Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Amnesty International –

In a high-level visit to Lebanon from 23 to 25 November, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, called on Lebanese authorities to take concrete steps towards accountability for violations of international humanitarian law during the armed conflict with Israel, justice for victims of the Beirut Port explosion, and supporting efforts to strengthen the protection of free expression and civic space.

During the visit, Agnès Callamard met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Minister of Justice Adel Nassar, as well as local human rights defenders and survivors and families of victims of human rights violations.

“In just a few years, people in Lebanon have been forced to live through a devastating war with Israel, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, and a brutal economic collapse. The harms continue, and victims are still waiting for those responsible to be held to account,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Lebanon’s government has a rare and urgent chance to break decisively with years of impunity, mismanagement and abuse – and to put human rights at the centre of its agenda. In my discussions with Lebanese officials, they expressed a willingness to engage on critical human rights issues. Now, the real test lies in turning those words into action. The government must deliver on its promises – by ensuring the Beirut Port explosion investigation can be delivered free from political interference, taking steps towards holding the Israeli authorities accountable for war crimes committed in Lebanon since October 2023, decriminalising defamation and delivering justice for the victims of political killings– including Lokman Slim – and advancing institutional reforms.”

The visit comes at a critical moment, almost exactly one year after the 27 November 2024 ceasefire that was intended to end large-scale hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Despite that ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out extensive destruction along Lebanon’s borders, conduct attacks inside Lebanon and refused to withdraw from parts of Lebanese territory, while communities in the south remain displaced, living with insecurity, and no human rights-based reconstruction plans in sight.

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to today’s decision by an Azerbaijani court to remand in custody prominent opposition leader Ali Karimli, following a raid on his home and his arrest by the State Security Service, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“Ali Karimli’s detention is the latest outrage in the ongoing consolidation of authoritarian practices in Azerbaijan. There appear to be no limits to the government’s campaign to crush all political opposition and suppress all dissent in the country. While few are prepared to openly challenge the authorities, the decision to arrest an opposition leader, hold him incommunicado and press dubious charges of ‘attempted seizure of power’ against him, sends a chilling warning to anyone who may have doubts as to how far the Azerbaijani government is prepared to go.”

Ali Karimli’s detention is the latest outrage in the ongoing consolidation of authoritarian practices in Azerbaijan

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“Authorities must release Ali Karimli unless they can demonstrate reasonable evidence of an alleged criminal offence. All they have demonstrated so far, by snatching and holding him incommunicado, and thus denying him his right to a fair trial, is their determination to take this wave of politically motivated arrests targeting opposition figures, academics, journalists and activists, even further.”

Background

On 1 December, the Sabayil District Court in Baku remanded Ali Karimli, chairman of the opposition Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) in pre-trial detention for two months and 15 days, under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code (“actions aimed at the violent seizure of power” and “violent change of the constitutional order”). Authorities have connected him to a criminal investigation against Ramiz Mehdiyev, the former head of the presidential administration, who was charged in October with attempted “seizure of power,” “high treason” and the “legalization of property obtained by criminal means.”

Ali Karimli was detained on 29 November after security agents raided his home in Baku after which he was kept incommunicado for two days. Several other APFP members were also detained following searches, including Presidium member Mammad Ibrahim who has been held incommunicado since.

These arrests come amid an intensified crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan, where journalists, academics and opposition figures increasingly face harassment, arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions.

Source: Amnesty International –

States must firmly oppose the US government’s threats and sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and protect the Court’s ability to pursue its independent and impartial mandate, Amnesty International said today, on the beginning of the 24th Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute – the ICC’s founding treaty – which runs until 6 December in The Hague.

“ICC member states have to demonstrate their collective resolve to defend the ICC’s ability to pursue individual responsibility, including against the most powerful perpetrators, in independent and impartial proceedings. The Assembly must send a collective message to the USA that its sanctions on the Court, which have specifically targeted ICC officials and Palestinian organizations, must be rescinded,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

“The ICC is facing existential attack from certain states, such as the USA and Russia. The ICC’s member states must not be silent in the face of these threats; they must defend the Court’s independence and its ability to pursue individual accountability, including against those who are most powerful and would otherwise enjoy the prospect of perpetual impunity.

The Assembly must rise to the existential challenges facing the ICC and demonstrate its firm resolve to protect it.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns

“Indications that some states in the Assembly wish to use the session to signal that member states are willing to seek ‘engagement’ with the USA over the sanctions it has already imposed, and on the terms set out within its sanctions, are deeply troubling and misguided. The sanctions must be opposed, not appeased.

“It is abundantly clear that the price of the US government’s removal of its egregious sanctions would be for the ICC to halt its Palestine work and potentially to obtain assurances related to the Court’s jurisdiction over non-ICC member states’ nationals. Such concessions would wholly contravene the Court’s foundational principles of independence, impartiality and territorial jurisdiction.

“US sanctions on the ICC negatively impact the interests of victims, who look to the Court for justice in all the countries where it is conducting investigations, from Darfur to Libya, the Philippines, Palestine, Ukraine and Venezuela. The Assembly must rise to the existential challenges facing the ICC and demonstrate its firm resolve to protect it and the rights of all victims whose prospects of justice depend on the Court.”

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the arrest of a Hong Kong student who launched a petition demanding government accountability following a deadly fire in the city’s Tai Po district, Luk Chi-man, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, said:

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of residents, workers, and firefighters who tragically lost their lives in the fire, and we wish a swift recovery for all those injured.

“Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire in Tai Po, rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions.

“Even as we mourn, we cannot ignore the need to bring justice to the affected families as well as to prevent as much as possible the reoccurrence of similar tragedies. We urge the Hong Kong authorities to establish the full facts of last week’s tragedy through a thorough, independent, impartial and open investigation, and to publicly clarify the cause of the fire, hold relevant persons accountable and release all findings without delay.

“As part of this comprehensive investigation, the government must fully and transparently assess whether any individual or government official demonstrated regulatory negligence or failures that contributed to the tragedy. It is essential that a thorough report reviewing any systemic and policy failures connected to this incident is produced.

“It is both a right and a duty for people in Hong Kong to demand this kind of accountability; but rather than recognize this, the Hong Kong authorities have instead chosen to silence those who raise their concerns and demands.

“Freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are human rights protected under international and Hong Kong law. The Hong Kong authorities must end the misuse of broadly defined ‘national security’ laws to target anyone – including those who engage in community-led support efforts or seek to disclose or report information in the public interest.

“A healthy society should not have only one voice. The authorities must ensure that all investigative and disaster relief efforts are conducted in a transparent and participatory manner. The initiatives of grassroots volunteers should be supported, and the views and needs of Hong Kong people must be fully taken into account.”

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

NEWCASTLE, Sunday 30 November 2025 — Two Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have been arrested by specialist police on a coal ship outside the Port of Newcastle, following a more than seven-hour-long peaceful protest during Rising Tide’s People’s Blockade today.

Photos and footage here

Three activists safely climbed and suspended from coal ship Yangze 16 at around 8:00am AEDT on Sunday, halting its operations and preventing its 12:15pm arrival into the Port of Newcastle. One of the activists, who was secured to the anchor chain, disembarked safely due to changing weather conditions. The other two activists, who were expertly secured to the side of the ship and holding a banner that read: PHASE OUT COAL AND GAS, were arrested at around 3:30pm by police climbers, who landed by helicopter on the ship around 1:45pm.

At the time of writing, no charges have been laid.

It comes as two other coal ships in two days were stopped by a peaceful flotilla at the People’s Blockade of the Port of Newcastle, the world’s biggest coal port. The port has been closed for the rest of Sunday as a result.

From the shore at the People’s Blockade, Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy and a basic right of all Australians. Change requires showing up and speaking out, and that’s what our activists are doing in Newcastle today.

“As the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia plays an outsized role in the climate crisis. Peaceful protest to call on the Albanese government to set a timeline to phase out coal and gas, and stop approving new fossil fuel projects, is legitimate and valuable. Greenpeace Australia Pacific stands by and supports our activists, and stands with all peaceful climate defenders who are advocating for real climate action at the Blockade, and all around Australia.”

—ENDS—

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Kimberley Bernard: +61 407 581 404 or [email protected]
Lucy Keller: +61 491 135 308 or [email protected]

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

NEWCASTLE, Sunday 30 November 2025 – Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have scaled and blocked a coal ship, bound for the Port of Newcastle today, during the Rising Tide People’s Blockade, deploying a banner with a message to the Australian government: “Phase Out Coal and Gas”.

Photos and video here – footage to be uploaded by 2pm AEDT

Three activists are secured to the anchor chain and sides of the ship, stopping its operations, and have unfurled the five-metre-long banner in a peaceful protest demanding the Australian government set a timeline to phase out fossil fuels including exports, and stop approving new coal and gas projects.

Australian musicians Oli and Louis Leimbach from Lime Cordiale joined the action with Greenpeace while activists painted a message to the Australian government on the ship’s side, using non-toxic soluble paint, reading: “TIMELINE NOW!”

It comes after Australia signed onto the significant Belém Declaration for the Transition Away From Fossil Fuels on the sidelines of COP30 in Brazil last week, but then doubled down on its support for coal and gas.

Oli Leimbach from Australian band Lime Cordiale, who performed at Rising Tide’s Climate Concert and joined the Greenpeace action said: “Rising Tide’s Climate Concert last night was such a beautiful festival; so many passionate people came together in a peaceful way to demand change from the government. By taking action today, we added another little exclamation mark on their voices. Stoked to be here with Greenpeace — it’s time to phase out coal and gas.”

Dr. Elen O’Donnell, doctor and Greenpeace activist who boarded the vessel, said: “We are taking action today, alongside thousands of people who have joined Rising Tide’s blockade, to show Australia’s leaders that if the government won’t act, the people will. Australia is the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, and its outsized role in the climate crisis calls for serious action. Every shipment of coal that leaves this port contributes to more devastating bushfires, floods and cyclones. As a doctor, I have seen first-hand the impacts of climate disasters on people in Australia and around the world — I’ve seen how our government’s obsession with fossil fuels is harming people and killing our planet.

“From the side of this vessel we can see ships far out to the horizon, many of them on their way to collect coal. These industries, and the Australian people, are owed a clear plan and timeline for the phase out of coal and gas. We are risking arrest because we don’t want a future reliant on coal and gas.”

Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “The urgency of the climate crisis cannot be understated. Fossil fuel production is soaring and pushing climate pollution to deadly new highs.

“At COP30 in Brazil, the Australian government joined the landmark Belém Declaration — its strongest statement yet that acknowledges our international commitment to limit warming to 1.5°C means no new fossil fuels. But just days later the Albanese government doubled-down on coal and gas — completely at odds with Australia’s obligation and responsibility to address emissions as one of the world’s largest coal and gas exporters. It’s a joke.

“The Albanese government continues to approve new coal and gas projects at breakneck speed, expanding production faster than any other country, and with no clear exit strategy. Australian workers, communities and the public have been left in the lurch and deserve better.

“The clean energy transition is here and there is no going back. We have the solutions and what matters is what we do now — Australia must deliver a clear timeline to phase out fossil fuels, including exports, and commit to no new fossil fuel projects. Real leadership is judged on action, not talk. 

“Greenpeace, alongside Rising Tide and thousands of everyday people, are taking actions big and small this weekend to send a united message to the Albanese government — we don’t need new fossil fuels, and we will continue to hold you to account.”

The ship was due in to port at around 12:15pm AEDT. Newcastle is the world’s biggest coal port. The Rising Tide People’s Blockade is a week-long annual peaceful protest at the Port of Newcastle calling for an end to new coal and gas projects and increased funding to support workers during the transition away from coal.

—ENDS—

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Kimberley Bernard: +61 407 581 404 or [email protected] or Lucy Keller: +61 491 135 308 or [email protected]

Source: Amnesty International –

In response to the Tunis Court of Appeal upholding the convictions and prison sentences against 34 defendants to sentences from five to forty-five years in the politically motivated ‘conspiracy case’ on 27 November, Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said:

“The decision by the Tunis Court of Appeal to hold the unjust convictions in the so-called ‘conspiracy case’ is an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justice system. By validating the guilty verdicts following a sham trial based on unfounded charges against dozens of individuals, including prominent politicians, lawyers, and human rights defenders, the Appeals Court has deliberately ignored the litany of fair trial violations that have plagued this sham case from day one.

“The Court of Appeal has thereby also rubber stamped the government’s use of the justice system to eliminate political dissent. While three of the defendants were acquitted and a few sentences reduced, other sentences were increased – including for Jahouher Ben Mbarek, who has been on hunger strike for 31 days in protest against his arbitrary detention and wrongful trial, had his sentence increased from 18 to 20 years. The court’s decision affirms that participating in peaceful opposition remains a crime punishable by long-term imprisonment in Tunisia.

“The authorities have compromised the integrity of this trial from the outset through repeated violations of due process, including the courts’ unjustified decision to deprive detained defendants of their right to be present in the court room and insist on holding the trial remotely. Combined with the state’s continued targeting of lawyers representing defendants in the case, these actions expose a relentless campaign to erode rights and silence dissent.

“We are deeply alarmed that political activists Chaima Issa and Ahmed Nejib Chebbi and human rights defender Ayachi Hammami now face an imminent and arbitrary risk of arrest after the appeal court confirmed their convictions and sentenced them to 20, 12 and 5 years respectively.

“The Tunisian authorities must immediately quash the unjust convictions and sentences against all defendants in the ‘conspiracy case’. They must immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for exercising their human rights and cease the relentless, politically motivated persecution of critics, opponents, and legal professionals. So long as the judiciary provides no check on government repression, it emboldens growing authoritarianism and a full-blown human rights crisis.”

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the Russian Supreme Court’s closed-door decision to designate the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF/FBK), founded by colleagues of the late prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny, a “terrorist organization,” Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“The Kremlin’s long campaign against the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters has reached a stunning peak. By branding FBK a ‘terrorist organization’ in arbitrary court proceedings behind closed doors, the authorities are not only smearing and trying to erase Navalny’s legacy but they are also exposing tens of thousands of Russian citizens who have been associated with him over the past 15 years to the potential risk of prosecution. Posting a photograph of Navalny has already proven enough to trigger severe personal consequences; now it will guarantee arrest and imprisonment.”

The Kremlin’s long campaign against the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters has reached a stunning peak

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“The Russian authorities must stop weaponizing ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation to silence critics, they must reverse the ban on FBK, end the persecution of people allegedly linked to it and ensure an independent international investigation into Aleksei Navalny’s torture and other ill-treatment – and death – in custody.”

Background

On 27 November 2025, the Supreme Court granted the Prosecutor General’s Office’s request to recognise the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Inc., the US-registered successor of the banned Russia-based FBK, as a “terrorist organization.” The hearing was held behind closed doors, presided over by the same judge who had previously outlawed the non-existent “international LGBT movement” and “international satanism movement” as “extremist.”

FBK, founded by prominent opposition figure Aleksei Navalny in 2011, became well-known for its investigations of corruption in the Russian government and mobilizing popular support for its anti-graft campaigns. The Russian authorities banned the association in 2021 for being an “extremist organization,” and its alleged members and donors have faced unjust prosecutions.

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to today’s acquittal of 87 protesters on trial for their participation in mass protests which took place following the detention of Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, and yesterday’s acquittal of eight journalists and four lawyers charged in relation to the same demonstrations, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director EU, Balkans and Turkey, Dinushka Disanayake said: 

“Whilst the acquittal of these 87 peaceful protesters, eight journalists and four lawyers is welcome, it does beg the question as to why they were put through this eight-month ordeal in the first place. 

The prosecutions of these protesters, journalists and lawyers should never have been brought

“Last March, hundreds of young people were detained and criminalized for protesting the detention and subsequent remand in pre-trial detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu. Amnesty International’s research into the policing of these mass protests found allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including the targeting of journalists, by law enforcement officials during the demonstrations. 

“The prosecutions of these protesters, journalists and lawyers should never have been brought and the endemic misuse of the criminal justice system to crack down on dissent in Türkiye must end.” 

Background 

For information about Amnesty International’s research into the policing of the March protests see this public statement. 

Today’s decision hearing follows two previous trials which also recently ended with wholesale acquittals. 

Another hearing held today was that of 13 protesters prosecuted for ‘insulting the president’. The protesters have already spent almost three months in pre-trial detention between March and May this year. Their hearing was postponed to May 2026, with the court referring the file to be examined by the National Criminal Bureau to establish whether photographic evidence backs the claim against the individuals concerned. A lawyer representing the President was present at the hearing and requested that the court find the defendants guilty of the charge because ‘his honour had been damaged by the actions of the defendants.’ 

Source: Amnesty International –

In response to today’s Tokyo High Court decision that endorsed the Japanese government ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:

“The court’s decision today marks a significant step backwards for marriage equality in Japan. The ruling in Tokyo – the final high court ruling of six lawsuits filed across the country and the only ruling to say, in effect, that discrimination against same-sex couples is constitutional – cannot be allowed to hamper progress. But it should serve as a warning of the reluctance to acknowledge the concept of same-sex marriage and the reality of same-sex couples living in Japan.

“While these cases work their way to the Supreme Court, the government can resolve this issue through legislation without further delay. The Japanese government needs to be proactive in moving towards the legalisation of same-sex marriage so that couples can fully enjoy the same marriage rights as their heterosexual counterparts.   

“Japan remains the only G7 country without legal recognition for same-sex couples. The law passed by the government in 2023 to promote understanding of LGBTI people is not enough. There need to be solid, legal measures in place to protect same-sex couples and the LGBTI community in Japan from all forms of discrimination.”