Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Amnesty International –

Source: Amnesty International –

Authorities across Gulf states have arrested more than 1,000 people in a sweeping, war-related crackdown on expression, including for sharing online content or expressing views related to the US-Israeli war with Iran and Iran’s attacks on the Gulf, Amnesty International said today. In Kuwait and Bahrain, authorities have also stripped citizens of their nationality, including in reprisal for expression.

After the war began, citing national security concerns, authorities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman, issued blanket warnings against sharing online content that spreads “rumours” or “false information” about the war or comes from “unknown sources.” Soon after, multiple Gulf states began announcing mass arrests.

“While Gulf states may take measures to address misinformation and protect national security, and may derogate from certain rights during armed conflict, any restriction on freedom of expression must meet strict international human rights standards. Derogations must be clearly and precisely provided by law, pursue a legitimate aim, and be strictly necessary and proportionate. Blanket restrictions and the sweeping criminalization of information-sharing fail to meet these requirements,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“In a bid to protect their glossy image as safe havens, Gulf states have used their usual heavy-handed authoritarian approach to control information and weaponized vaguely worded and overly broad provisions of cybercrime, counter-terror and national security laws. This goes far beyond what is permitted under international law.”

Amnesty International spoke to 16 people, including a journalist, community activists, citizens and residents of the GCC, and family members of people detained, most of whom requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. The organization documented eight cases of expression-related arrests.

The organization also reviewed official statements by GCC authorities, including blanket warnings and announcements of hundreds of expression-related arrests, and reviewed cases reported by local media and foreign embassies and documented by local human rights groups.

Authorities in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar issued official statements announcing their arrests of hundreds of people for filming and sharing videos, circulating clips documenting the interception of missiles or posting footage of projectile damage.

In several cases, arrests have been made for “glorifying” a hostile state and its military leadership, which appears to refer to expressing sympathy with Iran, or reposting online content expressing solidarity with the Iranian people, or mourning late Iran’s supreme leader and commander-in-chief, Ali Khamenei.

Authorities in some GCC states have also investigated or prosecuted those accused of circulating “misleading information” or “false news, rumours or provocative propaganda,” including artificial intelligence content or footage falsely claiming incidents occurred.

Criminal courts in Kuwait and Bahrain have issued prison sentences ranging between three and 10 years against dozens of people after hastily scheduled trials for the posting or sharing of war-related content.    

Gulf states have used their usual heavy-handed authoritarian approach to control information and weaponized vaguely worded and overly broad provisions of cybercrime, counter-terror and national security laws.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

After the war started, Omani authorities, like other GCC states, warned, on 3 March, that those responsible for publishing “rumours and unverified information” would be held legally accountable under the law. Authorities in Oman have not subsequently announced any expression-related arrests.

“Since the war began, the public information released by Gulf states has been extremely limited with states seeking to control the narrative about the impact of Iranian attacks on daily life in the GCC. This stranglehold on information, particularly in a time of war, added to a climate of confusion and made it hard for residents to obtain information they need. It  will also make it more difficult to document the harm caused by Iranian strikes,” said Heba Morayef.

Source: Amnesty International –

Following the United Nations Security Council’s decision to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan for another year, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:

“The renewal of the arms embargo, if it is diligently enforced, is an important measure to protect civilians by curtailing the flow of weapons that have been used to commit serious human rights violations and crimes under international law.

“We are however dismayed that several Security Council members continue to call for the lifting of the arms embargo and some members abstained from the vote, especially with the escalating intensity of the armed conflict since early 2025.

The renewal of the arms embargo, if it is diligently enforced, is an important measure to protect civilians by curtailing the flow of weapons that have been used to commit serious human rights violations and crimes under international law.

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

“Weapons continue to be used to take lives. For instance, on 1 March 2026, a group of armed men from Mayom County in Unity State stormed Abiemnom town, killing and injuring hundreds of people in only a few hours. Placing more weapons in the hands of warring parties and other actors involved in serious human rights violations and crimes under international law would be irresponsible and dangerous to civilians.

“Weapons have also been used to commit sexual violence that still continues to characterize the armed conflict in South Sudan despite the existence of agreements and an action plan to combat and address its prevalence. Crimes under international and national law, including conflict-related sexual violence, continue to be rewarded with impunity.”

Source: Amnesty International –

Ethiopian authorities have intensified their crackdown on press freedom in a cynical attempt to silence criticism in the lead-up to the country’s national election on 1 June, Amnesty International said today.

In recent months, Ethiopian authorities have launched a campaign of repression against independent media by arbitrarily arresting, forcibly disappearing and unlawfully surveilling journalists. Other journalists have had their accreditation  revoked, while several media houses have lost their licenses arbitrarily.

“Ethiopian authorities should reverse these increasingly authoritarian tendencies and immediately end this campaign of repression against the media. Ethiopia’s development partners and relevant regional and international human rights bodies must also speak out against the systematic dismantling of the country’s independent media as citizens prepare to vote”, said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

Six media representatives interviewed by Amnesty International, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals, reported that their coverage of the upcoming election has been severely affected by ongoing hostility against the media.

Ethiopian authorities should reverse these increasingly authoritarian tendencies and immediately end this campaign of repression against the media.

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

They said that journalists frequently self-censor to avoid reprisals by authorities. Two of them noted that their already limited pre-election coverage has been further hampered by a lack of transparency from the election board. Another told Amnesty International that almost all opposition politicians now fear speaking to the media.

“I had to drop a story because every quoted politician was anonymous, as they refused to disclose their identity for fear of reprisals for criticizing the government or the ruling party,” said one news editor interviewed by Amnesty International.

Most politicians are always reluctant to talk to us about anything critical of the government over the phone. They fear that their devices are compromised by the intelligence services.

Journalist, Ethiopia

“I had to drop a story because every quoted politician was anonymous, as they refused to disclose their identity for fear of reprisals for criticizing the government or the ruling party,”

Several of the interviewees also told Amnesty International that the election board has imposed an “oath”, first introduced in 2021, as a precondition for official accreditation to cover the election.

The Ethiopian Election Board is an independent constitutional body established to conduct elections across Ethiopia’s federal and state constituencies.

This oath, which Amnesty International has reviewed, requires media organizations to comply with “ethical responsibilities and obligations set out in the directives for covering elections” and to acknowledge that it is against the law to publish “false information about the Board”.

The restrictions outlined in the oath contain words that can be broadly interpreted.

“Press freedom and the free flow of information are vital during elections. The oath required by the election board is clearly a tool for controlling what is discussed in public about the upcoming election and gives it the power to censor uncomfortable information or determine what is considered to be true or false,” said Tigere Chagutah.

In recent months, public statements by top government officials have framed critical and independent reporting as threats to national interests, a pretext that has been used to justify the ongoing crackdown on media freedom. Just two months ahead of the election Redwan Hussien, Ethiopia’s intelligence chief, and the prime minister’s advisor, Daniel Kibret, made this kind of statements, which have been echoed by officials from the country’s media regulatory body, the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA). Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also frequently used rhetoric that frames the free press as a threat to national interests.

The oath required by the election board is clearly a tool for controlling what is discussed in public about the upcoming election and gives it the power to censor uncomfortable information or determine what is considered to be true or false.

Tigere Chagutah

“A smear campaign against the media that frames independent journalism as a national threat, just weeks before the election, is an example of how authoritarian tendencies are taking root in Ethiopia and are being deployed to consolidate power”, said Tigere Chagutah.

Background

Over the past year Ethiopian’s media regulatory body, EMA, has arbitrarily suspended the registration of Addis Standard and Wazema Radio, while revoking the accreditation and licenses of Reuters journalists. The revocation of accreditation for the Reuters journalists was linked to the outlet’s coverage of a military base inside Ethiopia hosting the Sudanese armed group, the Rapid Support Forces.

Source: Amnesty International –

In response to the statement issued by Nicaraguan authorities regarding the critical health condition of Indigenous leader and prisoner of conscience Brooklyn Rivera, César Marín, Americas Campaigns Director at Amnesty International, said:

“Brooklyn Rivera must be released immediately and unconditionally. His critical health condition while in the custody of the Nicaraguan state confirms the extreme risk to which he has been exposed after more than two years of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, and lack of regular access to his family, trusted legal counsel and independent oversight.”

Brooklyn Rivera must be released immediately and unconditionally. His critical health condition while in the custody of the Nicaraguan state confirms the extreme risk to which he has been exposed after more than two years of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, and lack of regular access to his family, trusted legal counsel and independent oversight.

César Marín, Americas Campaigns Director at Amnesty International.

Amnesty International has repeatedly warned that the conditions in which Brooklyn Rivera has been held could seriously endanger his life and personal integrity. Today, those warnings have materialized into a situation of extreme urgency that the government can no longer hide.

“While Brooklyn Rivera remains deprived of his liberty, Nicaraguan authorities must immediately guarantee regular access to his family and end his incommunicado detention. They must also ensure that he receives all the medical care he requires, allow an independent medical evaluation, and facilitate oversight by international protection mechanisms. The international community must act urgently and press the Nicaraguan state to secure his release and, immediately, to protect his life and personal integrity.”

The international community must act urgently and press the Nicaraguan state to secure his release and, immediately, to protect his life and personal integrity.”

César Marín, Americas Campaigns Director at Amnesty International.

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

Source: Amnesty International –

The U.S. Congress and the international community must take immediate action to stop the U.S. military’s unconscionable campaign of extrajudicial killings at sea and push for accountability, as the death toll nears 200.

Since September 2025, the U.S. Southern Command has carried out nearly 60 air strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 196 people so far. These actions, committed against people who pose no imminent threat to life, are extrajudicial killings, a form of murder, and amount to crimes under international law.

“With nearly 200 killings, these extrajudicial killings are becoming normalized,” said Amnesty International USA’s National Director for Government Relations, Amanda Klasing. “Not only are these killings illegal, they are immoral. People of good conscience cannot allow this to continue, yet Congress has so far failed to halt, or even slow down, this lethal and unlawful campaign.”

Not only are these killings illegal, they are immoral. People of good conscience cannot allow this to continue, yet Congress has so far failed to halt, or even slow down, this lethal and unlawful campaign.”

Amanda Klasing, Amnesty International USA’s National Director for Government Relations.

The first extrajudicial killings of the campaign took place on September 2, 2025, with an air strike against a boat in the Caribbean that killed at least 11 people in what remains the deadliest single strike yet.

Since then, the U.S. has expanded its bombings to the Eastern Pacific, conducting an average of six strikes per month across both regions. The deadliest month was October 2025, with 45 people killed in 11 air strikes, including 15 people killed in three air strikes on October 27, the deadliest single day of the campaign. Already this year, the U.S. military has killed over 70 people, including at least nine in the last month.

“Numbers alone cannot capture the unimaginable human toll of this horrific campaign of murder at sea. Every single person that the U.S. has killed at sea was arbitrarily deprived of their right to life, and they and their families have a right to justice. Lawmakers must do everything in their power to halt this campaign and hold everyone responsible accountable for their role in these extrajudicial killings,” said Amanda Klasing.

The administration’s justifications for these air strikes have been shambolic. White House officials have claimed, without presenting any evidence or even naming a single victim, that the targets are drug traffickers or “narco-terrorists” with whom the U.S. is at war. But the U.S. is not engaged in any armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere which might justify these bombings, and the administration has yet to even say who the supposed “narco-terrorist” groups are. When Virginia Senator Tim Kaine questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an April Senate hearing about the utter lack of information about who the U.S. military is killing, Hegseth merely referenced that the targets had affiliations with unspecified “designated terrorist organizations,” but did not indicate that the U.S. actually knows the identities of its victims.

U.S. authorities have chosen not to prosecute any air strike survivors either, suggesting that, should claims of trafficking be true, they do not have enough evidence to win a case against them, and have instead released people captured alive without charge. When Congressman Bill Keating raised concerns to Secretary Hegseth in a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the unlawfulness of the strikes and alleged U.S. interdictions, Hegseth simply dismissed the questions as “false accusations.”

“We are witnessing the height of lawlessness — a government taking military action to kill people who it unilaterally deems ‘criminals’ or ‘terrorists’ and then bragging about it on social media and stonewalling members of Congress demanding explanations. Regardless of whether the victims committed crimes or not, killing them is completely illegal under both U.S. and international law. Alleged criminal suspects should be dealt with by law enforcement who are bound by international human rights law, which prohibits using lethal force unless absolutely necessary based on an imminent threat to life,” said Amanda Klasing.

These air strikes take place amid a military buildup in the Western Hemisphere unprecedented in recent history. Secretary Hegseth’s geopolitical frame of a “Greater North America” encompassing all sovereign countries and territories north of the equator within an “immediate security perimeter,” alongside messages from the White House to leaders in the region to ignore international human rights law, raises serious concerns about the actions the administration is willing to take in the region.

“We call on Congress to urgently utilize all legislative and oversight mechanisms available to stop these air strikes and stop enabling and promoting the militarization of public security in the Americas, which can only lead to greater human rights violations such as the ones documented in Mexico and Ecuador. U.S. military actions in the Americas and anywhere, no matter the purported goal, cannot come at the expense of human rights,” said Daniel Noroña, Amnesty International USA’s Advocacy Director for the Americas.

We call on Congress to urgently utilize all legislative and oversight mechanisms available to stop these air strikes and stop enabling and promoting the militarization of public security in the Americas,  U.S. military actions, cannot come at the expense of human rights,” 

Daniel Noroña, Amnesty International USA’s Advocacy Director for the Americas.

Amnesty International is also calling for the international community to hold the U.S. government accountable.

“Beyond U.S. authorities, we need to see leadership from other governments in the region, as well as the Organization of American States,” said Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International. “The international community must speak out firmly against these murders, which constitute a serious threat to human rights and respect for international law. Governments must immediately suspend intelligence sharing that may contribute to these operations. They further should suspend export licenses to any defense material that could be used to perpetuate these murders.”

The international community must speak out firmly against these murders, which constitute a serious threat to human rights and respect for international law. Governments must immediately suspend intelligence sharing that may contribute to these operations. ”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

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

Source: Amnesty International –

Iranian authorities are using the cover of what they call “wartime conditions” to intensify their repression of dissent through mass arbitrary arrests, accelerated grossly unfair judicial proceedings, politically motivated executions, harsh prison sentences, and asset confiscations, Amnesty International said today.

Since the unlawful military attack launched by the USA and Israel against Iran on 28 February 2026, Iranian authorities have arbitrarily arrested more than 6,000 people, including protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, dissidents, and members of ethnic and religious minorities. Senior judicial officials have ordered expedited prosecutions against those arrested, including on capital charges, amid widespread concerns of enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and the use of forced “confessions” in grossly unfair sham trials. During the same period, authorities have imposed decades-long prison sentences against individuals and carried out at least 39 political executions.

Authorities systematically isolated more than 90 million people through an internet shutdown, violating their right to freedom of information, through the longest and most suffocating internet shutdown on record lasting 88 days, while criminalizing online activity as “espionage,” which is punishable by death. The internet was restored, with restrictions, on 26 May 2026.

“Iranian authorities are exploiting the crisis to further erode the human rights of people in Iran who are already suffering from the devastating consequences of unlawful air strikes by US and Israeli forces, as well as decades of crimes under international law at the hands of the Islamic Republic,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director of Research, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

“To maintain their grip on power, the authorities have unleashed an all-out assault on people in Iran, targeting anyone who dares to criticize the Islamic Republic, share information about the US or Israeli air strikes or human rights violations with the outside world, or simply attempt to break through what became the longest recorded internet shutdown to communicate with loved ones or access independent information.

“Iranian authorities must lift all remaining restrictions on internet access and stop imposing internet shutdowns on Iran’s population. They must release anyone arbitrarily detained, protect all detainees from torture and other ill-treatment, disclose the fate and whereabouts of those subjected to enforced disappearance, and immediately halt all executions, with a view to establishing an official moratorium on the death penalty.”

Authorities have also openly threatened to commit further mass killings of anyone expressing dissent or advocating for the downfall of the Islamic Republic system and vilified critics as “traitors” and “enemy collaborators”.

The internet blackout imposed by the authorities since 28 February 2026 severely obstructed in-depth documentation of human rights violations. For this press release, Amnesty International spoke to 10 informed sources outside Iran, including victims’ relatives, human rights defenders and journalists with information about violations. The organization also analysed videos published online, reviewed official text messages sent by the authorities, examined official statements and state media reports, and reviewed reports from independent media and human rights organizations based outside Iran.

Source: Amnesty International –

Companies are extracting vast troves of online data through unlawful web scraping to build their generative artificial intelligence (AI) products in a way that is enabling a mass invasion of privacy, making these systems unlawful by design, Amnesty International said in a new briefing today. 

Unlawful by Design: Exposing the Human Rights Costs of Generative AI documents serious risks in the large-scale data scraping and processing being used to build and train these systems, including violations of the right to privacy by design and adverse consequences for the environment and historically marginalized communities. 

“Companies across the world are supplying generative AI products under the veneer of efficiency and sophistication, but in reality, these systems perpetuate mass invasions of privacy through unlawful web scraping: an automated process for extracting data from websites, including personal data, such as images and social media activity, to train AI models,” said Likhita Banerji, Head of the Algorithmic Accountability Lab, Amnesty International.   

“The extractive data pipeline, inherent design choices made by tech companies and exploitative supply chains, to build generative AI systems have enabled a paradigm of technology development that opens up a risk of mass abuse of human rights.” 

Amnesty International researched the models powering some of the most popular publicly available standalone generative AI tools, including GPT 3 by Open AI, Google’s Gemini, Meta’s Llama, DeepSeek and tools by Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.  

Such systems rely on extracting information from billions of public online posts and images often without the explicit consent of the individuals appearing in or creating them. Not only does this infringe on privacy by design but as datasets powering AI models scale up, the presence of hateful and discriminatory content in their outputs also gets amplified, along with negative stereotypes and prejudices, especially along racial and gendered lines.  

“These choices are not inevitable. We must challenge the design choices adopted by companies who build generative AI systems by relying on training data, including personal data, that is extracted non-consensually and on a grand scale.”

Likhita Banerji, Head of the Algorithmic Accountability Lab, Amnesty International

Racial, gender and cultural biases are consistent features of generative AI systems, a product of the training data that is largely pulled from the web and therefore polluted with real-world biases which harm historically marginalized communities. Additionally, generative AI systems pose risks to the right to freedom of thought as they are capable of influencing users’ thoughts and shaping their personal beliefs through predictive suggestions. This is especially true for larger models reliant on expansive training data. 

“These choices are not inevitable. We must challenge the design choices adopted by companies who build generative AI systems by relying on training data, including personal data, that is extracted non-consensually and on a grand scale,” said Likhita Banerji. 

“This is one of the most egregious practices among AI companies operating with disregard for human rights and must urgently be addressed. A different trajectory of technology development is possible if authorities act urgently to course correct.” 

Source: Amnesty International –

Natalia Lishchyshena is a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war who now works as a specialist, supporting military personnel and veterans to address legal and social issues, after she was injured by the body armour she was wearing on the way to a warzone.  

Despite facing constant setbacks, Natalia has become the first woman in Ukraine to prove the harm standard-issue body armour, designed for men, can cause to the female body, after receiving official recognition from the medical commission. In this story, she shares why protective equipment needs to be adapted for women in the military.

“I was born into a military family. My father was a serviceman, and I always wanted to be like him. After he finished his service, our family settled in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. When Russia started hostilities in our region in 2014, I decided to stay in Luhansk region because my father was ill and needed care. 

I dreamt of becoming a lawyer. At the age of 38, I started studying law. Later, I volunteered for military service. My husband supported my decision. In 2021, I signed a contract with the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade. I was 40 years old. We did not believe that a full-scale war would start. But on February 24, 2022, at 4am, we were woken up by an alarm: the first explosions, airborne troops, confusion. We did not understand who was ours and who was the enemy. The beginning of the full-scale invasion found us in the south, in the Mykolaiv region.

Our commander told us: “There are no women in the army, there are only military.” 

In the army, I performed different tasks assigned by the command: logistics, supply, and other duties. I cannot say that there is gender equality in the army, even though more than 70,000 women are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the training center, during preparation, our commander told us: “There are no women in the army, there are only military. No one will help you. You knew where you were going. You can rely only on yourself.”

As for equipment, there was no proper uniform for women soldiers until 2024. Now uniforms are provided, but there is still no body armour adapted to female anatomy.

Injury, diagnosis and consequences 

Once, when we were travelling through a war zone, there was an air raid alert. As per the safety protocol, we dropped to the ground. At that moment, I was injured by my body armour. I had a large bruise on one breast, but I did not pay attention to it.

Later, I got sick, had a strong cough, and was sent to the hospital. After long treatment, I had to pass a medical commission to confirm my ability for further service. During a breast examination, I was diagnosed with breast intraductal papillomas. It is not cancer, but in many cases it can become malignant. Officially, it is a precancerous condition. The doctor explained that there wasn’t any treatment and recommended surgery.

I went through several surgeries because of complications. As a result, I had my mammary glands fully removed. Before the operation, the doctor spoke with my husband and explained the consequences. My husband said his priority was for me to stay alive.

After the surgeries and treatment, I had to fight to obtain disability status.

Step by step, I achieved justice

At first, the medical commission refused to grant me disability status, even though my illness had officially been recognized as related to military service, since the injury was caused by standard body armour. One doctor even said the decision to remove breasts was mine and there were no medical reasons for that. It was outrageous. But step by step, I achieved justice. That doctor no longer works there.

I have a lifelong disability now. There are still limitations: I cannot, stay in the sun for a long time, raise my arms high, or overwork. I also need constant medical check-ups and health monitoring.

©Oleksandr Khomenko/Amnesty International

I want real changes, not just on paper 

However, I could not sit at home and feel sorry for myself for long. After a few months of rehabilitation, I returned to work and became a veteran support specialist in my community.

I use my law degree to help veterans, families of the fallen and missing military. This includes restoring lost documents, communicating with military units, and arranging legal payments. I want to help people because I have been through this myself. I understand the challenges that veterans and active military face today. Many of them simply do not know how to deal with bureaucracy.

Alongside my work as a specialist, I also help people re-integrate into everyday life through a programme called TRIBE, run by Amnesty International Ukraine and Amnesty International Denmark. TRIBE helps veterans build a supportive community, learn to advocate for their rights, and helps bridge the gap between civilians and people with combat experience.

I use my law degree to help veterans, families of the fallen and missing military

I share my experience with project participants, particularly on legal matters. I also provide individual consultations, including on issues such as obtaining disability status. I write media columns, speak publicly, and advocate for the rights of women in the military and for adequate conditions and support after discharge.

Moving forward 

At the moment, I am advocating for proper body armour for women and for a state programme for breast implants. Thanks to my advocacy work, which lasted at least four months, a state programme on reconstructive surgery and breast endoprosthetics for servicewomen and women veterans was approved in April 2026. Its official launch is currently expected. According to the doctors, for every 10 women from the military who come in for general check-ups, nine of them will have problems. It is a very sad statistic. For now, though, I tell all my friends, especially military women: “Girls, please get regular check-ups. You may not even feel that you are being injured.” 

Now that my story has become public, the issue has reached the state level and it is an ongoing process with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Health. 

For me, the most important thing is that real changes happen, not just empty words on paper.  

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Washington (May 27, 2026) — In response to a California federal court ruling today that it will not order Bumble Bee Foods to change its practices as a result of a human trafficking case brought by Indonesian fishers, Sari Heidenreich, Senior Human Rights Advisor, Global Fisheries, Greenpeace USA, said: “The court still recognizes the fishers’ right to seek monetary damages in this case. The prospect of such damages can — and often does — compel companies to change their practices, even in the absence of court orders. This case has exposed serious labor risks behind some of the seafood on our supermarket shelves.”

“For a $350 billion global industry that relies on vulnerable workers, continuing to operate under these conditions is indefensible. The protections these fishermen sought are basic safeguards that responsible companies should already have in place. Companies should not need to wait for a lawsuit to protect the people whose labor makes their profits possible. Big Seafood must act now to ensure forced labor has no place in its supply chains.”

The Indonesian fishers allege in the complaint filed against Bumble Bee in March 2025 that they experienced forced labor conditions, ranging from physical violence, emotional abuse, untreated life-threatening and deformity-causing injuries, debt bondage, excessive working hours, lack of payment, and financial threats against family members to keep them from escaping their situation while working on vessels that were alleged to be part of Bumble Bee’s “trusted network” of suppliers. 

This case, which survived Bumble Bee’s earlier motion to dismiss, is a significant advancement for the global movement advocating for fishers’ rights. It is one of only a few Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) supply chain cases to progress beyond the motion to dismiss stage. The milestone highlights momentum in demands for the fishing industry to  protect workers and oceans. For example, in Taiwan, prosecutors have brought charges against a vessel captain and others for the death and trafficking of workers, and a civil case is challenging government-backed discrimination in the fisheries industry. 

Heidenreich continued: “These cases hold a torch of hope that there will be justice for those who have suffered at the greedy hands of Big Seafood. They represent something Big Seafood would rather not acknowledge: that people, in fact, do hold the power to change the industry. That people do, in fact, come before profits.”

The Greenpeace Beyond Seafood Campaign, in which several organizations from the Greenpeace global network participate, has called for concerted action by all stakeholders and governments along the seafood supply chain to end isolation at sea, an underlying problem that enables abuse and pillaging of oceans. Investigations and supply chain research from Greenpeace fisheries campaigns were used by the litigants’ attorneys to support this complaint.

The lawsuit, Akhmad v. Bumble Bee Foods LLC, No. 3:25-cv-00583, filed in March 2025 in U.S. federal court in San Diego, California, is currently before chief judge Cynthia Bashant. In addition to Greenpeace Inc., the plaintiffs in the suit are represented by the law firms of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC and Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes LLP.

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Photos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library 

Contacts:

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

Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected] 

Greenpeace USA (Inc.) 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.