Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Amnesty International –

• Human Rights Groups Call for Systemic Transformation to Prevent History Repeating Itself

FIFA’s current crisis spotlights the need for governance reforms and transparent systems to protect human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. Though Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal has been rightly withdrawn, the growing calls for further measures should also address the deeper human rights crisis that, if ignored, risks yet another system that tolerates corruption and covers up abuses.

“The person who leads FIFA matters a great deal, but the bigger problem is systemic. The landscape for human rights, transparency and good governance will not improve if FIFA’s structures are not addressed,” said Andrea Florence, Executive Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “This crisis must spur long-overdue reforms to finally embed human rights protections at the heart of world football. Only a systemic transformation that addresses the many abuses linked to FIFA’s operations will prevent history repeating itself.”

The current turmoil within FIFA is reminiscent of the worst corruption crisis in the organization’s history, in 2015, when the United States Department of Justice indicted dozens of football officials with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. Despite this scandal, Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president days later, though he eventually stepped down. During the 2016 election, the Sport & Rights Alliance asked all five candidates to commit to six clear steps to mitigating rights abuses. Gianni Infantino was elected as Blatter’s successor, promising change and affirming that “FIFA is fully committed to respecting human rights.”

“We have seen enough crises at FIFA to know that simply replacing leadership is not enough,” said Ronan Evain, Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe. “FIFA needs systemic reform grounded in a clear roadmap for the organisation’s work on human rights and good governance. This should include a full review and re-structure of the FIFA Ethics Committee and a time-bound human rights strategy that has clear objectives and centers the rights of everyone impacted by its tournaments and operations.”

Later in 2016, the FIFA Statutes were amended to include human rights as part of its provisions, a Human Rights Policy was adopted, and an independent Human Rights Advisory Board (HRAB) established. The HRAB produced five important reports, but was later disbanded by Gianni Infantino and most of their recommendations never implemented. In particular, FIFA has still yet to develop a human rights strategy to embed human rights into the organization’s decision-making with a “focus on the political and governance level” as recommended.

“Now is the moment for FIFA to re-establish an independent human rights advisory body to oversee good governance, transparency and human rights – and ensure the credibility of its approach moving forwards,” said Tor Dølvik, Special Adviser at Transparency International Norway, on behalf of the global anti-corruption movement. “A system of checks and balances is the backbone of corruption prevention. By ensuring transparency, accountability and independent oversight, it also provides the foundation for any credible human rights framework.”

Contrary to Gianni Infantino’s social media statements, the largest, “most inclusive” World Cup in history saw many human rights abuses and significant sportswashing. This was no surprise given FIFA’s previous dilution of its Host City Human Rights Framework and Infantino’s worryingly close relationship with the U.S. President Donald Trump, to whom he gave the newly-created FIFA Peace Prize without any criteria or process.

“FIFA’s failure to follow through on its human rights commitments has tarnished Gianni Infantino’s decade as president. FIFA has still not financially compensated families of thousands of migrant workers who died to deliver the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and with the Saudi 2034 World Cup looming, has done nothing to establish an essential human rights remedy fund to compensate migrant workers and others who could be harmed by FIFA’s operations,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “Whoever leads FIFA should commit to good governance and transparent systems that uphold human rights.”

The human rights risks of the 2030 and 2034 Men’s World Cup, documented in a report by Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance, and unresolved failures from the 2022 World Cup, make FIFA’s governance reform and human rights strategy even more urgent. Under Infantino, FIFA ignored the calls in its own report and never delivered remedy or compensation for abuses related to the tournament in Qatar. The football governing body also neglected to ensure a competitive process for either the 2030 or 2034 World Cups, resulting in sole bidders for each tournament and sham human rights strategies. Given the scale of the risks in Saudi Arabia in particular, in November 2024, the SRA called to halt the process ahead of voting for the 2034 tournament.

“The global football community has finally shown that it can mobilise to stand up to FIFA when it deems an issue to be important enough. It is now also time for FIFA’s members to advocate just as powerfully for changes that will ensure far greater respect for human rights,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International‘s Regional Director for Europe. “Genuine change at FIFA will be measured by whether or not workers in Qatar finally receive compensation, meaningful human rights safeguards are introduced for future World Cups, and independent oversight systems are given real teeth.”

Transformation in global football governance should also include a shift in FIFA leadership’s relationship with the media. Infantino’s press conference at the opening of the 2026 World Cup, where he told journalists asking questions about visa denials to “chill and relax,” was his first since 2023.

“Press freedom is a cornerstone of human rights and good governance, as journalists’ work enables the protection and fulfillment of all other human rights by ensuring accountability, uncovering injustices, and raising awareness of human rights risks and abuses,” said Antoine Bernard, Director of Advocacy and Assistance of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “As custodians of the beautiful game, FIFA should commit itself to transparency and independent oversight, conducting regular press conferences and welcoming accountability. After all, football belongs to the fans, and the news media are their eyes and ears both on and off the pitch.”

At this critical juncture, the Sport & Rights Alliance calls on FIFA and all its member associations to ensure systemic transformation that guarantees accountability for human rights and good governance, including by taking these first steps:

1. Re-establish a permanent, independent Human Rights Advisory Board, composed of a diverse group of esteemed human rights and good governance experts, to hold FIFA’s leadership and the FIFA Council accountable for how they integrate human rights into their decision-making;
2. Comprehensively reform the FIFA Ethics Committee by establishing an independent, transparent, external and accountable ethics system, with transparent appointments of experts with meaningful human rights and good governance backgrounds; and trauma-informed procedures for receiving, investigating, and adjudicating complaints;
3. Adopt a dedicated and time-bound Human Rights Strategy, that provides an organizational roadmap for human rights and good governance with meaningful and ongoing engagement with potentially affected stakeholders;
4. Re-evaluate all future host agreements to ensure binding human rights commitments, including for the 2030 and 2034 Men’s World Cups, and set up a Remedy Fund for people impacted by the 2022 Qatar World Cup and all future tournaments;
5. Re-instate regular, robust and transparent avenues for public accountability, including regular press conferences with FIFA leadership and meaningful engagement with a diverse, global community of journalists.

As representatives of athletes, fans, workers, journalists, grassroots organizations and communities – especially women, LGBTI+ people, people of color, survivors of abuse, and youth – the Sport & Rights Alliance takes this moment to collectively reassure our commitment to ensuring the sport and business of football is an authentic force for good.

About the Sport & Rights Alliance
The Sport & Rights Alliance’s mission is to promote the rights and well-being of those most affected by human rights risks associated with the delivery of sport. Its partners include Amnesty International, The Assist, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, ILGA World – The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Transparency International, and World Players Association, UNI Global Union. As a global coalition of leading nongovernmental organizations and trade unions, the Sport & Rights Alliance works together to ensure sports bodies, governments, and other relevant stakeholders give rise to a world of sport that protects, respects, and fulfills international standards for human rights, labour rights, child wellbeing and safeguarding, and anti-corruption.

Source: Amnesty International –

An Israeli attack that killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and seriously wounded camerawoman Zeinab Faraj in south Lebanon on 22 April 2026 was a direct attack on civilians which should be investigated as a war crime, said Amnesty International today.

Testimonies from the sole survivor and first responders, corroborated by audiovisual material, coordination records, and external reporting, indicate that the two journalists, both civilians, had taken shelter after an air strike on the car in front of them had killed two men. Over the following two hours, with drones hovering at close range overhead, two further air strikes hit first their car parked near them and then the building where they were sheltering.

Amnesty International’s investigation paints a harrowing picture of a direct attack on two civilians while they had sought refuge from Israeli attacks.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

“Amnesty International’s investigation paints a harrowing picture of a direct attack on two civilians while they had sought refuge from Israeli attacks. After the first strike had eliminated the military-stated target, and with two drones flying low overhead, the Israeli military knew or should have known that two civilian women were sheltering in that building. Despite this, they proceeded with what we have reasonable grounds to believe amounted to a direct attack on civilians, demonstrating a shocking disregard for international humanitarian law,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“The fact that the two journalists were in what Israel has designated a no-return zone does not make them lawful targets. All parties to a conflict have a clear obligation to distinguish between civilians and military targets at all times and to direct their attacks only at military objectives. There can be no justification for targeting civilians who sought shelter in search of safety. This attack must be promptly, independently and impartially investigated as a war crime.”

On 22 April, the Israeli military carried out three strikes in the village of al-Tiri, Nabatieh governorate, which falls within an area the Israeli military has unilaterally designated as a “Forward Defence” zone and banned civilian residents from returning. The first strike hit a car at 2.25pm and killed two men. The two journalists, who had been following the two men in a second car, left their car and sought shelter in a nearby structure, including because two drones were hovering overhead and they feared this meant further strikes.

Around an hour later, a second strike targeted the journalists’ vehicle which was parked nearby, and they were wounded in the blast. Approximately one hour later, a third strike hit the building where they were sheltering, leading to the death of Amal Khalil, a journalist for the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar and seriously wounding Zeinab Faraj.

Throughout the two-hour attack two drones hovered overhead. Zeinab Faraj told Amnesty International:

“The drones got extremely close, coming through the broken roof. Less than a meter away. I was covering my face, thinking of a video I had seen where a drone killed someone like that. I thought it would explode in my face. The drones didn’t carry visible explosives, but they were hovering and provoking fear constantly.”

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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On 12 June, a group of 17 people – among them Turks, Afghans and Iranians – were forcibly removed from the United States and flown to Bangui, in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country where they have no ties and whose language they do not speak. According to Third Country Deportation Watch, all but one of these people had been granted protection in the US from being forcibly returned to their home country. Yet being sent back to their country of origin is what they risked once arrived in Bangui, in breach of the principle of non-refoulement under international law.

More than 100 people have been put on planes by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and sent to third countries in Africa over the past year. This inhumane, unlawful policy not only violates the due process guarantees that individuals are entitled to before removal, but it also exposes them to human rights violations in the country they are being transferred to.

The Central African Republic is one of 13 sub-Saharan African countries known to have signed a third-country removal agreement with the US – joining the ranks of Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda. These agreements with third countries enable the US government to remove people it wants out of its territory – even, and including, those who are in the midst of their immigration proceedings and who have been granted legal protection preventing their return to their country of origin because of the risk of torture there.

African leaders must speak out against US unlawful third country removals which are discriminatory and contrary to human rights.

Marceau Sivieude and Tigere Chagutah

Source: Amnesty International –

In response to the court’s decision to grant alternatives to pretrial detention to prisoners of conscience and former ancestral authorities of Totonicapán’s 48 Cantons, Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán, Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:

“We welcome the fact that Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán will be able to return to their families and communities after being unjustly deprived of their liberty for more than a year. The decision to grant them alternatives to pretrial detention represents an important step forward for their rights and brings relief to them, their loved ones and all those who never stopped demanding justice.”

We welcome the fact that Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán will be able to return to their families and communities after being unjustly deprived of their liberty for more than a year. ”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

“However, the two leaders will not be released immediately. The measure is conditional on each of them paying bail of 160,000 quetzales, meaning that they will remain deprived of their liberty until this requirement is met. In practice, a sum of this magnitude could become an obstacle to implementing the court’s decision.”

Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán were imprisoned for peacefully exercising their human rights and carrying out the leadership roles entrusted to them by their communities. They were held in pretrial detention after being arrested in April 2025 on charges related to the nationwide protests of 2023. In May 2026, Amnesty International designated them prisoners of conscience after concluding that they were being persecuted for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Although the decision will allow them to return to their loved ones while the proceedings continue, it does not remedy the human rights violations they experienced during their detention, and their release will not be immediate. Their prolonged imprisonment, unjustified delays in the proceedings and restrictions on the full exercise of their rights remain matters of concern that the authorities must address.

Furthermore, the continuation of the criminal proceedings against them perpetuates the risk of criminalisation faced by those who exercise community leadership, take part in peaceful protests or defend the rights of their peoples. The Guatemalan authorities must ensure that the justice system is not used to punish the legitimate exercise of human rights.

“The release of Luis and Héctor must serve to reaffirm a fundamental principle: peacefully exercising human rights must never be grounds for punishment. The Guatemalan authorities must protect peaceful protest, respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensure that community authorities can carry out their work without fear of criminalisation,” concluded Ana Piquer.

The release of Luis and Héctor must serve to reaffirm a fundamental principle: peacefully exercising human rights must never be grounds for punishment. ”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

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

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the arrest of a Han Chinese man in Lhasa, Tibet – the human rights activist Zhang Yi – Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“The arrest of Zhang Yi after he showed a photograph of the Dalai Lama while visiting a monastery is a chilling reminder of how far the Chinese authorities will go to police the peaceful exercise of human rights.

“This case bears all the hallmarks of the Chinese authorities’ long-standing misuse of the offence of ‘inciting separatism’ to criminalize peaceful expression in Tibetan areas and in relation to Tibetan history, culture and religious belief.

“Displaying a photograph of a religious leader should never be treated as a threat to national security. The Chinese authorities must immediately release Zhang Yi as he has been detained solely for the  peaceful exercise of his human rights.

“Pending his release, they must ensure that he has prompt access to his family and a lawyer of his own choosing. Authorities must  protect him from torture and other ill-treatment while in detention.”

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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“Two and a half months after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared, the situation in eastern DRC is more critical than ever. The outbreak is spreading at an alarming and unprecedented rate, despite the tireless efforts of frontline medical teams.

According to the WHO, 3,605 confirmed cases had been reported by 1 August, making this the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, surpassing the 2018 epidemic. In just 11 weeks since it was declared, nearly 1,500 people have died. That is a far higher death toll than in comparable periods of previous outbreaks; the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused 279 deaths over the same timeframe.

Even more concerning, the outbreak shows no sign of slowing down. New suspected cases are being reported almost daily in new locations, outside already identified transmission chains. To prevent further loss of life, the response must outpace the current rate of transmission. The international medical response must scale-up without delay, and many critical gaps still need to be addressed.

Undeniable progress has been made in screening and contact tracing, but these efforts remain very insufficient to contain the epidemic. In the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, 90 per cent of admitted patients were not traced contacts, while in the whole of Ituri province only 59 per cent of contacts were traced. There is an urgent need for improved community engagement. A successful response can only be achieved if it is built with and led by local organisations. Without communities at the centre of the response, surveillance and contact tracing will continue to miss cases. Better integration of local communities is essential to ensure cases are detected as early as possible and followed up rigorously.

This outbreak is aggravating an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Malaria, measles, cholera, malnutrition, and other preventable and treatable conditions continue to cause significant illness and death. Continued support for health facilities is also critical so they can keep providing vital healthcare services throughout the response and protect health workers.

Access remains a critical issue, particularly in remote areas where the onset of the rainy season will make movement difficult and risk disrupting operations. Providing medical supplies, as well as incentives and support for frontline health workers, is essential. Clear assurances are needed that border restrictions, sanitary measures, or administrative burdens will not impede humanitarian staff rotations, medical referrals, or the delivery of supplies. For now, the situation remains uncertain.

Strengthening epidemiological surveillance, improving community engagement, and guaranteeing access for humanitarian personnel are top priorities.

The response is expanding but is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains. Immediate action is needed. Every day lost allows the virus to stay one step ahead and more lives to be needlessly lost.”