MIL NGO Engine

Source: Amnesty International –

In 2023, celebrated photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike travelled to Rakhine state determined to report on the widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Mocha. However, after a week he was arrested, interrogated and allegedly beaten. In September 2023 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour after a trial that lasted just one day.

Sai Zaw’s friend and colleague, Swe Win, editor of Myanmar Now, is campaigning for his release, together with organizations like Amnesty International. Since 2021, more than 200 journalists have been imprisoned and at least seven have reportedly been killed in Myanmar. Media outlets have been banned – including Myanmar Now, which now operates from Australia – and journalists have been forced into exile.

In this piece, Swe Win describes the reality of being a journalist in a country under military control and shares insights into Sai Zaw’s life in prison.

I lead an independent news agency called Myanmar Now, where my team and I report on the most critical issues facing Myanmar, including politics, conflict and human rights abuses.  

Our team of professional journalists deliver accurate reporting at a time when our country is once again in a military dictatorship backed by powerful allies such as China, Russia, India.

I used to work closely with Sai Zaw – a well-known photojournalist in Myanmar. Brave, fearless and unafraid to defy authorities, Sai Zaw was at the forefront of a number of major news events in our country.

In 2021, as a result of the military coup, our country became more violent and journalism became an extremely dangerous profession. Journalists started fleeing the country, our newsroom was raided and we were all declared “terrorists”.

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

New report by Greenpeace USA reveals years-long pattern of pollution and corporate abuse by Big Oil company

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 10, 2025) — A damning new report from Greenpeace USA exposes a years-long pattern of environmental destruction, safety violations, and corporate impunity by oil and gas polluter Energy Transfer (ET).

The report finds on average, every nine days ET has a pipeline spill. Despite being fined over $100 million for their offenses — and garnering criminal charges along the way¹ — Energy Transfer continues to pollute and put their neighbors at risk. Meanwhile, ET is currently waging a SLAPP lawsuit for hundreds of millions against Greenpeace in the U.S. and Greenpeace International in an attempt to create a blueprint for other Big Oil polluters to silence both critics and peaceful protest.

“There’s something wrong with a system that too often lets polluters off the hook but penalizes those who call out harm,” said Tim Donaghy, Greenpeace USA Research Director and lead author of the report. “Energy Transfer continuously touts their safety record and commitments to environmental sustainability even as our research reveals the company’s projects leave a trail of explosions, water contamination, and toxic air pollution in their wake.”

Energy Transfer’s assault on the environment and surrounding communities over the course of three decades is displayed in Bad Neighbor: Energy Transfer’s Pattern of Pollution and Violations — through a compilation of publicly available records. ET has self-reported their pipelines having nearly 800 separate incidents since 2010, spilling enough hazardous liquids to fill, by rough estimate, nearly six Olympic swimming pools. In Texas, where Energy Transfer is based, one year of air pollution from their operations is associated with an estimated 16–22 premature deaths, plus hundreds of millions in health-related costs. Since September 2024, ET has been involved in four major fossil fuel disasters, including:

• An explosion in a residential neighborhood near Houston that reportedly forced over 1,000 people to shelter in place.
• Contaminated drinking water in Pennsylvania due to a pipeline leak that was reportedly undetected for over a year.
• A crude oil spill that reportedly shut down a popular Texas bird-watching site and contaminated a water treatment plant.
• Massive offshore methane leaks — one of which was the second-largest reported to the federal pipeline regulator since 2010.

“Energy Transfer’s operations put the health and safety of their neighbors at risk — all while trying to weaken the free speech protections that allow the public to criticize its actions,” Donaghy continued. “Free speech is an essential tool in building a healthier and more sustainable world. If people do not feel free to speak out against those who are polluting the air and water, and whose business model is driving us toward climate collapse, then what chance do we have of enacting solutions to these problems?”

The full report is available at: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/bad-neighbor-energy-transfers-pattern-of-pollution-and-violations/

¹U.S. DOJ. 2006. Federal Government Reaches Settlement with Pipeline Companies Regarding Crude Oil Spills. August 15. [link]

###

Media Contact: Lindsay Bigda, Greenpeace USA Communications Director, Media, [email protected], +1 207-385-7924

Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected]

For more than 50 years, Greenpeace USA has responsibly practiced peaceful protest and creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions essential to a green, just, and joyful future for people and the planet. In 2017, Energy Transfer, the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), sued Greenpeace entities (Greenpeace Inc. & Greenpeace Fund based in the U.S., and Greenpeace International) for $300 million in federal court, alleging that the entities violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) — a federal statute originally designed to eliminate mob activity. Specifically, Energy Transfer falsely accused the entities of organizing the historic #NoDAPL resistance at Standing Rock — a racist claim that attempts to undermine tribal sovereignty. This case has been widely recognized as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), a tactic used by corporations to silence constitutionally protected free speech and advocacy in the United States. In 2019, a federal judge dismissed the federal claims, prompting Energy Transfer to refile a nearly identical case in North Dakota state court — one of only 17 states with no anti-SLAPP protections. The lawsuit went to a trial in February 2025 before a jury of North Dakotans, resulting in a profoundly unjust verdict that awarded Energy Transfer over $660 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Currently, the Greenpeace entities are still awaiting a final decision from the judge on post trial motions and entry of judgment. 

Greenpeace USA will continue fighting back against this case, including by appealing to the North Dakota Supreme Court. 

For more information, visit: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-lawsuit/

Source: Amnesty International –

Damisoa is from the Androy region in the very southern tip of Madagascar. In 2021, he and his family were forced to leave their home due to droughts worsened by climate change meaning there wasn’t enough food for them to survive there.

People displaced by famine and now living in northern Madagascar urgently need humanitarian assistance. But aid is currently almost exclusively concentrated in drought-stricken southern Madagascar.

Damisoa tells his story of displacement and survival and calls for the government to take urgent steps to address the hunger, homelessness and poor healthcare faced by him and others displaced by drought in Madagascar.

I should not have left my ancestral land, in southern Madagascar, but we were forced to leave. Famine had attacked our land.

I didn’t have much to sell to afford the journey: no goat or zebu (cattle), so we sold the cooking pots and the furniture from our home. That made us enough money for our family of 10 to leave. But it didn’t get us far.

We stopped in Toliaria and then again in Antananarivo. Each time, finding whatever work we could to raise the money for the next bus fare: gem mining, menial work, cleaning and laundry. The whole family, including my wife and my children, worked hard to raise money.

Eventually we made it to Ambondromamy, in the Boeny region, in northern Madagasacar. We were told we could earn a living in the forest by burning charcoal and growing corn and mung beans. Straight away, we began cultivating our crops and producing charcoal.  

Then the authorities came. As newcomers, we were afraid: when we saw their guns, we ran away. Some of us were arrested while others were left behind.

Source: Amnesty International –

Against a backdrop of the spread of authoritarian practices, climate collapse and the erosion of international law, Amnesty International is launching its annual Write for Rights campaign on Human Rights Day (10 December) to support the victims of human rights violations and show that humanity can win.

This year’s campaign brings people together from around the world to fight for justice, dignity and a shared future, supporting those who are paying the price for defending human rights and speaking truth to power. From an Indigenous reindeer herder fighting to protect her community’s land in Norway, to a photojournalist jailed for reporting on a cyclone in Myanmar, and a little boy who lost his life after falling into a pit toilet at his pre-school in South Africa, all those featured in this year’s campaign are connected because their human rights have been violated.

We have a choice to make at this critical moment in history: continue to let authoritarian practices erode our freedoms or resist together and stand up for human rights.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

“Despite the stark challenges facing humanity, every year Amnesty witnesses countless people from all over the world coming together to demonstrate the importance of activism and the lifechanging power of solidarity. Amongst others, this year’s Write for Rights campaign features people on the frontlines of the climate crisis, fighting to protect their communities from droughts, gas flares, development projects and pollution, who urgently need our collective support,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. 

“We have a choice to make at this critical moment in history: continue to let authoritarian practices erode our freedoms or resist together and stand up for human rights. By taking just a few minutes to write a letter, post on social media or sign a petition, anyone can help change the world and even save a life. Together we will prove that, even in the most adverse of circumstances, humanity can, must and will win out.” 

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

SYDNEY, Wednesday 10 December 2025 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has slammed the Victorian government’s decision to press ahead with two new gas exploration license tenders, saying it “flies in the face of science and community opposition”. 

The Allan government today has opened two new tenders for gas exploration in Gippsland and offshore at the Otway Basin, ignoring overwhelming community concerns and opening the floodgates to more fossil fuel pollution. 

The announcement comes as the Federal government prepares to announce its proposed pathway forward on the Gas Market Review.

Solaye Snider, Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “The Victorian government’s decision to open up new gas exploration tenders flies in the face of science and community opposition. It is opening the door to more fossil fuel pollution at a time when the science demands a rapid exit. 

“What we are seeing today is the Victorian government effectively handing a blank cheque to greedy gas corporations to do more seismic blasting, while ignoring blanket community opposition to the proposal. This shows they will continue to put billionaires like Gina Rinehart, who has gas interests in Gippsland, ahead of people and the climate.  

“The Victorian government likes to talk up its climate credentials, but this is a serious and alarming backwards step, and a slap in the face to the communities who have fought so hard to stop further gas expansion, and will continue to resist.

“Our politicians love to ignore this fact, but let’s be clear: we do not need new gas. Australia already has more than enough gas in production – the real problem is we export 80% of it. With the government recommendation on the Gas Market Review due imminently, now is the time to actually curb gas exports, and ensure no policy incentivises new gas. 

“We need a clear plan to get Australian homes and industry off gas entirely, replacing it with cheaper, cleaner power. Drilling for more gas now only delays the inevitable and necessary shift to renewables. Setting a timeline to wind down our gas use – including exports – to protect communities and nature, is the only path forward.”

-ENDS-

For more information or interviews contact Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or [email protected]

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to a new Australian law prohibiting children and young people under 16 from using social media, Damini Satija, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech said:

“A ban is an ineffective quick fix that’s out of step with the realities of a generation that lives both on and offline. The most effective way to protect children and young people online is by protecting all social media users through better regulation, stronger data protection laws and better platform design. Robust safeguards are needed to ensure social media platforms stop exposing users to harms through their relentless pursuit of user engagement and exploitation of people’s personal data.

“While social media platforms’ practices are harmful to younger users, young people also have a right to express themselves online, access information and participate in the digital town square. Social media provides opportunities for inclusion, connection, creativity, learning, health information and entertainment, all of which are beneficial to their mental health.

Damini Satija, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech 

“Many young people will no doubt find ways to avoid the restrictions. A ban simply means they will continue to be exposed to the same harms but in secret, leaving them at even greater risk. The Australian government must empower young people with education and tools to navigate social media safely. It must also put pressure on social media platforms to stop putting profit over the safety of users. We must build a pathway towards a digitally safe society, relying on regulation as one of the tools at our disposal.”

Source: Amnesty International –

A year after the enforced disappearance of Steven Medina, Nehemías Arboleda, Josué Arroyo and Ismael Arroyo, their relatives continue to demand justice, truth and reparation. 

The “four children from Las Malvinas”, as they have become publicly known, were detained on8 December 2024 by members of the armed forces during a security operation in the Las Malvinas community in the city of Guayaquil. Their bodies were found on 24 December 2024 near a military base in Taura, in the province of Guayas, bearing signs of torture.

“We express our admiration and solidarity with the fight of the families of the four disappeared children from Las Malvinas. We are at a critical moment for the observance of human rights in Ecuador. These enforced disappearances not only deeply shocked the country, but also evidenced the failure of President Noboa’s security policy. The families of these children and of all the victims of enforced disappearances at the hands of the armed forces in the Ecuadorian coastal region have a right to justice, truth and comprehensive reparation,” said Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

The families of these children and of all the victims of enforced disappearances at the hands of the armed forces in the Ecuadorian coastal region have a right to justice, truth and comprehensive reparation.”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

At the beginning of this year, the Public Prosecutor’s Office filed charges within the framework of their investigation against 16 military officers for their alleged involvement in the events. These individuals are currently being held in pretrial detention. In April, additional charges were filed against a colonel. In October, the 17 suspects were brought to a trial which has held numerous hearings in the last few weeks and is currently at the stage of closing arguments. The Constitutional Court of Ecuador is also examining these crimes.

In September of this year, Amnesty International published the report “It was the military. I saw them”, detailing the enforced disappearance of 10 persons, including the “four children from Las Malvinas”. The investigation, presented in Guayaquil, concludes that the militarized security strategy driven by President Daniel Noboa has enabled serious human rights violations to be committed, including those of enforced disappearance which are crimes under international law.

According to information provided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, there were 43 recorded disappearances in Ecuador’s coastal region as of September 2025 in the context of security operations by the armed forces during 2024. Amnesty International considers that the biggest obstacle to date for victims and their families to obtain justice is a lack of cooperation from the armed forces in the criminal investigations that are being conducted.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact [email protected]

Source: Amnesty International –

“There is a dreadful irony in our Justice Secretary working with his counterparts to remove or reduce rights on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It shows how far we have drifted from the moral resolve of the last century, when our grandparents determined that the fact we are all born free and equal must be protected in law.  

“Human rights were never meant to be optional or reserved for comfortable and secure times. They were designed to be a compass, our conscience, when the politics of fear and division try to steer us wrong. To weaken ECHR protections now, on a day meant to reaffirm dignity and protection for all, is not reform. It is moral retreat. 

“You cannot protect the majority’s rights by attacking the rights of minorities. That is the opposite of universal human rights. Appeasement of anti-rights demands has never satisfied those who want full withdrawal from the ECHR. It only encourages them to push further. 

“The very idea that Mr Lammy might soften our commitment to those fleeing war and danger, simply because times are politically difficult, should shame us all. International human rights treaties are promises. As was clear when they were first made, when times are hardest it is most vital these promises are kept.”