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Georgia: Opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria given politically motivated prison sentence for graffiti

Reacting to the sentencing of opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria to one year and six months’ imprisonment for writing a slogan on an election poster, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said: “For a symbolic act of protest – writing barely visible graffiti on a street poster – Elene Khoshtaria will […]

2 mins read

Russia: Four-year prison sentence for nightclub owner exposes deepening crackdown on LGBTI rights

Reacting to the sentencing of nightclub owner Tatiana Zorina to four years in a penal colony for purportedly organizing the “extremist activity” of a non-existent “international LGBT movement” at her venue, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “Tatiana Zorina’s sentencing is a stark illustration of how Russia’s abuse of ‘extremism’ […]

3 mins read

Global: ILO member states must not give in to Saudi demands for dismissal of migrant labour complaint

To mark the start of the 23 March-2 April meeting of the 356th Session of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Governing Body, which will consider a formal complaint filed by African trade unions against the Saudi Arabian government concerning persistent and widespread violations and abuses of migrant workers’ rights contrary to its obligations under various […]

5 mins read

USA/Iran: Trump’s warning that USA will attack Iran’s power plants is a threat to commit war crimes

Responding to statements by United States President Donald Trump that the USA would postpone strikes on Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure by five days pending the outcome of discussions on the “resolution of hostilities”, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said “President Donald Trump must retract deeply irresponsible […]

2 mins read

Kyrgyzstan: Authorities must drop trumped up charges against Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy following her release from prison

Responding to a decision by a court in Kyrgyzstan to release investigative journalist and Temirov LIVE editor-in-chief Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy from custody and subject her to a travel ban pending a retrial, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “While Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s release from prison is a long-overdue step towards justice that […]

7 mins read

Americas: States intensify crackdown on civil society through “anti-NGO laws” 

Several countries across the Americas are adopting restrictive legal frameworks to weaken, control, and even dismantle civil society organizations, Amnesty International said today as it launched its new report Tearing Up the Social Fabric: Impact of restrictive laws on civil society organizations in the Americas. Between 2024 and 2025, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru […]

3 mins read

FIFA refusal to act over Israeli clubs based in illegal settlements flouts international law 

Responding to FIFA’s announcement that no action will be taken against the Israeli Football Association (IFA) over the participation of clubs based in illegal settlements in Israel’s leagues, Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International said:  “By refusing to take action against clubs based in Israeli settlements, FIFA has failed to enforce its own rules and is blatantly flouting international law. FIFA had a clear opportunity to […]

2 mins read

Russia: Poets jailed for public reading of their works are prisoners of conscience

Commenting on Amnesty International’s designation of Artyom Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Dayneko – poets imprisoned in 2022 for public reading of their anti-war poetry – as prisoners of conscience, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “What crime have these men committed? Reading poetry in public cannot threaten national security, […]

9 mins read

Sylvie Njobati: “The campaign #BringBackNgonnso isn’t just for my grandfather, it is for my people too”

In 2018, Sylvie Njobati’s grandfather told her about a sacred ancient artefact known as Ngonnso, stolen by the Germans during the colonial period from 1884 to 1916, and donated to Berlin’s Ethnological Museum, by German Military Officer, Kurt Von Pavel. Ngonnso was seen as a cultural cornerstone for the Nso people, an ethnic group from […]

2 mins read

Belarus: Welcome release of 250 political prisoners must not be mistaken for justice

Reacting to the release of 250 individuals imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated grounds, including human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova and Nasta Loika, as a part of a deal with the United States, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “While the release of hundreds of individuals unjustly detained on politically […]