NewzIntel.com

Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: Authorities ‘must immediately reveal’ whereabouts of woman unjustly convicted for social media posts about women’s rights

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Fitness instructor, Manahel al-Otaibi’s was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January 2024

    Manahel’s family have not heard from her in last two months and fear for her safety

    ‘She told us about the torture, sexual harassment, months of solitary confinement, mistreatment, and medical neglect she has faced and that these abuses have mostly happened during periods when she is completely cut off from the outside world’ – Manahel’s sister

    ‘Saudi authorities claim they have made progress on women’s rights but have continued to arbitrarily detain women like Manahel al-Otaibi simply for posting about women’s rights’ – Bissan Fakih

    Saudi Arabia’s authorities must immediately reveal the fate and whereabouts of Manahel al-Otaibi, a 30-year-old woman serving an 11-year prison sentence for promoting women’s rights, who has now been forcibly disappeared for nearly two months, Amnesty International said today.

    Manahel al-Otaibi’s last phone call to her family was on 15 December 2024. Since then, her family’s repeated attempts to contact prison authorities and the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission requesting information about her have gone unanswered. The authorities’ refusal to disclose Manahel al-Otaibi’s whereabouts amounts to enforced disappearance, a crime under international law.

    Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigner, said:

    “Fears for Manahel’s safety have grown rapidly over the past two months. The Saudi authorities must immediately reveal Manahel al-Otaibi’s whereabouts, grant her unrestricted access to her family, and quash her unjust conviction.

    “Saudi authorities claim they have made progress on women’s rights but have continued to arbitrarily detain women like Manahel al-Otaibi simply for posting about women’s rights and wearing what they choose. This hypocrisy is astounding – not only from the Saudi government, but also from public figures and the international community promoting the kingdom’s reform narrative while ignoring the women who are behind bars simply for daring to speak out for their rights.

    “Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Manahel al-Otaibi and all those arbitrarily detained and unjustly convicted solely for exercising their human rights. Pending Manahel al-Otaibi’s release, the authorities must reveal her whereabouts, ensure her safety, well-being and access to adequate healthcare.”

    Sentenced to prison in a secret hearing

    Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a secret hearing before Saudi Arabia’s notorious counter-terrorism court, the Specialised Criminal Court, on 9 January 2024. Her charges relate to calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system on social media, publishing videos of herself wearing “indecent clothes”, and “going to the shops without wearing an abaya” (a traditional dress).  

    Manahel al-Otaibi previously forcibly disappeared for five months between 5 November 2023 and 14 April 2024. She was also held incommunicado for a period of one month in August 2024, during which period she was subject to torture and other ill-treatment. When she was finally able to contact her family again, they learned that she had been beaten by fellow prisoners and prison guards. She also told them she had been held in solitary confinement.  

    Manahel al-Otaibi was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological disorder which her family said developed after she witnessed the arrest of her older sister, Mariam al-Otaibi. Mariam, a prominent human rights defender and campaigner against the male guardianship system, was detained in 2017 for 104 days for her women’s rights activism and is currently subjected to a travel ban and restrictions on her speech. 

    Given the authorities’ previous ill-treatment of Manahel al-Otaibi, there are serious fears for her well-being and physical integrity. Her sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, said:

    “My family is living through a true nightmare, we are terrified about what is happening to Manahel. She told us about the torture, sexual harassment, months of solitary confinement, mistreatment, and medical neglect she has faced and that these abuses have mostly happened during periods when she is completely cut off from the outside world. Every time we lose contact with Manahel, our entire family goes into a state of panic, fearing for her safety. We frantically reach out to everyone we can begging for intervention and help but unfortunately, no government entity inside the country pays us any attention.

    “Mariam’s arrest terrorised our entire family. We lived in constant fear, watching as government-affiliated accounts on Twitter ran smear campaigns against us, labelling us as traitors. Manahel was bedridden, her health deteriorating rapidly. Since her imprisonment, her illness has worsened far more than before due to continuous medical neglect and torture.”

    Fawzia al-Otaibi faces similar charges to her sister Manahel but fled Saudi Arabia fearing arrest after being summoned for questioning in 2022. 

    Amnesty has documented how the Saudi authorities have intensified their crackdown on freedom of expression over the past few years with Saudi courts convicting and handing down lengthy prison terms to dozens of individuals for expressing themselves on social media. These include:

    • Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, sentenced to 20 years in prison for satirical tweets
    • Mohammed al-Ghamdi, previously given the death penalty but now serving 30 years in prison for tweets critical of the authorities
    • Nourah al-Qahtani, a women’s rights activist who was sentenced to 45 years in prison

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Uganda: Authorities must immediately free trio detained under ‘no legal basis’ and in violation of human rights law

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Kizza Besigye, Haji Obeid Lutale and Eron Kiiza’s detention is a violation of international human rights law

    Serious concerns over the deterioration of former presidential candidate’s Kizza Besigye’s health

    ‘The trio’s detention has no legal basis. This travesty of justice must stop’ – Tigere Chagutah

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

    “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’.

    “Amnesty 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.”

    Abductions from Nairobi

    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: African Union: Incoming leadership must prioritize and stand up for human rights

    Source: Amnesty International –

    As African heads of state and government prepare to elect and appoint the new leadership team of the African Union (AU), including a new chairperson, during the 38th African Union Summit on 15 and 16 February, Amnesty International is calling on the incoming chairperson and the AU to prioritize human rights.

    The summit comes amid the escalating conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan where fighting between the warring parties has intensified in recent weeks, leaving a trail of civilian casualties and hundreds of thousands of women, children and men in dire conditions. In other parts of the continent, long-running conflicts, including in the Sahel and Somalia, continue almost unabated.

    Amnesty International’s Africa Advocacy Coordinator, Japhet Biegon, said:

    The new chairperson will join the AU at a watershed moment, inheriting an in-tray full of deepening human rights crises across the continent

    Japhet Biegon, Africa Advocacy Director, Amnesty International

    “The next chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) must place human rights at the heart of the continental body, ensuring it responds boldly and decisively to protect civilians in armed conflicts and end states’ clampdown on government critics.

    “The new chairperson will join the AU at a watershed moment, inheriting an in-tray full of deepening human rights crises across the continent. The new chairperson will need to be swift and effective in their response, leveraging the full array of statutory powers at their disposal to exert pressure on parties to conflicts to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

    Amnesty International calls on the next chairperson to stand up for human rights from day one on the job. The chairperson must consistently raise human rights concerns, demand justice for victims, ensure the rule of law, and call out states that commit human rights violations.”

    Japhet Biegon

    Across the continent throughout 2024, Amnesty International recorded a pattern of systematic repression of human rights by states. Among other violations, there was a rampant clampdown on government critics and a brutal assault on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

    “Amnesty International calls on the next chairperson to stand up for human rights from day one on the job. The chairperson must consistently raise human rights concerns, demand justice for victims, ensure the rule of law, and call out states that commit human rights violations.”

    Background

    On 15 February, African heads of state and government will conduct elections for the top leadership of the African Union Commission (AUC), the secretariat of the African Union. The election will cover the positions of the chairperson and deputy chairperson. The candidates for the position of the chairperson are Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti, Raila Amolo Odinga of Kenya and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.  The successful candidate will serve for a four-year period.

    On Amnesty International in Africa podcast, we explore more on the track record of the continental body.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: London: Shell must clean up its ‘toxic mess’ in Niger Delta

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Day one of Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial

    Photos of protest outside Royal Court of Justice available via link below

    ‘Shell must take responsibility for the poisoning they have caused both directly and indirectly and commit to cleaning up their toxic mess’ – Peter Frankental

    Activists and speakers – including King Okabi of the Ogale community – today called for an end to Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta and compensation for the damage they have done on day one of the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial.

    Amnesty International UK, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), AFRICA: Seen & Heard and Justice 4 Nigeria marked the start of the trial with the stunt ‘Ecocide Babe’ by British-Nigerian artist-activist The Crude Madonna outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

    For 60 years Shell’s oil spills and leaks due to poorly maintained pipelines, wells and inadequate clean-up attempts that have ravaged the health and livelihoods of many of the 30 million people living in the Niger Delta – most of whom live in poverty.

    More than 13,500 Ogale and Bille residents in the Niger Delta have filed claims against Shell over the past decade demanding the company clean up oil spills that they say have wrecked their livelihoods and caused widespread devastation to the local environment. They can’t fish anymore because their water sources, including their wells for drinking water, are poisoned and the land is contaminated which has killed plant life, meaning communities can no longer farm.   

    Ahead of the start of the trial, a stunt supported by the organisations (listed above) by The Crude Madonna – representing Niger Delta womanhood and resistance – wore traditional Nigerian dress and gold-painted Shell-shaped medallions saying ‘hell’ and ‘oil’ coated with ‘crude oil’ and holding the Ecocide Babe Alera (which means ‘it is enough’ in the local Khana language) with crude oil congealed around the baby’s mouth.

    Created by artists The Crude Madonna and THE DnA FACTORY MRSS, the Ecocide Babe symbolises the devastating effect of Shell’s oil pollution on fertility, pregnancy and infant health in the region as well as its overall impact on communities and the environment.

    Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s Business and Human Rights Director, said:

    “This vividly powerful performance highlights the devastation that people across the Niger Delta have suffered for so long. Shell must take responsibility for the poisoning they have caused both directly and indirectly and commit to cleaning up their toxic mess before they leave the region.

    “Shell must not be allowed to leave without making sure the Niger Delta’s land and water are 100 percent clean of their petrochemical poison. It is vital that the affected communities are properly compensated and that they are fully involved in the legal process and their demands are reflected in the final ruling.”

    A protest also took place in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta as the trial began.

    Shell plc is domiciled in London and should be legally responsible for the environmental failures of its subsidiary company, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. 

    Please see photos in link: https://marieanne.smugmug.com/Niger-Delta-communities-vs-Shell All photos credit M-A Ventoura/Amnesty International UK

    Image 1: Lazarus Tamana of MOSOP and The Crude Madonna protest Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta outside the Royal Courts of Justice at the start the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial. Credit M-A Ventoura/Amnesty International UK

    Images 2-4: Activists protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice at the start of the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial. Credit M-A Ventoura/Amnesty International UK

    Image 5: The Crude Madonna holding the Ecocide Babe with crude oil congealed around the baby’s mouth – Niger Delta communities take Shell to court for Shell’s devastating pollution of the region. Credit M-A Ventoura/Amnesty International UK

    Image 6: King Okpabi of the Ogale community outside the court calls for an end to Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta and compensation for the damage it has done. Credit: M-A Ventoura/Amnesty International UK

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Poland: Decision to retry activist prosecuted for aiding an abortion gives hope that charges against Justyna can be withdrawn   

    Source: Amnesty International –

    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

    “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”   

    For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact or esty.org [email protected] and @amnestypress on Twitter. In Poland, please contact [email protected]  

    Background 

    In 2020 Justyna Wydrzyńska – a doula and one of the founders of the Abortion Dream Team – supported 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 for abetting an abortion and was sentenced to 8 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.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: Woman unjustly convicted for social media posts about women’s rights forcibly disappeared

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Saudi Arabia’s authorities must immediately reveal the fate and whereabouts of Manahel al-Otaibi, a 30-year-old woman serving an 11-year prison sentence for promoting women’s rights, who has now been forcibly disappeared for nearly two months, Amnesty International said today.

    Manahel al-Otaibi’s last phone call to her family was on 15 December 2024. Since then, her family’s repeated attempts to contact prison authorities and the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission, requesting information about her, have gone unanswered. The authorities’ refusal to disclose Manahel al-Otaibi’s whereabouts amounts to enforced disappearance, a crime under international law.

    “Fears for Manahel’s safety have grown rapidly over the past two months. The Saudi authorities must immediately reveal Manahel al-Otaibi’s whereabouts, grant her unrestricted access to her family, and quash her unjust conviction,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigner.

    “Saudi authorities claim they have made progress on women’s rights but have continued to arbitrarily detain women like Manahel al-Otaibi simply for posting about women’s rights and wearing what they choose. This hypocrisy is astounding – not only from the Saudi government, but also from public figures and the international community promoting the kingdom’s reform narrative while ignoring the women who are behind bars simply for daring to speak out for their rights.” 

    Saudi authorities claim they have made progress on women’s rights but have continued to arbitrarily detain women like Manahel al-Otaibi simply for posting about women’s rights and wearing what they choose.

    Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International

    Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a secret hearing before Saudi Arabia’s notorious counter-terrorism court, the Specialized Criminal Court, on 9 January 2024. Her charges relate to calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system on social media, publishing videos of herself wearing “indecent clothes”, and “going to the shops without wearing an abaya” (a traditional dress).  

    Manahel al-Otaibi was previously forcibly disappeared for five months between 5 November 2023 and 14 April 2024. She was also held incommunicado for a period of one month in August 2024, during which period she was subject to torture and other ill-treatment. When she was finally able to contact her family again, they learned that she had been beaten by fellow prisoners and prison guards. She also told them she had been held in solitary confinement.  

    Given the authorities’ previous ill-treatment of Manahel al-Otaibi, there are serious fears for her well-being and physical integrity. Her sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, said: “My family is living through a true nightmare, we are terrified about what is happening to Manahel. She told us about the torture, sexual harassment, months of solitary confinement, mistreatment, and medical neglect she has faced and that these abuses have mostly happened during periods when she is completely cut off from the outside world. Every time we lose contact with Manahel, our entire family goes into a state of panic, fearing for her safety. We frantically reach out to everyone we can, begging for intervention and help, but unfortunately, no government entity inside the country pays us any attention.”

    Manahel al-Otaibi was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological disorder, which her family said developed after she witnessed the arrest of her older sister, Mariam al-Otaibi. Mariam al-Otaibi, a prominent human rights defender and campaigner against the male guardianship system, was detained in 2017 for 104 days for her women’s rights activism and is currently subjected to a travel ban and restrictions on her speech. 

    “Mariam’s arrest terrorized our entire family. We lived in constant fear, watching as government-affiliated accounts on Twitter ran smear campaigns against us, labelling us as traitors. Manahel was bedridden, her health deteriorating rapidly,” her sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, said.

    “Since her imprisonment, her illness has worsened far more than before due to continuous medical neglect and torture.”

    Fawzia al-Otaibi faces similar charges to her sister Manahel but fled Saudi Arabia fearing arrest after being summoned for questioning in 2022. 

    Amnesty International has documented how the Saudi authorities have intensified their crackdown on freedom of expression over the past few years, with Saudi courts convicting and handing down lengthy prison terms to dozens of individuals for expressing themselves on social media. These include:

    Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, sentenced to 20 years in prison for satirical tweets;

    Mohammed al-Ghamdi, previously given the death penalty but now serving 30 years in prison for tweets critical of the authorities;

    Nourah al-Qahtani, a women’s rights activist who was sentenced to 45 years in prison;

    “Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Manahel al-Otaibi and all those arbitrarily detained and unjustly convicted solely for exercising their human rights. Pending Manahel al-Otaibi’s release, the authorities must reveal their whereabouts, ensure her safety, well-being and access to adequate healthcare,” Bissan Fakih said.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Bangladesh: Critical UN report must spur accountability and justice

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the UN Fact-Finding report published yesterday which finds reasonable grounds to believe Bangladesh’s former Government and security apparatus systematically engaged in a range of serious human rights violations raising concerns as to crimes against humanity, Smriti Singh, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said:

    “This 105-page UN report lays bare the scale and severity of the human rights violations committed by the regime led by the ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina to repress anti-government protests in Bangladesh. It echoes and expands on the findings by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations from last year. While the report is an important attempt to address serious violations in the country, the UN should not stop its efforts here. Continued efforts for investigation and fact-finding by UN human rights mechanisms are critical to support accountability and justice for victims in Bangladesh.

    “The Interim Government must take seriously the UN recommendation to consider referring to the International Criminal Court all the incidents which took place between 1 July to 15 August in Bangladesh. The government must also implement other immediate and longer-term recommendations in the report including guarantees of fair trial and due process in ongoing investigations, security and justice sector reform and repeal of draconian laws that restrict civic space, among others.  However, to ensure lasting truth, justice, accountability, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence, the engagement with UN mechanisms and bodies must continue beyond this. Any failure to do so would be to turn our backs on the victims and survivors.”

    To ensure lasting truth, justice, accountability, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence, the engagement with UN mechanisms and bodies must continue beyond this. Any failure to do so would be to turn our backs on the victims and survivors.

    Smriti Singh, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International

    Background

    On 12 February, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published their report based on an independent fact-finding inquiry into alleged human rights violations and abuses that occurred during widespread protests in Bangladesh between 1 July and 15 August 2024.

    Last year, Amnesty International had documented the violence and repression in Bangladesh in response to the students-led quota-reform protests across the country. We published a video verification series documenting evidence of the unlawful use of both lethal and less-lethal force against student protesters.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Assistance needed for people leaving and staying in Goma DRC following weeks of violence

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Hundreds of thousands of displaced people sheltering in camps in and around the city of Goma, in Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, have been severely impacted by extreme violence over the past three weeks, and many are now leaving the camps, according to our Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams on the ground. As departures from the camps accelerate, MSF calls for the movement of people to be voluntary and for urgent humanitarian assistance to be provided wherever it is most needed.

    Since fighting subsided in Goma, and with M23/AFC (Alliance Fleuve Congo) now in control of parts of the region, many movements have been observed in the displaced persons camps and on the roads. Some camps are emptying at speed, with large numbers of people heading towards neighbouring areas, including towards their places of origin. MSF staff have also observed displaced people heading towards the city of Goma, while some displaced people from camps that have been destroyed are heading for the remaining camps west of Goma.

    “This week, some camps have been largely emptied in just a few hours,” says Thierry Allafort-Duverger, head of MSF’s emergency programmes in Goma. “People are leaving with what little they have. We don’t know in what conditions they will travel home or what they will find there. But it is crucial that these movements are voluntary and that the reception conditions in their areas of returns are safe.”

    Numerous internally displaced people in the Bulengo camp, located next to Goma, are leaving the camp, while others are staying. Democratic Republic of Congo, February 2025.
    Daniel Buuma

    Displaced people appear to be leaving the camps for a number of reasons. Many residents of the camps mention evacuation orders that were reportedly given by members of the M23, while others receive official messages to the contrary. Others express a desire to leave after years surviving in desperate conditions. Some people, however, are choosing to stay on in the camps, unsure of security conditions and what they may find at home.

    “The messages remain confused and unclear, but what is certain is that the population is very worried, oscillating between rumours and reality,” says Allafort. “Families are extremely vulnerable. Humanitarian aid is more than necessary, both for those who are leaving and those who are staying. Unfortunately, we are seeing that a number of NGOs have been unable to resume their activities or have suspended their services, dismantling their structures in the camps.”

    People’s vulnerability and need for assistance is illustrated by the fact that, in recent days, MSF teams have witnessed some people dismantling humanitarian facilities and taking with them anything that could potentially be of use: chairs, metal sheeting, tarpaulins, ropes and so on. Other people, however, have tried to protect MSF structures from looting.

    “This happened in several places where MSF was working, such as Lushagala, where an MSF clinic and a cholera treatment centre disappeared in the space of a few hours on Monday,” says Allafort.

    For people leaving the camps, MSF is particularly concerned about the level of access to health services when they get to their places of return. After several years of war, many health facilities have been looted or abandoned and will be unable to provide adequate medical care to those who need it, either now or in the longer term.

    For the past three years, living conditions in the camps around Goma have been desperate, even scandalous. But the situation in people’s places of return is likely to be equally disastrous if NGOs, UN agencies and authorities fail to provide the minimum level of essential services. Humanitarian organisations must be guaranteed access to all places of return, says MSF, and returnees must be able to access essential health services, including support for survivors of sexual violence. Failure to provide these services risks exacerbating people’s health needs.

    To ensure a minimum level of healthcare for displaced people in areas of return, MSF has set up mobile clinics on roads leading out of Goma to the east and the north. We are also carrying out assessments in the areas to which people are returning.

    Even as the situation in and around Goma is evolving rapidly, MSF teams continue to provide vital assistance to people still living in the camps. This includes providing medical care, malnutrition treatment, cholera treatment and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF is also distributing clean water and food and reinforcing sanitation in the camps. Meanwhile our medical teams in Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals in Goma are caring for people wounded in the violence.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Kazakhstan: Authorities must drop politically motivated charges against satirical blogger  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Ahead of the start of the trial in Kazakhstan of Temirlan Ensebek, a blogger who has been charged with “inciting interethnic discord” and faces up to seven years in jail for a year-old post on his Instagram page, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:  

    “This is not the first time that the Kazakh authorities have targeted Temirlan Ensebek for his free expression. 

    This politically motivated prosecution is part of a wider crackdown on civil society

    “This politically motivated prosecution, which relies on a vague and overly broad definition of ‘incitement’ within Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, is part of a wider crackdown on civil society.  

    “Free expression is not a crime and the authorities must end their misuse of the criminal justice system and the charge of ‘discord’ to suppress dissent and silence critical voices. These baseless charges must be dropped and Temirlan Ensebek should be immediately released from detention.” 

    Background  

    Temirlan Ensebek, manages the satirical Instagram account Qaznews24. He was arrested on 17 January and remanded in pretrial detention for two months. 

    He has been charged under article 174 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code on vague charges of “inciting interethnic discord”. 

    Ensebek’s post on the Qaznews24 Instagram account featured a Russian TV presenter, with a song conveying hostile feelings against Russians.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Myanmar: Recklessly abrupt US aid stoppage poses existential threat to human rights

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The United States government’s abrupt and sweeping freeze on foreign aid is severely imperiling the human rights of refugees, civilians in armed conflict areas and individuals fleeing persecution in Myanmar, Amnesty International said today.

    The organization warned that lives could be lost unless the decision is urgently reversed, amended or if waivers for life-saving assistance are not immediately granted and swiftly implemented for those working on the ground.

    “The Trump administration’s cruel decision to issue immediate stop work orders on foreign aid is having an instant and devastating impact across the globe, and in Myanmar it is hitting people at a particularly dark hour,” said Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman.

    “The decision has abruptly shut down hospitals in refugee camps, put fleeing human rights defenders at risk of deportation and imperiled programs helping people prevent atrocities, survive in conflict zones and rebuild their lives amid ongoing waves of violence.”

    On 20 January, US President Donald Trump signed a presidential executive order pausing all foreign aid amid a 90-day review of whether it is consistent with American foreign policy. On 24 January, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stop work order to those delivering assistance worldwide as part of the review, but carved out exemptions to the pause for emergency food assistance, as well as military aid to Israel and Egypt.

    An additional waiver dated 28 January exempted “life-saving humanitarian assistance” from the stoppage, while follow-up clarifications in the first week of February broadened the exemptions for specific activities. However, based on Amnesty’s latest research, implementation of these waivers has yet to trickle down to many organizations working along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

    “The US government’s shocking move has had immediate global impacts whose real-life consequences are still being felt and understood. Our findings from Myanmar and Thailand provide just one example of the damage wrought by this heartless decision,” Joe Freeman said.

    In Myanmar, the funding pause has further devastated a civilian population already enduring escalating armed conflict, widespread displacement and severe human rights violations by a military that seized power in a coup more than four years ago. It has also sowed chaos, desperation and anguish among tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand.

    The US is effectively giving the rights-abusing Myanmar military an invaluable gift in their crackdown on freedom of expression

    To date, US funding has helped many endure the upheaval by supporting emergency shelter or relocation for activists, delivering food aid, helping create early-warning systems for air strikes, delivering medical treatment in war zones and providing education opportunities to those who have lost all hope of a future.

    From 3-10 February, Amnesty International spoke to 12 Myanmar refugees living in camps along the border in Thailand, along with representatives from 14 organizations with Myanmar-focused activities. They include health workers, human rights researchers and NGOs providing cross-border assistance as well as media and education providers. All warned of severe consequences if the decision was not reversed or amended. Not one had received a communication or confirmation of a waiver from the US government to continue operations.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Uncertainty around PEPFAR programme puts millions of people at risk

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • MSF is witnessing the impacts of the US government’s decision to freeze funding to PEPFAR in countries where we work.
    • While clarification on the decision was issued on 6 February, we remain concerned that key areas of HIV prevention are not included in this additional guidance.
    • We urge the US government to immediately resume all funding of critical humanitarian and health aid, including the full range of PEPFAR operations.

    New York/Johannesburg/Brussels — The decision by the United States (US) government to temporarily freeze funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) alongside all other foreign aid for at least a 90-day period has had immediate effects on people living with HIV, said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today. Although the US has since clarified that certain treatment programmes can continue at least until April, we are concerned that critical elements of the PEPFAR programme remain frozen.

    “More than three weeks since the US government froze PEPFAR funding, there is still widespread confusion and uncertainty as to whether this critical lifeline for millions of people has been cut off,” says Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA. “Despite a limited waiver covering some activities, what our teams are seeing in many of the countries where we work is that people have already lost access to lifesaving care and have no idea whether or when their treatment will continue.”

    “MSF is calling on the US government to immediately resume funding for the full range of PEPFAR operations as well as other critical health and humanitarian aid,” says Benoît.

    On 1 February, after over a week of chaos and a freeze of activities, the US government issued a limited waiver allowing for the resumption of some programming with specific guidance for HIV. However, that guidance was unclear, and it did not immediately reach PEPFAR country teams. Across our broad network, MSF did not see a single organisation able to resume work as a result of this limited guidance on waivers. On 6 February, the US government issued clarified guidance on HIV care and treatment and prevention of mother to child transmission programmes.

    However, we remain concerned that key areas of HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support are not included in this additional guidance, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for all vulnerable groups, including LGBTQ+ people and sex workers, specific interventions for adolescent girls and young women in high prevalence countries, and community-led monitoring programmes. These services are essential to ensuring a successful response to the epidemic.

    While MSF does not accept US government funding and will not be directly affected by cuts or freezes to PEPFAR, many of our activities are contingent on the programmes that have been interrupted. In some places we have had to adapt and change our activities, and the indirect effects of these freezes have already been felt in our projects in various parts of the world.

    In sub-Saharan Africa, where MSF runs several HIV/AIDS and related health programmes, we are already witnessing impacts on patients. In South Africa, many clinics providing HIV services, including testing, treatment, and PrEP through PEPFAR-funded organisations have been shuttered, leaving people confused and distressed about where to access their critical medication.

    In Mozambique, a major partner organisation of MSF that provided comprehensive HIV services had to stop activities completely. In Zimbabwe, most organisations providing HIV services have also stopped work, disrupting in particular the DREAMS program aimed at decreasing new HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women.

    “Any interruption to HIV services and treatment is deeply distressing to people in care and an emergency when it comes to HIV treatment,” says Tom Ellman, director of the South Africa Medical Unit at MSF Southern Africa. “HIV medicines must be taken daily or people run the risk of developing resistance or deadly health complications.”

    In Democratic Republic of Congo, the aid freeze was already affecting the most successful model of antiretroviral drug distribution ever implemented in the capital city of Kinshasa: the community-run free distribution and peer support points, known locally as “PODIs”. In a country where stigma against people living with HIV is massive and poverty remains a barrier to care, PODIs have proven to be a medically necessary approach for addressing delays or therapy abandonment. With PEPFAR-supported points of care now closed and other activities frozen, thousands of people were left without support and with a high risk of developing advanced HIV. MSF teams supporting advanced HIV disease care in Kinshasa might not be able to meet the increased demand if disruptions persist.

    In South Sudan, approximately 51 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, and 47 percent are on treatment. A discontinuation of this programme will have devastating effects on thousands of people and their communities. MSF has worked alongside PEPFAR providing essential HIV care in this context and has seen firsthand how this programme saves lives. The support of PEPFAR in this country is critical.

    PEPFAR-supported programming is deeply interconnected with and reliant on other components of the US foreign aid system, specifically implementation support provided by USAID and technical and other assistance provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given that the foreign aid freeze and stop-work orders continue to affect these other agencies, and staff from these agencies have been put on immediate leave or recalled, it is unclear when and how even the limited activities now allowed will be able to restart.

    “These disruptions will cost lives and upend years of progress against this virus,” says Benoît. “Every day that passes is an emergency for millions of people for whom PEPFAR is a lifeline.”

    PEPFAR-supported programming has been heavily integrated into key aspects of the broader health systems of partner countries over the last 20 plus years and as a result the consequences of these disruptions have been far-reaching. For this reason, some of the services affected go beyond purely HIV treatment and prevention, such as in Uganda, where PEPFAR-funded aspects of infectious disease surveillance and response, including for Ebola virus, have been stopped.

    “When MSF first started treating people with HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 years ago, there were no antiretroviral medicines on the shelves, every diagnosis felt like a death sentence, and communities were desperately trying to curb the virus’ spread,” says Ellman.

    Since then, PEPFAR support has helped save more than 25 million lives and encouraged the fight against HIV to be a truly global one. But continued success relies on continued access to the full range of HIV-related programmes, services, and goods including prevention services and treatment, population-specific and targeted programmes, programmes related to gender-based violence, and other critical areas.

    As health care providers, we are deeply concerned by these disruptions to this lifesaving programme.

    “Even temporary interruptions to key components of PEPFAR will harm people at risk of acquiring HIV and people living with HIV,” says Benoît. “We urge the US government to immediately resume all funding of critical humanitarian and health aid, including the full range of PEPFAR operations.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Loving The Earth Through Food: Eco-friendly Lifestyle Recipes

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    The Earth gives us fresh and healthy food that keeps us strong. Consequently, when we take care of our planet, we help keep the environment balanced and protect our natural food supply.

    Choosing local fruits and vegetables instead of imported ones, eating organic food, or even growing your own herbs and veggies are simple ways to help the planet. These choices can fight climate change, keep forests and water clean, and make us healthier and happier.

    The way we eat connects us to nature, and it all starts in our own kitchens! Here’s an easy guide to help you begin your healthy and eco-friendly journey. Check out our cookbook (originally published by Greenpeace Indonesia) featuring “green” recipes you can do at home.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Two Oxfam workers killed in robbery in South Sudan

    Source: Oxfam –

    Two members of Oxfam staff were killed in an armed robbery yesterday in the town of Motot in Jonglei State, South Sudan. 

    Gatdet Nhial Jock and Manyal Gatjek Kueth were members of a local community working as security guards, at an Oxfam food distribution location, when they were attacked. Both men sadly died from gunshot wounds. Oxfam paid tribute to the workers and strongly condemned the attack. 

    Felix Koske, Oxfam’s acting Country Director in South Sudan, said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of two valued colleagues and our thoughts are with their families at this most difficult time.” 

    “It is vital that aid workers and communities are able to ensure life-saving supplies reach those in need, without any threat to their own lives, and we strongly condemn this horrific attack.” 
     

    The members of staff were working as security guards at a drop off zone for World Food Program distributions, managed by Oxfam.

    Oxfam has been working in South Sudan for over 30 years and works alongside local partners to provide life-saving food, cash, clean water and sanitation supplies.  
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Fossil fuel anti-protest bills in Montana, Virginia, and Illinois threaten free speech and climate advocacy

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

    Already this year, lawmakers in Montana, Virginia, and Illinois have introduced bills that would hand corporations and prosecutors new tools to suppress climate activism. 

    Although proponents frame these bills as public safety measures, there is no evidence that they improve energy reliability or make communities safer. To the contrary, they contain intentionally broad provisions that would make climate advocates, environmental defenders, and landowners vulnerable to felony prosecution for infractions that are historically linked to protest. 

    In light of Big Oil’s death drive to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels (now with the federal government’s total support), policies that take aim at our right to protest make all of us less safe by undermining the urgent action that is needed to preserve a livable future.

    Twenty-three states already have some form of these laws in place.1 Certain components of them pose an obvious threat to climate protest (for example, boosting penalties for simple trespass near fossil fuel infrastructure), but no less dangerous are vague provisions that target “impeding” fossil fuel infrastructure or “causing damages.”

    Under some laws, it is unclear whether these provisions could be used to impose draconian penalties upon individuals engaged in peaceful sit-ins or symbolic protest actions such as painting a slogan on a pipeline without damaging its functionality. In recent years, oil and gas companies have sought large monetary damages from activists for alleged costs associated with project delays.2 Moreover, fossil fuel spokespeople and their allies in government routinely frame acts of civil disobedience as violent attacks deserving of deterrence and aggressive retaliation.

    Laws with intentionally broad language allow authorities to hang the threat of prosecution over activists’ heads, even if the most extreme charges are not pursued or eventually dropped. Further, they can force individuals and organizations into costly legal battles.

    A closer look at the new crop of anti-protest bills below:

    • Montana HB 257 would build on the state’s existing anti-protest law by removing the condition that sites classified as “critical infrastructure” be enclosed by a fence or identified by signage. The bill drew support from business groups representing ExxonMobil, Continental Resources, the American Chemistry Council, and other members in a January 27 committee hearing.
    • Virginia HB 2215 would make “damaging” certain facilities and equipment a class 3 felony, punishable by 5-20 years in prison. The primary sponsor, VA Rep. Terry Kilgore, is a long-time member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and has accepted more than $380,000 in campaign donations from Dominion Energy over his political career. ALEC, an organization that invites corporate lobbyists to help draft model bills that are promoted with state officials around the country, has played a key role in the spread of anti-protest laws since 2016. Dominion Energy has also lobbied for anti-protest laws, including to explicitly “address civil disobedience towards pipelines,” according to emails obtained by public records request.
    • Illinois HB 1480 would create a new felony offense that could cover nonviolent protesters at pipeline and other infrastructure sites with maximum penalties of 3–7 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine. It would also extend liability to anyone who “conspires with” a person to commit the offense. This last provision is especially pernicious due to the history of prosecutors using scattershot conspiracy allegations to target individuals and organizations with shared political views absent evidence of specific crimes. IL Rep. Patrick Windhorst, the primary sponsor of this bill, is also a member of ALEC.

    For more information about these anti-protest bills and related lobbying activity, see here.

    Related to the push for fossil fuel anti-protest laws are strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). Greenpeace is facing a costly SLAPP brought by Energy Transfer, the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline, in North Dakota state court, which goes to trial this month. Further, California Attorney General Rob Banta, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups were sued for defamation by ExxonMobil this January after the defendants sought to hold Exxon legally accountable for its role in the plastics crisis.

     1Twenty-two states were counted for Greenpeace USA’s Dollars vs. Democracy 2023 report. The twenty-third state to pass a fossil fuel anti-protest law was Florida with H 275 / S 340 (2024).

    2 For example, see Mountain Valley Pipeline’s lawsuit against climate protesters. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/27/mountain-valley-pipeline-protest 

     3 For more about this, see “The Fossil Fuel Industry Used ALEC to Spread Fossil Fuel Anti-Protest Laws Across the Country” on page 30 of Dollars vs. Democracy 2023.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Uncertainty around PEPFAR program puts millions of people at risk News Feb 12, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    The decision by the US government to temporarily freeze funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) alongside all other foreign aid for at least a 90-day period has had immediate effects on people living with HIV, said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today. Although the US has since clarified that certain treatment programs can continue at least until April, we are concerned that critical elements of the PEPFAR program remain frozen.

    “More than three weeks since the US government froze PEPFAR funding, there is still widespread confusion and uncertainty as to whether this critical lifeline for millions of people has been cut off,” said Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA. “Despite a limited waiver covering some activities, what our teams are seeing in many of the countries where we work is that people have already lost access to lifesaving care and have no idea whether or when their treatment will continue. MSF is calling on the US government to immediately resume funding for the full range of PEPFAR operations as well as other critical health and humanitarian aid.”

    On February 1, after over a week of chaos and a freeze of activities, the US government issued a limited waiver allowing for the resumption of some programming with specific guidance for HIV. However, that guidance was unclear, and it did not immediately reach PEPFAR country teams. Across our broad network, MSF did not see a single organization able to resume work as a result of this limited guidance on waivers. On February 6, the US government issued clarified guidance on HIV care and treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs.

    What our teams are seeing in many of the countries where we work is that people have already lost access to lifesaving care and have no idea whether or when their treatment will continue. 

    Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA

    However, we remain concerned that key areas of HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support are not included in this additional guidance, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for all vulnerable groups, including LGBTQI+ people and sex workers; specific interventions for adolescent girls and young women in high prevalence countries; and community-led monitoring programs. These services are essential to ensuring a successful response to the epidemic.

    While MSF does not accept US government funding and will not be directly affected by cuts or freezes to PEPFAR, many of our activities are contingent on the programs that have been interrupted. In some places we’ve had to adapt and change our activities and the indirect effects of these freezes have already been felt in our projects in various parts of the world.

    Failure to reauthorize global AIDS program would be catastrophic

    Read more

    In sub-Saharan Africa, where MSF runs several HIV/AIDS and related health programs, we are already witnessing impacts on patients. In South Africa, many clinics providing HIV services, including testing, treatment, and PrEP through PEPFAR-funded organizations have been shuttered, leaving people confused and distressed about where to access their critical medication. In Mozambique, a major partner organization of MSF that provided comprehensive HIV services had to stop activities completely. In Zimbabwe, most organizations providing HIV services have also stopped work, disrupting in particular the DREAMS program aimed at decreasing new HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women.

    “Any interruption to HIV services and treatment is deeply distressing to people in care and an emergency when it comes to HIV treatment,” said Tom Ellman, director of the South Africa Medical Unit at MSF Southern Africa. “HIV medicines must be taken daily or people run the risk of developing resistance or deadly health complications.”

    In Democratic Republic of Congo, the aid freeze was already affecting the most successful model of antiretroviral drug distribution ever implemented in the capital city of Kinshasa: the community-run free distribution and peer support points, known locally as “PODIs.” In a country where stigma against people living with HIV is massive and poverty remains a barrier to care, PODIs have proven to be a medically necessary approach for addressing delays or therapy abandonment. With PEPFAR-supported points of care now closed and other activities frozen, thousands of people were left without support and with a high risk of developing advanced HIV. MSF teams supporting advanced HIV disease care in Kinshasa might not be able to meet the increased demand if disruptions persist.

    In South Sudan, approximately 51 percent of people living with HIV know their status, and 47 percent are on treatment. A discontinuation of this program will have devastating effects on thousands of people and their communities.  MSF has worked alongside PEPFAR providing essential HIV care in this context and has seen firsthand how this program saves lives. The support of PEPFAR in this country is critical.

    These disruptions will cost lives and upend years of progress against this virus. Every day that passes is an emergency for millions of people for whom PEPFAR is a lifeline.

    Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA

    PEPFAR-supported programming is deeply interconnected with and reliant on other components of the US foreign aid system, specifically implementation support provided by USAID and technical and other assistance provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given that the foreign aid freeze and stop-work orders continue to affect these other agencies, and staff from these agencies have been put on immediate leave or recalled, it is unclear when and how even the limited activities now allowed will be able to restart.

    “These disruptions will cost lives and upend years of progress against this virus,” said Benoit. “Every day that passes is an emergency for millions of people for whom PEPFAR is a lifeline.”

    PEPFAR-supported programming has been heavily integrated into key aspects of the broader health systems of partner countries over the last 20-plus years and as a result the consequences of these disruptions have been far-reaching. For this reason, some of the services affected go beyond purely HIV treatment and prevention, such as in Uganda, where PEPFAR-funded aspects of infectious disease surveillance and response, including for Ebola virus, have been stopped.

    When MSF first started treating people with HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 years ago, there were no ARV medicines on the shelves, every diagnosis felt like a death sentence, and communities were desperately trying to curb the virus’ spread.

    Tom Ellman, director of the South Africa Medical Unit at MSF Southern Africa

    “When MSF first started treating people with HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 years ago, there were no ARV medicines on the shelves, every diagnosis felt like a death sentence, and communities were desperately trying to curb the virus’ spread,” said Ellman.

    Since then, PEPFAR support has helped save more than 25 million lives and encouraged the fight against HIV to be a truly global one. But continued success relies on continued access to the full range of HIV-related programs, services, and goods including prevention services and treatment, population-specific and targeted programs, programs related to gender-based violence, and other critical areas, said MSF.  

    As health care providers, we are deeply concerned by these disruptions to this lifesaving program.

    “Even temporary interruptions to key components of PEPFAR will harm people at risk of acquiring HIV and people living with HIV,” said Benoît. “We urge the US government to immediately resume all funding of critical humanitarian and health aid, including the full range of PEPFAR operations.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace projections blanket city days before trial of the $300M lawsuit filed by Dallas-based Energy Transfer

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Greenpeace USA brought a powerful visual campaign to the streets of Dallas, projecting messages around Dallas to highlight the growing threat to free speech and peaceful protest. The projections come just days before Dallas-based Energy Transfer’s $300 million lawsuit against Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International is set to go to trial. The February 24th trial represents a blatant attempt to silence dissent and intimidate those who fight for climate justic
    © Greenpeace

    DALLAS, TX (February 12, 2024) – In response to the growing threat against free speech and peaceful protest, last night, Greenpeace USA lit up Dallas with bold projections of resistance and solidarity onto iconic city locations. The projections come just days before the $300 million lawsuit brought by Dallas-based Energy Transfer (ET) against Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International is set to go to trial. 

    Photos and videos from the projections are available here.

    Rolf Skar, Greenpeace USA Campaigns Director, said: “This fight is bigger than Greenpeace. This lawsuit is a blatant attempt to silence critics and hide destructive practices. Standing up to corporate bullies like Energy Transfer requires courage, solidarity, and people power – things no courtroom or judgment can erase. These projections are a testament to that resilience, shining a light on the truth and reminding everyone fighting for a just and livable future that we will not back down.”

    The Energy Transfer case, set to go to trial February 24th is a classic example of a SLAPP lawsuit – not filed to rectify a legitimate grievance but to silence dissent and intimidate those fighting for climate justice. This lawsuit makes outrageous allegations that have far-reaching implications for organizations far beyond Greenpeace.. However, as everyone saw last night: #WeWillNotBeSilenced.

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

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘Silencing our voices’: Greenpeace Australia Pacific slams charity restrictions in electoral reform

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    CANBERRA, 12 FEB 2025—Greenpeace Australia Pacific has warned that the Electoral Reform Bill that has just passed the Parliament contains a restriction that will severely curtail the ability of charities to do critical advocacy work during election campaigns.

    “The Electoral Reform Bill that has just passed the Senate severely restricts charitable organisations from using their funding to speak out about critical policy issues or to provide independent information and policy analysis during election campaigns. It hinders the ability of independent organisations to hold parties and candidates to account when it matters most,” said Dr Susie Byers, Head of Advocacy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific. 

    “Charities are an independent voice for progress on issues that affect every aspect of voter’s lives—from climate and energy to education, health, and human rights. Efforts like scorecards and analysis of parties’ policies are essential sources of information on the issues that matter most to all of us. 

    “The restrictions in the Electoral Reform Bill would force charities to create new and completely separate fundraising streams explicitly for the purposes of advocacy at election time. This administrative complexity and major barrier to fundraising will make campaigning at election time extremely difficult. 

    “Effectively locking charities out of election campaigns weakens our democracy and paves the way for vested interests to push through harmful policies without scrutiny or accountability from independent actors. 

    “We are deeply disappointed that what will be one of the last acts of this Parliament is to quiet the voices of millions of Australians who contribute to our community via charitable and non-government organisations. 

    “Greenpeace Australia Pacific stands with all charities working to advocate for better social, environmental and economic outcomes in our society, and will hold the government to its commitment to work with us to resolve issues for the sector.

    —ENDS—

    For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Vai Shah on 0452 290 082 or [email protected].

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: over 60% of people agree it should not be a crime for sex workers to work together – new poll

    Source: Amnesty International –

    61% of adults believe it should not be a crime for two or more sex workers to work together  

    Over half believe consensual sex work should be fully decriminalised  

    “Full decriminalisation is the only option to keep sex workers safe” – Chiara Capraro  

    Sex work should be fully decriminalised in the UK to protect sex workers’ human rights and safety, Amnesty International UK has said today.  

    In England and Wales, the buying and selling of sexual services is legal, but some activities around sex work are not – sex workers who decide to work together for safety can be charged with brothel keeping and it is a criminal offence to ‘solicit’ clients in public spaces. As a result, sex workers are forced to work on their own, at increased risk of violence.   

    A new poll* commissioned by Amnesty UK has shown that the majority of the UK public (61%) believe that it should not be a crime for two or more sex workers to work together, and more than half (53%) of UK adults agree that consensual adult sex work should be fully decriminalised.  

    Chiara Capraro, Amnesty International UK’s Gender Justice Programme Director, said:   

    “Our poll shows that the majority of the UK public wants the law to protect, not punish sex workers.  

    “Most people go into sex work due to poverty. Years of austerity and the cost-of-living crisis are pushing more and more women into sex work to support themselves and their families. Rather than keeping these women safe and helping them to leave sex work if they so wish, the current law forces sex workers into harmful, dangerous and isolating situations and can trap them in a cycle of poverty.  

    “Sex workers should be able to work together for safety, but instead criminalisation forces them to work in precarious situations alone, making them vulnerable to violence and abuse and blocking them from accessing health care and other vital services. 

    “Full decriminalisation is the only option to keep sex workers safe – it would allow them to work together for security, improve their ability to report violence to the authorities and access justice and support.” 

    Amnesty International UK is calling for decriminalisation alongside a coalition of sex worker led and human rights organisations, including Decrim Now and the English Collective of Prostitutes.  

    Megan Isaac, a spokesperson from Decrim Now, said:  

    “This polling shows that the general public agrees with what sex workers have long been calling for: we need full decriminalisation so that sex workers can work together for safety, without having to fear fines, eviction, or arrest. The government has abandoned millions of people in the UK to living in poverty – it’s deeply unfair to criminalise people who turn to sex work so that they can survive. 

    “We know that it’s possible for the law to change. New Zealand decriminalised sex work in 2003 and Belgium did so in 2022, recently implementing laws that would give sex workers access to maternity leave, sick pay, and protection from harassment. Politicians must take action to decriminalise sex work in the UK, to protect sex workers’ safety, health, and human rights.” 

    Laura Watson, a spokesperson from the English Collective of Prostitutes, said:  

    “Most of the women in our group are mothers working to support children and we are furious that we are pushed into this job by poverty and then criminalised for trying to survive and keep our families together. Those of us who are migrant and/or women of colour get particularly targeted.  

    “Sex workers are facing epidemic levels of rape and other violence but we can’t report to the police because we are frightened about being arrested ourselves for soliciting or brothel-keeping.  

    “If we are working on the street, we end up running from the police and being pushed into more isolated areas. Many of us would like to work together with another woman inside because it is safer but if we do that we can be arrested for brothel-keeping.” 

    ENDS 

    Background 

    *Savanta interviewed 2,208 UK adults aged 18+ online between the 29 November and 2 December 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, gender, and region. Savanta is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: London: Activists stage ‘Ecocide Babe’ stunt outside courts as Shell trial begins

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Photo op: Activist to hold a ‘baby’ that has simulated crude oil congealed around its mouth highlighting the public health impact of environmental devastation caused by Shell in Nigeria

    Location & date: Royal Courts of Justice, Thursday 13 February at 9am

    Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial starts that day

    On Thursday 13 February, Amnesty International UK, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), AFRICA: Seen & Heard and Justice 4 Nigeria are marking the start of the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial with the stunt ‘Ecocide Babe’ by British-Nigerian artist-activist The Crude Madonna outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

    In the performance, The Crude Madonna – representing Niger Delta womanhood and resistance – will wear traditional Nigerian dress and gold-painted Shell-shaped medallions saying ‘hell’ and ‘oil’ coated with ‘crude oil’ and hold the Ecocide Babe Alera (which means ‘it is enough’ in the local Khana language) with crude oil congealed around the baby’s mouth.

    Created by artists The Crude Madonna and THE DnA FACTORY MRSS, the Ecocide Babe  symbolises the devastating effect of oil pollution on fertility, pregnancy and infant health in the region as well as its overall impact on communities and the environment caused by Shell’s 60 years of oil spills and leaks due to poorly maintained pipelines, wells and inadequate clean-up attempts that have ravaged the health and livelihoods of many of the 30 million people living in the Niger Delta – most of whom live in poverty.

    This is the first stage of the trial that will take place in London throughout 2025. More than 13,500 Ogale and Bille residents in the Niger Delta have filed claims against Shell over the past decade demanding the company clean up oil spills that they say have wrecked their livelihoods and caused widespread devastation to the local environment. They can’t fish anymore because their water sources, including their wells for drinking water, are poisoned and the land is contaminated which has killed plant life, meaning communities can no longer farm.    

    Shell plc is domiciled in London and should be legally responsible for the environmental failures of its subsidiary company, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. 

    Details of event

    Who: Amnesty International UK, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, AFRICA: Seen & Heard and Justice 4 Nigeria

    ​What: Spokespeople available for comment, and photo opportunity outside court. Supporters will hold a banner and placards saying: ‘Shell: Own up, Clean up, Pay up’.

    ​Where: Royal Courts of Justice, the Strand, London, WC2A 2LL

    ​When: Thursday 13 February. Photo opportunity 9:00-10:30am; court proceedings start at 10:30am.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Munich Security Conference: Amnesty’s Secretary General calls on states to resist attacks on human rights protections

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard will be attending the Munich Security Conference from 14 to 16 February, where she will be available for interview and will call on world leaders and senior officials to resolutely come together to resist attacks on human rights and the global multilateral architecture and avoid further harm to human rights protections and the rules-based order.

    “The past 12 months have laid bare precisely how hellish the world can be when states don’t apply universal standards and insist that international law and multilateral decisions do not apply to their actions. Consider Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the conflict still raging in Sudan, the worsening catastrophe in Myanmar, and the recent uptick in fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Agnès Callamard said.

    “Following the long overdue ceasefire in Gaza and the transition of power in Syria, the question turns to how lasting peace and justice can be achieved in such contexts. States must commit their full support to bodies like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in their efforts to uphold the law, as failure to hold perpetrators accountable will only embolden other aggressors and fuel further cycles of violence and destruction.

    The past 12 months have laid bare precisely how hellish the world can be when states don’t apply universal standards and insist that international law and multilateral decisions do not apply to their actions.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    “In these precarious times, humanity can ill afford further breakdowns in the international order. We do not need more instability, division or turmoil; we do not need more attacks on human rights values and further undermining of our already fragile commitments to address climate change. We need sustainable, future-focused solutions. The multilateral system may be failing us, but the answer is not to abandon it to the abyss. The answer is to strengthen and reform it, grounding it in a common vision so it can make good on its promise of global stability and universal human rights protections. The Munich Security Conference presents a timely opportunity for world leaders to begin to address these challenges and pave the way for a future free of the harrowing conflicts that blight today’s world.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Yemen: Investigate death in custody of arbitrarily detained UN aid worker

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Yemeni authorities must urgently investigate the death in custody of a UN humanitarian worker with the World Food Programme (WFP), who had been arbitrarily detained since 23 January 2025 and was held at a Huthi-run detention centre in northern Yemen, said Amnesty International today. The name of the staff member has not been officially released.

    “The news that a UN humanitarian worker has died in custody at a Huthi-run detention facility is truly appalling. There must be an urgent independent, effective and impartial investigation into the circumstances that led to his death,” said Amnesty International’s Yemen Researcher, Diala Haidar.

    “The Huthi de facto authorities have a track record of using torture and other ill-treatment in their detention centres, raising fears that this humanitarian worker may have died as a result of torture or other ill-treatment.

    This death in custody also heightens fears for the safety and well-being of all others who remain arbitrarily detained in Huthi-run detention centres, including more than 65 staff from UN agencies and Yemeni and international civil society organizations.

    Diala Haidar, Amnesty International

    “This death in custody also heightens fears for the safety and well-being of all others who remain arbitrarily detained in Huthi-run detention centres, including more than 65 staff from UN agencies and Yemeni and international civil society organizations. The de facto Huthi authorities must immediately release all individuals they arbitrarily detain, including those who are being held solely in connection with their human rights or humanitarian work.”

    Starting on 31 May 2024 over two weeks, the Huthis conducted a series of raids in areas under their control arbitrarily detaining 13 UN staff and at least 50 staff from Yemeni and international civil society organizations. To date, only three people have been released – one UN staff member and two NGO staff members. Between 23 and 25 January 2025, the Huthis conducted another wave of arrests arbitrarily detaining eight UN staff, including the UN staff member whose death in detention was reported on 11 February. All the detainees are held without charge and without access to a lawyer or their families.

    “The waves of arrests targeting local and international humanitarian and civil society workers exacerbate an already desperate humanitarian situation in Yemen, where at least 80% of the population relies on aid to survive, according to the UN. And it is Yemeni civilians in critical need of aid who will pay the price of this brutal crackdown,” said Diala Haidar.

    “Instead of threatening and obstructing human rights and humanitarian workers who increasingly feel at risk of arrest and reprisal for doing their work, Huthis must facilitate their work and the movement of aid so they can reach the millions of people in Yemen who are currently in need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.”

    Background

    In response to the latest arrests, in January 2025 the UN announced suspension of all official movements into and within areas under the Huthis’ control. On 10 February, the UN suspended all its activities in Sa’ada, where six of its humanitarian workers were arbitrarily detained in January. These decisions will severely impact the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to millions.

    Huthi authorities have targeted human rights and humanitarian workers before. Four Yemeni UN staff members from OHCHR and UNESCO arrested in 2021 and 2023 remain arbitrarily detained and have been held incommunicado since their arrest. In September 2023, Huthis arrested Hisham Al-Hakimi, the Safety and Security Director at Save the Children, and held him incommunicado.  He died on 25 October 2023 while he was still arbitrarily detained.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Coca-Cola slides backwards again, plans to expose Americans to more toxic plastic bottles

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Washington, D.C. (February 10, 2025)—In response to Coca-Cola’s statement that it will shift to using more plastic bottles instead of aluminum if the latest wave of tariffs from President Donald Trump take effect, Lisa Ramsden, Greenpeace USA’s senior plastics campaigner said: “Coca-Cola’s decision to double down on plastics in response to Trump’s tariffs is a reckless step backward in the fight against plastic pollution. Instead of investing in real solutions like refill and reuse they are choosing to pump more toxic plastic into our communities and the environment. Coca-Cola is already the world’s biggest plastic polluter, and this would ensure they remain number one for years to come.

    “What Quincey fails to mention is that PET plastic bottles contain harmful chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, obesity, early puberty in children, reproductive health problems and declining fertility. This move would lock consumers into a future of rising health risks and medical costs–at a time when Americans are already struggling with economic and health burdens. As long as corporations like Coca-Cola keep increasing our exposure to dangerous chemicals, making America healthy again will remain an unfulfilled promise.”

    Coca-Cola has already been increasing the amount of plastic it uses every year and currently produces more than 130 billion plastic bottles every year. In December, Coca-Cola walked back its commitment to sell 25% of its products in reusable packaging by 2030.   

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

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Cameroon: Greenpeace Africa calls on the covernment to cancel the decree creating Ma Mbed Mbed Park

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Yaoundé, 12-02-2025 – In 2020, the Cameroonian government issued a decree establishing Ma Mbed Mbed Park, covering an area of more than 12,000 hectares. This decree has sparked reactions from local communities, who have taken to the streets demanding its cancellation. They fear the project could lead to conflicts between humans and wildlife, particularly elephants, and result in the loss of their land. They also criticize the government for not sufficiently consulting them during the decision-making process.

    Professor Ngoussandou Bello Pierre, National Coordinator of Jag Sir, the National Toupouri Cultural Association, said:
    “The Toupouri community believes this is a scheme against their land and their livelihoods. Elephants do not distinguish between ethnic groups, religions, or professions—their presence is a threat to everyone, including the BIR camp, which is less than 12 km away. Kidnappers frequently operate in Taibong and Guidiguis before seeking refuge in a protected area in Chad. Expanding this area with the new park would only worsen insecurity. The government must acknowledge its mistake and revoke the decree to ease tensions. Given the determination of the local population, if the government persists, the extermination of elephants will become inevitable.”

    Cameroon’s Far North is already facing significant challenges, particularly concerning security, and is one of the regions most affected by climate change. Last year, it experienced multiple waves of flooding. Food insecurity remains a persistent issue.

    Dr. Lamfu Fabrice, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said:
    “This park was created to combat climate change and promote social and professional integration—objectives that are commendable. However, the project significantly reduces the land and resources available to local populations. This is why their essential role in the sustainable management of their land and environment must be recognized. When decisions are made without their free, prior, and informed consent, it can unfortunately lead to delicate situations like this one. We call on the government to reconsider the project. This is one threat too many for the people of the Far North.”

    This protest follows a similar demonstration that took place a few weeks ago in the southern region, where local residents of the Camvert project in Campo took to the streets, demanding that the company revise its specifications. According to the residents, the document does not sufficiently account for their rights. The current situation in the Far North presents similar challenges to those faced by the people of Campo, particularly regarding human-wildlife conflicts, land grabbing, and the lack of consultation with local communities before project development.

    Media Contacts:

    Luchelle Feukeng
    Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa
    Email: [email protected]
    Telephone: +237 656 46 35 45 (WhatsApp)
    Greenpeace Africa Newsdesk: [email protected] 

    Dr. Lamfu Fabrice
    Forest Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa
    Email: [email protected]
    Telephone: +237 678 06 57 58

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Libya: Migrants face extreme violence and exclusion from healthcare

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    In 2024, some 787,000 people who are migrants and refugees were present in Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration. While some of them come in search of work, others try from to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

    In Libya, they live in precarious conditions and are subjected to a range of violence and abuse, both inside and outside the country’s detention centres. Abducted, subjected to extortion and trafficking practices, assaulted or sexually abused, their access to healthcare is severely hampered at a time when they desperately need it.

    “I fainted under the blows, and when I woke up, they were still beating me,” says Ahmed*, a young Sudanese boy arrested and thrown into prison while trying to travel to Tunisia. “I was disfigured, I had no teeth, and my friend Saud told me they had hit my head with a brick.”

    Ahmed, a Sudanese boy who was detained I fainted under the blows, and when I woke up, they were still beating me.

    Drawings by Ricardo Sanchez Hernandez, depicting conditions in Libya. January 2025.
    © Ricardo Fernandez Sanchez/MSF

    Taken care of by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Zuwara, a coastal town around 100 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli, Ahmed spent a month in hospital.

    “People living undocumented in Libya have no protection, either in law or from the country’s fragile institutions, which prevents them from accessing healthcare,” says Steve Purbrick, MSF’s head of programmes in Libya. “They are exposed to violence on a daily basis. We see people who have been trafficked, others who have been tortured, raped.”

    No protection and no access to healthcare

    Libya is the first country of departure for people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy. Like Ahmed, undocumented migrants and refugees arriving there are exposed to violence throughout their journey. On the spot, they live in places often overcrowded, dangerous and unhealthy – shared rooms, but also sometimes abandoned sheds or building sites where they are also at risk of contracting diseases.

    In Libya, migrants and refugees live in precarious conditions and are subjected to various forms of violence and abuse, both inside and outside the country’s detention centers. Kidnapped, subjected to extortion and trafficking, assaulted or sexually abused, their access to healthcare is severely hindered despite their desperate need for it.
    MSF

    “Their state of health reflects both their living conditions and the extreme violence they face,” says Issam Abdullah, a doctor and the deputy medical manager for MSF in Libya. “Without protection and access to care, their injuries and traumas are rapidly worsening.”

    MSF teams provide medical support in the cities of Misrata, Tripoli and Zuwara for basic healthcare, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, and sexual violence. The most serious medical cases requiring hospitalisation are referred to the capital. Ahmed’s jaw operation was financed by MSF and carried out in a Tripoli hospital as there was no alternative solution.

    In 2024, MSF teams carried out over 15,000 consultations. The majority of those receiving mental healthcare were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders linked to the violence they had endured.

    “Your destiny can change at any moment in Libya, all it takes is one little thing and your life is turned upside down, you can die, you can end up in prison,” says Nelson, a man from Cameroon who has been under the care of an MSF psychologist since the sinking of the boat he had boarded with his wife and two children to reach Europe. His wife and children did not survive the shipwreck.

    Nelson, a Cameroonian who lost his wife and daughter in a shipwreck Your destiny can change at any moment in Libya, all it takes is one little thing and your life is turned upside down, you can die, you can end up in prison.

    Drawings by Ricardo Sanchez Hernandez, depicting conditions in Libya. January 2025.
    © Ricardo Fernandez Sanchez/MSF

    “To go and see a doctor, for example, or to buy bread, you can take the wrong road and run into police. If it’s your lucky day, they don’t see you; if it’s not your lucky day, they arrest you,” says Nelson.

    Delayed care

    Faced with the risk of abduction and arrest by the police or militia, people are forced underground in isolated places where they are even more vulnerable. They seek medical care only as a last resort when their state of health has already seriously deteriorated.

    In 2024, MSF teams diagnosed and treated more than 250 people with tuberculosis. Sixteen died because they were not treated in time.

    “We receive people suffering from tuberculosis who seek treatment very late, which leads to high mortality and further spread of the disease,” say Dr Abdullah. “Our teams are also seeing the negative impact of interrupted treatment.”

    Salma* is 37 and has diabetes. She fled the war that broke out in Sudan in April 2023. “Diabetes requires regular meals and medication, and in Libya that’s not possible,” says the university professor.

    Salma, a diabetic woman from Sudan Diabetes requires regular meals and medication, and in Libya that’s not possible.

    In 2024, approximately 725,000 migrants were present on Libyan soil, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). While some come seeking work, others attempt to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. In Libya, migrants and refugees live in precarious conditions and are subjected to various forms of violence and abuse, both inside and outside the country’s detention centers. Kidnapped, subjected to extortion and trafficking, assaulted or sexually abused, their access to healthcare is severely hindered despite their desperate need for it.
    © Ricardo Fernandez Sanchez/MSF

    “When I had to leave, my health deteriorated rapidly as the days went by – I became incapable of doing anything, not cooking, not even getting dressed… I became completely dependent on my daughters,” she says.

    More evacuations from Libya

    “People on the move are an integral part of an economic model set up by militias, with the complicity of the European Union and its member states, with the aim of extorting money from them. They have to pay in exchange for their crossing, in exchange for their release and the continuation of their journey, but always with the risk of falling victim to criminal networks once again,” says Purbrick, MSF’s head of programmes.

    “This is why, in addition to providing access to healthcare in the country, we are also focusing our efforts on opening up safe and legal pathways to evacuate people from Libya, in particular via the humanitarian corridor that exists between Libya and Italy,” he says. “MSF participates in this corridor by identifying vulnerable people to be evacuated and taking charge of some of them in Italy. But these options need to be drastically increased.”

    Since 2021, this corridor has already enabled the evacuation of more than 700 people, around 60 of whom were patients of MSF in Libya. Fourteen people were subsequently cared for by MSF in Palermo, Sicily.

    In April 2023, the United Nations published a report concluding there were grounds to believe a wide array of crimes against humanity have been committed against migrants in Libya. 

    *Names have been changed.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Haiti: Children suffering gang recruitment, attacks and sexual violence amid escalating crisis – new report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    • Multiple gangs responsible for human rights abuses against children
    • Extreme violence and intimidation rife in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas
    • “The lives of far too many children in Haiti are being wrecked” – Agnès Callamard

    The relentless gang violence in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas has resulted in a brutal attack on childhood in Haiti, Amnesty International said in a new report.

    “I’m a child, why did this happen to me?”: Gangs’ assault on childhood in Haiti, documents how children are being subjected to a litany of human rights abuses including recruitment into gangs, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abductions, killings and injuries. The disproportionate impact on children with disabilities is also documented.

    Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, violence by armed gangs has escalated significantly in Haiti, claiming an estimated 5,600 lives last year. Gangs control the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince, while more than 5.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance.

    Gangs have caused widespread distress in Haiti… Haiti needs urgent assistance to protect children and to prevent further cycles of violence.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    “Gangs have caused widespread distress in Haiti. They threaten, beat, rape and kill children. They have committed multiple abuses of children’s rights, including the rights to life, to education, and to freedom of movement,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

    “The lives of far too many children in Haiti are being wrecked, and they have nowhere to go for protection or justice. They are chased and at times killed by self-defence groups, while the authorities arbitrarily detain them. Childhood is being stolen.

    “It is time for Haitian authorities and the international community, including donors, to step up their efforts. Empty expressions of concern are not enough. Children’s bodies, minds and hearts are violated every day. Haiti needs urgent assistance to protect children and to prevent further cycles of violence.”

    More than 1 million children are estimated to be living in areas controlled by or under the influence of gangs. Researchers interviewed 112 people and visited Port-au-Prince in September 2024. Interviewees included children, government officials, Haitian and international aid workers and UN staff members. The research covered violations and abuses in eight communes of the West Department.

    In December 2024, Amnesty International wrote to the office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, presenting a summary of the findings. At the time of publication, no response had been received.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Four questions about north Gaza

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    While the ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine, was implemented on 19 January, after 15 months of all-out war on the people trapped there, all components of society have been destroyed making it almost uninhabitable.  Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are now able to reach the north of the Strip – which was previously besieged by Israeli forces – to assess the medical and humanitarian needs. The situation is appalling; there is nothing left.

    Our colleagues no longer recognise their own neighbourhoods, hospitals have been razed, and people are settling in the rubble of their homes with no other shelter to face the winter conditions. Caroline Seguin, MSF’s emergency coordinator, shares insights and photos from the ground.

    1. What is the situation in north Gaza?

    In the North Governorate, the level of destruction is total, it’s a flat land. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Our Palestinian colleagues are no longer able to recognise their own neighbourhoods, some were in shock, others literally collapsed.

    In Gaza City we were already shocked by the level of destruction, but then we went north to Jabalia, we couldn’t say a word. There is nothing there anymore. Only ruins and the smell of death everywhere because of the dead bodies still trapped under the rubble.

    2. What is the state of the health system?

    There is no health system anymore in the northern part of the Strip. Kamal Adwan hospital has been razed, while Al Shifa, Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals are seriously damaged and only partially functioning. We were utterly shocked to observe that in Indonesian hospital every medical machine seemed to have been deliberately destroyed; they were smashed to pieces, one by one, to make sure no medical care could be provided anymore. You have to ask, what is the motivation of such action? These machines are made to save people’s lives, mothers, fathers, children. It’s devastating to see the state of these hospitals.

    The provision of medical care is largely insufficient compared to the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people living in the area. For example, between North Governorate and Gaza city, there are only six paediatric intensive care beds compared to 150 before the war and the number of patient hospital beds has plummeted from 2,000 to 350.

    3. Can you move in supplies?

    The flow of vital supplies has improved since the ceasefire, but the level of needs is so high that people are still lacking basic items. The need for food, water, tents and shelter materials in this area remains critical. Water shortages are a real challenge given the high level of damage to water facilities and because they are in inaccessible locations in the buffer zones.

    Our teams have started water trucking activities in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun and they repair damaged boreholes, but this is a temporary solution and is not sufficient for the massive needs. The problem is that because of the war we have located our activities in the south and it now takes time to redeploy them to the north. 

    Since 1 February, MSF teams started supporting people in north Gaza with mobile clinics to provide medical care. Services include general consultations, treatment of non- communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health consultations, wound and burn dressings, and health promotion and nutrition activities. Palestine, February 2025.
    MSF

    After four weeks since the implementation of the ceasefire, we are still not seeing the massive scale up of humanitarian aid needed in northern Gaza. The humanitarian community is failing to provide vital services to a population in dire need of humanitarian and medical support. Both Israel and international actors need to urgently ensure the delivery of vital supplies such as shelter and food and to increase the capacities for its distribution.

    4. What is the reality for people in northern Gaza today?

    People are living in dire conditions. They try to settle as best they can on the ruins of their houses but it’s extremely difficult. The winter weather means people have to face very cold temperatures, heavy rains and strong winds, and they don’t even have walls around them to protect themselves. They don’t have access to healthcare, decent housing or water.

    However, the conditions they had to face during the 15 months of war, being displaced and living in tents were even worse. After this hardship, people need to reunite with their loved ones and want to stay and rebuild their lives. Many of them have no intention of leaving. It is essential to ensure consistent, safe, and secure delivery of humanitarian assistance to people who have suffered unimaginable trauma.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Europe: European Court of Human Rights to hear landmark ‘pushback’ cases

    Source: Amnesty International –

    On 12 February, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will hear three cases against Latvia, Lithuania and Poland concerning alleged unlawful pushbacks — summary returns of migrants and refugees at the border — from these EU states to Belarus. This is the first time the European Court will rule on human rights implications of what the EU and its member states are calling ‘instrumentalized’ migration.

    Amnesty International delegates will be in attendance.

    “We have witnessed a growing tendency to invoke security concerns in migration policies. We must resist efforts to normalize discriminatory exemptions from human rights based on so-called ‘emergency’ situations,” said Mandi Mudarikwa, Amnesty International’s Head of Strategic Litigation.

    “Amnesty International’s research has shown that Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are using brazen migration controls and pushback practices under the guise of countering so-called “instrumentalized” migration.

    “Our research also shows the Belarussian authorities’ role in exacerbating the dire situation at the border and endangering lives. This does not absolve Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland of their international human rights obligations. Quite the opposite – it should invoke more rather than less humanity.

    “These cases, and the eventual ruling, present a crucial opportunity to reaffirm the right to asylum, the absolute nature of non-refoulement obligations and people’s right not to be forced back to a place where they are exposed to inhuman treatment and all sorts of human rights violations.”

    Background

    On 26 April 2023 and 18 October 2024 respectively, Amnesty International submitted a third-party intervention to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the cases of C.O.G.G and Others v Lithuania and H.M.M. and Others v. Latvia.

    Both cases raise important questions regarding Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the prohibition of torture, including in its non-refoulement components, Article 13 on the right to an effective remedy, and Article 4 of Protocol 4 (A4P4), which prohibits collective expulsions.

    Amnesty International has long documented violence and abuses of human rights at the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish borders with Belarus. In these countries, abuse of emergency powers has escalated into several human rights violations, including unlawful returns, torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, and the use of intimidation and violence to force people to return “voluntarily”.

    For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Amnesty International’s press office:

    [email protected]

    +32 483 680 812        

    X: @amnestypress  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Türkiye: Acquittal of three Gezi Park defendants brings chronicle of injustice to an end 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the acquittal at the retrial of Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay and Yiğit Ekmekçi, whose initial convictions and 18-year prison sentences in connection with mass protests in 2013 were overturned in September 2023, Milena Buyum, Amnesty International’s Senior Türkiye Campaigner, said: 

    “Today’s decision brings an end to the politically motivated prosecution of Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay and Yiğit Ekmekçi, and the chronicle of injustice they have suffered. Over the course of more than seven years, prosecuting authorities repeatedly failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the baseless charges laid against them. They should never have been subjected to any charges, let alone spent any time in prison. 

    These acquittals must now be followed by the immediate release of Osman Kavala and the other four Gezi prisoners of conscience who remain behind bars

    “Their unfair prosecution – and that of the other five Gezi Park defendants – not only resulted in grave violations of their rights, but also became a shameful example of the way in which Türkiye’s justice system is used as a tool of political repression.  

    “Their acquittals must now be followed by the immediate release of Osman Kavala and the other four Gezi prisoners of conscience who remain behind bars.”

    Speaking to Amnesty International, Mücella Yapıcı said: “It is very hard to feel happy when all others are still behind bars. Why are they still imprisoned when they are as innocent as us? I want to thank everyone who stood by us and supported us during this thoroughly unfair prosecution.” 

    Background  

    See here for information about the prosecutions of Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay, Yiğit Ekmekçi, Çiğdem Mater, Tayfun Kahraman, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay and Osman Kavala.

    Osman Kavala remains in prison despite two binding European Court of Human Rights judgments. Can Atalay remains behind bars despite two equally binding Constitutional Court rulings which remain unimplemented.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Energy Transfer thinks they can silence us

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    © Tegan Gregory / Greenpeace

    Big Oil company Energy Transfer is trying to silence Greenpeace with a $300,000,000 lawsuit. If we actually had to pay that amount, Greenpeace USA could shut down.

    This lawsuit from Energy Transfer against Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International includes a racist attempted rewrite of the history of the Indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It’s also Big Oil’s message to environmentalists everywhere: if you dare to criticize us, you could be next.

    The world has taken notice. 

    Word of this threat to the entire climate justice movement has spread across the world, and over the last few months, thousands of Greenpeace activists, allies, and supporters in more than two dozen countries have responded to Big Oil in one unified voice.

    Our message is loud and clear: we will not be silenced. And that message is now echoing across the planet.

    Take a look at these photos from more than 25 different countries — as you scroll, think about what our movement is capable of when we work together.

    United States

    © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

    Netherlands

    © Gosse Bouma / Greenpeace

    Germany

    © Markus J. Feger / Greenpeace

    Czech Republic

    © Ray Baseley / Greenpeace

    Sweden

    © Jana Eriksson / Greenpeace

    Denmark

    © Philip Raissnia / Greenpeace

    Indonesia

    © Pangeran / Greenpeace

    Thailand

    © Purimpat Jansuwan / Greenpeace

    Croatia

    © Maja Bota / Greenpeace

    Norway

    © Greenpeace

    Poland

    © Greenpeace / Max Zielinski

    United Kingdom

    © David Mirzoeff / Greenpeace

    Brazil

    © Victor Bravo / Greenpeace

    Hungary

    © Zsuzsi Dorgo / Greenpeace

    Switzerland

    © Maksym Zaika / Greenpeace

    France

    © Fanny Noret / Greenpeace

    Philippines

    © Greenpeace

    Spain

    © Greenpeace / Pablo Blazquez

    Finland

    © Heikki S. Laherma / Greenpeace

    Greece

    © Evelina Manou / Greenpeace

    Mexico

    © Prometeo Lucero / Greenpeace

    Slovenia

    © Petra Godeša / Greenpeace

    Romania

    © Ioana Moldovan / Greenpeace

    Ukraine

    © Greenpeace

    Aotearoa

    © Clae Baxter / Greenpeace

    Australia

    © Greenpeace / Toby Davidson

    Belgium

    © Mathieu Soete / Greenpeace

    Germany. Indonesia. Thailand. Poland. Brazil. Hungary. France. Spain. Greece. Mexico. Australia. Belgium.

    Greenpeace is a global movement. Environmental justice is a global movement. 

    That’s what Big Oil fails to understand: if they try to silence one of us, millions more will speak out. We will not be silenced. We cannot be silenced.

    Big Oil knows that free speech and protest are the best tools we have to demand a green and just world, and they’re afraid of what happens when we exercise those rights. So that’s what we’re going to continue doing.

    Recently, we launched an open letter to pressure Energy Transfer to drop their lawsuit. We’re proud to say that hundreds of thousands of people have now signed it, along with more than 400 organizations representing millions of people around the world.

    With less than two weeks until we go to trial in North Dakota, we must keep raising our voices.

    In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that “some oil-and-gas investors expressed concerns” about Energy Transfer’s $300 million lawsuit against us. Their concern? “It makes the industry look vindictive and could result in a reinvigorated protest movement.”

    That’s precisely what Energy Transfer has ignited — a reinvigorated movement.

    We all know that Big Oil has infinite sums of money, and immense power. And it’s true that a defeat in court could threaten Greenpeace USA’s existence, and have far-reaching implications for the climate justice movement around the world.

    But we will not be silenced.

    Sign our open letter to Energy Transfer

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Syrians share stories of violence and displacement from temporary shelters in the northeast

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Shivan* still recalls the terrible days he and his family experienced as fighting approached his town, Manbij, in northern Syria, in December 2024. He met a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team during their visit to a school sheltering displaced people in Hassakeh governorate, and he shared stories of losing loved ones and fears about an unknown future.

    “We heard the sounds of fighting and explosions in Manbij and tried to stay safe, hoping that things would calm down and we wouldn’t have to flee. But the shooting intensified and came closer,” he says.

    When the armed men arrived, they ordered Shivan and everyone in their neighbourhood to leave their homes. “One of my friends refused to leave saying, ‘I am not going to leave my home’. I told him to just leave before they force us to, but I never imagined it would go like this,” Shivan says. “They shot him in the head without hesitation. I’ll never forget that day; my friend was killed in front of me.”

    Seeing the blood of his friend on the street, Shivan and his family joined an estimated 100,000 people who fled Manbij and Tal Rifaat to find safety in Raqqa and Hassakeh governorates in northeast Syria.

    This wave of displacement is part of a recurring cycle of violence and displacement that has been impacting Syrians for 13 years. Now, the most recent escalation of violence, including in Tel Rifaat, Shehba, and Manbij, has made these areas unsafe, forcing thousands to flee once again.

    MSF was not present in the areas people fled from, but collected testimonies about severe violence, including killings, harassment, and physical attacks, that people witnessed in their hometowns and along their journey to northeast Syria.

    “They physically abused us. Everyone was a target, they harassed my sisters and myself, touching our bodies and humiliated us in ways I can’t describe,” says Jiyan*, a woman who was also displaced from Manbij. “I wanted to fight back, to do something, but they had a gun pointed at my head, I couldn’t do anything but watch as they violated my family and my home.”

    Since then, thousands of displaced people have been staying in various temporary shelters. These places are harsh in the cold winter, not offering proper insulation, heating, or privacy. Many families struggled to find safe and stable shelter.

    A classroom in a school in Raqqa which has turned into a shelter for displaced people. Syria, January 2025.
    Giammarco Sicuro

    “When we reached Tabqa, we found out the situation there was not good,” says Layla*, who was displaced from Manbij. “The area was overcrowded with other displaced people, and there was no way we could stay there for long. I decided to bring my family here to Hassakeh, hoping for a better place to live.”

    MSF teams have been providing essential supplies, like hygiene kits, diapers, blankets, pillows, mattresses, and warm jackets, to improve people’s health and wellbeing, and reinforce their dignity. More than 17,500 essential items were distributed in 87 emergency collective centres across northeast Syria since December 2024.

    MSF teams have also carried out activities to improve access to clean water, including providing more than 5,000,000 litres of water to collective centres in Tabqa, Raqqa, and Hassakeh. To improve sanitation and prevent the spread of disease outbreaks, the teams have been cleaning latrines in make-shift collective centres.

    While local responders and international organisations are providing support, some essential services, including care for non-communicable diseases, are unavailable. In a further effort to address urgent healthcare needs, MSF launched mobile clinics in Tabqa providing medical services. In Kobane/Ain Al-Arab, MSF also donated 20,000 measles vaccines to support local healthcare services.

    17,500

    17,5

    essential items distributed

    5,000,000

    5,000,

    litres of water provided

    20,000

    20,

    measles vaccines donated

    The recent displacement has exacerbated an acute and longstanding crisis. People are living in overcrowded camps, infrastructure has been severely damaged, and there is a general lack of basics like water, electricity, healthcare, food, and weather-appropriate shelter.

    As of 20 January, around 24,000 people are still residing in makeshift shelters across northeast Syria. Some people felt comfortable enough to return to other areas across Syria, and others found accommodations with host communities. 
    With no safe place to return to, the need for support to those who have been displaced remains urgent.

    “I’m trying to survive,” says Ali*, a 70-year-old man. “But I have nothing left except memories of a life that was taken from me. I have no place to call home anymore.”

    *Names have been changed to protect the privacy and security of people providing testimonies.

    MIL OSI NGO –