NewzIntel.com

Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre “a painful reminder from history”

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by the Bosnian Serb Army, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, said:

    “As we mark this solemn milestone and honour the memory of the victims, we also pay tribute to their families and to organizations like Mothers of Srebrenica, who spent the last three decades in tireless pursuit of truth, justice and reparations.

    “While many perpetrators have been brought to justice, the anniversary is a painful reminder that nearly 1,000 people presumed killed in Srebrenica in 1995 are still missing. Their families continue to live without answers, unable to lay their loved ones to rest or gain any real sense of closure.

    This anniversary is a painful reminder that nearly 1,000 people presumed killed in Srebrenica are still missing

    “As families grapple with enduring trauma, they are facing renewed efforts by senior officials in parts of the region to deny the crimes and glorify individuals convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity. The denial of genocide is not only a profound insult to victims and families, it is also a rejection of the definitive rulings by international courts that established beyond doubt that the acts committed in Srebrenica constituted genocide.”

    Background

    In July 1995, units of the Bosnian Serb Army (‘VRS’) attacked Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was a designated UN “safe area”. On 10-11 July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were taken prisoner and subsequently killed by the Bosnian Serb Army, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers.

    In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide. While the bodies of more than 7,000 victims have been exhumed, identified and buried, more than 1,000 people are still missing or unidentified.

    Despite high-level prosecutions, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, there is still a huge backlog of cases pending before domestic courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    In May 2024, the UN General Assembly designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: Sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese are a disgraceful affront to international justice

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing sanctions against the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:

    “This is a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice. Special Rapporteurs are not appointed to please governments or to be popular but to deliver their mandate. Francesca Albanese’s mandate is to advocate for human rights and international law, essential at a time when the very survival of Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip is at stake. These sanctions come just days after she published a new report detailing how companies have profited from Israel’s illegal occupation, its brutal system of apartheid and its ongoing genocide in Gaza.

    This is a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice.

    Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard

    “Following the recent sanctions against the International Criminal Court, the measures announced today are a continuation of the Trump administration’s assault on international law and its efforts to protect the Israeli government from accountability at all costs. They are the latest in a series of Trump administration policies seeking to intimidate and silence those that dare speak out for Palestinians’ human rights. Instead of attacking the Special Rapporteur and further undermining the rule-based order, the US government should focus on putting an end to its unconditional support to Israel, enabling total impunity for its crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    “States must forcefully reject these disgraceful, vindictive sanctions and exert maximum diplomatic pressure on the US government to reverse them. The United Nations must also fully support her as an independent UN expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. Governments around the world and all actors who believe in the rule-based order and international law must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of the sanctions against Francesca Albanese and more generally to protect the work and independence of Special Rapporteurs.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Government’s unchecked use of tech and AI systems leading to exclusion of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    People with disabilities, those living in poverty or who have serious health conditions are being left in a bureaucratic limbo due to digital exclusion caused by the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) unchecked roll-out of technologies, Amnesty International said today in a new report. 

    The report, “Too Much Technology, Not Enough Empathy” exposes how the DWP’s constant testing, rolling out, and rolling back of costly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other social security schemes has created an inaccessible social security system for people who are already marginalized and at risk of poverty in the UK.  

    Many people requiring social security do not have access to digital technologies, internet or internet connected devices. Their affordability coupled with language barriers and long waiting times for telephone services have led to digital exclusion from DWP’s systems. 

    “The DWP’s mission to reduce ‘costs’ is the beating heart of fascination with, and overreliance on, problematic tech. People are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table due to cuts in social security and yet the DWP is more concerned about experimental technologies to surveil claimants,” said Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 

    “The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.” 

    The research is an extension of Amnesty International’s 2025 report, “Social Insecurity: The devastating human rights impact of social security system failures in the UK”that details how the UK’s social security system requires a wholesale overhaul to put it back on track to being human rights compliant and ensure a decent standard of living. The struggles in accessing adequate social security payments to prevent poverty are intersectional and complex, with technology forming one component of the broader social support ecosystem. 

    The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.

    Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

    Both investigations draw their findings from questionnaires, focus group interviews with social security recipients and social security advisors, and build on previous work done by civil society. In total, views of 782 people were captured through this process that took place from October 2024 to January 2025. 

    Perfect storm of pre-existing flaws and new problems 

    The use of digital technologies combined with further cuts to the UK’s social security system after years of austerity has created a perfect storm, where pre-existing flaws are being exacerbated, and new problems linked to these new technologies are being created. 

    Automated systems and the use of AI in the assessment and provision of social security can introduce a significant risk of errors in decision making, due to biased or discriminatory algorithms, with serious consequences for claimants.  

    Digital exclusion can be experienced due to a person’s living conditions, educational attainment, health status, and income levels – complex factors that are not always fully captured by automated social security systems.   

    For one of the claimants interviewed by Amnesty International, gender, and socio-economic status all represented barriers to her access to services online. 

    “You know, have some form of compassion, you know, make the forms and things easier. I mean, I’m quite illiterate. I mean, a lot of women, and men of my age, can’t use them […] So they’re stuffed. They send me letters on my phone. I can’t open them. So I ring up. I can’t open it. I haven’t got an iPad. I can’t afford an iPad, you know,” the claimant told Amnesty International. 

    Human rights implications 

    The digitized and sweeping data collection has also created an all-seeing social security system that impacts claimants’ rights to privacy, data protection, and human dignity. 

    Using extensive amounts of data to determine eligibility for state support is not new. However, the scale and the breadth of the data used, and the speed with which it is processed now is new and can bring with it new unintended consequences and human rights risks.  

    “DWP’s experimentation with tech systems has jeopardised human rights and reduced people in need to data points. The success of a claim can be dependent on whether they neatly fit into a box or meet set criteria rather than their actual eligibility. Technology in this instance has oversimplified people’s complex realities and this demeans people’s needs especially when they are unable to get the support they need from a human case worker,” said Imogen Richmond-Bishop. 

    Amnesty International wrote to the DWP ahead of the publication of the report and provided a comprehensive summary of the research findings and the methodology. DWP declined to comment on the substance of the report at this time of publication.  

    The UK authorities must carry out an independent, and impartial review of the social security system as well as the digital systems used by the DWP and scrap any that violate human rights. We need laws to regulate AI to ensure it doesn’t contribute to human rights violations. Digital systems must be transparent, explainable, and never mandatory.  

    Background: 

    In May 2025, Amnesty International’s “Social Insecurity” report, exposed how cuts, sanctions and systemic failings of the UK’s social security system are pushing people deeper into poverty. 

    Amnesty International has also done research on public sector automation and digitalization in Denmark, Netherlands, India, Serbia, and supported work in France and Sweden on the resulting human rights risks and impacts of algorithmic decision-making in these jurisdictions.   

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Africa’s richest four hold more wealth than half the continent – Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • In 2000, Africa had no billionaires. Today it has 23 whose combined wealth has soared by 56% in just the past five years, reaching a staggering $112.6 billion. 

    • Africa’s richest 5% hold nearly $4 trillion in wealth – more than double the combined wealth of the rest of the continent. 

    • Despite soaring poverty, African governments show least commitment to reducing inequality, and that commitment has declined since 2022. 

    • An extra 1% tax on wealth and 10% tax on income of Africa’s richest 1% could raise $66 billion annually, more than enough to close the funding gaps for free quality education and universal access to electricity. 

    Today, just four of Africa’s richest billionaires hold $57.4 billion in wealth — more than the combined wealth of 750 million people, or half the continent’s population, according to a new Oxfam report.  

    The report – Africa’s inequality crisis and the rise of the super-rich – launched ahead of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, warns that the explosive concentration of wealth is accelerating inequality, driven by policies that enrich elites while starving public services. 

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

    “Africa’s wealth is not missing. It’s being siphoned off by a rigged system that allows a small elite to amass vast fortunes while denying hundreds of millions even the most basic services. This is an utter policy failure —unjust, avoidable and entirely reversible.’’   

    Africa is one of the most unequal regions in the world and has some of the highest poverty rates. Nearly half (23) of the world’s 50 most unequal countries are African, while extreme poverty has soared: seven in ten people living in extreme poverty today are in Africa, compared to just one in ten in 1990. Hunger is also worsening, with nearly 850 million Africans experiencing hunger — an increase of 20 million since 2022.   

    Despite deepening poverty and widening inequalities, African governments remain the least committed globally to narrowing the gap — slashing budgets for public services like education, health and social protection, while imposing some of the world’s lowest wealth taxes on the ultra-rich.  On average, the continent collects just 0.3% of GDP in wealth taxes. This is less than any other region and well below Asia (0.6%), Latin America (0.9%), and OECD countries (1.8%). Over the past decade, that already meagre share has dropped by nearly 25%. 

    For each dollar African countries raise from personal income and wealth taxes, they collect nearly three dollars from indirect taxes like Value Added Tax (VAT) — levies that deepen inequality. 

    The consequences are glaring. Half of Africa’s population live in 19 countries where income inequality has worsened or stagnated over the past decade. The richest 5% in Africa now hold nearly $4 trillion in wealth, more than double the combined wealth of the remaining 95% of the continent’s population. 

    Fatouma, a mother of 10 children who sells vegetables in El Afweyn, Somalia says: “Meat is a luxury we cannot afford in many homes. I earn about two dollars a day while the price of one kilo of flour has tripled.” 

    “Africa’s wealth is not missing. It’s being siphoned off by a rigged system that allows a small elite to amass vast fortunes while denying hundreds of millions even the most basic services. This is an utter policy failure —unjust, avoidable and entirely reversible.’’ 

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

    Oxfam International

    The report also finds that:  

    • In just three days, someone in Africa’s richest 1% earns what it takes a person in the poorest half an entire year to make.
    • Even if they lost almost all their wealth (keeping just 0.01%) Africa’s five richest men would still be 56 times richer than the average person on the continent.
    • Men in Africa own three times more wealth than women, the widest gender wealth gap of all regions in the world.
    • Over the past five years, African billionaires have increased their wealth by 56%.  

    As debt burdens mount, governments across the continent are squeezing the poor – gutting essential public services – while shielding the wealthiest from fair taxation. An earlier report by Oxfam and Development Finance International found that 94% of African countries with active World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans (44 out of 47 countries) have slashed spending on education, health and social protection in 2023-2024 to repay debt. This significantly undermines the AU’s goal of reducing inequality by 15% over the next 10 years.  

    “The solution is not far-fetched: tax the rich and invest in the majority. Anything less is a betrayal. If African leaders are serious about their commitments, they must stop rewarding the few and start building economies that work for everyone,” added N’Zi-Hassane.  

    Some African governments are already proving that fairer economies are possible. Morocco and South Africa collect 1.5% and 1.2% of their GDP from property taxes, respectively — among the highest in the continent. In Seychelles, the poorest 50% have seen their income share grow by 76% since 2000, while the richest 1% have lost two-thirds of theirs. The government also guarantees universal healthcare, free quality education, along with a robust welfare system for the most vulnerable.   

    A modest tax on Africa’s richest – just 1% more on wealth and 10% more on income – could generate $66 billion a year for the continent (2.29% of Africa’s GDP), according to the report. This would be more than enough to close the funding gaps needed to deliver free quality education and provide electricity to every home and business still in the dark.  

    ‘‘Every African woman, man and child deserves to live in dignity. When a handful of billionaires are allowed to hoard obscene wealth while millions are trapped in poverty, the system becomes not just broken but morally bankrupt. As leaders meet for AU Summit, delay is indefensible. Taxing the super-rich isn’t just fair — it’s essential for building the Africa we want,’’ said N’Zi-Hassane.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Africa’s richest four hold more wealth than half the continent – Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • In 2000, Africa had no billionaires. Today it has 23 whose combined wealth has soared by 56% in just the past five years, reaching a staggering $112.6 billion. 

    • Africa’s richest 5% hold nearly $4 trillion in wealth – more than double the combined wealth of the rest of the continent. 

    • Despite soaring poverty, African governments show least commitment to reducing inequality, and that commitment has declined since 2022. 

    • An extra 1% tax on wealth and 10% tax on income of Africa’s richest 1% could raise $66 billion annually, more than enough to close the funding gaps for free quality education and universal access to electricity. 

    Today, just four of Africa’s richest billionaires hold $57.4 billion in wealth — more than the combined wealth of 750 million people, or half the continent’s population, according to a new Oxfam report.  

    The report – Africa’s inequality crisis and the rise of the super-rich – launched ahead of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, warns that the explosive concentration of wealth is accelerating inequality, driven by policies that enrich elites while starving public services. 

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

    “Africa’s wealth is not missing. It’s being siphoned off by a rigged system that allows a small elite to amass vast fortunes while denying hundreds of millions even the most basic services. This is an utter policy failure —unjust, avoidable and entirely reversible.’’   

    Africa is one of the most unequal regions in the world and has some of the highest poverty rates. Nearly half (23) of the world’s 50 most unequal countries are African, while extreme poverty has soared: seven in ten people living in extreme poverty today are in Africa, compared to just one in ten in 1990. Hunger is also worsening, with nearly 850 million Africans experiencing hunger — an increase of 20 million since 2022.   

    Despite deepening poverty and widening inequalities, African governments remain the least committed globally to narrowing the gap — slashing budgets for public services like education, health and social protection, while imposing some of the world’s lowest wealth taxes on the ultra-rich.  On average, the continent collects just 0.3% of GDP in wealth taxes. This is less than any other region and well below Asia (0.6%), Latin America (0.9%), and OECD countries (1.8%). Over the past decade, that already meagre share has dropped by nearly 25%. 

    For each dollar African countries raise from personal income and wealth taxes, they collect nearly three dollars from indirect taxes like Value Added Tax (VAT) — levies that deepen inequality. 

    The consequences are glaring. Half of Africa’s population live in 19 countries where income inequality has worsened or stagnated over the past decade. The richest 5% in Africa now hold nearly $4 trillion in wealth, more than double the combined wealth of the remaining 95% of the continent’s population. 

    Fatouma, a mother of 10 children who sells vegetables in El Afweyn, Somalia says: “Meat is a luxury we cannot afford in many homes. I earn about two dollars a day while the price of one kilo of flour has tripled.” 

    “Africa’s wealth is not missing. It’s being siphoned off by a rigged system that allows a small elite to amass vast fortunes while denying hundreds of millions even the most basic services. This is an utter policy failure —unjust, avoidable and entirely reversible.’’ 

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

    Oxfam International

    The report also finds that:  

    • In just three days, someone in Africa’s richest 1% earns what it takes a person in the poorest half an entire year to make.
    • Even if they lost almost all their wealth (keeping just 0.01%) Africa’s five richest men would still be 56 times richer than the average person on the continent.
    • Men in Africa own three times more wealth than women, the widest gender wealth gap of all regions in the world.
    • Over the past five years, African billionaires have increased their wealth by 56%.  

    As debt burdens mount, governments across the continent are squeezing the poor – gutting essential public services – while shielding the wealthiest from fair taxation. An earlier report by Oxfam and Development Finance International found that 94% of African countries with active World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans (44 out of 47 countries) have slashed spending on education, health and social protection in 2023-2024 to repay debt. This significantly undermines the AU’s goal of reducing inequality by 15% over the next 10 years.  

    “The solution is not far-fetched: tax the rich and invest in the majority. Anything less is a betrayal. If African leaders are serious about their commitments, they must stop rewarding the few and start building economies that work for everyone,” added N’Zi-Hassane.  

    Some African governments are already proving that fairer economies are possible. Morocco and South Africa collect 1.5% and 1.2% of their GDP from property taxes, respectively — among the highest in the continent. In Seychelles, the poorest 50% have seen their income share grow by 76% since 2000, while the richest 1% have lost two-thirds of theirs. The government also guarantees universal healthcare, free quality education, along with a robust welfare system for the most vulnerable.   

    A modest tax on Africa’s richest – just 1% more on wealth and 10% more on income – could generate $66 billion a year for the continent (2.29% of Africa’s GDP), according to the report. This would be more than enough to close the funding gaps needed to deliver free quality education and provide electricity to every home and business still in the dark.  

    ‘‘Every African woman, man and child deserves to live in dignity. When a handful of billionaires are allowed to hoard obscene wealth while millions are trapped in poverty, the system becomes not just broken but morally bankrupt. As leaders meet for AU Summit, delay is indefensible. Taxing the super-rich isn’t just fair — it’s essential for building the Africa we want,’’ said N’Zi-Hassane.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior: A reminder of the power of persistence and resistance, hope and action, to change the world

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Auckland, New Zealand – 40 years ago today, Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk in Auckland Harbour by French secret service agents in an operation that murdered photographer Fernando Pereira. The commemoration coincides with Greenpeace resisting a new wave of attacks from the billionaires and corporate polluters who plunder our precious planet. 

    The bombing was an attempt to silence anti-nuclear protests in the Pacific. It backfired, igniting a global outcry and galvanising a movement. “You Can’t Sink a Rainbow” became a rallying call for resistance. It was a call to courage, putting hope into action for a better world.

    Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International Executive Director, said:

    “Whether forty years ago or today, Greenpeace will resist, we will persist, and we will win. Alongside our allies, and inspired by the courage of those who came before us, the global community of people working together in hope and for each other will prevail over those who plunder the planet for profit and power.”

    “This anniversary is a moment to remember Fernando Pereira. It is a moment to remember that when we join together, we can, and have changed the world for the better.”

    “In 1985, the French government wasn’t just trying to sink a ship – it was attempting to sink a movement, to attack activism, and to silence the voice of hope. They failed. They blew wind in our sails.”

    “Greenpeace and the movement refused to back down and continued to campaign against nuclear testing until, in 1996, we won.”

    “In 2025, civil society is under increased attacks from billionaires and fossil fuel companies trying to silence dissent, but we will show again that hope rises as we join together to meet this moment with increased unity and courage”.

    In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior had just helped relocate the people of Rongelap to Mejatto. The 300 Marshall Islanders were suffering severe health effects – including radiation sickness, birth defects, and high cancer rates – as a consequence of the fallout from the notorious 1954 US Castle Bravo nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll.

    The crew then sailed to Auckland to join protests against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. The Rainbow Warrior was to lead a flotilla of boats into the test zone to disrupt and draw international attention to atmospheric nuclear tests.

    In the wake of the bombing protests and international pressure against nuclear weapons testing continued to build. Greenpeace mounted three further protest expeditions to Mururoa in 1990, 1992 and 1995 on board the Rainbow Warrior II.

    In 1995 the Rainbow Warrior sailed into the test zone, defying exclusion orders and attempting to disrupt the tests, drawing global media attention and support. French forces seized the ship and arrested the crew, sparking widespread international condemnation. Although six tests went ahead, the intense backlash contributed to President Jacques Chirac announcing a permanent end to nuclear testing and signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996.

    ENDS

    Notes:

    Pictures and video of the Rainbow Warrior lit up as a “beacon of resistance”

    Contacts:

    Simon Black, Greenpeace International:  +61 420 488 219, [email protected]

    Nick Young, Greenpeace Aotearoa: +6421707727, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ten Years On: Reflections on the Silent Crisis in Burundi

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Tigere Chagutah

    It has been 10 years since a political crisis erupted in Burundi. Peaceful demonstrations against a controversial third term in office by the late president, Pierre Nkurunziza, were met with brutal repression by security forces. An attempted coup, while Nkurunziza attended a meeting in Tanzania, intensified the government’s violent response, leading to scores of targeted killings, torture, enforced disappearances and sexual violence. Ten years on, the country is yet to reckon with and move on from these events.

    It is in this context that Burundians were called to the polls on 5 June for legislative and local elections. Key opposition leaders, including former warlord Agathon Rwasa, along with their political parties, were barred from participating.  The ruling party, the Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD), claimed a landslide victory, with over 96% of the vote, according to final results confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

    The impunity that followed Burundi’s 2015 crisis has emboldened authorities to continue repressing peaceful dissent and violating other human rights with little consequence. Despite periods of relative calm since the 2020 elections and the death of former President Nkurunziza, systemic abuses persist, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the silencing of civil society and the media. The repressive structures established before and during the 2015 crisis remain intact, with the Imbonerakure youth league continuing to intimidate and assault perceived opponents. Recent incidents such as the sentencing of Dr. Christopher Sahabo on politically motivated charges, attacks on journalists like Willy Kwizera, and President Ndayishimiye’s inflammatory rhetoric against human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ people, underscore how a lack of accountability for past crimes has sustained a culture of repression and fear.

    A Crisis Rooted in Political Exclusion and Impunity

    The 2015 crisis did not arise in a void. It was the result of deep-seated political tensions, a history of exclusionary governance, and a legacy of impunity for human rights abuses and violations. Many people believe that the ruling party’s decision to ignore the Arusha Accords of 2000, (an agreement that had helped restore peace after a decade-long civil war), by extending presidential term limits without national consensus was a significant breach of trust and violated the social contract established with Burundians.

    The impunity that followed Burundi’s 2015 crisis has emboldened authorities to continue repressing peaceful dissent and violating other human rights with little consequence.

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

    In our investigations following the events of 2015, Amnesty International uncovered mass graves that concealed evidence of horrific massacres. More than 400,000 people fled the country, with many still living in exile today. Despite efforts at political dialogue, supported by regional institutions like the East African Community, there has been little to no meaningful accountability for the abuses committed before, during and after the crisis. The failure to ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice and victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies has left wounds unhealed, and undermined trust in national and regional institutions.

    Imperative for Justice and Accountability

    The lack of independent investigations and judicial action on past and present abuses highlights a broader crisis of accountability in Burundi. Since 2015, the National Human Rights Commission has faced allegations of inaction at a time when many placed their last hopes for a semblance of justice in it. On 5 May, the National Assembly elected new commissioners to lead the national human rights body. The newly established team must fulfil their duty to investigate abuses and violations and assist the Burundian government in upholding its human rights obligations.

    Justice and accountability are not only a moral imperative, but a necessity for sustainable peace in Burundi and the African Great Lakes region. The country cannot move forward without a genuine reckoning with its past. The critical work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission must not be used to advance the interests of the ruling party but deliver the truth and true reconciliation of the people of Burundi. This must go hand in hand with justice and accountability mechanisms, as recommended in the Arusha Accords, including the establishment of a Special Tribunal.  

    The country has all to gain by engaging in a genuine and inclusive dialogue that involves all stakeholders, including political actors, civil society, women and young people to restore trust and build a shared vision for the future.

    Tigere Chagutah

    It is also time for the government to show a commitment to human rights and the rule of law by ensuring independent judicial investigations and cooperating with regional and international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, which opened an investigation into the Burundi situation in October 2017. It must implement the recommendations of the 2015 African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ fact-finding mission report, which emphasized the need for accountability for past and present crimes to address the issue of impunity in the country.

    Beyond justice, Burundi urgently needs a comprehensive human rights and rule of law-based solution to address the root causes of conflict and division. The country has all to gain by engaging in a genuine and inclusive dialogue that involves all stakeholders, including political actors, civil society, women and young people to restore trust and build a shared vision for the future.

    Key principles of the 2000 Arusha Accords on respect for human rights and national unity remain as relevant today as they were 25 years ago. Reviving this spirit of dialogue is critical if Burundi is to escape the cycle of crisis and repression.

    Ten years on, we honor the memory of those who suffered and continue to suffer the consequences of the 2015 crisis and previous cycles of violence. Justice delayed is a hindrance to healing, social cohesion, and the stability of the country and the region.

    Tigere Chagutah is Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa regional office

    This opinion piece first ran in French in La Libre Afrique.

    https://afrique.lalibre.be/79733/dix-ans-apres-reflexions-sur-la-crise-silencieuse-au-burundi/

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: New Analysis of Five Major U.S. LNG Export Projects Finds Every One Fails the “Climate Test” 

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    For Immediate Release 

    July 9, 2025

    Contacts: Katie Nelson, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681, (GMT -8)

    Rebecca Stoner, Oil Change International, [email protected], +1 (917) 561-2607, (GMT -4)

    As the Trump administration barrels forward with its pro-fossil fuel agenda, and European and Asian governments and financial institutions debate whether to increase investments in U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) projects, a report published today by Greenpeace USA, Earthworks, and Oil Change International highlights the climate threats and financial risks posed by five major new liquefied gas export projects proposed for the United States Gulf Coast, all but one of them still awaiting a final investment decision. 

    “What we found was crystal clear – any further investment in LNG is not compatible with a livable climate,” says Andres Chang, Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace USA and lead author of the report. “The massive growth in infrastructure along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has already created significant public health and ecosystem impacts, threatening entire coastal communities. But it doesn’t stop there. We believe this report shows that if built, these projects would put global climate goals even further out of reach.” 

    The report analyzes five major U.S. LNG projects – Venture Global CP2, Cameron LNG Phase II, Sabine Pass Stage V, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG Midscale 8-9 [1], and Freeport LNG Expansion – and finds that each and every one fails a “climate test” derived from models in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2024 LNG Export public interest studies. Contrary to industry claims, the report shows that decreasing methane venting and leaking during gas drilling, transportation, and liquefaction is not enough to make these projects “climate neutral.” 

    “Focusing the Department of Energy’s model on individual US LNG terminals that are yet to be built, we found that they all result in increased greenhouse gas emissions because they pollute the climate, displace renewable energy, and drive up gas demand,” says Lorne Stockman, Oil Change International Research Director and report co-author. “It is very clear that governments, investors, and insurers must stop supporting the reckless LNG buildout now and instead invest in a rapid and just transition to renewable energy that will protect our communities from toxic pollution and climate-fueled superstorms.” 

    Future administrations could revoke export authorizations that were rubber-stamped under Trump based on their failure to pass the DOE “climate test,” which introduces a new layer of uncertainty to these already-risky projects. This report adds to a rapidly growing body of evidence that financing U.S. LNG is not a sound decision for insurers, investors, or purchasers – something the EU and America’s Asian allies must keep in mind as President Trump pressures them to increase their imports of U.S. LNG under threat of sweeping tariffs. “Countries with climate commitments, such as those in the EU, should be very wary of the climate cost of importing US LNG,” says Dr. Dakota Raynes, Senior Manager of Research, Policy, and Data at Earthworks and report co-author.

    “Fossil fuel dependency has long externalized its true costs, forcing communities to bear the burden of pollution, sickness, and economic instability,” says James Hiatt, founder and director of For a Better Bayou. “For decades the oil and gas industry has known about the devastating health and climate impacts of its operations, yet it continues to expand, backed by billions in private and public financing. These harms are not isolated – they’re systemic, and they threaten all of us. This report is a call to conscience. It’s time we stop propping up deadly false solutions and start investing in a transition to energy systems that sustain life, not sacrifice it.”

    Notes:

    Read the full report here. 

    A recording of yesterday’s press briefing with authors, community members, and other subject experts can be found here. 

    [1] As of the drafting of the report, all five were awaiting a final investment decision. On June 24, 2025, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG announced a positive final investment decision. 

    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.

    Oil Change International campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the ongoing transition towards clean energy. Oil Change International is dedicated to identifying and overcoming barriers to that transition.
    Earthworks protects communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Call for Papers: International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Installation Safety

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    TIC2026 will bring together nuclear safety regulators, plant designers and operators, technical support organizations, and other stakeholders from various countries, along with international organizations. The goal is to build on insights on key topics related to nuclear installation design safety, safety assessment, siting, construction, operation and regulation for both operating and new nuclear installations.

    “The conference will provide a comprehensive forum for nuclear safety stakeholders from various generations of nuclear projects, and a wide range of nuclear safety fields, to address different issues in nuclear installation safety, making it an inclusive event,” said Ana Gomez, Head of the IAEA Safety Assessment Section.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ​​​​​​​‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    ‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Brussels – As European leaders and companies are pushing for increased imports of US liquefied gas (LNG), a new report by Greenpeace USA, Earthworks, and Oil Change International highlights the climate threats and financial risks posed by five major new liquefied gas export projects proposed for the US Gulf Coast, most of them still awaiting a final investment decision.[1]

    “What we found was crystal clear – any further investment in LNG is not compatible with a livable climate,” said Andres Chang, Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace USA and lead author of the report. “The massive growth in infrastructure along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has already created significant public health and ecosystem impacts, threatening entire coastal communities. But it doesn’t stop there. We believe this report shows that, if built, these projects would put global climate goals even further out of reach.”

    The report analyses five major US LNG projects – Venture Global CP2, Cameron LNG Phase II, Sabine Pass Stage V, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG Midscale 8-9, and Freeport LNG Expansion – and finds that each would fail the climate test derived from models in the US Department of Energy’s 2024 LNG Export public interest studies.[2] Each would increase greenhouse gas emissions by edging out renewable energy and driving up global fossil fuel use, undermining the world’s ability to meet the Paris Agreement targets and driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The report suggests that future US administrations could therefore revoke export authorisations issued under current US President Trump.

    Pressured by Trump and facing the threat of sweeping tariffs, the EU Commission is proposing increased LNG imports.[3] It has also agreed to look into direct public investments by the EU and its member states in gas export facilities outside the EU – including potentially the five US LNG projects analysed in this report – in its Affordable Energy Action Plan released in February 2025.[4]

    “Increasing US gas imports will deepen Europe’s dependence on the US, making the EU and national governments even more vulnerable to Trump’s political extortion. EU leaders must break free from fossil fuel dependency and take control of Europe’s future by investing in a renewable, secure and peaceful energy system. A ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the EU would be the right first step, certainly not funding projects abroad,” said Thomas Gelin, Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner.

    Another result of Trump’s pressure is the calls by some Member States and other EU policymakers to weaken the EU methane regulation, which was adopted just last year, in order to continue importing US liquefied gas despite the fact that its production – mostly coming from fracking – is associated with particularly high methane emissions.[5][6]

    “This report adds to a rapidly growing body of evidence that financing U.S. LNG is not a sound decision for insurers, investors, or purchasers – something the EU and America’s Asian allies must keep in mind as President Trump pressures them to increase their imports of U.S. LNG under threat of sweeping tariffs. Countries with climate commitments, such as those in the EU, should be very wary of the climate cost of importing US LNG,” said Dr Dakota Raynes, Senior Manager of Research, Policy, and Data at Earthworks.

    European energy companies have already signed long-term purchase agreements for four of the projects analysed in the report. These contracts extend well beyond 2035, the year by which Europe must phase-out fossil gas if it is serious about meeting its international climate commitments. These companies include SEFE (Germany), BASF (Germany), GASTRADE S.A. (Greece), DTEK (Ukraine), TotalEnergies (France), PKN Orlen (Poland), Gap (Portugal) and Equinor (Norway) – several of which are fully or partially state-owned.[7] 

    “Fossil fuel dependency has long externalized its true costs, forcing communities to bear the burden of pollution, sickness, and economic instability,” says James Hiatt, founder and director of For a Better Bayou. “For decades the oil and gas industry has known about the devastating health and climate impacts of its operations, yet it continues to expand, backed by billions in private and public financing. These harms are not isolated – they’re systemic, and they threaten all of us. This report is a call to conscience. It’s time we stop propping up deadly false solutions and start investing in a transition to energy systems that sustain life, not sacrifice it.”

    Greenpeace calls on EU leaders to stop new long-term purchase agreements for liquefied gas and drop the proposal for direct financial investments in gas export facilities. Instead, the EU should impose a ban on all new fossil fuel projects, including new liquefied gas import terminals, stop all public investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and agree to end fossil gas by 2035 at the latest.

    ENDS

    Notes

    Read the full report: Failing the climate test: LNG projects awaiting final investment decision do not stand up to US Government analysis

    Read the European media briefing

    Watch the press conference recording

    [1] At the time of drafting of the report, all five were awaiting a final investment decision. On June 24, 2025, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG announced a positive final investment decision.

    [2] December 2024 | ENERGY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF US LNG EXPORTS

    [3] Trump says EU must buy $350B of US energy to get tariff relief – POLITICO

    [4] Action Plan for Affordable Energy 

    [5] The Member States are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Hungaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

    [6] Liquefied natural gas carbon footprint is worse than coal | Cornell Chronicle

    [7] Source: Sierra Club US LNG Export Tracker, date as of 4 June 2025

    Contacts

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    Katie Nelson, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681, (GMT -8)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Syria: President Al-Sharaa must publish full investigation into civilian killings 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Ahead of the submission of findings by the fact-finding committee, established on 9 March 2025 to investigate the killings of civilians on Syria’s northwest coast, to President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa said: 

    President al-Sharaa must commit to publishing the full findings of the fact-finding committee’s investigation into the mass killings targeting Alawite civilians in coastal areas and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

    Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

    “President al-Sharaa must commit to publishing the full findings of the fact-finding committee’s investigation into the mass killings targeting Alawite civilians in coastal areas and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. Victims and the public have the right to be informed of the methodology used in this process and the committee’s conclusions.  

    “Survivors and the families of victims have the right to know what happened, who was responsible, and what concrete steps the authorities will take to deliver justice. Only independent and impartial investigations can lead to credible and fair trials. The President must also ensure that effective reparations are provided to survivors and affected families.  

    “Following the massacre, the President pledged to hold perpetrators accountable ‘with all fairness and without leniency.’ Now is the moment to fulfil that promise and demonstrate to the Syrian people that the authorities are committed to preventing communities from being targeted on the basis of religion or political affiliation and to bring to court those who commit targeted killings. Ensuring truth, justice, and reparation for the violations committed against Alawite communities and other minorities is an essential part of ending impunity and preventing further abuse.” 

    Background:  

    On 6 March 2025, armed groups affiliated with the former government led by President Bashar al-Assad launched multiple coordinated attacks on security and military sites in the coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartous. In response, the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior, backed by supporting militias, launched a counteroffensive, leading to a significant escalation of violence.  

    In April 2025, Amnesty International called on the authorities to investigate the killing of hundreds of civilians in the coastal area as war crimes. Militias affiliated with the government, killed more than 100 people in the coastal city of Banias alone on 8 and 9 March 2025. The organization investigated 32 of the killings, and concluded that they were deliberate, unlawful, and specifically targeted the Alawite minority sect. 

    In June 2025, Reuters reported that around 1,500 Alawites had been killed, in 40 distinct sites, during the violence.   

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Climate crisis tripled death toll of Europe’s latest heatwave: Greenpeace calls for polluters to pay

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Amsterdam – Responding to a rapid study by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine that found that the number of heat-related deaths across 12 European cities tripled due to the climate crisis in the 10 day period between 23 June and 2 July, as well as to preliminary data published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service that June 2025 was the hottest ever June for Western Europe and the third-warmest June globally.[1][2]

    Ian Duff, Head of Greenpeace International’s Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign said: “It is society’s most vulnerable – in Milan, Barcelona, Paris, London and elsewhere – who suffer most in the midst of record temperatures. Europe’s dependence and soft hand on oil and gas corporations who are fueling this extreme heat is giving a death blow to our parents and grandparents.” 

    “This heatwave comes when public finances are already stretched and it is only fair that those most responsible are made to pay. For European cities to become safe spaces for society’s most vulnerable, polluters like Shell and TotalEnergies must face fines and taxes to pay for soaring climate and health costs.”

    Beyond excess mortality, the latest heatwave in Europe resulted in restrictions on outdoor work hours in Italy, the closure of more than 2,200 schools in France, and wildfires breaking out in Greece, Spain, and Turkey.

    Eight out of 10 people support taxing oil and gas corporations to pay for climate damages, according to a global survey commissioned by Greenpeace International and Oxfam International. The two organisations are part of the Polluters Pay Pact, a global alliance of over 170,000 people, including first responders like firefighters, humanitarian groups and political leaders. It demands that governments around the world make oil, coal and gas corporations pay their fair share for the damages they cause

    ENDS

    Notes:

    [1] “Climate change tripled heatwave death toll in European cities during last week’s heatwave” – Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

    [2] “Third-warmest June globally – Heatwaves in Europe amid temperature extremes across both hemispheres” – Copernicus 

    Contact:

    Tal Harris, Global Media Lead – Greenpeace International’s Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign, +41-782530550, [email protected] 

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Amnesty International and disabled people back UN concern over PIP and UC bill

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Protests against the PIP and UC bill in Rachel Reeves’s constituency

    UK: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND DISABLED PEOPLE BACK UN CONCERNS OVER PIP AND UC BILL

    Amnesty International and The Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England (DPOFE) and have called for the PIP and UC bill to be scrapped after the UN wrote to the UK Government raising concerns over its impact on disabled people

    The letter highlights concerns that the remaining cuts to universal credit could lead to increased poverty despite previous UN condemnation of grave and systemic rights violations.

    “Disabled People’s Organisations faced such hostility from our government that we reached out for help to the UN. They have now answered our call” Rick Burgess Co-Chair of The Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England (DPOFE)

    “It should shame the Government that the UN has felt the need to intervene over their brutal cuts to Universal Credit” – Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead Jen Clark

    Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England and Amnesty International have called on the Government to scrap the PIP and UC bill, following a letter by the UN raising concerns over the impact of the bill. The UN letter highlight a lack of consultation with disabled people, inadequate impact assessments, and regressive policy changes that risk deepening poverty and rights violations, particularly for those with complex needs, amongst other concerns.

    The UN have called for a response to their letter by the 11th of August.

    Commenting on the UN’s letter, Rick Burgess, co-founder of Co-Chair of the DPOFE and Amnesty International UK Disabled People’s Human Rights Network said: “Disabled People’s Organisations faced such hostility from our government that we reached out for help to the UN. They have now answered our call and it is clear that Keir Starmer risks further destroying disabled people’s human rights if his government carries on with its Bills and does not change ableist assumptions about us. It is utterly shameful we have to yet again appeal for international help to defend us against our own government.”

    Commenting on the proposed cuts to Universal Credit, Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead, Jen Clark said:

    “It should shame the Government that the UN has felt the need to intervene over these rushed, shambolic brutal cuts to Universal Credit and wider social security reform. These cuts will leave young disabled people or those with illnesses that vary day to day, such as mental health conditions and multiple sclerosis, at high risk of being pushed into poverty and unable to access their basic rights to food, housing and the care they need. Following the pause on the cuts to PIP, the bill should now be fully scrapped. It is unforgivable that the Government is choosing to balance the books by impoverishing some of the most vulnerable people in our society, instead of asking the very wealthiest to pay more.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Amnesty International and disabled people back UN concern over PIP and UC bill

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Protests against the PIP and UC bill in Rachel Reeves’s constituency

    UK: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND DISABLED PEOPLE BACK UN CONCERNS OVER PIP AND UC BILL

    Amnesty International and The Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England (DPOFE) and have called for the PIP and UC bill to be scrapped after the UN wrote to the UK Government raising concerns over its impact on disabled people

    The letter highlights concerns that the remaining cuts to universal credit could lead to increased poverty despite previous UN condemnation of grave and systemic rights violations.

    “Disabled People’s Organisations faced such hostility from our government that we reached out for help to the UN. They have now answered our call” Rick Burgess Co-Chair of The Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England (DPOFE)

    “It should shame the Government that the UN has felt the need to intervene over their brutal cuts to Universal Credit” – Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead Jen Clark

    Disabled Persons Organisations Forum England and Amnesty International have called on the Government to scrap the PIP and UC bill, following a letter by the UN raising concerns over the impact of the bill. The UN letter highlight a lack of consultation with disabled people, inadequate impact assessments, and regressive policy changes that risk deepening poverty and rights violations, particularly for those with complex needs, amongst other concerns.

    The UN have called for a response to their letter by the 11th of August.

    Commenting on the UN’s letter, Rick Burgess, co-founder of Co-Chair of the DPOFE and Amnesty International UK Disabled People’s Human Rights Network said: “Disabled People’s Organisations faced such hostility from our government that we reached out for help to the UN. They have now answered our call and it is clear that Keir Starmer risks further destroying disabled people’s human rights if his government carries on with its Bills and does not change ableist assumptions about us. It is utterly shameful we have to yet again appeal for international help to defend us against our own government.”

    Commenting on the proposed cuts to Universal Credit, Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead, Jen Clark said:

    “It should shame the Government that the UN has felt the need to intervene over these rushed, shambolic brutal cuts to Universal Credit and wider social security reform. These cuts will leave young disabled people or those with illnesses that vary day to day, such as mental health conditions and multiple sclerosis, at high risk of being pushed into poverty and unable to access their basic rights to food, housing and the care they need. Following the pause on the cuts to PIP, the bill should now be fully scrapped. It is unforgivable that the Government is choosing to balance the books by impoverishing some of the most vulnerable people in our society, instead of asking the very wealthiest to pay more.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Mexico:  The search for disappeared persons is a high-risk activity for collectives of women searchers

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Women who search for their loved ones among the more than 128,000 disappeared and missing persons in Mexico additionally face a growing number of impacts and violence which have so far claimed the lives of at least 16 of these women, Amnesty International has claimed today in its report Disappearing again. The report includes statements from 600 women searchers from 30 Mexican states and countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who generously shared their experiences through a survey, as well as in focus groups and interviews.

    “Women searchers carry out an incredibly important role in defending human rights in an exceptionally hostile environment. Despite the serious instances of violence and impacts they face, they support other families living through their same situation. They have promoted legislation, public policies and the creation of institutions specializing in the search for disappeared persons. The authorities must guarantee the right of families to search for their loved ones and take action to end the constant violations of human rights they experience while doing so,” said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

    The authorities must guarantee the right of families to search for their loved ones and take action to end the constant violations of human rights they experience while doing so.

    Ana Piquer, directora regional para las Américas de Amnistía Internacional.

    The report Disappearing again: Violence and impacts experienced by women searchers in Mexico is complemented by the campaign #SearchingWithoutFear (#BuscarSinMiedo) which calls for specific actions from the authorities to protect women searchers in the Americas.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Egypt: Release people detained over expressing support for Gaza March  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Egyptian authorities must unconditionally and immediately release anyone detained solely for expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide, including at least seven Egyptian nationals detained for expressing support for the Gaza March, Amnesty International said today. The organization is also calling on the authorities to investigate allegations of torture and other ill-treatment related to the arrests and deportations of international activists in connection with the planned solidarity march.

    Hundreds of international activists travelled to Egypt in June to take part in a global march to the city of Rafah in a bid to break Israel’s illegal blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip, but Egyptian authorities responded by arresting scores of Egyptian and foreign nationals and deporting non-Egyptians.  

    Amnesty International documented the arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, and ill-treatment of three Egyptians and five foreign nationals in connection with the Gaza March between 10 and 16 June. Amnesty International obtained a testimony that at least one Egyptian national was subjected to torture during their detention. The organization is calling for all those still being held solely for expressing solidarity with Palestinians to be unconditionally and immediately released, including those detained for expressing solidarity with Palestinians since October 2023. 

    It is unthinkable that Egyptian authorities are arresting and punishing activists for showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza while Israel is committing genocide against them.

    Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.

    “The world has seen a glimpse of the brutality that Egyptian authorities continue to inflict on dissidents. The arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment that these activists have been subjected to represents just a fraction of the ongoing repression faced by virtually anyone who expresses views not condoned by the government,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.  

    “It is unthinkable that Egyptian authorities are arresting and punishing activists for showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza while Israel is committing genocide against them. Egypt’s authorities should instead be facilitating the right to peaceful assembly and expression, starting by releasing anyone arbitrarily detained for demonstrating in solidarity with Palestinians and investigating all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment.”  

    On 11 June, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement that foreign nationals must receive prior authorization to visit areas bordering Gaza through, among other means, submitting a request to Egyptian embassies. Organizers of the Gaza March told Amnesty International that they had submitted authorization requests to over 30 Egyptian embassies abroad, approximately two and a half months ahead of the march’s scheduled date. Embassy officials informed them that the requests had been forwarded to authorities in Cairo, but the organizers never received a response. 

    Egyptian security forces later shut down the march by arresting Egyptian and foreign activists upon their arrival at the airport, from hotels or at checkpoints on the way to Rafah, before deporting hundreds of non-Egyptians. 

    Arbitrary detention and torture or other ill-treatment of Egyptian nationals 

    According to a lawyer at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), between 10 and 12 June 2025, security forces arrested three Egyptian nationals (two men and one woman) from their homes in Cairo and al-Sharkia governorates. The three were part of a Telegram group that supported the Gaza March. 

    Upon their arrest, they were reportedly held in incommunicado detention at undisclosed National Security Agency (NSA) facilities for periods ranging from nine to ten days. NSA agents then brought the three to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) in Cairo on 21, 22, and 23 June.  

    SSSP prosecutors accused them of charges including “joining a terrorist group [the Muslim Brotherhood],” “publishing false news,” and “funding a terrorist group,” according to the ECRF lawyer. Prosecutors then ordered their pretrial detention for 15 days pending investigations. 

    During the SSSP questioning, one of the men said that NSA agents had subjected him to electric shocks on his hands and a sensitive part of his body, and beat him with kicks and slaps to the face. The other man told the prosecutor that NSA agents beat him and forced him to strip naked. These acts constitute ill-treatment and may amount to torture. 

    In June, SSSP prosecutors questioned four other Egyptian nationals (three men and one woman) and ordered their detention for 15 days in connection with the same charges pending the same case, according to ECRF’s lawyer. 

    Arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of foreign nationals 

    Amnesty International spoke to five foreign nationals who had travelled to attend the Gaza March including Stefanie Crisostomo, a Croatian-Peruvian activist, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish national and the Gaza March spokesperson. They told Amnesty that Egyptian police subjected them to severe beatings and other acts of violence when they arrested them. They also said that they had been held in incommunicado detention in police stations, NSA facilities, and Cairo Airport.  

    Crisostomo told Amnesty International that on 14 June, plain-clothed NSA agents arrested her and her husband at a hotel in Cairo without providing any reason or allowing them to contact their embassies or anyone else after confiscating their phones. They were then transferred to an undisclosed security facility, where police detained her French husband for 30 hours, while transferring Stefanie to Cairo Airport. At the airport, she refused to be deported until the police released her husband. The police then handcuffed her and grabbed her arms tightly, causing bruising. Amnesty International reviewed photographs of her arms in which the bruises are clearly visible and is concerned that this may amount to ill-treatment. 

    One of the other foreign nationals, who chose not to disclose his nationality, said that on 13 June police arrested him, along with approximately 15 others, at a checkpoint in Ismailia Governorate on their way to Rafah. During the arrest, police beat him with batons, striking him on his face and neck. He said that during the arrest, one of the police officers attempted to put their finger in his anus. Police took the group to an Ismailia police station and detained them until the following morning, before transferring him to Cairo Airport for deportation. 

    The two other men, both Norwegians, as well as Saif said that on 16 June, plain-clothed police arrested them at a coffee shop in Cairo without showing a warrant. The police then blindfolded them and drove them to an undisclosed security facility in an unmarked van. NSA officers questioned the two Norwegian men, while still blindfolded and handcuffed, about the number of participants in the Gaza March, their identities, and their accommodation. One of the men told Amnesty International that when he refused to answer, an NSA agent slapped him twice on the face and kneed him in the chest. According to the man, the blow caused a minor rib fracture. 

    The second man said that when he refused to answer certain questions an NSA agent slapped him on the face and kicked him in the chest.  

    Saif Abukeshek said that police deliberately slammed his body into walls and doors while moving him between different rooms at the facility, blindfolded and handcuffed with his hands behind his back. “I could clearly hear them laughing at me crashing into the walls,” he said. 

    The three were later transferred to Cairo Airport to be deported after spending between two to 25 hours at the facility. None of the four men were allowed at any point to contact their embassy or anyone else to inform them about their arrest, until their deportation. 

    Background: 

    Between October 2023 and June 2024, Amnesty International and Egyptian human rights groups have documented the arrests of over 123 people who had expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza by peacefully protesting, posting comments online, hanging signs or writing slogans on walls. At least scores remain in pre-trial detention facing investigation over bogus charges of involvement in terrorism, spreading false news or illegal assembly. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Egypt: Release people detained over expressing support for Gaza March  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Egyptian authorities must unconditionally and immediately release anyone detained solely for expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide, including at least seven Egyptian nationals detained for expressing support for the Gaza March, Amnesty International said today. The organization is also calling on the authorities to investigate allegations of torture and other ill-treatment related to the arrests and deportations of international activists in connection with the planned solidarity march.

    Hundreds of international activists travelled to Egypt in June to take part in a global march to the city of Rafah in a bid to break Israel’s illegal blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip, but Egyptian authorities responded by arresting scores of Egyptian and foreign nationals and deporting non-Egyptians.  

    Amnesty International documented the arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, and ill-treatment of three Egyptians and five foreign nationals in connection with the Gaza March between 10 and 16 June. Amnesty International obtained a testimony that at least one Egyptian national was subjected to torture during their detention. The organization is calling for all those still being held solely for expressing solidarity with Palestinians to be unconditionally and immediately released, including those detained for expressing solidarity with Palestinians since October 2023. 

    It is unthinkable that Egyptian authorities are arresting and punishing activists for showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza while Israel is committing genocide against them.

    Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.

    “The world has seen a glimpse of the brutality that Egyptian authorities continue to inflict on dissidents. The arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment that these activists have been subjected to represents just a fraction of the ongoing repression faced by virtually anyone who expresses views not condoned by the government,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.  

    “It is unthinkable that Egyptian authorities are arresting and punishing activists for showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza while Israel is committing genocide against them. Egypt’s authorities should instead be facilitating the right to peaceful assembly and expression, starting by releasing anyone arbitrarily detained for demonstrating in solidarity with Palestinians and investigating all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment.”  

    On 11 June, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement that foreign nationals must receive prior authorization to visit areas bordering Gaza through, among other means, submitting a request to Egyptian embassies. Organizers of the Gaza March told Amnesty International that they had submitted authorization requests to over 30 Egyptian embassies abroad, approximately two and a half months ahead of the march’s scheduled date. Embassy officials informed them that the requests had been forwarded to authorities in Cairo, but the organizers never received a response. 

    Egyptian security forces later shut down the march by arresting Egyptian and foreign activists upon their arrival at the airport, from hotels or at checkpoints on the way to Rafah, before deporting hundreds of non-Egyptians. 

    Arbitrary detention and torture or other ill-treatment of Egyptian nationals 

    According to a lawyer at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), between 10 and 12 June 2025, security forces arrested three Egyptian nationals (two men and one woman) from their homes in Cairo and al-Sharkia governorates. The three were part of a Telegram group that supported the Gaza March. 

    Upon their arrest, they were reportedly held in incommunicado detention at undisclosed National Security Agency (NSA) facilities for periods ranging from nine to ten days. NSA agents then brought the three to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) in Cairo on 21, 22, and 23 June.  

    SSSP prosecutors accused them of charges including “joining a terrorist group [the Muslim Brotherhood],” “publishing false news,” and “funding a terrorist group,” according to the ECRF lawyer. Prosecutors then ordered their pretrial detention for 15 days pending investigations. 

    During the SSSP questioning, one of the men said that NSA agents had subjected him to electric shocks on his hands and a sensitive part of his body, and beat him with kicks and slaps to the face. The other man told the prosecutor that NSA agents beat him and forced him to strip naked. These acts constitute ill-treatment and may amount to torture. 

    In June, SSSP prosecutors questioned four other Egyptian nationals (three men and one woman) and ordered their detention for 15 days in connection with the same charges pending the same case, according to ECRF’s lawyer. 

    Arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of foreign nationals 

    Amnesty International spoke to five foreign nationals who had travelled to attend the Gaza March including Stefanie Crisostomo, a Croatian-Peruvian activist, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish national and the Gaza March spokesperson. They told Amnesty that Egyptian police subjected them to severe beatings and other acts of violence when they arrested them. They also said that they had been held in incommunicado detention in police stations, NSA facilities, and Cairo Airport.  

    Crisostomo told Amnesty International that on 14 June, plain-clothed NSA agents arrested her and her husband at a hotel in Cairo without providing any reason or allowing them to contact their embassies or anyone else after confiscating their phones. They were then transferred to an undisclosed security facility, where police detained her French husband for 30 hours, while transferring Stefanie to Cairo Airport. At the airport, she refused to be deported until the police released her husband. The police then handcuffed her and grabbed her arms tightly, causing bruising. Amnesty International reviewed photographs of her arms in which the bruises are clearly visible and is concerned that this may amount to ill-treatment. 

    One of the other foreign nationals, who chose not to disclose his nationality, said that on 13 June police arrested him, along with approximately 15 others, at a checkpoint in Ismailia Governorate on their way to Rafah. During the arrest, police beat him with batons, striking him on his face and neck. He said that during the arrest, one of the police officers attempted to put their finger in his anus. Police took the group to an Ismailia police station and detained them until the following morning, before transferring him to Cairo Airport for deportation. 

    The two other men, both Norwegians, as well as Saif said that on 16 June, plain-clothed police arrested them at a coffee shop in Cairo without showing a warrant. The police then blindfolded them and drove them to an undisclosed security facility in an unmarked van. NSA officers questioned the two Norwegian men, while still blindfolded and handcuffed, about the number of participants in the Gaza March, their identities, and their accommodation. One of the men told Amnesty International that when he refused to answer, an NSA agent slapped him twice on the face and kneed him in the chest. According to the man, the blow caused a minor rib fracture. 

    The second man said that when he refused to answer certain questions an NSA agent slapped him on the face and kicked him in the chest.  

    Saif Abukeshek said that police deliberately slammed his body into walls and doors while moving him between different rooms at the facility, blindfolded and handcuffed with his hands behind his back. “I could clearly hear them laughing at me crashing into the walls,” he said. 

    The three were later transferred to Cairo Airport to be deported after spending between two to 25 hours at the facility. None of the four men were allowed at any point to contact their embassy or anyone else to inform them about their arrest, until their deportation. 

    Background: 

    Between October 2023 and June 2024, Amnesty International and Egyptian human rights groups have documented the arrests of over 123 people who had expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza by peacefully protesting, posting comments online, hanging signs or writing slogans on walls. At least scores remain in pre-trial detention facing investigation over bogus charges of involvement in terrorism, spreading false news or illegal assembly. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Genetic Discovery Advances Insect Pest Control Worldwide

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    “This discovery is a true milestone. After more than 35 years of research, we now have a precise molecular handle on temperature-sensitive lethality,” said Kostas Bourtzis, a molecular biologist in the Joint Centre’s Insect Pest Control Section and co-author of the study. “This opens up the possibility of expanding genetic sexing systems to a wide range of insect pests with agricultural, veterinary and medical relevance — a major advancement for SIT programmes globally.”

    “With the identification of the tsl gene, we are closing a major knowledge gap that has long hindered the application of genetic sexing beyond the Mediterranean fruit fly,” said Marc F. Schetelig, professor of insect biotechnology in plant protection at JLU and liaison officer at the newly established Liebig Centre for Agroecology and Climate Impact Research, also a co-author of the study. “This paves the way for highly specific and sustainable insect control strategies without the use of chemical insecticides.”

    The study exemplifies the longstanding close strategic partnership between JLU and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre. With recent designation of the Liebig Centre for Agroecology and Climate Impact Research as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in May 2025, this collaboration has been institutionalized, enabling the joint development of biotechnology tools for sustainable insect pest control on a global scale.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: EU-Libya: EU’s migration cooperation with Libya is ‘morally bankrupt’ and amounts to complicity in violations

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Ahead of a visit by EU Migration Commissioner Brunner and EU ministers to Libya to discuss migration cooperation on 8 July, Eve Geddie, the Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said:

    “The EU’s morally bankrupt migration cooperation with Libyan authorities amounts to complicity in horrific human rights violations. Attempts to stop departures at any cost show a complete disregard for the lives and dignity of migrants and refugees.

    “Amnesty International has long documented the hellish conditions faced by migrants and refugees in Libya. Instead of addressing the catastrophic human cost of its migration deals in Libya and beyond, the EU and its member states are doubling down – trapping more and more people in abhorrent cycles of abuse.

    “This visit to Libya risks replicating an unchecked and unaccountable process, similar to the deal with Tunisia. EU leaders must ensure that any external cooperation guarantees effective scrutiny and oversight on where EU funds are going, and what actors they empower.

    “The EU and its member states must urgently re-evaluate their support for Libyan authorities and militias, suspend any actions contributing to trapping refugees and migrants in the country, and avoid further complicity in perpetuating grave human rights violations.”

    Background

    On Tuesday 8 July, European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner, together with Italian, Greek and Maltese ministers, will reportedly meet with officials from the two rival governments in the east and the west of Libya.

    Amnesty International has long documented how EU assistance facilitates the interception and forced return of tens of thousands of people to detention centres in Libya.

    Refugees and migrants in Libya are subjected to systematic and widespread violations by unaccountable armed groups and militias, including prolonged arbitrary detention; enforced disappearances; torture; rape; unlawful killings; extortion and forced labour – conditions, which, according to a UN investigation, very likely amount to crimes against humanity. Libya is not a safe place for disembarkation.

    The visit follows a push from Commission President von der Leyen to reduce departures from eastern Libya towards the EU, specifically towards Greece. It also comes in the aftermath of a serious crackdown launched by western-based authorities and militias against international humanitarian organizations assisting refugees and migrants, rendering their situation even more precarious after many of these organizations were forced to suspend operations. In eastern Libya, Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF)-affiliated armed groups such as Tariq Ben Zeyad continue to be responsible for “a catalogue of horrors” including forced mass expulsions of refugees and migrants to Chad, Egypt, Niger and Sudan, without due process and without granting them the opportunity to claim asylum.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Guinea: One year after the enforced disappearance of FNDC activists, abductions increase in a ‘climate of terror’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Guinean authorities must urgently reveal the fate and whereabouts of National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (Front national de défense de la Constitution – FNDC) activists Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, who were forcibly disappeared a year ago, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible for the abductions and enforced disappearances in Guinea are brought to justice in fair trial and victims and family members of victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies, said 25 Guinean and international human rights organizations.

    “We call on the Guinean authorities to break their unbearable silence regarding the fate of the two FNDC activists. There is no indication that they have carried out investigations to find the two activists who have been missing for a year,” the human rights organizations said today.

    Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla, known as Foniké Menguè, were arrested on 9 July 2024 at the latter’s home in Conakry by armed men, before allegedly being taken by special forces to the Loos archipelago. They were interrogated and tortured, according to a third member of FNDC who was abducted with the two others and released the day after. The authorities have denied holding them and their fate remains unknown to this day.

    The FNDC, a civil society movement calling for a return to civilian rule, was disbanded in 2022. Oumar Sylla, its national coordinator had called for demonstrations on 11 July 2024 against, among other things, repression of the media and the high cost of living.

    Since the Prosecutor General’s announcement on 17 July 2024 of the opening of ‘thorough and complete’ investigations into several abductions, including those of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, no information has been made public about their progress.

    We call on the Guinean authorities to ratify without reservation the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

    25 Guinean and international human rights organizations

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Call for Papers: Conference on Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    Interested contributors have until 15 September 2025 to submit synopses for the IAEA’s International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material.

    The IAEA estimates that 20 million shipments of radioactive material are transported every year. These materials are shipped nationally and internationally by road, rail, sea, air and inland waterways for applications such as medicine and health, agriculture, nuclear power generation and advanced scientific research. 

    The conference, to be hosted in Vienna, Austria from 23 to 27 March 2026, will cover the legislative and regulatory framework for the transport of nuclear and other radioactive material, safety and security by design; safety and security during transport operations. It builds on previous events held in 2011 and 2021.

    “For decades, IAEA safety standards have been the backbone for the safe transport of radioactive material. With rapid technological advances in the nuclear and transport sectors, the global landscape is evolving — and fast. This conference aims to drive innovation, share experience and help strengthen the global standards,” said Shazia Fayyaz, one of the scientific secretaries and Head of the IAEA Transport Safety Unit in the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.

    “During transport, nuclear and radioactive material may be vulnerable to a number of modal specific risks and threats,” said Robert Officer, the other scientific secretary of the conference and Head of the IAEA Transport Security Unit in the Division of Nuclear Security. “The conference will further raise awareness through sharing experiences on strengthening safety and security capabilities, including on such topics as legal and policy frameworks, and technological and commercial trends for the protection of end-to-end transport.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace: Governments are not powerless in the face of deep sea miners colluding with Trump

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Kingston, Jamaica – Governments still have a chance to protect the future of the deep ocean as the 30th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) resumes today, with 37 now calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining – the only credible path to decisively resist predatory corporate seizure and prevent the irreversible harm the industry could unleash.

    This is the first time governments have gathered to discuss deep sea mining since The Metals Company (TMC) submitted the first ever application to commercially mine the international seabed. The move was encouraged by an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump aimed to fast-track deep-sea mining operations in both US and international waters, and has bolstered opposition to deep sea mining, not only to protect the environment but also to defend international cooperation and international law.[1]

    Greenpeace International campaigner Louisa Casson, who is attending the meeting, said: “We are witnessing the dangers that arise when nations take unilateral action without regard for collective consequences. We should learn from nature that ecosystems collapse without cooperation; our global systems are at risk when we fail to work together for the common good. The deep sea must not fall victim to predatory corporate seizure. It is time for governments at the ISA to commit to a moratorium—this is the only viable path to prevent the irreversible harm that deep-sea mining would unleash.”

    Nearly 200 governments have signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), often referred to as the “constitution of the ocean”, which establishes a global legal framework that prevents states from taking unilateral action to exploit them.

    In its latest financial filings, TMC acknowledged that many governments and the ISA are likely to view any deep sea mining permit issued under the Trump administration as a violation of international law.[2] This could result in lawsuits, being unable to sell minerals, and companies refusing to work with TMC throughout the supply chain. 

    Pressure is already mounting on Allseas, a company headquartered in Switzerland with significant presence in the Netherlands, who own the deep sea mining ship and machinery that TMC intends to rely on for commercial operations, and are also one of its largest shareholders. Last week, Greenpeace activists hung a banner from Allseas office in Delft, urging the company to break ties with Trump.[3]

    Recently, Dutch media reported that Climate Minister Sophie Hermans is raising concerns directly with Allseas over their involvement with TMC, while the Swiss government outlined its expectations for companies registered or active in Switzerland to follow international law and norms.[4][5] Allseas’ CEO has stated that the company “would not do anything illegal”.

    Moreover, TMC’s strategic collaboration with PAMCO is coming under new scrutiny, with the Japanese metal processing company admitting that it “consider(s) the establishment of the business via a route that has earned international credibility to be a material issue”.[6]

    The ISA risks caving in to corporate pressure with the President of the Council, H.E. Duncan Laki, circulating instructions to ISA parties to speed up discussions in an attempt to finalize a Mining Code by this year, which would pave the way for  commercial deep sea mining to begin in the international seabed.[7] These included strong limitations of intervention times or recourse to smaller meetings where observers were excluded. In response, Greenpeace has sent a letter to Secretary General Leticia Carvalho, warning that the ISA must not reward industry-led efforts to rush the adoption of the Mining Code.[8] Several governments have also voiced strong opposition, stating, “We categorically disassociate ourselves from any suggestion or interpretation that the Council is bound, legally or politically, to adopt the regulations by the end of the year.”[9] Other NGOs, Indigenous peoples and some States also addressed the issue.

    Louisa Casson added: “Governments are not powerless in the face of deep sea miners doing a doomed deal with Trump. They have both the authority and, now more than ever, the responsibility to act. With growing scientific concern, mounting public pressure, and unprecedented risks to fragile marine ecosystems, the time for courageous leadership is now”.

    ENDS

    Photos available in the Greenpeace Media Library

    Notes:

    [1] Trump’s executive order 

    [2] TMC’s Financial Fillings: “the announcement or implementation of this strategy may cause additional regulatory and political tensions, delay ISA decision-making, or impair our ability to secure or maintain exploration contracts or an exploitation contract under the ISA framework and may result in our need to engage in costly and time-consuming litigation to enforce our rights. In addition, UNCLOS parties and the ISA are under a legal obligation, under UNCLOS, not to recognise any commercial recovery permit issued to us under DSHMRA; many UNCLOS parties and the ISA are likely to regard such a permit as a violation of international law, including UNCLOS, which could affect international perceptions of the project, and could have implications for logistics, processing, and market access in UNCLOS parties for seabed minerals extracted under a US license and for downstream products containing them, or for partnerships involving foreign entities, and could also result in actions, pursuant to UNCLOS, against TMC under the national laws of UNCLOS parties, any or all of which could have a material adverse affect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects.”

    [3] Greenpeace Netherlands release

    [4] Dutch Cabinet raises concerns over Allseas 

    [5] Swiss government puts pressure on Allseas

    [6] Pacific Metals Company Financial Results Briefing 

    [7] Proposal by ISA President H.E. Duncan Laki

    [8] Letter to Secretary General Leticia Carvalho

    [9] Submission by Chile, Costa Rica and France 

    Contacts:

    Sol Gosetti, Media Coordinator for the Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, Greenpeace International: +34 664029407, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Chinese government impunity for crackdown on lawyers fuels decade of repression

    Source: Amnesty International –

    As Amnesty International signed on to a joint statement ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the ‘709’ crackdown on human rights lawyers in China, the organization’s China Director Sarah Brooks said:

    “The 709 Crackdown led to the unjust prosecution and persecution some of China’s most diligent human rights lawyers and legal activists, but it was just the start of a decade-long assault on human rights and the rule of law that shows no signs of abating today.

    “Many of the lawyers targeted 10 years ago continue to risk imprisonment and to face regular harassment and harsh restrictions on their rights – disrupting not only their daily lives, but also those of their families, including their children. 

    “The deterioration of the human rights situation in China since the 709 Crackdown is no coincidence. Beijing’s attack on the legal profession helped facilitate a broader and more sustained attack on human rights, affecting how LGBTI individuals can find community, how workers can seek remedy, and how women, migrants and persons with disabilities can combat violence and discrimination.

    “This ongoing deterioration underlines the inadequacy of the international response to the 709 Crackdown. This 10-year milestone must remind governments around the world to urge their Chinese counterparts to ensure the freedom and fair treatment of all lawyers targeted simply for doing the jobs they had trained for.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: New report denounces alarming escalation in executions including of foreign nationals convicted of drug-related offences

    Source: Amnesty International –

    A new report published by Amnesty International today draws attention to a startling surge in executions in Saudi Arabia in recent years, particularly for drug-related offences, and highlights the significant impact of these on foreign nationals.

    Between January 2014 and June 2025, Saudi Arabia executed 1,816 people, according to the official press agency. Nearly one in three were executed for drug-related offences, which are offences that may not be punished by death under international human rights law and standards. Out of the 597 people executed for drug-related offences during the ten-year period, foreign nationals made up nearly three-quarters (75%) of such executions.

    In 2024 Saudi Arabia carried out a record 345 executions. So far this year between January and June 2025, Saudi Arabia executed a total of 180 people.

    In June 2025 alone, Saudi Arabia has executed 46 people, including 37 for drug-related offences – an average of more than one drug-related execution per day. Thirty-four were foreign nationals from Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.

    We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty.

    Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

    “Saudi Arabia’s relentless and ruthless use of the death penalty after grossly unfair trials not only demonstrates a chilling disregard for human life; its application for drug-related offences is also an egregious violation of international law and standards,” said Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

    “We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty. This report exposes the dark and deadly reality behind the progressive image that the authorities attempt to project globally.”  

    The 345 executions carried out in 2024 marked the highest number of executions Amnesty International has recorded in Saudi Arabia in over three decades. Approximately 35% of these, or 122 people, were executed for drug-related offences, the highest annual total since Amnesty began logging executions in Saudi Arabia in 1990. In 2024, Saudi Arabia was one of only four countries worldwide with reported executions for drug-related offences.

    In a significant policy reversal, Saudi Arabia’s 33-month moratorium on drug-related executions, announced in January 2021, was abruptly lifted in November 2022. Saudi Arabia has executed over 262 people for drug-related offences since – which is close to half of the recorded total drug-related executions over the 10-year period analysed.

    The report is based on a comprehensive quantitative analysis of reported executions spanning over a decade and an in-depth examination of cases of foreign nationals sentenced to death.

    In stark contrast to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s earlier public claims that the Kingdom was limiting the death penalty for ta’zir (discretionary) offences, the analysis reveals a pattern of judges, exercising their discretion to increase the severity of punishments and impose death sentences, even in cases not involving intentional killing, rather than using it to limit use of the death penalty. Amnesty International’s analysis shows that 122 ta’zir executions for drug-related offences were carried out in 2024 alone and 118 such executions in the first six months of 2025.

    The report highlights how foreign nationals are being put to death at a startling rate for drug-related offences. Nationalities particularly affected over the last decade include Pakistani (155 executed), Syrian (66), Jordanian (50), Yemeni (39), Egyptian (33), Nigerian (32), Somali (22) and Ethiopian (13), alongside others. Dozens more foreign nationals remain at imminent risk of execution.

    Foreign nationals face additional challenges to receiving a fair trial in Saudi Arabia, a country that is not their own and which has an inherently opaque criminal justice system.

    A relative told Amnesty International: “We don’t know if they have their court document … We can’t obtain any legal documents because we don’t have anyone inside the country supporting us with the case, like a legal representative. There is also a language barrier. My brother was arrested within a week from leaving Ethiopia while crossing the Yemen border. He knew nothing about what he would face at the Saudi border.”

    Amnesty International, working with partner organizations the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and Justice Project Pakistan, documented the cases of 25 foreign nationals from Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Pakistan and Somalia convicted of drug-related offences who are currently on death row or have been executed in Saudi Arabia.

    Based on in-depth interviews with families of 13 of these 25 people, community members and a consulate official, as well as an examination of court documents, Amnesty International concluded that the limited education and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds of these foreign nationals on death row increased their risk of exploitation in their migration and made it more difficult for them to access legal representation in Saudi Arabia.

    The report details systemic failures to guarantee their right to a fair trial, including, among other things, lack of access to a legal representative, inadequate consular support and no access to effective interpretation.

    At least four of the documented cases involved people reporting being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment during pre-trial detention to extract “confessions”. Hussein Abou al-Kheir, for instance, a 57-year-old father of eight, retracted his torture-tainted “confession” multiple times during his trial proceedings, stating he was beaten to the point he couldn’t hold a pen, yet the judge used his self-incriminating statement as evidence to convict him. Such practices violate Saudi Arabia’s obligations under the Convention against Torture as well as other international safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty.

    The psychological toll on both the people on death row and their families was described to Amnesty International as immense. Many did not know the status of their appeals or when their execution might occur. In some cases they were only informed by prison officials the day before. Families learned of the executions through other detainees or media reports. In all cases documented by Amnesty International, Saudi authorities have withheld the bodies of those executed, denying families the right to mourn and give burial in line with their religious practices – a practice condemned by UN bodies as a form of ill-treatment.

    “We were devastated, especially that there is no body to mourn. No funeral ceremony… Back in Amman my family sat in silence in their living room when they heard the news and started screaming like mad people. It’s an image that broke my heart,” said Zainab Abou al-Kheir, sister of Hussein, who was executed in Saudi Arabia in March 2023.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oxfam reaction to the Inter-American Human Rights Court declaring tackling climate a legal government duty

    Source: Oxfam –

    In response to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights decision today setting out governments’ obligations in regard to the climate crisis, Gloria García-Parra, Oxfam’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean said:  
     
    “The Inter-American Court has sounded the alarm, declaring a climate emergency and for the first time pronouncing that governments have a legal obligation to ensure the right to a safe climate. It stated that governments must protect present and future generations of people, as well as nature and other species from dangerous human-caused emissions.” 

    “Oxfam has consistently insisted on the need to address climate and inequality in tandem. We are delighted that the Court has confirmed this is a legal obligation, declaring that there must be no disproportionate burdens caused by climate change for anyone, whether in the present and for future generations.”   

    “The Court states that governments must adopt binding emissions reduction targets with specific deadlines, based on their historic contributions, with those States most responsible adopting the most ambitious targets. States must take urgent and effective steps to regulate, supervise, and monitor corporations within their borders to minimize their adverse impacts on climate change. 

    “The Court also observed that States are responsible for the impacts of carbon emissions within their borders have on the human rights of people wherever they are. And that governments have a legal obligation to cooperate with other countries, including by providing technical and financial assistance to States and peoples with less resources. The Court confirmed that governments must ensure people affected by climate harms have the right to a remedy that holds to account those responsible for climate harms, even if those people are in a different country.”  

    “The Court confirms that States must have a specific set of strong protections for environmental defenders. It recognizes that governments must respect and take into account traditional, ancestral, and local knowledge systems, including those of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendent communities, in climate decision-making.”  

    “The Court has confirmed binding requirements in international law that go beyond those contained in the Paris Agreement. Governments in the Americas must immediately review their climate plans and amend them to comply with this decision. If they do not, it is clear that communities around the world – not only in the Americas – have a powerful new tool to challenge their governments failures to protect their human rights and the climate.”  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Job Opening: Campaigner

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    This is a full-time permanent position based in Manila Office. Candidates who have the legal right to work and live in the Philippines are encouraged to apply.

    © Daniel Müller / Greenpeace

    About the Role

    The Campaigner is a key role in Greenpeace. This role leads the development and implementation of high impact campaign strategies and plans with the goal of achieving big and lasting wins in the policy and public perception spheres, towards systemic changes.

    This role works together with a cross-functional team to co-create and drive proactive and responsive initiatives that will influence policy, change mindsets and mobilize communities, groups and networks.

    The incumbent is expected to be knowledgeable in climate, energy and environmental issues, as well as cross-cutting social justice issues. They must be well-versed in local and international climate and energy policy and developments. In certain situations, as determined by internal and external events and upon the consideration and advice from the Country Director, the campaigner is expected to support other initiatives under the Greenpeace Philippines Program.

    Duties and Responsibilities:

    • Develop and implement smart, innovative and people-powered campaign strategies and projects in line with both the short and long term goals of the Climate Campaign, and the GPPH program in general, consistent with national, regional and international objectives and including detailed strategy, activities, timelines and budgets.
    • Maintain a working knowledge of technical information and be able to present the information to a variety of audiences within and outside the Philippines.
    • Maintain a working knowledge of mindset sciences, and political, legislative, regulatory and economic frameworks relevant to climate, energy, and the environment.
    • Lead the development and implementation of campaign plans and tactics
    • Initiate cross-issue campaign discussions for integrated project development, planning and implementation
    • Work with engagement focal points to strengthen the campaign’s people participation and audience journey components. Organize and oversee the work of campaign/project volunteers, interns and short-term contractors as required
    • Work with the communications focal points in preparing a variety of communications materials and provide assistance in the formulation of regional and international materials when necessary, and assist in planning communications and engagement strategies for the campaign
    • Respond to and engage in internal as well as external regional challenges beyond his/her normal issue/campaign area as circumstances require
    • Participate in campaign discussions and planning regarding strategic issues within Greenpeace Philippines, GPSEA, with other Greenpeace offices and with GP International (GPI) staff. This will include both written and verbal discussion as well as attendance at specific meetings
    • Keep the Philippine Country Director, Regional and other Campaigners, unit leads and project team members well-informed of activities in the campaign interventions (including the preparation of monthly reports and work plans) and recommend changes in tactics, or strategies as necessary
    • Represent Greenpeace and the campaign at relevant public events, movement events and at meetings with political decision makers, local citizens and affected communities; act as spokesperson for the campaign, and develop pro-active relationships with relevant media to increase campaign outreach
    • Build alliances and/or support relationships with partner organizations, relevant affected groups, grassroots organizations, academic and professional groups, labor unions and others as identified in strategic planning
    • Build, connect and/or catalyze relevant climate movements by creating, building and/or supporting networks, coalitions, and groups in support of campaign goals and in line with agreed campaign strategies
    • Direct, organize and participate in non-violent direct action to support and advance campaign goals and organization objectives
    • Reliably deliver on project engagement plans in line with the country strategy, campaign and engagement objectives and KPIs
    • Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the campaign and implement progress reviews and end-point evaluations

    Skills and Experience Requirements:

    • Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field
    • At least 6 years work experience on environmental campaigning or any related field
    • Extensive knowledge about climate, energy, biodiversity and environmental issues
    • Proven experience in campaigning and project management, open campaigning, mass mobilization, public speaking, activist training, strategic planning and organizing people around an issue
    • Proven experience in directing a project from conception to completion
    • Proven ability to work both independently and in close coordination with a team
    • Excellent networking skills and the ability to communicate with a wide range of organizations and communities

    Functional Skills:

    • Strong strategic thinking and planning skills; proven experience in analyzing and planning campaign strategies
    • Strong personal organizational skills including ability to participate in multiple projects with competing priorities and timelines, strong interpersonal communication skills and ability to handle constantly evolving work
    • Knowledge and/or experience in working with volunteers
    • Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English and Filipino

    Greenpeace’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

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

    Deadline for applications: July 22, 2025

    Jobs

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

    TAKE ACTION

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Update 300 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost all off-site power for several hours today, once again underlining the extremely fragile nuclear safety situation at the site, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

    The plant’s connection to its last remaining 750 kilovolt (kV) power line was cut at 17:37 local time today and restored around 21:11, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators for more than three and a half hours. While the cause was not immediately known, it coincided with air raid alarms in the region, Director General Grossi said, citing information from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator.

    It was the ninth time the ZNPP suffered a complete loss of off-site power since the conflict began in February 2022, and the first since 2 December 2023.

    The IAEA team based at the site, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), reported that 18 emergency diesel generators immediately started operating to generate the electricity the plant needs to be able to cool the reactors and the spent fuel pools. The plant has diesel fuel for at least 10 days on-site, and arrangements in place to secure further supplies. Once off-site power was restored, the diesel generators were switched off.

    “What was once virtually unimaginable – that a major nuclear power plant would repeatedly lose all of its external power connections – has unfortunately become a common occurrence at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Almost three and a half years into this devastating war, nuclear safety in Ukraine remains very much in danger,” Director General Grossi said.

    “Our team on the ground will continue to follow the situation very closely and report on further developments there,” he said.

    The ZNPP’s six reactors have been in cold shutdown since 2024 but still require cooling water for their reactor cores and spent fuel pools. The ZNPP lost the connection to its last remaining 330 kV back-up power line on 7 May, leaving the plant dependent on its sole 750 kV line. Before the conflict, it had ten off-site power lines available, highlighting the extent to which nuclear safety has deteriorated since February 2022.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Serbia: Authorities must end unlawful use of force against protesters and investigate reports of police violence

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Following reports of a widespread violent crackdown on largely peaceful student protesters in Belgrade and other major towns across Serbia for the sixth consecutive day since 28 June, when student movement called for an early parliamentary election, Amnesty International and Civil Rights Defenders said in a joint statement:

    “Footage of Serbian riot police indiscriminately targeting peaceful protesters gathered at blockades on the street and in front of universities in Belgrade is alarming. There have been widespread arrests and allegations of excessive or otherwise unlawful use of force against student protesters – during the protests, the arrests and in police custody. Authorities must urgently investigate and explain reports of masked individuals in civilian clothes targeting protesters.

    “While the state has the responsibility to ensure public order and respond to individual violent incidents, any use of force must be a last resort, and be strictly necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim. A heavy-handed response to peaceful dissent cannot be justified.

    Footage of Serbian riot police indiscriminately targeting peaceful protesters gathered at blockades on the street and in front of universities in Belgrade is alarming

    “Serbian authorities must exercise restraint and ensure people can participate safely in demonstrations and express their dissent free from intimidation, harassment or violence. Failure to do so risks escalating tensions further. Instances of police use of unlawful force must be promptly and independently investigated and any officers suspected to have acted unlawfully must be brought to justice.

    “EU leaders should unequivocally denounce any human rights violations against protesters and stress that guaranteeing the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression remains front and centre in Serbia’s EU accession process.”  

    Background

    This week saw an increasing crackdown against largely peaceful civic actions after student protesters called for early parliamentary elections and set up hundreds of road blockades in multiple towns across the country. Amnesty International received reports about several hundred students, including high school students, and other protesters arrested on various criminal and administrative charges since Sunday. While many have been released, there were reports about police using excessive force both during the protests, arrests and detention, including beatings which left several students hospitalized for injuries.

    Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Serbian capital Belgrade last  Saturday demanding early parliamentary elections. The Saturday protest was the last in nearly eight months of persistent demonstrations across Serbia, triggered by the collapse of the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people and sparked allegations about negligence and corruption in government infrastructure projects. 

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: BRICS: Greenpeace calls for strong global leadership in pushing climate action and nature protection

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Leaders at the BRICS Summit have a responsibility to reinforce multilateralism and deliver an urgent signal they are prepared to act on the global challenges of climate change and nature protection.

    Less than two weeks after the Bonn Climate Change Conference was marred by a lack of urgency and as G7 leaders tiptoed around the need for climate action, BRICS leaders have an obligation to move ahead with urgent climate action on the road to COP30 in Brazil – including accelerating the COP28 decision to transition away from fossil fuels to align their climate action plans with the 1.5°C goal. 

    Anna Carcamo, Climate Politics Specialist, Greenpeace Brazil said: “All eyes are on Brazil this year as the BRICS and COP30 host. This is a seismic opportunity to drive bold, collaborative Global South leadership. BRICS nations, several of which are among the most climate vulnerable, must seize this moment and take a decisive stand for people and the planet.

    “The BRICs can lead climate action with strong 2035 climate action plans and Brazil has a responsibility to steer them to higher ambition, ensuring an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels and pushing forward to end deforestation through a transformative forest outcome at COP30 in the Amazon.”

    Yao Zhe, Global Policy Adviser, Greenpeace East Asia said: “The BRICS agenda has always placed global development at its core. However, amid major economic and geopolitical challenges, ecological degradation is threatening the foundations of future prosperity and undermining development potential.

    “It is crucial therefore that the BRICS evolves into a positive force for strengthening global environmental and climate governance by offering joint leadership and innovative solutions. As a founding member of BRICS, China plays a particularly important role in this endeavour.”

    Koaile Monaheng, Pan African Political Strategist, Greenpeace Africa said: “In a year as the G20 host, South Africa also needs to live up to its global responsibilities and a good place to start is ratifying the global oceans treaty and pushing other BRICS members to do the same. But responsible leadership also starts at home and South Africa must push ahead with an ambitious 2035 climate action plan to set the scene for climate finance talks at COP30.”

    Rayhan Dudayev, Forest Solution Political Lead, Greenpeace Southeast Asia said: “The world is watching for Global South leadership that strengthens multilateralism, centres climate justice and puts community-based solutions at the heart of climate action and finance. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities protect over one-third of the world’s forests, but receive only 1 % of global climate finance. The Brazilian-led Tropical Forests Forever Facility is an opportunity to strengthen forest protection and halt deforestation if it ensures robust monitoring and full participation of frontline communities.”

    Abigail Aguilar, Global Plastics Campaign Manager, Greenpeace USA said: “A strong Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production and provides a pathway for sustainable development in the Global South could provide a defining signal that BRICS nations are listening to the most affected in the developing countries and are ready to step up where others have faltered.

    “With the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations on the horizon in Geneva, BRICS nations must commit to an ambitious agreement that will cut plastic production, secure finance and technology needed for a just transition and protect our people, climate and the planet.”

    Mariana Andrade, Ocean Campaigner, Greenpeace Brazil said: “The High Seas Treaty’s ratification is within touching distance and Global South leadership has helped drive forward this crucial agreement. But ahead of the next International Seabed Authority meeting, we are watching whether that leadership extends to defending the ocean from unilateral deep sea mining.

    “Reckless exploitation of the deep sea would betray the principles of multilateralism that BRICS countries must champion. This is a moment where they must commit to international law, science-based decision-making and the common heritage of humankind.”

    ENDS

    Contacts:

    Aaron Gray-Block, Climate Politics Communications Manager, Greenpeace International, [email protected]

    Lais Modelli, Media Coordinator, Greenpeace Brasil +55 14 981279058, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected] 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sky-high protest: activists confront fossil gas in Croatia during heatwave emergency

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Pula, Croatia – Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) activists from six countries have climbed 135 meters (the height of a skyscraper) up a towering fossil gas installation platform known as a Jackup rig, to stage a protest in Pula on the Croatian Adriatic Sea. They unfurled two banners saying “Stop Gas” and “Start Future”, illustrated with solar and wind energy. Greenpeace is calling for an immediate ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the European Union and a fossil gas phase-out by 2035 through a swift, fair transition to renewable energy.

    Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

    As a record-breaking heatwave is sweeping across Croatia and much of Europe and North Africa, activists from Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Germany and Slovenia climbed up the platform at the port of Pula before unfurling their 45-metre long banners. This action comes just days after the first legal step in the groundbreaking anti-SLAPP case to protect freedom of expression and stop abusive lawsuits initiated by Greenpeace International in the EU, after US oil company Energy Transfer’s attempt to silence the organisation.

    Eszter Matyas,  Greenpeace CEE campaigner with the European Fossil-Free Future campaign said: “No matter how hard fossil fuel companies try to silence us, we will keep fighting their destructive business. Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and fossil gas is fuelling that crisis. Today, we’re taking a stand at a pivotal site: a facility used to explore and develop new gas drilling projects in the Adriatic. No matter where it comes from, fossil gas is driving us deeper into climate chaos. We have a message to EU leaders: stop greenlighting new fossil gas infrastructure. Phase out fossil gas by 2035.”

    Petra Andrić, Greenpeace Croatia climate campaigner, added: “Floods, heatwaves and wildfires are sweeping the globe as the oil and gas industry drives us deeper into the climate crisis. Croatia must stop funding outdated fossil fuel infrastructure and invest in solar, wind, energy storage and energy efficiency. Every delay tightens our dependence on dirty, dangerous fuel and makes the transition more difficult and expensive. We’re fighting for a greener, fairer future with clean, sustainable energy for all. That future starts now.”

    Greenpeace’s Fossil-Free Future campaign is currently on an expedition across Europe with the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise to spark debate about Europe’s energy system and question its dependence on fossil gas. Campaigners are confronting the fossil fuel industry and promoting a fair phase-out of fossil gas, through a just transition to renewable energy that allows everyone to meet their energy needs at a decent price, without harming people, the planet or the environment.[1] In March, the Arctic Sunrise was in Belgium to denounce how Europe’s reliance on fossil gas fuels geopolitical instability, while leaving households burdened with skyrocketing energy costs. Last week in Italy as the latest European heatwave began, activists protested the toxic alliance on fossil gas between US President Trump and Italy Prime Minister Meloni.

    ENDS

    Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

    Notes:

    [1] Greenpeace is gathering support for a ban on all new fossil gas -and fossil fuel- infrastructure projects in the EU. The Fossil-Free Future campaign’s Open Letter to the EU and national governments has already gathered 82.000 signatures.

    Contacts:

    Manon Laudy, Press Officer, Fossil-Free Future Campaign, Greenpeace Netherlands, +336 49 15 69 83, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –