FIFA President Gianni Infantino must tell member associations gathering tomorrow at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, how he will ensure that the world’s biggest sporting tournament does not become a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices, Amnesty International said today.
“With just six weeks until the 2026 World Cup kicks off, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has yet to publicly outline how fans, journalists and local communities will be safe from arbitrary detention, mass deportations and crackdowns on free expression. This FIFA Congress should be the moment he does so, and the global football community must receive more than empty platitudes,” Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International said.
It is time for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to finally tell us how human rights will be protected at the World Cup.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International
“With reports that FIFA is still considering whether to ask President Trump to halt cruel ICE raids during the World Cup, it is incredible that Gianni Infantino is yet to make this call in order to protect everyone connected with the tournament. In 2025 alone, 500,000 people were deported from the USA amidst a nationwide human rights emergency. This cannot continue.”
Last month, Amnesty International published a report detailing significant threats to human rights, as well as risks to fans, players, journalists, workers and local communities in all three host countries – not least those stemming from abusive and deadly US immigration policies, which have resulted in a surge of unlawful arrests, mass detentions and deportations.
“Fans should be able to enjoy the ‘safe, welcoming and inclusive’ tournament promised by FIFA. Yet, in the USA, immigration policies continue to pose a severe threat, while discrimination and restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest are in place across all three host countries,” Steve Cockburn said. “It is time for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to finally tell us how human rights will be protected.”
The fragile, temporary ceasefires, between the United States and Iran, and between Israel and Lebanon, must be replaced by an enduring, sustained, and comprehensive regional ceasefire that covers all countries affected by this conflict, to avoid further catastrophic civilian suffering and pave the way for justice, respect for international law and long-term human rights protection for all, Amnesty International said today.
Despite a reduction in armed hostilities this remains a critical and deeply precarious moment for civilians across the Middle East. Both current ceasefire agreements are fragile, temporary and in danger of collapse at any moment, endangering the lives of millions of civilians once more. The USA and Iran are continuing to trade threats and carry out attacks and ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz. In Lebanon, as has been the case since 2024, the latest ceasefire has led to a reduction but not an end in hostilities and the Israeli military has remained on Lebanese territory, ordering residents in dozens of villages in border areas not to return. Meanwhile, civilians in Iran face dual risks of atrocity crimes linked to a resumption in unlawful US/Israeli attacks as well as further deadly repression by the Iranian authorities.
“The 28 February US-Israeli attacks on Iran were unlawful, violating the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force and they triggered unlawful acts by Iranian authorities in retaliation. Since then, more than 5,000 people have been killed and millions of civilians across the Middle East have had their lives upended as interrelated conflicts have escalated across the region and civilians and civilian infrastructure have come under attack. All parties including the USA, Israel, Iran and Hezbollah have launched unlawful attacks displaying a chilling disregard for human life, while the US President has issued brazen threats to commit war crimes and even genocide, threatening to wipe out ‘a whole civilization’ in Iran.
“The international community must now draw a red line: there must be a durable and genuine ceasefire; this requires a full halt in armed hostilities by all parties, across all affected countries,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“The so-called ceasefire agreements reached in Gaza in 2025 and Lebanon in 2024 demonstrably failed to stop Israeli attacks on civilians, with as many as 765 Palestinians killed since then, and near daily air strikes and extensive destruction of civilian property in southern Lebanon.
“In a region long scarred by conflict, amidst long-standing impunity for crimes under international law, and the constant threat of renewed violence, civilians cannot afford another partial, selective or short-lived pause that leaves them living in fear and bracing for a repetition of the atrocities they have suffered.”
The international community must now draw a red line: there must be a durable and genuine ceasefire; this requires a full halt in armed hostilities by all parties, across all affected countries
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General
The armed conflicts quickly spread to 12 countries, endangering the lives and health of millions of civilians with attacks devastating civilian homes and critical infrastructure, harming the environment, and triggering economic shockwaves felt across the region and the globe.
A sustainable, enduring ceasefire is the only credible path to protecting civilians and paving the way for longer-term security, human rights protection and justice for all in the region – including those in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and in Gulf states.
In Iran, by 7 April, US and Israeli attacks had resulted in at least 3,375 people killed and 25,000 injured, including hundreds of children, according to official figures. The US-Israeli attacks in Iran took place as the population was still reeling from unprecedented massacres of thousands of protesters and bystanders by Iranian authorities during the crackdown on January 2026 protests.
In Lebanon, by the time the ceasefire was announced, 2,294 people had been killed, including 177 children, more than 7,500 wounded. Since the ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade attacks, with continued reports of civilian casualties.
At least 21 civilians have been killed in Israel where the population has endured attacks from both Iran and Hezbollah. Four people have been killed in the occupied West Bank. Between 28 February and 15 April 2026, at least 29 people have been killed in the Gulf including 13 in the United Arab Emirates, seven in Kuwait, three in Bahrain, three in Oman and three in Saudi Arabia. The figures exclude US military casualties.
In a briefing published today, Amnesty International details the ongoing dual risks faced by the people of Iran, who are trapped between armed conflict and deadly repression. The organization is highlighting the need for a dual, people-centred diplomatic approach that combines efforts to establish an enduring ceasefire with concrete steps to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities.
“A ceasefire that is not accompanied by long-term solutions that safeguard human rights and address root causes is little more than a temporary patch over a deep wound. This is particularly true in Iran, where the population remains at risk of further atrocities at the hands of the Islamic Republic authorities, and in Lebanon, where civilians face the prospect of renewed conflict, indefinite displacement of civilians and destruction of their homes,” said Agnès Callamard.
“We are witnessing a continued dangerous erosion of the global international legal order and of respect for international humanitarian law. The international community must fully investigate the US and Israeli unlawful attacks on Iran in violation of the UN Charter and all crimes under international law, and ensure that states and individuals are held accountable.
In Lebanon, where attacks by Israel have had a devastating impact on civilians and have continued in recent days, there is an urgent need for a durable ceasefire that applies to both Israel and Hezbollah – and ensures all civilians are protected in the longer term on both sides of the border. The Israeli military must immediately cease attacks stop razing civilian structures, withdraw from Lebanon. All those displaced from their homes must be allowed to return. Hezbollah must stop launching attacks into Israel.
Israel had said it would refrain from offensive attacks during the ceasefire, but that it retained the right to take “all necessary measures for self-defence at any time against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks,” and that it would not withdraw from Lebanese territory. During both the current and previous ceasefire agreed in November 2024, Israel has continued to carry out near daily attacks and to destroy Lebanese civilian property along the border. For civilians, this led to prolonged displacement, devastated livelihoods, and the anguish of living in limbo, while accountability and reparations remained nowhere in sight.
Hezbollah has also launched attacks, including into northern Israel, since the current 2026 ceasefire agreement.
From 2 March 2026 onwards, the Israeli military carried out relentless air strikes across the country, killing and wounding civilians, healthcare workers and journalists. The Israeli military’s overly broad mass ‘evacuation’ orders covering huge swathes of southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut displaced over a million people. Israeli forces have also carried out extensive destruction of residential areas and other civilian infrastructure across southern Lebanon and are continuing to demolish homes in border villages. On one of the worst days, on 8 April, the Israeli military boasted it had carried out 100 strikes within just 10 minutes in Lebanon – killing more than 350 people -including simultaneous attacks in crowded civilian areas of central Beirut without warning. The absolute impunity that Israel has enjoyed for its 2024 unlawful attacks in Lebanon has fuelled further violations in 2026.
After repeated rounds of devastating conflict, which have been marked by international crimes, absolute impunity, and civilian lives upended again and again, plans for accountability must be drawn up and implemented. International crimes must be credibly investigated and alleged perpetrators prosecuted before national or international courts. The Lebanese government should facilitate accountability efforts, including by accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction. Civilians harmed by international humanitarian law violations should be provided prompt, adequate and effective reparations that recognizes the extent of the harm suffered.
Iranians face dual atrocity risks
In Iran, tens of thousands of air strikes by the USA and Israel between 28 February and 7 April have caused grave civilian harm. In one egregious incident, an unlawful US strike on a school in Minab killed 156 people, including 120 children. US and Israeli attacks also caused extensive destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, universities, schools, residential buildings, medical centres, steel factories and petrochemical facilities endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions and harming the environment.
However, even a durable ceasefire alone cannot guarantee the protection of civilians or safeguard the human rights of people in Iran. Protesters, dissidents, and others advocating for fundamental political change remain at grave risk of further atrocities by Iranian authorities. Since the US-Israeli attacks, Iranian authorities have ramped up their crackdown on any actual or perceived opposition amid the longest state-imposed internet shutdown on record in Iran. Senior officials have made menacing statements in recent weeks equating any form of dissent with siding with the “enemy” and have openly threatened further mass killings of anyone expressing dissent or peacefully advocating for the downfall of the Islamic Republic system, publicly boasting about carrying out thousands of unlawful killings of protesters in January 2026. The authorities have also arbitrarily executed at least 19 people: eight protesters nine dissidents and two individuals accused of espionage for the USA and/or Israel. The authorities are also persisting with mass arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture to wipe out dissent.
The recurrence of atrocities in Iran is rooted in a constitutional structure that entrenches impunity and systemic discrimination and deprives people of access to justice and effective remedies.
To ensure that people in Iran do not face risks of further massacres, a ceasefire must be accompanied by urgent diplomatic action from the international community to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities, to support Iranian civil society-led calls for fundamental changes, including to the constitution to ensure equality and respect for human rights, including the right to life.
“In a country reeling from the combined impact of devastating US and Israeli bombings and state-orchestrated massacres, the risks of atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities against the people in Iran remain significant. They face the threat of renewed air strikes and mass killings if the truce collapses and the prospect of a deadly repression and another severe wave of killings by ‘trigger-ready’ security forces targeting protesters and dissidents they label as ‘enemies’,” said Agnès Callamard.
“The international community must recognize that Iran’s human rights and impunity crisis, now compounded by the US/Israel unlawful attacks and vast suffering of civilians, requires a dual, people-centred diplomatic response. This means combining efforts to investigate the UN Charter violations, protect civilians and uphold international humanitarian law with action to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities, and support Iranian civil society’s calls for a rights-respecting constitution. It also means establishing pathways for international justice, including the UN Security Council’s referral of Iran’s situation to the International Criminal Court.”
Civilian harm across the region
A sustainable enduring ceasefire is also the only means of ensuring the protection of civilians and a secure, just and sustainable future for people across the region.
Civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory have come under fire from both Iranian missiles and Hezbollah rocket fire. In Israel, at least 34 people were killed – 21 civilians in Israel and 13 soldiers in combat operations in southern Lebanon in 2026. In one unlawful attack, Amnesty International found that a wildly inaccurate Iranian ballistic missile was used to carry out an attack that struck a synagogue in Beit Shemesh killing nine Israeli civilians. The Huthi armed group in Yemen has also repeatedly fired missiles at Israel, including in March 2026. Four Palestinian women were also killed in the occupied West Bank due to Iranian missile attacks. During the 2024 escalation, Amnesty International documented Hezbollah’s use of inherently inaccurate weapons to launch unlawful rocket attacks that killed and injured civilians in Israel in violation of international humanitarian law.
Israeli authorities must refrain from carrying out unlawful attacks and commit publicly to full respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the prohibition of directing attacks at civilians and civilian objects. Without taking real and concrete steps to end violations of international law and tackle long-standing impunity the risk of repeating rounds of armed conflict is war crimes and other serious violations remains constant.
Iranian strikes on the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman have escalated risks to civilians, with attacks extending beyond US military bases and damaging energy infrastructure, airports, desalination plants and residential neighbourhoods. Iranian officials openly declared their intention to cause economic harm and attack US economic interests.
“The latest regional escalation follows more than two and a half years of relentless conflict across the Middle East, from the Hamas-led attacks on civilians in southern Israel on 7 October 2023 to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, and Israel’s 2024 attacks in Lebanon,” said Agnès Callamard.
“As the threat of renewed atrocity crimes looms, global inaction undermines the mechanisms the international community relies on to prevent and respond to mass atrocities. World leaders must urgently come together to ensure a lasting, comprehensive ceasefire comes into effect immediately –to stop the normalization of mass civilian suffering, defend our shared humanity and help create conditions across the region for a future grounded in human rights, justice and lasting stability.”
One year on from the deadly US air strike on a Huthi-run migrant detention centre in Sa’ada, north-western Yemen, there has been no discernible progress towards justice and reparation, and survivors are still struggling with severe physical and psychological trauma, Amnesty International said today. The organization had called for the 28 April 2025 strike by US forces, which killed and injured dozens of African migrants to be investigated as a war crime, and this month spoke once again to six survivors of the attack who detailed the human costs they had experienced.
Rather than taking credible steps towards ensuring accountability, including through effective and prompt investigations, or providing reparations to harmed civilians, the US administration under President Donald Trump has gutted measures and mechanisms intended to prevent, mitigate and respond to civilian harm caused by US military operations abroad and has threatened attacks certain to cause devastating harm to civilians. Eleven months after the air strike on the Yemeni migrant detention centre, an unlawful US air strike killed 156 people including 120 children at the Minab school in Iran.
The Trump administration’s approach to its air strikes in Yemen from March to May 2025 should have set off alarm bells in the USA and around the world, clearly signalling an urgent need to strengthen measures to protect civilians.
Nadia Daar, Director of Amnesty International USA.
“The Trump administration’s approach to its air strikes in Yemen from March to May 2025 should have set off alarm bells in the USA and around the world, clearly signalling an urgent need to strengthen measures to protect civilians. Instead the US administration has systematically weakened safeguards, shrinking offices aimed at reducing civilian harm, while simultaneously displaying a dangerous disregard for the lives of civilians endangered by armed conflicts. Against that backdrop, attacks such as the US attack on a school in Minab in Iran, which killed 156 people including 120 children, were a tragically foreseeable consequence of a failure to implement robust civilian-harm mitigation efforts,” said Nadia Daar, Director of Amnesty International USA.
One year on, US officials have failed to hold anyone accountable or even to clarify the status or outcome of the investigations they had announced a year earlier.
Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International’s International Secretariat.
“One year on, US officials have failed to hold anyone accountable or even to clarify the status or outcome of the investigations they had announced a year earlier. Families of those killed in the attack on the detention centre in Yemen are still being denied basic information about what happened, remain without justice for their loved ones. Survivors continue to struggle, lacking the means to secure a decent living or even receive adequate medical treatment,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International’s International Secretariat.
“They must receive full, effective, and prompt reparation, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition, through an effective and accessible mechanism.”
The organization based these findings on an its initial investigation published on 19 May 2025, and follow up research published in October 2025, where Amnesty spoke with 15 survivors and requested information from the USA. The organization re-interviewed six of those survivors in April 2026.
The 28 April 2025 strike had been one of the worst civilian tolls from a US strike that Amnesty International had documented in years. Less than a year later on 16 March 2026, Amnesty International documented another egregious attack in terms of civilian harm, the US attack on a school in Minab, Iran that killed 156 people, including over 120 children. The organization’s investigation found that the USA violated international humanitarian law by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm in carrying out the attack.
Despite this, President Trump and high-level US officials, including Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, have expressed contempt for international law and rules and restraints intended to mitigate civilian harm.
Following the air strike in April 2025, a US defense official said they were assessing “claims” of civilian casualties. But, nearly a year later, US Central Command has not released its assessments, nor announced the results of any investigations so far conducted. On 4 March 2026, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegeseth said that an investigation into Minab was ongoing.
On 1 May, the Department of Defense is required to issue its Annual Report on Civilian Casualties in connection with any United States military operations in 2025, pursuant to Section 1057 of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“In order to stop this deadly spiral, the USA must ensure prompt, transparent, impartial, independent and effective investigations into attacks that have resulted in civilian casualties, including those in Yemen and Iran. The US Congress must also urgently step up its oversight role and demand answers, including a public accounting of these strikes and the adequate and prompt provision of reparation to the civilians that have been harmed and ensure it is not appropriating funds that may contribute to breaches of international law,” said Erika Guevara Rosas.
‘I have nothing left that keeps me going’
In April 2026, Amnesty International did follow up interviews with six men who survived the US air strike on Sa’ada detention centre, all of whom are Ethiopian. All six men described the devastating and long-lasting consequences that the strike continues to have on their lives.
One year after the attack, all still require some form of medical treatment that they cannot afford. While all six men originally left their home countries in search of work, as a result of the US attack, almost all now rely on support from their families. Five of them cannot work because of the injuries they sustained during the US strike. Four have remained in Yemen and two have returned to Ethiopia.
Jirata*, a 30-year-old Ethiopian man, lost one leg in the US attack and now has a metal rod in the other. He lives in continuous pain:
“I have lost hope and I have nothing left that keeps me going. I came here [to Yemen] to work like everyone else to help my family and change mine and their life for the better […]. Now people carry me to the toilet.”
“The US government caused all this and as a result [of the air strike] I can no longer work and support myself. I want them to provide any type of reparation that will help with our life in any way possible. Something that will revive my hope.”
After the US attack, Abay*, a 32-year-old Ethiopian man, took the dangerous migration route by sea back to Ethiopia to live with his family. He cannot work due to severe injuries to his legs and hand which still require treatment he cannot afford.
He told Amnesty International: “I went to Yemen to change my family’s life, but now I made my family’s life even harder than it was before. I feel broken whenever I see their faces. You can see the sadness on their faces. I hoped for a better life, to work and change our lives but everything turned upside down.”
Araya*, a 22-year-old Ethiopian man, who sustained a serious arm injury in the attack, described how the constant pain from his injury impacts his mental health: “If I don’t take a painkiller, I feel hopeless and wish to die. I think about how at such a young age I can’t even support myself and still rely on help from others. The metal rod inside me is very painful and uncomfortable. It drives you insane.”
“The story of these migrants is grim and heartbreaking. Travelling to Yemen in search of better opportunities, they were detained by the Huthis, denied their freedom, then attacked in a US air strike. Those who survived have been left in limbo, with no justice or reparation in sight, nor an explanation for why this happened to them, an acknowledgment of the wrong done to them, or any support offered to help them carry on with their lives,” said Erika Guevara Rosas.
Lack of transparency, information and amends
A year since the attack, US authorities have failed to disclose any details of civilian harm assessments or the results of any investigation into the killing of the dozens of migrants at the detention centre.
On 27 August 2025, four months after the attack, Amnesty International formally requested information from US Central Command (CENTCOM), detailing its findings and seeking clarification on the military objective attacked and the precautions taken. CENTCOM provided only a brief response on the same day the request was sent, stating that it was still “assessing all reports of civilian harm”, that it was taking all of them “seriously” and reviewing them “thoroughly”.
Yet one year later, and despite mass civilian casualties caused, the US authorities have not made public any assessments related to civilian harm related to the attack on the migrant detention centre or any other air strike on Yemen during its 2025 military operation dubbed “Rough Rider”.
Under international law, if civilian harm is found to have occurred in an attack that violates international humanitarian law, victims and their families should receive full reparation.
In addition to its obligations under international humanitarian law, the US Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response notes that mitigating civilian harm is not limited to compliance with international humanitarian law and encourages commanders to “take additional protective measures not required by the law of war as they deem appropriate.”
Furthermore, if investigations find that there were direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects or indiscriminate attacks striking military targets and civilians without distinction and which killed or injured civilians, they should be investigated and treated as violations of international law and potential war crimes. Amnesty International’s investigation into the air strike found that it was indiscriminate and therefore should be investigated as a war crime.
The USA should promptly and transparently make public its assessment into the Yemen migrant detention centre strike, as well as other attacks in Yemen and Iran, including clear findings on civilian harm and the measures to address it.
Erika Guevara Rosas.
“The USA should promptly and transparently make public its assessment into the Yemen migrant detention centre strike, as well as other attacks in Yemen and Iran, including clear findings on civilian harm and the measures to address it. Where sufficient evidence exists, competent authorities should ensure those responsible are brought to justice, by prosecuting any person suspected of criminal responsibility for war crimes, including under the doctrine of command responsibility,” said Erika Guevara Rosas.
*The migrants interviewed by Amnesty International are identified using pseudonyms for security reasons.
A decision by a court in Russia’s second biggest city to designate the Russian LGBT Network an “extremist organization” and impose a nationwide ban on its activities will only increase the marginalization of LGBTI people and their human rights, Amnesty International said today.
The verdict by the St Petersburg City Court followed closed hearings as requested by the Ministry of Justice and was issued within two months of similar rulings designating five other LGBTI groups: Coming Out in St Petersburg, the LGBT Resource Centre in Yekaterinburg, Moscow Community Centre for LGBT+ Initiatives, LGBTI group Irida in Samara, and LGBTI-themed media project Parni+ as “extremist organizations.”
“When in November 2023 the Supreme Court banned the non-existent ‘international LGBT movement’ as ‘extremist,’ it was clear that the authorities would not stop there. The designation of the Russian LGBT Network and other organizations as ‘extremist’ are links in the same chain of persecution and injustice by the Russian authorities against LGBTI people,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director.
The designation of the Russian LGBT Network and other organizations as ‘extremist’ are links in the same chain of persecution and injustice by the Russian authorities against LGBTI people
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
“For nearly two decades, the Russian LGBT Network has united activists from across the country, provided emergency assistance and produced vital research on discrimination and violence against LGBTI people. Banning it is a major premeditated blow to LGBTI people and their allies.”
LGBTI human rights defenders, activists and volunteers play a vital role in providing legal, psychological and social support, documenting abuses and evacuating those at risk. Despite their legitimate human rights work, a growing number of organizations have been arbitrarily designated as “extremist”.
“The Russian authorities must immediately stop misusing anti-extremism legislation to repress the LBGTI community, reverse homophobic policies and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and non-discrimination to LGBTI people in line with international human rights law. Discriminatory legislation targeting and criminalizing LGBTI people must be fully abolished, and court decisions designating the ‘international LGBT movement’ and individual organizations as ‘extremist’ overturned,” Marie Struthers said.
Further reprisals and silencing of LGBTI people
Since the end of 2025, authorities have expanded their crackdown on LGBTI rights through criminal prosecutions, arrests and fines targeting individuals, private gatherings and media platforms.
On 8 December 2025, a court in Cherkessk sentenced a resident of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia to two-and-a-half-years’ imprisonment for joining a group chat and posting comments that authorities characterized as promoting “non-traditional sexual relations.” On 4 December 2025, a court in Ulyanovsk placed under house arrest three residents charged with “organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization” for holding closed LGBTI-themed parties and drag shows between January 2024 and December 2025.
In January 2026, drag performer Aleksandr Knyagin fled Russia after being placed on a federal wanted list following an earlier police raid on a venue hosting an LGBTI event in Kirov on 1 November 2025.
On 18 December 2025, sex educator and LGBTI activist Sasha (Aleksandra) Kazantseva was sentenced in absentia to nine years’ imprisonment on charges including spreading “false information” about the Russian Armed Forces and alleged participation in an “extremist LGBT movement.” By the end of 2025, at least 23 criminal cases had been opened on “extremism” charges related to LGBTI activities.
On 23 March, a court of Chita, Eastern Siberia, sentenced 23-year-old entrepreneur Tatiana Zorina to four years in a penal colony for “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” in a nightclub she co-owned.
Authorities have also relied on heavy fines to suppress support for LGBT rights. On 2 February, three cases for alleged “LGBT propaganda” were filed against Yevgeny Pisemsky, founder of the banned Parni+ media project and Phoenix Plus,anNGO that earlier was labelled a “foreign agent” and subsequently chose to disband. In the same month, journalist Vadim Vaganov was fined 100,000 rubles (US$1,300) also for “LGBT propaganda” – his third such fine – and soon faced a fourth administrative case. On 18 and 25 February, journalist Yaroslav Rasputin received two separate fines of 200,000 rubles (US$2,600) for social media posts.
On 16 April, a court in Saratov fined the news agency SaratovBusinessConsulting 500,000 rubles (US$6,700) for publishing a review of the TV-series Heated Rivalry, which authorities deemed to constitute “LGBT propaganda.”
“Besides criminal prosecutions and administrative fines, we are also witnessing the systematic erasure of LGBTI people from public life, including through censorship and measures targeting cultural institutions, publishers, bookstores, streaming platforms and online spaces,” said Marie Struthers.
Besides criminal prosecutions and administrative fines, we are also witnessing the systematic erasure of LGBTI people from public life, including through censorship and measures targeting cultural institutions, publishers, bookstores, streaming platforms and online spaces
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
On 2 February 2026, a Moscow court fined a senior manager of the streaming service Wink 200,000 rubles (US$2,600) for providing access to LGBTI-themed movies. On 11 February, major platforms – Kinopoisk, Ivi and Wink – were fined between 3 and 3.5 million rubles (US$38,700–45,250) for the same “offence.” On 20 April, a court similarly fined the gaming platform Roblox 8 million rubles (US$106,900).
On 30 January 2026, the feminist publishing house No Kidding Press – which had ceased operations – was fined 800,000 rubles (US$10,300) for the publication and distribution of the graphic novel The Fruit of Knowledge by Swedish author Liv Strömquist. In the same month, cases were opened against the bookstore chain Chitai-gorod – Bukvoed for selling several titles, including Ursula Le Guin’s sci-fi novel The Left Hand of Darkness. Earlier, on 26 November 2025, Stephen King’s novel It was withdrawn from sale following complaints alleging “LGBT propaganda.”
On 21 April 2026, law enforcement officers detained the head of the publishing house Eksmo, Yevgeny Kapyev, and several employees in connection with an “extremism” case against the Popcorn Books, a publisher associated with LGBTI-themed literature. They were subsequently released after questioning as witnesses in the criminal case.
Responding to news that the Commission of Inquiry’s report into the killings perpetrated during and after the 29 October 2025 general elections has been handed to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Flavia Mwangovya, said:
“Victims’ families and members of the public must have an opportunity to interrogate the investigation report to know the scope of the investigations, procedures followed, its findings, and the factual and legal basis of the findings. To withhold the Commission of Inquiry report from the public is a blow to transparency, which is key in the process of achieving accountability, and heaps a further injustice on the families of those unlawfully killed.
“The report’s findings that at least 518 people died of unnatural causes, including from gunshot injuries, should not be taken lightly. These are lives lost at the hands of security forces. The Tanzanian authorities must immediately launch independent, transparent and effective investigations into these deaths and bring those responsible to account.
To withhold the Commission of Inquiry report from the public is a blow to transparency, which is key in the process of achieving accountability, and heaps a further injustice on the families of those unlawfully killed.
“Authorities must reveal under what circumstances these people were killed or injured and who were responsible for ordering, enabling, or committing these violations. They must also immediately make the whole report public. Any limitations on transparency must be strictly necessary for a legitimate purpose, such as protecting the privacy and safety of affected individuals through appropriate redactions. In no circumstances may the authorities restrict transparency in a way that would result in impunity for those responsible.
Authorities must reveal under what circumstances these people were killed or injured and who were responsible for ordering, enabling, or committing these violations. They must also immediately make the whole report public.
Flavia Mwangovya
“The president’s open refusal to make the Commission of Inquiry report public is a disappointing continuation of a pattern in which officially commissioned reports are never made public, perpetuating a state of impunity in Tanzania.”
Background
Following the 29 October 2025 general elections, Tanzanian security forces used unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force, to suppress election protests. Security forces fired live ammunition and teargas directly at protesters and other individuals who posed no imminent threat of death or serious injury. Amid a nationwide Internet shutdown, security officials subjected individuals to beatings and other forms of ill-treatment, denied the wounded access to healthcare, arrested some still in need of care, and collected bodies of victims of their brutality from mortuaries. On 14 November 2025, President Samia Suluhu announced the formation of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the killings that occurred during and after the elections.
