MIL NGO Engine

Source: Amnesty International –

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

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

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

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

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

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

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-ENDS-

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

Source: Amnesty International –

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

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

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

Damini Satija, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech 

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

Source: Amnesty International –

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

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

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

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

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

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

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

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

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

Source: Amnesty International –

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

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

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

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

Source: Amnesty International –

Mhamed Hali is a Sahrawi lawyer and human rights defender living and working in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. He is a Doctor of Law and International Humanitarian Law, and Secretary General of the Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Jails. From a young age and despite the many challenges he continues to face, including being banned by the Moroccan state from practicing law as punishment for his human rights activism, he has never given up the fight for justice. On International Human Rights Defenders’ Day, he shares his story, his hopes for the future, and some advice for those thinking about joining the fight for human rights.  

I was born in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara, in 1987. I spent my childhood hearing stories of the grave violations committed against the Sahrawi people, my people, after the Moroccan military invasion of the region in 1975.  

Since then, we have been fighting for our right to self-determination, as backed up by international law in the ruling of the International Court of Justice. But the Moroccan authorities do not tolerate any activity or movement that seeks to empower us or defend our rights. Over the years, they have targeted many human rights defenders, journalists and students by harassing, attacking and arresting them as punishment for their work.  

Source: Amnesty International –

With the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems (ADMs) that impact our everyday lives, it is crucial that rights defenders, activists and communities are equipped to shed light on the serious implications these systems have on our human rights, Amnesty International said ahead of the launch of its Algorithmic Accountability toolkit.  

The toolkit draws on Amnesty International’s investigations, campaigns, media and advocacy in Denmark, Sweden, Serbia, France, India, United Kingdom, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the United States and the Netherlands. It provides a ‘how to’ guide for investigating, uncovering and seeking accountability for harms arising from algorithmic systems that are becoming increasingly embedded in our everyday lives specifically in the public sector realms of welfare, policing, healthcare, and education. 

Regardless of the jurisdiction in which these technologies are deployed, a common outcome from their rollout is not “efficiency” or “improving” societies—as many government officials and corporations claim—but rather bias, exclusion and human rights abuses. 

“The toolkit is designed for anyone looking to investigate or challenge the use of algorithmic and AI systems in the public sector, including civil society organizations (CSOs), journalists, impacted people or community organizations. It is designed to be adaptable and versatile to multiple settings and contexts.  

“Building our collective power to investigate and seek accountability for harmful AI systems is crucial to challenging abusive practices by states and companies and meeting this current moment of supercharged investments in AI. Given how these systems can enable mass surveillance, undermine our right to social protection, restrict our freedom to peaceful protest and perpetuate exclusion, discrimination and bias across society,” said Damini Satija, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech. 

The toolkit introduces a multi-pronged approach based on the learnings of Amnesty International’s investigations in this area over the last three years, as well as learnings from collaborations with key partners. This approach not only provides tools and practical templates to research these opaque systems and their resulting human rights violations, but it also lays out comprehensive tactics for those working to end these abusive systems by seeking change and accountability via campaigning, strategic communications, advocacy or strategic litigation.    

One of the many case studies the toolkit draws on is Amnesty International’s investigation into Denmark’s welfare system, exposing how the Danish welfare authority Udbetaling Danmark (UDK)’s AI-powered welfare system fuels mass surveillance and risks discriminating against people with disabilities, low-income individuals, migrants, refugees, and marginalized racial groups through its use of AI tools to flag individuals for social benefits fraud investigations.  The investigation could not have been possible without the collaboration with impacted communities, journalists and local civil society organisations and in that spirit, the toolkit is premised on deep collaboration between different disciplinary groups. 

The toolkit situates human rights law as a critically valuable component of algorithmic accountability work, especially given this is a gap in the ethical and responsible AI fields and audit methods’. Amnesty International’s method ultimately emphasises collaborative work, while harnessing the collective influence of a multi-method approach. Communities and their agency to drive accountability remains at the heart of the process. 

“This issue is even more urgent today, given rampant unchecked claims and experimentation around the supposed benefits of using AI in public service delivery. State actors are backing enormous investments in AI development and infrastructure and giving corporations a free hand to pursue their lucrative interests, regardless of the human rights impacts now and further down the line,” said Damini Satija. 

“Through this toolkit, we aim to democratize knowledge and enable civil society organizations, investigators, journalists, and impacted individuals to uncover these systems and the industries that produce them, demand accountability, and bring an end to the abuses enabled by these technologies.” 

Source: Amnesty International –

Indonesian police used unlawful force against protesters, including beatings and the improper use of water cannon and tear gas grenades, during mass demonstrations that swept the country earlier this year, according to new investigation released today by Amnesty International.

Thirty-six videos authenticated by Amnesty International’s Evidence Lab, along with interviews with five victims and witnesses, detailed the police’s use of unlawful force during rallies between 25 August and 1 September 2025. This included firing water cannon at protesters at close range, beating people with batons and using a dangerous model of tear gas grenade known to cause serious injuries, including loss of limb.

“Video evidence, alongside victims and eyewitnesses’ testimonies, reveal that Indonesian police ruthlessly and violently cracked down on a movement that began with peaceful marches against low wages, tax hikes and lawmakers’ pay. The authorities’ excessive and unlawful use of force lays bare a policing culture that treats dissent as a threat rather than a right,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.

According to information aggregated from various NGOs and legal aid organizations, at least 4,194 protesters were arrested between 25 August and 1 September, a figure confirmed to Amnesty International by local and national police. As of 27 September, the police had charged 959 of these individuals, while the rest were released without charge.

At least 12 of those charged are activists or human rights defenders who, according to the police, are “accused of inciting people to take part in violent protests”. The police confirmed media reports that 295 of those charged were children at the time of arrest.

NGOs and legal aid groups also documented that at least 1,036 people were victims of violence during the protests, recorded in 69 separate incidents in 19 cities. While some protesters were involved in violent acts, the majority of these cases involved police use of unnecessary and excessive force.

Despite calls from civil society organizations, President Prabowo Subianto’s government has failed to establish an independent team to investigate the violent crackdown on the protests.