Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the unprecedented escalation by the Israeli military which said it conducted the “largest coordinated wave of strikes” today attacking 100 sites across Lebanon within 10 minutes, killing and wounding hundreds, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef said:

“Just hours after the world cautiously welcomed news of a US-Israeli ceasefire with Iran, in Lebanon the nightmare for civilians has become more terrifying. Today has been the deadliest day since the latest round of fighting began on 2 March with an intense barrage of air strikes carried out across south Lebanon, the Beqaa valley and in crowded civilian areas in central Beirut – many without warning.  Hospitals have put out calls for blood donations, overwhelmed by the number of injured arriving.

“Even before today’s attack, which the Israeli military referred to as operation ‘Eternal Darkness’, more than 1,500 people had been killed and over a million people displaced from their homes across the country. Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers and journalists amongst those killed – the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll.

Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers and journalists amongst those killed – the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll.

Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director

“We reiterate the urgent need Israel to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure civilians are protected. Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful attacks in Lebanon and displaying a callous disregard for civilian life, fueled by the impunity Israeli officials feel they enjoy.

“The recent warning from the Israeli military spokesperson that Hezbollah has repositioned from the southern suburbs of Beirut to north Beirut and mixed areas of the city has raised fears of further attacks in civilian areas. Israeli forces are bound by their obligations under international humanitarian law to distinguish between civilians and military objectives and to categorically refrain from carrying out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, indiscriminate, disproportionate attacks.They are required to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas. Failure to uphold these obligations constitutes a serious violation of international law and places civilian lives in imminent danger.

“These attacks are a reminder that states must immediately halt the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel given the overriding risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

Fatima, an eyewitness to one of the strikes described the devastating scenes after an attack struck the building across the road from her house in Salim Salam, Beirut:

“I grabbed my laptop and rushed to the street. It was apocalyptic. Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere. I saw countless wounded adults and children. I walked further but it was the same scene in the other neighbourhoods too. I did not know where to go. I just walked aimlessly trying to get as far as possible. It was a nightmare.”

Background:

On 8 April the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for the southern suburbs of Beirut, the city of Tyre and reiterated mass evacuation orders to north of the Zahrani River.

At around 2:30pm, within just 10 minutes the Israeli military launched a series of attacks on at least 48 areas, including on crowded residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure, in the south of Lebanon, north of Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, Beirut suburbs and central Beirut.  

The Israeli military said that it had conducted coordinated strikes targeting “100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites”  located “within the heart of the civilian population”.  Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the attacks as “the largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since the pagers operation”.

Since 2024, Amnesty International has documented the Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus, and indiscriminate mass explosions targeting electronic devices. Israeli attacks in Lebanon have had a significant civilian toll and have included unlawful airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods as well as attacks on journalists, health facilities, ambulances and paramedics.

The organization also highlighted how the Israeli military extensively destroyed and damaged civilian structures and agricultural land in southern Lebanon between 1 October 2024 and 26 January 2025, continuing well after the November 2024 ceasefire. Amnesty International has also documented Hezbollah’s unlawful firing of unguided rockets into populated civilian areas in Israel, leading to the death and injury of civilians and the destruction of civilian homes.

Source: Oxfam –

Reacting to news today of a two-week ceasefire between US/Israel and Iran, Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar said: 

“We share in the widespread relief that the world has avoided the atrocities President Trump threatened yesterday and that the war between the US and Iran has paused while diplomatic talks commence. The ceasefire comes after weeks of escalating threats and unlawful attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, as well as retaliation from Iran, that have killed, injured, and displaced civilians across the region. However, until there is an end to all hostilities, across the entire region, no one will feel truly safe.  

“This pause must become a stepping stone for wider peace. Israel’s ongoing invasion in Lebanon, its destructive occupation of Palestinian Territory, ground incursion and airstrikes in Syria, its continued attacks in Gaza, and violent attacks and territorial expansion in the West Bank are still continuing despite the provisional cessation of violence with Iran. This deadly toll across the Middle East is intolerable and must stop. 

“Israel’s attacks on Lebanon continued with huge strikes today, reportedly killing at least 80 people. Another 1,500 people have been killed and 4,500 injured since last month. Israeli massive forced displacement orders cover more than 20 per cent of the population and humanitarian agencies cannot access critical projects to assist people in the most need.   

“Any peace agreement must include the unconditional withdrawal of Israel’s forces in Lebanon and Syria, an end to its unlawful occupation of Gaza and the Syria Golan, and its annexation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.” 

Ends

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the draconian sentences issued against young activists prosecuted for their actual or perceived affiliation with the Russian youth democratic movement Vesna (Spring), Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

“Today’s verdict reveals how the Russian judicial system continues to rubber-stamp politically motivated reprisals. The charges brought against these young people were so outlandish, so blatantly fabricated, and the “evidence” presented so weak, that the only reasonable thing for the court to do was to throw the case out at the very start. Instead, the court handed down prison sentences, punishing the young people for expressing their views, and for their civic engagement and anti-war activism. This verdict lays bare that the Russian authorities treat principled anti-war activism as a crime, branding it as “extremism”.

The charges brought against these young people were so outlandish, so blatantly fabricated, and the “evidence” presented so weak, that the only reasonable thing for the court to do was to throw the case out at the very start

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

“All co-defendants in the Vesna case must be immediately and unconditionally released and the verdict overturned. Russian authorities must end their abuse of criminal legislation to silence dissent and adhere to their obligations under international human rights law, including full respect for the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”

Background

On 8 April 2026, the St. Petersburg City Court delivered its verdict in the case against six young activists the authorities believe to be members of the youth democratic movement Vesna.

The court issued severe prison terms: 12 years for Anna Arkhipova, 11 years for Yan Ksenzhepolsky, 10 years for Vasiliy Neustroev and, 7.5 years for Pavel Sinelnikov, 6 years and 2 months for Evgeniy Zateev and Valentin Khoroshenin. In addition, the court imposed lengthy post-release bans on taking part in public events and online publication. Amnesty International has designated Anna Arkhipova, Vasiliy Neustroev, Yan Ksenzhepolsky, Evgeniy Zateev and Pavel Sinelnikov as prisoners of conscience

The six activists were detained on 6 June 2023 in different cities, transferred to Moscow and placed in pre-trial detention. They faced multiple charges including organizing and participating in an “extremist community,” “disseminating false information about the Armed Forces,” “disrespect for days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia,” “public calls for activities deemed to threaten state security” and “incitement to organize mass unrest” based largely on social media posts and public statements opposing the war in Ukraine. Valentin Khoroshenin is the only one who pleaded guilty to the charges and testified against his co-defendants. At least 15 other alleged Vesna members have left Russia and are on police “wanted” lists.

Source: Amnesty International –

Chinese authorities must ensure that Yu Wensheng is allowed to reunite with his family in Beijing without restrictions, Amnesty International said ahead of the human rights lawyer’s expected release from prison following a baseless “subversion” conviction.

Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng is due to be released on 13 April after completing a three-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power”. He was arrested on 13 April 2023, alongside his wife Xu Yan, while on their way to meet European Union officials in Beijing.

“If and when Yu Wensheng walks out of prison next week, his freedom cannot be partial. He must be allowed to return home, reunite with his family and resume his life and his work without surveillance, intimidation or other restrictions on his rights,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said.

In research released last year, focused on the application by Chinese courts of national security provisions to target human rights defenders, Amnesty International found that in 38 of the 68 cases reviewed – including Yu’s – the defendant had been sentenced to “deprivation of political rights” following the end of their prison sentence. This so-called “supplemental” sentence violates international standards; in practice, it is used to justify ongoing harassment of activists to ensure they do not continue human rights work.

“Yu Wensheng was punished for defending people from alleged abuses of power and advocating for a fairer, more accountable system. He should never have been jailed in the first place, and his persecution must end the moment he is released.”

Yu Wensheng previously served four years in prison between 2018 and 2022. Xu has said that during that time, she and her son faced surveillance and harassment by the authorities. She has reported that these activities continued during the current imprisonment, resulting in serious mental health impacts on their son, including since her release in January 2025.

“The suffering inflicted on Yu Wensheng’s family is a reminder of how China’s repression extends far beyond those it imprisons. The past impacts of this repression can never be undone, but the harm being done now can be stopped.”

Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan are prominent advocates for rule of law and human rights in China and have faced government harassment for years. Yu developed a profile as one of the best known and most vocal critics of human rights in the country, based on his experience seeking to defend victims of injustice and human rights violations.

“Yu Wensheng’s imprisonment was a clear attempt to send a warning to others in China who dare to defend human rights. Yet despite the government’s heavy-handed tactics, human rights defenders have refused to be silenced,” Sarah Brooks said.

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Energy as a hostage with people and planet paying the price

As the US-Israel-Iran conflict continues, those at the frontlines continue to be in a state of constant fear, with their basic human rights and livelihoods stripped away. The damage is not contained by borders, the impact of this conflict is felt far beyond the frontlines as our global economy is built upon a foundation of distant, import-dependent fossil fuels and commodities – including fertilizer and feeds. When critical supply chain pathways are severed by conflicts, a dangerous domino effect is triggered. Ordinary people did not choose this war. We were never given the option to reject. Yet most of us are in countries that lack energy, food and agricultural self-sufficiency and are forced to bear the full weight of the impacts.

In  Southeast Asia, we face full-on the impacts of this war. The Philippines just declared a state of national energy emergency in an attempt to secure fossil oil and gas, aiming for some stability to the mega oil price hikes of almost 100% impacting daily lives. Farmers face doubling cost of fertilizer, fisher folks skip daily fishing to save on fuel or stretch their time at sea at great risks to optimize fuel supply.  Jeepney drivers had to resort to a nationwide strike to get government action, as they are prevented from increasing transportation fares while bearing oil price hike. Daily wage earners face the threat of increasing food prices and families with migrant workers in Southwest Asia face the prospect of losing jobs or worse, a loved one. Overseas remittances buoy the Philippine economy, and current disruption poses a serious threat to the country’s GDP. 

Thailand has a high reliance on imported energy, with its economy particularly vulnerable to oil and gas price shocks. Airline costs have increased discouraging tourism with an anticipated loss of THB150B not to mention 1000 inbound flights cancelled or delayed. After weeks of using the Oil Fuel Fund, the government was forced to abandon the price cap as the fund began bleeding 2.5 billion Baht daily, resulting in an overnight fuel price increase of 6 baht per liter, or 14% to 22%. More than 1,000 Thai nationals have been repatriated. At least three Thai sailors remain missing when Iran targeted a Thai marine vessel off the Strait of Hormuz.

Malaysia and Indonesia, albeit as oil and gas producers, also face a potential significant impact of rising oil prices towards their national budget. Both countries subsidize their domestic oil and gas consumption which will put additional pressure against their national budget. One estimate warns that the Malaysian federal budget would bear a heavier subsidy for domestic oil consumption even though there will be a bigger profit gained by Petronas due to the higher oil prices. As for Indonesia, a national budget deficit is looming in the background, with a risk of USD 411 million budget deficit in every rising price of USD 1 per barrel in the Indonesian Crude Price (ICP). The Indonesian government will adopt one day working from home per week for government officials and encourage private sectors to follow suit to reduce oil consumption during the ongoing conflict in Southwest Asia. Furthermore, rising cost of other petrochemical products like fertilizer and plastics are being felt by farmers and small and medium enterprise owners.

Just transition to renewable energy a national and regional security measure

The impact of the Southwest Asia conflict shows how fossil fuels can be transformed into a geopolitical tool that directly impacts people’s lives. Even with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, it will still take months for supply and therefore prices to stabilize. This is compounded by the looming super El Nino which will further put a stress on energy supply and demand, and food production. In addition, there is a possibility of US-Israel strikes on Iran shadow fleets that pass by Southeast Asia waters which in turn can affect lives and pollute the environment.  

Southeast Asian countries must take this as an opportunity to fast track the shift to renewable energy. Pakistan’s people led renewable energy revolution is proving to be not just a climate commitment but a national security measure – strengthening the ability to secure the basic needs locally, reducing dependence on market fluctuations, wars and geopolitical tensions. The just transition towards renewable energy should be set as a regional and national policy goal with clear milestones for ASEAN Member States. The upcoming 2026 ASEAN Summit, should address the issues of fuel supplies and food prices with the lense of fast tracking the just transition towards renewable energy as a matter of national and regional security. 

Renewable energy as a national and regional security measure requires a fundamental rethinking of the entire energy system structure. A more decentralised renewable energy production system, as seen in Pakistan, is needed to make energy more accessible to homes, health care units, schools, farms, and small businesses. Such a system builds resilient communities, who are likewise at the frontlines of the impacts of climate change. 

A decentralized energy system builds the agency of the community to take control over their lives, livelihoods and their environment. It is a pathway out of being held hostage by fossil fuel wars.

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 7, 2026) — As another perilous threat to the people of Iran looms from behind White House gates, Greenpeace USA activists took a banner to the White House calling for the immediate removal of President Donald Trump for war crimes. NO WAR calls are coming from across the nation while Trump schemes up more ways to steal oil under the guise of a senseless war that would not only put American’s lives at risk, but is already threatening the livelihood of all. 

Reinforcing our resolute objection to the war on Iran and threats of genocide, John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA Program Director, said, “President Trump threatened ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ if Iran does not meet his deadline — an obvious threat to commit an illegal attack on civilians. This is a moment where the Vice President and presidential cabinet must intervene to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Trump unfit for office. All of us have a responsibility to ensure our members of congress understand that their constituents expect them to back this action and prevent millions of deaths from happening in our name.”

Photos of the bannering can be found in the Greenpeace media library here.

“The American people understand that this war is about the financial interests of the dozen or so billionaires that seem to run this administration and will not make anyone safer. When U.S. companies are set to pocket upwards of $60 billion in windfall profits from this greed-driven disaster, Trump cannot look the truth in the face and lie to the American people who see it clearly written through the impact at the gas pump, in our travel plans, and the supplies of goods and merchandise millions rely on.”

“Our name is not just a brand, it’s the truth we’ve leveraged since the very day this organization was founded more than 50 years ago. We cannot have a green, just world without peace – and that is what we are calling for today.”

Greenpeace USA will always choose peace over war — and the path there is clear: The Vice President must invoke the 25th amendment before any of these threats can be carried out. At the same time we must make plans to tax Big Oil’s windfall profits, reinvest that money in the American public, and pass the bold renewable energy policy that finally ends our dependence on volatile fossil fuels.

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Media Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press secretary, [email protected], +1 703-554-4842

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

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the United States President Donald Trump’s statement about Iran on Truth Social on 7 April 2026, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, AgnèsCallamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International said:

“President Trump’s very act of making such apocalyptic threats, including his warning of ending ‘a whole civilization’, reveals a staggering level of cruelty and disregard for human life. It becomes all the more terrifying when coupled with his explicit threats to directly attack civilian infrastructure by bringing about the ‘complete demolition’ of Iran’s power plants and bridges.

“International humanitarian law strictly prohibits direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects. The US President’s threat of extermination and irreparable destruction brazenly shreds core rules of international humanitarian law, with potentially catastrophic consequences for over 90 million people.  It may constitute a threat to commit genocide, a crime defined by the Genocide Convention and by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as committing one or more defined acts ’with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.’

“The stakes could not be higher. The international community, including the UN Security Council, regional bodies and all states must urgently intervene to avert an impending catastrophe and unequivocally affirm that inciting, ordering or committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide entail individual criminal responsibility under international law.  

“President Trump’s threats, coupled with escalating USA and Israeli attacks destroying civilian infrastructure, are terrorizing millions of people in Iran and their distressed relatives abroad as tens of millions of lives hang in the balance. We call for immediate action to stop unlawful attacks that would plunge an entire country into darkness and deprive millions of their fundamental human rights to life, water, food, healthcare, and an adequate standard of living.

“In recent days, US and Israeli forces have attacked civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, universities, steel factories and petrochemical facilities, killing and injuring civilians, condemning the population to years, if not decades, of deepened economic hardship, inflicting serious harm on civilian health and the environment, and leaving long‑lasting damage to civilians’ lives and livelihoods.

“Intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes under international law. Even in the limited cases that civilian infrastructure qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack them if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians. Power plants, water systems and energy infrastructure are indispensable to civilian life, underpinning access to clean water, medical care, hospital electricity, food supply chains, and basic livelihoods. Attacking them would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law and could amount to a war crime.”

Background

In recent days, President Trump has repeatedly issued escalating threats against Iran’s energy and transport infrastructure, warning that unless the Iranian authorities reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would carry out the “complete demolition” of the country’s power plants and bridges. He also threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age”.

On 5 April, President Trump warned stated that Iran could be “taken out in one night” and set a deadline of 8pm Eastern Time on 7 April for Iranian authorities to comply. He further vowed that every power plant and bridge in the country would be left “burning, exploding, and never to be used again”.

On 7 April, the Israeli military issued an overly broad warning to civilians in Iran to avoid trains and railway lines nationwide, stating that being near such infrastructure would “endanger your life”.

During the same period, USA and Israeli strikes across Iran struck bridges, petrochemical facilities and steel factories, killing and injuring civilians and heightening fears of widespread, unlawful attacks on essential civilian infrastructure.

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the sentencing of nine police officers to death by the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai for the 2020 custodial torture and killing of P. Jayaraj and P. Bennix, Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair of Board, said: 

“The court verdict marks a rare moment of accountability in India’s long struggle against police torture. The verdict acknowledges the brutality of a crime that shocked the nation. But this death penalty sentence is not justice – it is a deflection from the deeper reforms urgently required to ensure police oversight and accountability. Punishing a human rights violation with another does not end violence; it just perpetuates it.  

“What is needed is structural reform. India must ratify the UN Convention against Torture, a long-pending step that would legally bind the country to international law and strengthen domestic accountability mechanisms. While ratification alone will not end torture, it is a critical part of a broader solution that should include a standalone anti-torture law, independent investigations, and strict enforcement of existing safeguards. India must also facilitate the visit of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, whose requests have gone unanswered since 1999.

Punishing a human rights violation with another does not end violence; it just perpetuates it

Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair of Board

“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It neither deters torture nor delivers systemic change. Justice for Jayaraj, Bennix and thousands of others lies in transforming the institutions that enabled their deaths and ensuring it will never happen again.” 

Background 

In addition to the death sentences, the court ordered the police officers to jointly pay ₹1.40 crore (USD 150,500) in compensation to the deceased’s family. 

Jayaraj and his son Bennix died days after being taken into custody by the Sathankulam police in Tamil Nadu state in June 2020, allegedly for violating COVID-19 restrictions. They were subjected to torture including sexual violence in custody. Their deaths exposed systemic failures: routine torture, weak oversight, and a culture of impunity that persists despite existing legal safeguards. 

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, between 1999 and 2023, over 2,200 people died in police custody in India. However, convictions remain exceptionally rare, with no convictions recorded in custodial death cases between 2018 and 2023.  

India has established legal and institutional safeguards to ensure police accountability for torture in custody. The Criminal Procedure Code requires medical examination, production before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest and judicial inquiries into custodial deaths. The National Human Rights Commission has investigative authority. Yet these safeguards are routinely ignored or weakly implemented. 

Regardless of India’s non-ratification of UNCAT, prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is a norm of customary international law that applies to all people in all circumstances.  

For more information on Amnesty International’s position on the death penalty, see here.