end in sight for the gross violations committed by Egyptian security forces such as enforced disappearance and torture or other ill-treatment as long as SSSP prosecutors continue to be complicit by covering up such abuses instead of investigating them,” Mahmoud Shalaby said.

    Background

    This is the second time in the last six months that the Egyptian authorities have arbitrarily arrested people for expressing their support for a change in government. In July 2024, Egyptian security forces arbitrarily detained 119 individuals, including at least seven women and one child, in at least six governorates, in connection to online calls for a “Dignity Revolution” on 12 July. Detainees posted on their social media accounts calling for protests and political change due to price hikes and the then power cuts.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Environment Minister must thoroughly assess impacts of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    PERTH, Wednesday 19 February 2025 — In response to the news that federal assessment of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project will be delayed, the following statement can be attributed to Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s WA Campaign Lead Geoff Bice: 

    “Greenpeace welcomes Federal Environment Minister Plibersek’s decision to take more time to thoroughly assess Woodside’s North West Shelf extension project, given its enormous scale, proposed duration and impact on our climate.

    “Woodside’s proposal to extend the life of one of the dirtiest and most polluting fossil fuel facilities in the country by 50 years runs counter to climate science, and to the accelerating extreme weather disasters Australians are experiencing every day. Right now, the iconic Ningaloo Reef is undergoing another mass coral bleaching driven by soaring ocean temperatures.

    “The WA State assessment was lacklustre at best, and we remain concerned the WA Government is siding with fossil fuel companies rather than protecting the environment we love. WA Environment Minister Whitby changing policy on emissions on the fly is just one example.

    “Minister Plibersek must step up to the plate to ensure this massive fossil fuel project and its climate impacts are thoroughly assessed at a federal level. We urge Minister Plibersek to make an informed decision about the North West Shelf extension, and stop Woodside’s destructive Burrup Hub plans for good.”

    —ENDS—

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: DR Congo: MSF adapts response as violence spreads in South Kivu News Feb 18, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments in Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province, breaks down the current situation on the ground.

    A family fleeing violence waits to take a boat at the port of Bukavu, South Kivu province. | DR Congo 2025 © Amani Alimasi/MSF

    What’s happening in South Kivu right now?

    While the hotspot of the conflict has been North Kivu, neighboring South Kivu province has also long been receiving displaced people and has been touched by the violence. In the first three weeks of 2025, with the intensification of the conflict, MSF-supported health structures in northern South Kivu received more than 315 injured patients. 

    In late January, M23 took control of Numbi in the highlands of northern South Kivu, and of Minova, by the shores of Lake Kivu. Following the takeover of Goma, North Kivu’s capital, the group continued making quick advances in South Kivu. Last week, they captured the strategic towns of Kalehe and Kavumu.

    The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province

    Over the weekend, M23 fighters progressively entered Bukavu, South Kivu’s capital and one of the most populated cities in eastern DRC, as FARDC troops and allied forces reportedly withdrew from the town. Major armed clashes haven’t taken place in Bukavu, but there has been widespread looting and shootings amid the chaos. The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile. 

    An MSF team installs a medical consultation tent in Cibitoke province, Burundi, where people fleeing fighting in DRC have been arriving since mid-February 2025. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    How is MSF responding?

    We were not running regular medical activities in Bukavu, but we have offices to coordinate activities in the province. However, we have now started to support four hospitals in the city to deal with big influxes of injured and to reinforce capacity for treating victims and survivors of sexual violence. 

    By Monday, February 17, our supported hospitals in Bukavu had already received 48 injured patients with wounds from gunshots and shrapnel, as a result of the violence that has taken place over the last few days. In one of the hospitals, they received 42 of these patients; all the injured were civilians, including 11 people under 18 years of age, and 16 of them were women. 

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments of Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    What to know about the intensified conflict in DR Congo

    View the timeline

    In Uvira, further south in South Kivu province, where our teams have been providing care for patients with mpox in recent months, the situation has also become quite concerning. Fighting has been reported on the road from Bukavu to Uvira, and the general hospital there is receiving dozens of injured people, including civilians. 

    We are closely assessing the situation and exploring ways to scale up our emergency efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of people in areas around Minova, Bukavu, and Uvira. 

    As thousands of people have been crossing the border from South Kivu into Burundi to seek refuge in the province of Cibitoke, MSF has immediately dispatched a team to assess the urgent needs and provide emergency assistance in cooperation with the Burundian authorities. MSF’s priority is to support access to primary health care through mobile clinics, improve sanitation and access to water, and fight epidemics such as measles and cholera. 

    Congolese people fleeing violence are sheltering in Burundi’s Cibitoke province. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    MSF is supporting Congolese refugees in Burundi

    Thousands of people fleeing the fighting in the DR Congo have crossed the border into Burundi in recent days. In cooperation with Burundian authorities, MSF has sent a team to the province of Cibitoke to assess needs and provide emergency assistance.

    The priority for MSF teams in Burundi will be to help people access primary health care through mobile clinics, improve access to water and prevent the risk of epidemics such as measles and cholera.

    What are the main concerns about the situation in South Kivu?

    The spread of violence and armed clashes, as well as related logistic constraints such as the closure of airports and lake navigation routes, is affecting our ability to provide medical care in various parts of northern South Kivu province. We urge all the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical infrastructure and personnel in all areas affected by the conflict.

    Due to the volatility of the situation, there is a risk of humanitarian needs exacerbating, particularly among communities that have been displaced for a long time. 

    We are also concerned about the potential surge in outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Our teams are prepared to respond if needed, including providing safe drinking water to communities.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: France: Lawmakers must reject ‘discriminatory’ bill to ban hijabs in all sports

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Proposed bill would ban wearing ‘ostensibly religious’ clothing and symbols in French sports

    Senate to debate and vote the bill this week

    New law would exacerbate the blatant religious, racial and gender discrimination already experienced by Muslim women in France

    ‘The sports hijab bans in France are yet another measure underpinned by Islamophobia and a patriarchal attempt to control what Muslim women wear’ – Anna Błuś

    French lawmakers must reject a discriminatory bill that would ban the wearing of “ostensibly religious” clothing and symbols during competitions in all French sports, Amnesty International said ahead of this week’s Senate debate and vote. 

    The ban which would apply to competitions organised by sports federations, their decentralised bodies, professional leagues and affiliated associations as well as swimming pools, is being debated today and tomorrow ahead of an expected vote.

    Anna Błuś, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Gender Justice in Europe, said:

    “At the Paris Olympics, France’s ban on French women athletes who wear headscarves from competing at the Games drew international outrage. Just six months on, French authorities are not only doubling down on the discriminatory hijab ban but are attempting to extend it to all sports.

    “Under the guise of implementing the notion of ‘secularism’, these laws in reality target and disproportionately impact the rights of Muslim women and girls who will be excluded from competing in all sports if they wear a hijab or any other religious clothing.

    “To equate the wearing of a headscarf with “an attack on secularism” is not only absurd but dangerous and would only serve to create division this proposed law purports to want to tackle. This law would exacerbate the blatant religious, racial and gender discrimination already experienced by Muslim women in France.

    “All women have the right to choose what to wear. The sports hijab bans in France are yet another measure underpinned by Islamophobia and a patriarchal attempt to control what Muslim women wear. This bill must be rejected”  

    “Laïcité”, or “secularism”, which is theoretically embedded in the French constitution to protect everyone’s religious freedom, has often been used as a pretext to block Muslim women’s access to public spaces in France. Over several years, the French authorities have enacted laws and policies to regulate Muslim women’s and girls’ clothing, in discriminatory ways. Sport federations have followed suit, imposing hijab bans in several sports. 

    Damaging impact of hijab ban in French sport

    In the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games, Amnesty published findings setting out the damaging impact of hijab bans in sports on women and girls in France and exposing how the bans contradict the clothing rules of international sport bodies.

    The research looked at rules in 38 European countries and found that France is the only one that has imposed bans on religious headwear in sports. It found that preventing Muslim women and girls from fully and freely participating in sports can have devastating impacts on all aspects of their lives, including on their mental and physical health.  

    In October 2024, United Nations experts condemned these bans as “disproportionate and discriminatory” and called for their reversal. But instead of addressing these pressing concerns, French authorities are now attempting to expand their restrictions to Muslim women’s participation in sports through this bill.  

    As well as banning religious clothing, the bill would also prohibit prayers from taking place in any sports facilities or grounds and introduce a requirement for sports educators to undergo “administrative investigations…prior to the issuance of the sports educator’s professional card”.   

    Haïfa Tlili, sociologist and co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes, told Amnesty International:

    “There is no objective data to justify decisions that severely restrict the freedoms of Muslim female licence-holders who decide to wear sports headgear. It is therefore incorrect and unjustified to assert that the rules which exclude Muslim sportswomen and girls are necessary, appropriate and proportionate for the proper functioning of public service.”

    Basketball player and another Basket Pour Toutes co-founder, Hélène Bâ, described how hijab bans force Muslim women to make an impossible choice.

    “This new law would have appalling consequences for Muslim women and girls: humiliation, stigmatisation, trauma, withdrawal from sport, breakdown of social ties, loss of self-confidence, disappearance of women’s teams, endangerment of clubs.”

    The explanatory note to the bill says that the “neutrality” requirement as interpreted in French law extends to employees and volunteers of sports federations, for instance coaches and referees and even “high level athletes”.  

    According to a report accompanying the bill, this legislation has been prompted by “growing attacks on secularism” and the need to address reports of “radicalisation”, “communitarianism” and “Islamist separatism” in French sports. It argues that banning clothing such as sports hijabs would prevent the formation of “counter-societies”.  

    By placing the wearing of a headscarf on the spectrum of “attacks on secularism”, which range from “permissiveness” to “terrorism”, this legislation, if passed, would fuel racism and reinforce the growing hostile environment facing Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in France. Indeed, framing headscarves as a security threat or singling them out as a symbol of women’s oppression is imbued with negative and discriminatory stereotypes that are endemic to the “othering” of Muslim women because of their religion. 

    Political disagreement on the merits of the bill

    The proposal was submitted to the Senate on 5 March 2024 by Senator Michel Savin after being debated in the Standing Commission on Cultural, Educational, Communication and Sports Affairs, revealing deep disagreements between senators on the merits of the bill. A previous attempt to ban religious headwear in all sports at the national level was rejected by the Senate in February 2022.    

    https://www.senat.fr/rap/l23-667/l23-667_mono.html – explanatory note  

    https://www.senat.fr/leg/ppl23-668.html – bill text only  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: France: Hijab ban in all sports would violate human rights and target Muslim women and girls 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    French lawmakers must reject a discriminatory bill that would ban the wearing of “ostensibly religious” clothing and symbols during competitions in all French sports, Amnesty International said ahead of a debate in the Senate which starts today and will be followed by a vote. 

    The ban which would apply to competitions organized by sports federations, their decentralized bodies, professional leagues and affiliated associations as well as swimming pools, is being debated today and tomorrow ahead of an expected vote.

    Six months after the Paris Olympics, French authorities are not only doubling down on the discriminatory hijab ban but are attempting to extend it to all sports

    “At the Paris Olympics, France’s ban on French women athletes who wear headscarves from competing at the Games drew international outrage. Just six months on, French authorities are not only doubling down on the discriminatory hijab ban but are attempting to extend it to all sports,” said Anna Błuś, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Gender Justice in Europe. 

    “Under the guise of implementing the notion of ‘secularism’, these laws in reality target and disproportionately impact the rights of Muslim women and girls who will be excluded from competing in all sports if they wear a hijab or any other religious clothing.” 

    “Laïcité”, or “secularism”, which is theoretically embedded in the French constitution to protect everyone’s religious freedom, has often been used as a pretext to block Muslim women’s access to public spaces in France. Over several years, the French authorities have enacted laws and policies to regulate Muslim women’s and girls’ clothing, in discriminatory ways. Sport federations have followed suit, imposing hijab bans in several sports. 

    In the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games, Amnesty International published findings setting out the damaging impact of hijab bans in sports on women and girls in France and exposing how the bans contradict the clothing rules of international sport bodies. The research looked at rules in 38 European countries and found that France is the only one that has imposed bans on religious headwear in sports. It found that preventing Muslim women and girls from fully and freely participating in sports can have devastating impacts on all aspects of their lives, including on their mental and physical health.  

    In October 2024, United Nations experts condemned these bans as “disproportionate and discriminatory” and called for their reversal. But instead of addressing these pressing concerns, French authorities are now attempting to expand their restrictions to Muslim women’s participation in sports through this bill.  

    As well as banning religious clothing, the bill would also prohibit prayers from taking place in any sports facilities or grounds and introduce a requirement for sports educators to undergo “administrative investigations…prior to the issuance of the sports educator’s professional card”.   

    “There is no objective data to justify decisions that severely restrict the freedoms of Muslim female licence-holders who decide to wear sports headgear. It is therefore incorrect and unjustified to assert that the rules which exclude Muslim sportswomen and girls are necessary, appropriate and proportionate for the proper functioning of public service,” Haïfa Tlili, sociologist and co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes, told Amnesty International.  

    Basketball player and another Basket Pour Toutes co-founder, Hélène Bâ, described how hijab bans force Muslim women to make an impossible choice. “This new law would have appalling consequences for Muslim women and girls: humiliation, stigmatisation, trauma, withdrawal from sport, breakdown of social ties, loss of self-confidence, disappearance of women’s teams, endangerment of clubs,” she told Amnesty International. 

    The explanatory note to the bill says that the “neutrality” requirement as interpreted in French law extends to employees and volunteers of sports federations, for instance coaches and referees and even “high level athletes”.  

    According to a report accompanying the bill, this legislation has been prompted by “growing attacks on secularism” and the need to address reports of “radicalisation”, “communitarianism” and “Islamist separatism” in French sports. It argues that banning clothing such as sports hijabs would prevent the formation of “counter-societies”.  

    “All women have the right to choose what to wear. This bill must be rejected”  

    By placing the wearing of a headscarf on the spectrum of “attacks on secularism”, which range from “permissiveness” to “terrorism”, this legislation, if passed, would fuel racism and reinforce the growing hostile environment facing Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in France. Indeed, framing headscarves as a security threat or singling them out as a symbol of women’s oppression is imbued with negative and discriminatory stereotypes that are endemic to the “othering” of Muslim women because of their religion. 

    “To equate the wearing of a headscarf with “an attack on secularism” is not only absurd but dangerous and would only serve to create division this proposed law purports to want to tackle. This law would exacerbate the blatant religious, racial and gender discrimination already experienced by Muslim women in France,” said Anna Błuś. 

    “All women have the right to choose what to wear. The sports hijab bans in France are yet another measure underpinned by Islamophobia and a patriarchal attempt to control what Muslim women wear. This bill must be rejected”  

    BACKGROUND 

    The proposal was submitted to the Senate on 5 March 2024 by Senator Michel Savin after being debated in the Standing Commission on Cultural, Educational, Communication and Sports Affairs, revealing deep disagreements between senators on the merits of the bill. A previous attempt to ban religious headwear in all sports at the national level was rejected by the Senate in February 2022.    

    https://www.senat.fr/rap/l23-667/l23-667_mono.html – explanatory note  

    https://www.senat.fr/leg/ppl23-668.html – bill text only  

    The debate is scheduled for 18 and 19 February

    An OpEd was published in Nouvel Observateur here

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF responds as M23 fighters enter Bukavu, one of the largest cities in eastern DR Congo News Feb 18, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments in Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province, breaks down the current situation on the ground.

    A family fleeing violence waits to take a boat at the port of Bukavu, South Kivu province. | DR Congo 2025 © Amani Alimasi/MSF

    What’s happening in South Kivu right now?

    While the hotspot of the conflict has been North Kivu, neighboring South Kivu province has also long been receiving displaced people and has been touched by the violence. In the first three weeks of 2025, with the intensification of the conflict, MSF-supported health structures in northern South Kivu received more than 315 injured patients. 

    In late January, M23 took control of Numbi in the highlands of northern South Kivu, and of Minova, by the shores of Lake Kivu. Following the takeover of Goma, North Kivu’s capital, the group continued making quick advances in South Kivu. Last week, they captured the strategic towns of Kalehe and Kavumu.

    The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province

    Over the weekend, M23 fighters progressively entered Bukavu, South Kivu’s capital and one of the most populated cities in eastern DRC, as FARDC troops and allied forces reportedly withdrew from the town. Major armed clashes haven’t taken place in Bukavu, but there has been widespread looting and shootings amid the chaos. The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile. 

    An MSF team installs a medical consultation tent in Cibitoke province, Burundi, where people fleeing fighting in DRC have been arriving since mid-February 2025. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    How is MSF responding?

    We were not running regular medical activities in Bukavu, but we have offices to coordinate activities in the province. However, we have now started to support four hospitals in the city to deal with big influxes of injured and to reinforce capacity for treating victims and survivors of sexual violence. 

    By Monday, February 17, our supported hospitals in Bukavu had already received 48 injured patients with wounds from gunshots and shrapnel, as a result of the violence that has taken place over the last few days. In one of the hospitals, they received 42 of these patients; all the injured were civilians, including 11 people under 18 years of age, and 16 of them were women. 

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments of Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    What to know about the intensified conflict in DR Congo

    View the timeline

    In Uvira, further south in South Kivu province, where our teams have been providing care for patients with mpox in recent months, the situation has also become quite concerning. Fighting has been reported on the road from Bukavu to Uvira, and the general hospital there is receiving dozens of injured people, including civilians. 

    We are closely assessing the situation and exploring ways to scale up our emergency efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of people in areas around Minova, Bukavu, and Uvira. 

    As thousands of people have been crossing the border from South Kivu into Burundi to seek refuge in the province of Cibitoke, MSF has immediately dispatched a team to assess the urgent needs and provide emergency assistance in cooperation with the Burundian authorities. MSF’s priority is to support access to primary health care through mobile clinics, improve sanitation and access to water, and fight epidemics such as measles and cholera. 

    Congolese people fleeing violence are sheltering in Burundi’s Cibitoke province. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    MSF supporting Congolese in Burundi

    Thousands of people fleeing the fighting in the DR Congo have crossed the border into Burundi in recent days. In cooperation with Burundian authorities, MSF has sent a team to the province of Cibitoke to assess needs and provide emergency assistance.

    The priority for MSF teams in Burundi will be to help people access primary health care through mobile clinics, improve access to water and prevent the risk of epidemics such as measles and cholera.

    What are the main concerns about the situation in South Kivu?

    The spread of violence and armed clashes, as well as related logistic constraints such as the closure of airports and lake navigation routes, is affecting our ability to provide medical care in various parts of northern South Kivu province. We urge all the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical infrastructure and personnel in all areas affected by the conflict.

    Due to the volatility of the situation, there is a risk of humanitarian needs exacerbating, particularly among communities that have been displaced for a long time. 

    We are also concerned about the potential surge in outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Our teams are prepared to respond if needed, including providing safe drinking water to communities.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: DRC: Injured seek treatment from MSF-supported hospitals in Bukavu amid fighting

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Marcus Bachmann, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) head of programmes for South Kivu province, explains the situation in this part of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the conflict evolves.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programmes for South Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
    © Herwig Prammer/MSF

    What is the current situation in South Kivu?

    While the hotspot of the conflict between M23/AFC and Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and their respective allies has been North Kivu, neighbouring South Kivu province has also long been receiving displaced people and touched by the violence. In the first three weeks of 2025, with the intensification of the conflict, MSF supported health structures in northern South Kivu received more than 315 injured patients.

    In late January, M23 took control of Numbi, in the highlands of northern South Kivu, and of Minova, by the shores of Lake Kivu. Following the takeover of Goma, North Kivu’s capital, the group continued making quick advances in South Kivu. Last week, they captured the strategic towns of Kalehe and Kavumu.

    Over the weekend, M23 fighters progressively entered Bukavu, South Kivu’s capital and one of the most populated cities in eastern DRC, as FARDC troops and allied forces reportedly withdrew from the town. Major armed clashes haven’t taken place in Bukavu, but there has been widespread looting and shootings amid the chaos. The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left the town. The situation is still volatile.

    What is MSF doing in response?

    We were not running regular medical activities in Bukavu, but we have offices to coordinate activities in the province. However, we have now started support to four hospitals in the city to deal with big influxes of injured, and to reinforce capacity for treating victims and survivors of sexual violence. 

    By Monday 17 February, our supported hospitals in Bukavu had already received 48 injured patients with wounds from gunshots and shrapnel, as a result of the violence that has taken place over the last few days. In one of the hospitals, they received 42 of these patients; all the injured were civilians, including 11 people under 18 years of age, and 16 of them were women.

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments of Minova General Referral hospital, three other health centres in Minova health zone, and Numbi health centre. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    In Uvira, further south in South Kivu province, where our teams have been providing care for patients with mpox in recent months, the situation has also become quite concerning. Fighting has been reported on the road leading from Bukavu to Uvira, and the general hospital there is receiving dozens of injured people, including civilians.

    We are closely assessing the situation and exploring ways to scale up our emergency efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of people in areas around Minova, Bukavu, and Uvira.

    As thousands of people have been crossing the border from South Kivu into Burundi to seek refuge in the province of Cibitoke, MSF immediately dispatched a team to assess the urgent needs and provide emergency assistance in cooperation with the Burundian authorities. MSF’s priority is to support access to basic healthcare through mobile clinics, improve sanitation and access to water, and fight epidemics such as measles and cholera.

    What are your main concerns?

    The spread of violence and armed clashes, as well as related logistic constraints such as the closure of airports and lake navigation routes, is affecting our ability to provide medical care in various parts of northern South Kivu province. We urge all the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical infrastructure and personnel in all areas affected by the conflict

    Due to the volatility of the situation, there is a risk of humanitarian needs exacerbating, particularly among communities that have been displaced for a long time.

    We are also concerned about the potential surge in outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Our teams are prepared to respond if needed, including providing safe drinking water to communities.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Cuba: One month after releases were announced, hundreds remain in prison

    Source: Amnesty International –

    On 14 January, the Cuban authorities announced that “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025” and following talks with Pope Francis, they would release 553 people from prison. At the same time, the United States government announced that, among other measures, it would remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Although both countries denied any agreement, White House sources confirmed that a significant number of people would be released following the announcement, particularly those linked to the protests of 11 July 2021. To date, Cuban human rights organizations have registered the release of more than 171 persons who had been arbitrarily detained for political reasons. In this regard, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, stated:

    “The release process has been marred by irregularities and a lack of state transparency. The Cuban authorities have not acknowledged the existence of individuals detained for political reasons, nor have they provided a list of the names of those to be included in the process. They have also been unwilling to guarantee the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners of conscience such as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo, Loreto Hernández, Roberto Pérez Fonseca and Saylí Navarro. These individuals and all those imprisoned simply for speaking out must be released,” added Ana Piquer.

    “The release process has been marred by irregularities and a lack of state transparency. The Cuban authorities (…) have also been unwilling to guarantee the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners of conscience such as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo, Loreto Hernández, Roberto Pérez Fonseca and Saylí Navarro. These individuals and all those imprisoned simply for speaking out must be released”

    -Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    The releases have been characterized by the exclusion of the victims and their families, and the absence of guarantees that they will not be detained again if they are perceived to be dissenting voices or opponents of the government. Those released and their families were given only a few hours’ notice of their release, usually at night. In many cases, the authorities informed them that they had been granted a prison benefit – in most cases conditional release – with no explanation or guarantees as to the conditions or their legal status.

    “Hundreds of families have been torn between anguish and hope, waiting for a phone call or other form of communication, without any criteria or element that would allow them to know if their relatives would be released. The continuing context of repression and failure to acknowledge the arbitrariness and injustice of the legal proceedings against these people place them in a situation of extreme violation of their rights,” said Ana Piquer.

    Hundreds of families have been torn between anguish and hope, waiting for a phone call or other form of communication, without any criteria or element that would allow them to know if their relatives would be released. The continuing context of repression and failure to acknowledge the arbitrariness and injustice of the legal proceedings against these people place them in a situation of extreme violation of their rights

    -Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    The Cuban authorities have not provided a list of those who may be released. They have insisted that such releases do not constitute a pardon, and that those released would receive the prison benefits established in Cuban law.

    The organization Justicia 11J has verified the release of 172 persons and reported that a further nine people who had already been released from prison were informed that the legal benefits originally granted to them had been changed. Most of those released were serving sentences for their participation in the 11 July protests, having been charged with “public disorder”, “contempt” and “assault”, offences typically used by the Cuban authorities to punish peaceful protest and the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association.

    While prisoners of conscience José Daniel Ferrer, Félix Navarro, Luis Robles and Donaida Pérez Paseiro are now with their families, they have all denounced restrictions on the exercise of their human rights as part of the conditions of their release.

    Prisoner of conscience Pedro Albert, for example, who was released on parole in November 2024, was informed that his benefit was to be changed to conditional release and told that failure to accept the change would risk his return to prison. On 21 January 2025, Pedro Albert was arbitrarily detained for a few hours, interrogated and then fined for visiting the offices of the Damas de Blanco.

    Similarly, prisoner of conscience Donaida Pérez Paseiro reported that her husband, prisoner of conscience Loreto Hernández, was informed that his possible release would only be granted if she renounced her activism and refrained from speaking to the media, as she has denounced prison conditions and expressed her intention to continue defending human rights following her release.

    Opposition leader and prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer García was released on 16 January, having spent over three years in prison. Since then, persons close to him have been threatened for visiting him and the mobile phones they lent him for his initial communications have had their internet access blocked. José Daniel Ferrer told Amnesty International that he had refused to sign the conditions of his release and that he had been removed from the prison premises without being allowed to collect his personal belongings.

    On 20 January 2025, Donald Trump’s administration repealed the measures taken by the government of then-President Biden, including the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Although the Cuban government has insisted that the release process was a sovereign and unilateral decision, organizations monitoring the process have reported that no new releases have taken place since 21 January.

    “The possible cancellation or pause in releases is alarming, as it would seem to indicate that political prisoners have once again been dehumanized and used as bargaining chips in a political game, with no regard for their lives, their physical integrity or their rights,” said Ana Piquer.

    The possible cancellation or pause in releases is alarming, as it would seem to indicate that political prisoners have once again been dehumanized and used as bargaining chips in a political game, with no regard for their lives, their physical integrity or their rights

    -Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    Given this situation, Amnesty International urges the Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those unjustly imprisoned in Cuba for exercising their human rights. “While these releases were taking place, political activists and human rights defenders have been arbitrarily detained and have suffered harassment and intimidation because of their work. The Cuban government must repeal repressive laws and cease these systematic practices of repression against dissidents,” concluded Ana Piquer.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Meta’s new content policies risk fueling more mass violence and genocide 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Pat de Brún, Head of Big Tech Accountability at Amnesty International and Maung Sawyeddollah, the founder and Executive Director of the Rohingya Students’ Network.

    Recent content policy announcements by Meta pose a grave threat to vulnerable communities globally and drastically increase the risk that the company will yet again contribute to mass violence and gross human rights abuses – just like it did in Myanmar in 2017. The company’s significant contribution to the atrocities suffered by the Rohingya people is the subject of a new whistleblower complaint that has just been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

    On January 7, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a raft of changes to Meta’s content policies, seemingly aimed at currying favor with the new Trump administration. These include the lifting of prohibitions on previously banned speech, such as the denigration and harassment of racialized minorities. Zuckerberg also announced a drastic shift in content moderation practices – with automated content moderation being significantly rolled back. While these changes have been initially implemented in the US, Meta has signaled that they may be rolled out internationally. This shift marks a clear retreat from the company’s previously stated commitments to responsible content governance. 

    “I really think this is a precursor for genocide […] We’ve seen it happen. Real people’s lives are actually going to be endangered.

    A former Meta employee recently speaking to the platformer

    As has been well-documented by Amnesty International and others, Meta’s algorithms prioritize and amplify some of the most harmful content, including advocacy of hatred, misinformation, and content inciting racial violence – all in the name of maximizing ‘user engagement,’ and by extension, profit. Research has shown that these algorithms consistently elevate content that generates strong emotional reactions, often at the cost of human rights and safety. With the removal of existing content safeguards, this situation looks set to go from bad to worse. 

    As one former Meta employee recently told Platformer, “I really think this is a precursor for genocide […] We’ve seen it happen. Real people’s lives are actually going to be endangered.” This statement echoes the warnings from various human rights experts who have raised concerns about Meta’s role in fuelling mass violence in fragile and conflict-affected societies. 

    We have seen the horrific consequences of Meta’s recklessness before. In 2017, Myanmar security forces undertook a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. A UN Independent Fact-Finding Commission concluded in 2018 that Myanmar had committed genocide. In the years leading up to these attacks, Facebook had become an echo chamber of virulent anti-Rohingya hatred. The mass dissemination of dehumanizing anti-Rohingya content poured fuel on the fire of long-standing discrimination and helped to create an enabling environment for mass violence. In the absence of appropriate safeguards, Facebook’s toxic algorithms intensified a storm of hatred against the Rohingya, which contributed to these atrocities. According to a report by the United Nations, Facebook was instrumental in the radicalization of local populations and the incitement of violence against the Rohingya. 

    Rather than learning from its reckless contributions to mass violence in countries including Myanmar and Ethiopia, Meta is instead stripping away important protections that were aimed at preventing any recurrence of such harms. 

    In enacting these changes, Meta has effectively declared an open season for hate and harassment targeting its most vulnerable and at-risk people, including trans people, migrants, and refugees. 

    Meta claims to be enacting these changes to advance freedom of expression. While it is true that Meta has wrongfully restricted legitimate content in many cases, this drastic abandonment of existing safeguards is not the answer. The company must take a balanced approach that allows for free expression while safeguarding vulnerable populations. 

    All companies, including Meta, have clear responsibilities to respect all human rights in line with international human rights standards. Billionaire CEOs cannot simply pick and choose which rights to respect while flagrantly disregarding others and recklessly endangering the rights of millions. 

    Rather than learning from its reckless contributions to mass violence in countries including Myanmar and Ethiopia, Meta is instead stripping away important protections that were aimed at preventing any recurrence of such harms. 

    Pat de Brún is Head of Big Tech Accountability at Amnesty International 

    An investigation by Amnesty International in 2021 found that Meta had “substantially contributed” to the atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya, and that the company bears a responsibility to provide an effective remedy to the community. However, Meta has made it clear it will take no such action. 

    Rohingya communities — most of whom were forced from their homes eight years ago and still reside in sprawling refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh — have also made requests to Meta to remediate them by funding a $1 million education project in the refugee camps. The sum represents just 0.0007% of Meta’s 2023 profits of $134 billion. Despite this, Meta rejected the request. This refusal further demonstrates the company’s lack of accountability and commitment to profit over human dignity. 

    That is why we – Rohingya atrocity survivor Maung Sawyeddollah, with the support of Amnesty International, the Open Society Justice Initiative, and Victim Advocates International – on January 23, 2025, filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC. The complaint outlines Meta’s failure to heed multiple civil society warnings from 2013 to 2017 regarding Facebook’s role in fueling violence against the Rohingya. We are asking the agency to investigate Meta for alleged violations of securities laws stemming from the company’s misrepresentations to shareholders in relation to its contribution to the atrocities suffered by the Rohingya in 2017. 

    Between 2015 and 2017, Meta executives told shareholders that Facebook’s algorithms did not result in polarization, despite warnings that its platform was actively proliferating anti-Rohingya content in Myanmar. At the same time, Meta did not fully disclose to shareholders the risks the company’s operations in Myanmar entailed. Instead, in 2015 and 2016, Meta objected to shareholder proposals to conduct a human rights impact assessment and to set up an internal committee to oversee the company’s policies and practices on international public policy issues, including human rights. 

    With Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs lining up (literally, in the case of the recent inauguration) behind the new administration’s wide-ranging attacks on human rights, Meta shareholders need to step up and hold the company’s leadership to account to prevent Meta from yet again becoming a conduit for mass violence, or even genocide. 

    Similarly, legislators and lawmakers in the US must ensure that the SEC retains its neutrality, properly investigate legitimate complaints – such as the one we recently filed, and ensure those who abuse human rights face justice. 

    Globally, governments and regional bodies such as the EU must redouble their efforts to hold Meta and other Big Tech companies to account for their human rights impacts. As we have seen before, countless human lives could be at risk if companies like Meta are left to their own devices. 

    Pat de Brún is Head of Big Tech Accountability at Amnesty International and Deputy Director of Amnesty Tech. 

    Maung Sawyeddollah is the founder and Executive Director of the Rohingya Students’ Network. He survived the Myanmar military’s atrocities in 2017 and fled to Bangladesh. Sawyeddollah is now studying at NYU while continuing to campaign for justice for the Rohingya. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Singapore/Malaysia: Imminent execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman must be halted

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International Malaysia is greatly alarmed at the scheduling of the execution of Malaysian Pannir Selvam Pranthaman in Singapore on Thursday 20 February.

    The violations of human rights protections seen in his case would render the execution arbitrary and unlawful under international law and standards. We join his family and many others in urging the authorities of Singapore to immediately halt plans to carry out the execution; and the Government of Malaysia to make every effort to intervene and help spare Pannir Selvam Pranthaman’s life. 

    Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International’s death penalty expert, said: “The alarming pace of executions carried out in Singapore since October shows a chilling determination on the part of the Government to pursue hangings. This includes for offences, such as transporting drugs in Pannir’s case, that must not be punished by death under international restrictions on the use of the death penalty. This is beyond reproachable and leaves Singapore among a handful of countries known to have executed for drug-related offences in recent years.

    “We urge the Singapore government to immediately end its unlawful resort to the death penalty and immediately establish a moratorium on all executions as a first critical step towards abolition.

    “We also urge the international community to step up pressure on the government of Singapore and help prevent yet another unlawful execution from taking place. There is still time to change course and prevent this cruel and senseless execution from happening.”

    Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was convicted of importing into Singapore 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin) and was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in 2017. The judge found that he was a “courier”, involved only with the transport of the prohibited substance. While under sentence of death in Singapore, Pannir has shown great resilience and channeled his energy into creativity, writing heartfelt songs and poems that speak of the anguish, hope, and prayers of those on death row, many of which have been shared with the public through the Sebaran Kasih NGO founded by his sister, Angelia Pranthaman.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: PM must take ‘urgent action’ after meeting with Alaa Abdel Fattah’s mother and committing to secure release

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Alaa Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian-British national has been in detention in Egypt since September 2019

    Abdel Fattah’s 68-year-old mother Laila Soueif has been on a hunger strike for over four months in desperate appeal for her son

    In response to the Prime Minister’s meeting with Alaa Abdel Fattah’s family, Eilidh Macpherson, Campaign Manager for Individuals at Risk at Amnesty UK, said: 

    “We are delighted that the Prime Minister met with Laila and has committed to securing the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah and we appeal for increased and urgent action.

    “Alaa’s mother has been on hunger strike for 139 days as a desperate appeal to bring her son home and end this injustice.

    “Successive UK governments have a history of doing too little on behalf of UK nationals arbitrarily held overseas. The Prime Minister should make it absolutely clear to President Sisi that Alaa needs to be released as a matter urgency and allowed to safely leave the country.”

    Trumped up charges

    Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old UK national, is a prominent blogger and writer who’s been in detention in Egypt since September 2019. He has already served a five-year jail sentence on trumped-up charges of “spreading false news” after a grossly unfair trial, yet last year his family were told he wouldn’t be released until January 2027.

    Despite having completed his unjust and arbitrary five-year sentence on 29 September 2024, the Egyptian authorities have refused to release him, ignoring his time served in pre-trial detention. This situation violates both international legal norms and Egyptian law. Amnesty is calling for the UK government to help secure Alaa’s release and ensure his safe return to the UK.

    Mother on hunger strike

    Abdel Fattah’s 68-year-old mother Laila Soueif has been on a hunger strike for over four months as part of the family’s campaign to push the UK government into doing more to secure the jailed activist’s release.

    Laila Souief previously, said:

    “I’ve been on hunger strike because I cannot allow my son to continue languishing in prison. Enough is enough, my son’s life should not be ignored. Alaa is a prisoner of conscience – he should never have been forced to spend a single minute behind bars. We know from how the Egyptian regime works that if he doesn’t get out now, he will never get out. Alaa has been unjustly prisoned longer than necessary and it’s time for his release.”

     

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Russia: One year on we demand truth and accountability for Navalny’s death

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Commemorating the first anniversary of the death in custody of Russian opposition politician and prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:

    “One year has passed since Aleksei Navalny, a prisoner of conscience and a fearless voice against corruption and Russian state repression, lost his life in a remote Russian prison. This is an occasion to remind Putin that questions about Navalny’s death are not going away, and neither are calls for accountability. The Kremlin is mistaken in its calculation that Aleksei’s memory will fade away and a thorough investigation into his death can be avoided. Our resolve for justice remains as strong as ever. Only an investigation conducted by independent and impartial international experts can ensure that truth is revealed, and the world must insist on nothing less.

    “Aleksei Navalny embodied courage and resilience. He brought optimism and hope, uniting thousands of people who dared to stand against abuse of power and human rights violations. He challenged a stagnant status quo marked by repression and the silencing of political opponents and minorities.

    The Russian state could not break Aleksei Navalny with unjust imprisonment, torture and repeated isolation. Even in death, his legacy of resistance continues to inspire those who believe in a better future

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    “The Russian state could not break Aleksei Navalny with unjust imprisonment, torture and repeated isolation. Even in death, his legacy of resistance continues to inspire those who believe in a better future. We honour his memory by standing in solidarity with all those who, despite growing repression, continue to pursue truth, justice and freedom.

    “Among them are Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artyom Kriger, who face prison terms under charges of ‘participating in an extremist community’ for working with media projects founded by Aleksei Navalny. Their resilience embodies the very principles that Navalny fought for. We are outraged by the eight year sentence handed to Daniel Kholodny, prosecuted on similar arbitrary ‘extremism’ charges simply for working as an IT director at one of Navalny’s media channels.

    “We also resolutely condemn the criminal prosecution of Navalny’s lawyers – Aleksei Liptser, Vadim Kobzev and Igor Sergunin – who have been imprisoned on ‘extremism’ charges simply for defending their client. Amnesty International calls for their immediate and unconditional release and urges the international community to intensify pressure on the Russian government to end these and other politically motivated prosecutions.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Government order for Apple to allow encrypted data access will ‘severely harm’ users’ privacy rights

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Order attempts to force Apple to provide security authorities access to encrypted user data

    Move would put anyone critical of the authorities at increased risk

    ‘Governments should be encouraging companies to provide greater protections of our data and our rights, not seeking back doors that will leave people around the world at risk’ – Joshua Franco

    ‘If these reports are true, this is an alarming overreach by the UK authorities seeking to access private data’ – Zach Campbell

    The UK government’s order to Apple to allow security authorities access to encrypted cloud data severely harms the privacy rights of users in the UK and worldwide, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. 

    The secret order, reported in The Washington Post last week, was issued in January by the Home Office. It concerns Advanced Data Protection, an iPhone function that uses end-to-end encryption on data stored in the cloud, ensuring that only the user of the account can access the data stored and attempts to force Apple to provide security authorities access to it, including device backups that can include contact lists, as well as location and messaging history, for any Apple user worldwide.

    The order is disproportionate by design, as it would weaken data protections for all users, not just those suspected of a crime or under investigation. Compliance would harm privacy rights of users worldwide. 

    News reports said that the Government ordered Apple to build a back door into its products under the Investigatory Powers Act, a 2016 surveillance law that includes provisions allowing the Government to order companies to remove “electronic protection” of user data. The law also prohibits the recipients of these orders, in this case Apple, from acknowledging or commenting on them and reportedly “requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material” for Apple users worldwide, including users with no apparent connection to the UK. 

    Privacy vital to protecting people’s rights

    Encryption is a crucial enabler of human rights online and offline. Human rights defenders, journalists, and everyone else rely on the security and privacy of their devices to protect them not only from unlawful government spying, but also from cybercrime and other attacks from non-state actors. Weakening encryption, or mandating back doors, leaves all users more vulnerable.

    Governments should support strong encryption, and companies should build it into their products and services by default. 

    In recent years there have been a stream of revelations about government spying relying on surveillance tools eg spyware and digital forensic tools but also taking advantage of overly permissive legal regimes that allow states to access huge troves of personal data from private companies. 

    State surveillance threatens the work of human rights defenders and journalists, puts marginalised groups including women and LGBT activists at particular risk, and creates a society-wide chilling effect, undermining the rights of everyone to express themselves and protest peacefully.

    These tools exploit weaknesses in device encryption and security, and their use is enabled by an under-regulated trade in spyware and other surveillance tools at a global scale, and by the unwillingness of states to regulate their own surveillance practices, too often leaning on “national security” as a blanket excuse  for unfettered snooping. 

    Efforts to protect people’s data

    In part due to such revelations, some companies, including Apple, have added new security features to help protect users, including those who may be at particular risk. These include Lockdown Mode, a feature that provides extra protection from spyware and targeted hacking to mobile devices, as well as Advanced Data Protection, the subject of the UK government’s reported order.  

    The UK is a party to several international and regional treaties enshrining the right to privacy and data protection rights. The vital role of encryption as an enabler of privacy and human rights has been widely recognised including by UN bodies, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights experts.

    The UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, in several resolutions, have called on governments to refrain from interfering with encryption technologies. UN resolutions also encourage technology companies to secure and protect the confidentiality of digital communications and transactions, including measures for encryption, pseudonymisation and anonymity. 

    Both Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have been critical of the Investigatory Powers Act since its inception. In written evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill in 2016, Human Rights Watch recommended that the UK should refrain from undermining encryption and digital security. It specifically said that the legislation should be amended to ensure that authorities are prohibited from imposing obligations on internet service providers to weaken security measures or design their systems to incorporate measures for exceptional access into encryption by UK authorities. 

    Joshua Franco, Amnesty Tech’s senior research adviser, said:

    “Governments have more and more powerful legal and technical tools at their disposal, and research shows that they are using them to target people for protesting, speaking out, or even just because of what they represent.

    “Strong encryption is one of the few protections we have against such attacks, and states should be encouraging companies to provide greater protections of our data and our rights, not seeking back doors that will leave people around the world at risk.” 

    Zach Campbell, Human Rights Watch’s senior surveillance researcher, said:

    “If these reports are true, this is an alarming overreach by the UK authorities seeking to access the private data of not only people in the UK, but anyone worldwide with an Apple account.

    “People rely on secure and confidential communications to exercise their rights. Access to device backups is access to your entire phone, and strong encryption to prevent this access should be the norm by default.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘I couldn’t stop crying for an hour’ – meet the 92-year-old campaigner who saved her brother from execution 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Hideko Hakamada’s brother Iwao was sentenced to death for murder in Japan in 1968. She campaigned tirelessly for his release as he spent nearly five decades on death row, being described as the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner.  

    In September 2024, Hakamada was acquitted after a retrial – a court ruling that the evidence that incriminated him was fabricated. Here, 92-year-old Hideko celebrates her brother’s long-awaited freedom. 

    I thought my brother would not smile in prison. So I smiled every time I visited him, so that he would not forget to smile. When I smile, Iwao also smiles. That is what I tried to do. 

    Everyone knew he was on death row, so there was no point in hiding it. I kept a little distance from the world – I didn’t go to social gatherings. I think that’s how I was able to do so many things so hard for Iwao.  

    I was in my 40s, I had a job. I would come home from work at night, and when I was home alone at night, my eyes would open suddenly in the middle of the night. Then all I could think about was Iwao. I couldn’t go to sleep. I had to go to work in the morning, so I drank whiskey to sleep. I drank too much. I drank every day. Then I realized I wouldn’t be able to help Iwao if I was like that, so I stopped drinking altogether. 

    I was so focused on Iwao that I had no regard for anything else. I visited him a lot. I felt that I had to help my brother who was suffering. I was fighting for him because I thought it was only natural that he should be acquitted because he was innocent.  

    It is a crime for a human being to kill another human being, no matter what the government says. 

    In November 1980, when Iwao’s appeal was dismissed and the death penalty was confirmed, everyone was there, from the lawyers to the supporters and newspapers. At that very moment, everyone seemed to be my enemy. 

    Later, however, I was supported by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and that kind of feeling has eventually disappeared. I am also very much indebted to Amnesty International. We went on a “Speaking Tour” throughout Japan together. It was about appealing to everyone. There were people who had never heard of the Hakamada case. 

    Iwao was on death row, and we didn’t know what tomorrow would be. But I believe that appealing to these people made a difference. 

    I used to accept the death penalty without giving it much thought.  But after what happened with Iwao, I became against the death penalty. It is a crime for a human being to kill another human being, no matter what the government says. 

    Some people may say that there are people who seem to deserve death penalty, but criminals are still human beings. Some may be rehabilitated, and some may not be rehabilitated, but they are still human beings. I believe that we have to take care of human beings.  

    I think it is important for everyone to speak out against the death penalty, even if it may or may not work, rather than just saying nothing because no one will listen. Do not go silent. You must always express that you are against it. We need a world where the death penalty is no more. I believe that the death penalty will eventually be abolished. 

    We have been fighting for 58 years. We have received support not only from all over Japan, but also from overseas. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their support. It was not because of the hard work on my end that Iwao was saved. It was only possible because of this support. 

    When the judge said that the defendant is not guilty in court, the judge’s voice sounded divine. I was so moved and happy that I burst into tears. I couldn’t stop crying for about an hour. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Egypt: Authorities must immediately reveal whereabouts of Egyptian-Libyan activist Nasser al-Hawari

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal the whereabouts of Egyptian-Libyan activist and TV anchor Nasser al-Hawari, who was forcibly disappeared after being seized by plainclothes security officers outside his family home in Alexandria on 9 February, escorted into an unmarked van, and driven away, Amnesty International said today.

    He was arrested on the same day his TV show addressed violations against prisoners held in eastern Libya, an area under de facto control by the self-proclaimed Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) armed group, under the command of Khalifa Heftar. During the show, aired on the Libyan channel Al-Jamahiriya and broadcast from Egypt, Nasser al-Hawari promised to reveal further evidence of these violations.

    “Nasser al-Hawari’s distressed family have not heard from him since he was seized without explanation or an arrest warrant and subjected to enforced disappearance. Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal Nasser al-Hawari’s whereabouts and allow him to contact his family and lawyers,” said Amnesty International Researcher Mahmoud Shalaby.

    Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal Nasser al-Hawari’s whereabouts and allow him to contact his family and lawyers

    Mahmoud Shalaby, Amnesty International

    “They must also drop any investigations and charges solely related to his legitimate media work or for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The close relationship between the Egyptian government and Khalifa Heftar should never justify retaliating against Nasser al-Hawari for exposing human rights violations committed by forces under Khalifa Heftar’s command.”

    Nasser al-Hawari’s younger brother, who was with him at the time, was also arrested, briefly blindfolded and handcuffed in a van before being released and threatened with arrest if he reported his brother’s arrest. Security forces also confiscated his mobile phone.

    Since then, the family’s attempts to get information about Nasser al-Hawari’s whereabouts from the authorities have gone unanswered. Amnesty International reviewed copies of complaints sent by the family to Public Prosecution on 10 February to inquire about al-Hawari’s whereabouts. The family have yet to receive a response.

    Nasser al-Hawari, who established and headed the Libyan organization, Victims for Human Rights, fled Libya for Tunisia in January 2024, and reported being briefly detained by the Deterrence Apparatus for Combatting Terrorism and Organized Crime (DACTO) militia in Tripoli on 29 January 2024. He travelled to Egypt in June 2024.

    After videos appeared online in January 2025 showing detainees in Libya being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings and flogging, in Gernada prison, under the control LAAF, Nasser al-Hawari made a number of public statements and TV appearances highlighting impunity for such crimes in eastern Libya, and calling for independent and impartial investigations. Amnesty International has long documented crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations committed by LAAF and allied armed groups, amid a climate of impunity and a brutal crackdown on all forms of dissent.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sudan: RSF must stop attacks on famine-stricken Zamzam camp 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the famine-stricken Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons near North Darfur state capital El Fasher, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:  

    “Attacking and killing civilians seeking safety in a displaced persons camp and looting its market is unconscionable. The RSF and all other parties to the conflict must immediately end all attacks on civilians and stop using areas where civilians are present, including displaced persons camps, as battlefields. They must also immediately allow safe passage for civilians trying to escape the violence. 

    Attacking and killing civilians seeking safety in a displaced persons camp and looting its market is unconscionable.

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

    “The attacks on Zamzam camp, amid the RSF’s continued siege of El Fasher, underscores the urgent need for real international pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop targeting civilians. Real pressure means instituting and enforcing a UN arms embargo across all of Sudan to stem the flow of weapons to all parties, and holding individuals responsible for crimes under international law accountable. The Sudan conflict has been ignored enough.”  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Encryption order threatens global privacy rights 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The United Kingdom government’s order to Apple to allow security authorities access to encrypted cloud data severely harms the privacy rights of users in the UK and worldwide, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. 

    The UK government order attempts to force Apple to provide security authorities access to encrypted user data, including device backups that can include contact lists, as well as location and messaging history, for any Apple user worldwide. The secret order, which The Washington Post reported on last week, was issued in January 2025 by the Home Office, the UK’s interior ministry. It concerns Advanced Data Protection, an iPhone function that uses end-to-end encryption on data stored in the cloud, ensuring that only the user of the account can access the data stored.    

    If these reports are true, this is an alarming overreach by the UK authorities seeking to access the private data of not only people in the UK, but anyone worldwide with an Apple account. 

    Zach Campbell, senior surveillance researcher at Human Rights Watch

    “If these reports are true, this is an alarming overreach by the UK authorities seeking to access the private data of not only people in the UK, but anyone worldwide with an Apple account,” said Zach Campbell, senior surveillance researcher at Human Rights Watch. “People rely on secure and confidential communications to exercise their rights. Access to device backups is access to your entire phone, and strong encryption to prevent this access should be the norm by default.” 

    The UK government’s reported order requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted user data is disproportionate by design, as it would weaken data protections for all users, not just those suspected of a crime or under investigation. Compliance with the order by Apple would harm privacy rights of users worldwide. 

    News reports said that the UK government ordered Apple to build a back door into its products under the Investigatory Powers Act, a 2016 surveillance law that includes provisions allowing the government to order companies to remove “electronic protection” of user data. The law also prohibits the recipients of these orders, in this case Apple, from acknowledging or commenting on them. The new UK order reportedly “requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material” for Apple users worldwide, including users with no apparent connection to the UK. 

    Encryption is a crucial enabler of human rights online and offline. Human rights defenders, journalists, and everyone else rely on the security and privacy of their devices to protect them not only from unlawful government spying, but also from cybercrime and other attacks from non-state actors. Weakening encryption, or mandating back doors, leaves all users more vulnerable. Governments should support strong encryption, and companies should build it into their products and services by default. 

    In recent years there has been a steady drumbeat of revelations about government spying relying on surveillance tools like spyware and digital forensic tools but also taking advantage of overly permissive legal regimes that allow states to access huge troves of personal data from private companies. 

    “States have more and more powerful legal and technical tools at their disposal, and research shows that they are using them to target people for protesting, speaking out, or even just because of what they represent. 

    Joshua Franco, senior research adviser at Amnesty Tech.

    These tools are often used in combination. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both highlighted the steep human rights costs of such surveillance: State surveillance threatens the work of human rights defenders and journalists, puts marginalized groups including women and LGBT activists at particular risk, and creates a society-wide  chilling effect, undermining the rights of everyone to express themselves and protest peacefully. These tools exploit weaknesses in device encryption and security, and their use is enabled by an under-regulated trade in spyware and other surveillance tools at a global scale, and by the unwillingness of states to regulate their own surveillance practices, too often leaning on “national security” as a blanket excuse  for unfettered snooping. 

    In part due to such revelations, some companies, including Apple, have added new security features to help protect users, including those who may be at particular risk. These include Lockdown Mode, a feature that provides extra protection from spyware and targeted hacking to mobile devices, as well as Advanced Data Protection, the subject of the UK government’s reported order.  

    Forcing companies to roll back or undermine such features would put users worldwide, including journalists, human rights defenders, and other critical voices at increased risk. 

    The United Kingdom is a party to several international and regional treaties enshrining the right to privacy and data protection rights. The vital role of encryption as an enabler of privacy and human rights has been widely recognized including by United Nations bodies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights experts. The UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, in several resolutions, have called upon states to refrain from interfering with encryption technologies. UN resolutions also encourage technology companies to secure and protect the confidentiality of digital communications and transactions, including measures for encryption, pseudonymization and anonymity. 

    A 2015 report by the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression specifically urged governments to avoid all measures that weaken security for individuals online, such as mandated back doors. Requiring technology companies to build vulnerabilities into secured products unavoidably and disproportionately undermines the security for all users of that product. 

    Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been critical of the Investigatory Powers Act since its inception. In written evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill in 2016, Human Rights Watch recommended that the UK should refrain from undermining encryption and digital security. It specifically said that the legislation should be amended to ensure that authorities are prohibited from imposing obligations on internet service providers to weaken security measures or design their systems to incorporate measures for exceptional access into encryption by UK authorities. 

    “States have more and more powerful legal and technical tools at their disposal, and research shows that they are using them to target people for protesting, speaking out, or even just because of what they represent,” said Joshua Franco, senior research adviser at Amnesty Tech. “Strong encryption is one of the few protections we have against such attacks, and states should be encouraging companies to provide greater protections of our data and our rights, not seeking back doors that will leave people around the world at risk.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Microplastics in your body: From your heart to your brain, and even your future kids

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Close up of microplastics found on beach. © The 5 Gyres Institute

    Science is only beginning to understand the long-term effects of plastic on human health, yet the evidence so far is alarming. Microplastics—tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size—have been found everywhere, from the deepest oceans to the food we eat to the air we breathe. More concerningly, they’re now inside our bodies.

    Microplastics in human bodies:

    1. HEART:
    A study in Environmental Science and Technology found microplastics in the hearts of patients undergoing cardiac surgery—the first confirmed presence of these particles in human heart tissue.

    2. BRAIN:
    Research shows a rising trend of micro- and nanoplastics in brain tissue, with postmortem studies from 1997 to 2024 detecting their accumulation.

    3. LUNGS:
    Microplastics have been discovered deep in the lungs of living people. The most common particles were polypropylene (used in packaging and pipes) and PET (found in bottles).

    4. BLOOD:
    Scientists have detected microplastics in human blood, with nearly 80% of tested individuals carrying these particles. This shows that microplastics can travel through the bloodstream and potentially lodge in organs.

    5. SEMEN:
    Studies in China and Italy have found microplastics in human semen, raising concerns about potential reproductive harm.

    6. PLACENTA & BREASTMILK:
    Microplastics have been detected in the placentas of unborn babies and in breastmilk, suggesting exposure begins at the earliest stages of human development.

    Plastics contain over 16,000 chemicals, many untested and potentially toxic to human health. At least 4,200 of these are highly hazardous to both people and the planet. With microplastics already invading our bodies, we are constantly exposed to the threats of these harmful substances.

    This is a global crisis, and it needs a global solution. We must push for a strong Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production and enables a just transition to reuse and refill systems. Protect the health of future generations. Sign the petition now.

    ###

    STRONG PLASTICS TREATY NOW!

    Help build a safer, plastic-free future

    SIGN THE PETITION

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oxfam echoes call to end “oligarchic rule” at Vatican tax justice summit

    Source: Oxfam –

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Touré, and economists Joseph Stiglitz, Jayati Ghosh and Gabriel Zucman today delivered a powerful and unequivocal message at the Vatican: the global oligarchy must be challenged through fair taxation of the super-rich. In response, Oxfam International’s Tax Lead, Susana Ruiz, said:

    “The wealth of the super-rich is exploding at a terrifying pace, driving inequality to extremes that threaten democracy, justice, and the survival of life on Earth. We are watching, in real-time, as the super-rich tighten their grip on power and hold entire societies hostage to their greed.

    “2025 is not just another year —it is a last-ditch opportunity to stop runaway inequality. With South Africa chairing the G20, Brazil hosting COP30, and Spain driving the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the world has a rare, historic chance to shatter the grip of billionaire power.

    “This is a battle against extreme inequality. Either we allow the super-rich to continue hoarding wealth and power and writing rules to serve themselves, or we fight back by taxing them, breaking their stronghold on power, and dismantling their monopolies to reclaim our societies from the forces of oligarchic rule.”
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Poland: Decision to retry activist prosecuted for aiding an abortion should be shown ‘compassion’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Justyna Wydrzyńska on trial for supporting a victim of domestic violence

    Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe

    ‘Justyna should have never been put on trial in the first place because what she did should never be a crime’ – Esther Major

    Following today’s Court of Appeal’s decision to refer the case of activist Justyna Wydrzyńska, for helping a pregnant woman to access abortion pills back to a lower instance court, Esther Major, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research in Europe, said:  

    “Today’s findings that the composition of the judges in the first instance court meant that Justyna Wydrzyńska did not have a fair trial gives the Prosecutor’s office the opportunity to withdraw the charges against her. 

    “Justyna should have never been put on trial in the first place because what she did should never be a crime. By supporting a woman who asked for help, Justyna showed compassion. By defending the right to safe abortion in Poland, Justyna showed courage. The Prosecutor’s office should now show the same.”   

    Helping a woman in need

    In 2020 Justyna Wydrzyńska – a doula and one of the founders of the civil society organisation Abortion Dream Team – helped a pregnant woman who said she had been suffering from domestic violence to access abortion pills. 

    On 22 November 2021, she was charged with “helping with an abortion” and “possession of medicines without authorisation for the purpose of introducing them into the market”.

    In March 2023, she was convicted of abetting an abortion and was sentenced to eight months of community service. 

    The court found today that Justyna didn’t have a fair trial as the judge in first court instance was not independently appointed.  

    Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Abortion is only legal when the health or the life of the pregnant person is at risk or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Performing your own abortion or possession of abortion pills for a self-managed abortion is not a crime under Polish law, but any person or doctor who helps pregnant people with an abortion outside the two permitted grounds in the law may face up to three years in prison. 

    Take action here https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/JusticeforJustyna

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Uganda: Authorities must respect court decision and immediately free Kizza Besigye and others

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to news that Ugandan opposition politician and former presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party, Kizza Besigye, has gone on hunger strike and his health is deteriorating, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:

    “Ugandan authorities must immediately respect the Supreme Court order, uphold the rule of law and stop trying civilians in military courts. The continued arbitrary detention of Kizza Besigye, FDC member Haji Obeid Lutale and their lawyer Eron Kiiza is an infringement on their rights to personal liberty under Uganda’s Constitution and international human rights law. The trio’s detention has no legal basis. This travesty of justice must stop.

    Ugandan authorities must immediately respect the Supreme Court order, uphold the rule of law and stop trying civilians in military courts. The continued arbitrary detention of Kizza Besigye, FDC member Haji Obeid Lutale and their lawyer Eron Kiiza is an infringement on their rights to personal liberty under Uganda’s Constitution and international human rights law.

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for ESARO

    The Supreme Court ordered that “all charges or ongoing criminal trials, or pending trials, before the courts martial involving civilians must immediately cease and be transferred to the ordinary courts of law with complete jurisdiction.” 

    This travesty of justice must stop.

    Tigere Chagutah

    “Amnesty International demands the immediate release of Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale due to the nature of their abduction and rendition, which clearly violated international human rights law and the process of extradition with its fair trial protections.

    “Prison authorities must also release lawyer, Eron Kiiza, who the General Court Martial convicted of “contempt of court” and sentenced to nine months imprisonment without a fair trial. The authorities must stop targeting lawyers simply for doing their job.”

    Background

    On 16 November, Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale were abducted from Nairobi. They resurfaced on 20 November when they were arraigned in General Court Martial in Kampala, Uganda and charged with offences relating to security and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. They were remanded at Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Kampala, Uganda, where they are still detained even after the 31 January 2025 Supreme Court ruling that trying civilians in military courts is unconstitutional. On 5 February 2025, lawyers of Kizza Besigye filed a petition in the High Court in Kampala to have him and Obeid Lutale produced before that court. On 7 February 2025, lawyers for Eron Kiiza, made a similar application for their client in the same court.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK/China: ‘Red lines, not red carpet’ needed as Lammy hosts top China diplomat in London

    Source: Amnesty International –

    ‘This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns’ – Felix Jakens

    Ahead of the highly anticipated visit from China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is due to visit Britain  today (Thursday 13 February) to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy in what is being seen as a sign that relations between the countries are ‘normalising’, Felix Jakens, Amnesty’s UK Head of Campaigns, said:

    “With the prospect of resuming a strategic dialogue with China for the first time since 2018, the pursuit of trade must not inhibit frank conversations on human rights, which must be central to any diplomatic engagement.

    “Talk of normalising relations with China, risks a defacto endorsement of the wholly abnormal industrial-scale abuse of human rights Beijing is overseeing across China, Hong Kong and beyond. 

    “David Lammy should be drawing serious red lines, rather than rolling out the red carpet when Wang Yi visits this week. 

    “We need to hear a public and strong condemnation of the brutal suppression of human rights activists, which is not only limited to mainland China or Hong Kong but has also spread to the UK through the transnational targeting of students and activists who speak out here. Hong Kong’s recent issuing of ‘Wild West’-style bounties on activists’ heads in the UK indicates the authorities believe they can intimidate and silence their critics overseas with impunity. It is completely unacceptable to see this sort of international witch hunt on UK soil and the most high-level visit in years must be a time to publicly vocalise UK Government outrage.

    “The Foreign Secretary also needs to forcefully challenge the Chinese government over its systematic, industrial-scale repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, including subjecting people to forced labour. 

    “Mr Lammy must also demand the immediate release of Hong Kong and Chinese prisoners of conscience, including British national Jimmy Lai, human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, as well as long-held Uighur economist Ilham Tohti.

    “This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns.”

    Long arm of Chinese state repression  

     The Chinese authorities routinely target peaceful critics via pervasive online censorship, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and religious leaders and practitioners have been among those subjected to systematic persecution. The widespread repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet has continued despite significant international criticism. 

    In Hong Kong, journalists, broadcasters and book publishers have been among those prosecuted and imprisoned under the territory’s notorious National Security Law and other repressive legislation, while civil society organisations both in Hong Kong and abroad have faced criminal charges or harassment for their legitimate activities. The long arm of Chinese state repression has meant that Chinese and Hong Kong communities in the UK, other parts of Europe and North America have all suffered various kinds of threats and intimidation, part of a sinister pattern of “transnational repression”. 

    On 24 December, Hong Kong police announced a third round of HK$1million (about £105,000) bounties for information that would lead to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas whom they accused of national security crimes. To date, 19 Hong Kong overseas activists have been targeted, most of whom live in the UK.   

    MIL OSI NGO –