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 […]
Responding to the killings and injuries of dozens of healthcare workers and first responders in Lebanon since 2 March 2026, amid escalating attacks by the Israeli military and its allegations – without providing evidence – that ambulances and healthcare sites are being used for military activities and may be targeted, Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said: “Israel is deploying the same deadly playbook it used in 2024 in Lebanon to kill dozens […]
Responding to statements from Pakistani officials claiming that an airstrike that hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul on 16 March was targeting an ammunition depot, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director, Research, said: “While the total death toll from this attack has yet to be independently verified, it’s clear that it resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries to civilians, at least in the hundreds. “It’s well-documented that a large part of Camp Phoenix, a former NATO camp, had been operating as a drug rehabilitation facility since 2016. Pakistan’s military should have taken all feasible precautions to spare […]
Responding to the arrest in Norway of humanitarian worker and founder of the NGO Aegean Boat Report, Tommy Olsen, who is being prosecuted in Greece alongside fellow human rights defender Panayote Dimitras, of the NGO Greek Helsinki Monitor, on charges related to their work defending the rights of refugees and migrants, Dinushika Dissanayake Amnesty International’s […]
As journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj marks three years in arbitrary detention tomorrow, we the undersigned civil society organizations call for his immediate and unconditional release. We continue to stand in solidarity with Irfan and his family. Our organisations also demand an end to the Indian government’s continued repression of human rights defenders […]
Austrian authorities’ responses to people expressing solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in a chilling effect on the right to freedom of expression, said Amnesty International in a new report. Their actions have also resulted in violations of the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. ‘Freedom of expression is highly selective’: Austria limits […]
Reacting to the summoning of former Public Defender (ombudsman) Ucha Nanuashvili by Georgia’s State Security Service over his communication with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said: “The summoning of prominent human rights defender Ucha Nanuashvili over his reported cooperation with […]
In response to the Algerian police sealing the Algiers office of SOS Disappeared, a human rights organization advocating for accountability for the thousands forcibly disappeared in the 1990s conflict, on 16 March 2026, Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said: “The forced closure of SOS Disappeared is a devastating blow to the fight for truth, justice and reparations in Algeria. By sealing the offices […]
Responding to the killing on 15 March of a Palestinian couple, Waed Bani Owda, her husband Ali Bani Owda and two of their young children Othman, 7, and Mohammed, 5, in Tammoun in the occupied West Bank after a special Israeli military unit – posing as Palestinians and driving a car with a Palestinian number plate – riddled their car with bullets, Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the […]
In-depth investigation finds US violated international humanitarian law by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm US responsible for deadly attack on school packed full of children killing 168 people US authorities must ensure that the investigation is transparent, thorough, and that the results are made public. Those responsible for planning and […]
