The Guinean authorities must immediately guarantee the human rights of Soguipah workers and smallholder planters affiliated with the state-owned company, and investigate widespread abuses particularly regarding workers’ right to decent work, said Amnesty International in a new report.

‘Salaries that make you cry: abuses of workers’ rights linked to Soguipah’s activities in Guinea’ reveals how workers at the plantations and the factory of the Guinean Oil Palm and Rubber Tree Company (Société guinéenne de palmiers à huile et d’hévéas – Soguipah) in Diécké and its surroundings, in Nzérékoré region, were paid significantly below the national minimum wage and lacked adequate protective equipment. The report also documents how Soguipah bought rubber from smallholder planters affiliated with the company at below market prices.

“With the president promising since 2021 to make the exploitation of natural resources a lever for development and the improvement of living conditions, the authorities should act immediately to guarantee the human rights of these workers and planters, in conformity with the Guinean Labour Code, the new Constitution and their international human rights obligations,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.  

‘When you see some people’s payslips, it makes you want to cry…’

In 2024, the 100% state-owned Soguipah employed more than 4,000 people and had 6,801 affiliated planters, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Several Soguipah workers interviewed by Amnesty International were paid below the legal minimum wage of 550,000 Guinean franc (approximately 55 euro) per month. Among the pay slips of 30 people dated from 2022 to 2025 analysed by the organization, 29 had received a basic salary below the legal minimum wage. In September 2025, the lowest basic salary paid by Soguipah among 24 pay slips was 69,783 Guinean franc (approximately 7 euro) for 170 hours worked during the month.

“When you see some people’s payslips, it makes you want to cry… [The worker] will spend his life paying off his debts and taking on even more debt,” said one worker.

From left to right: a rubber tree tapper and a load of freshly harvested latex. December 2024
© Amnesty International

Many people interviewed struggle to meet their essential needs, including food, housing, schooling for their children and healthcare. This precarious situation is exacerbated by the Diécké area’s isolation, which causes higher prices for basic necessities, particularly during the rainy season when roads become impassable.

Workers also described difficult working conditions, with a lack of personal protective equipment despite regular exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, both on plantations and in the factory.

Amnesty International didn’t receive information from the company but in view of the continuity over time of the abuses of workers’ rights and Soguipah’s awareness of repeated claims from workers, the report concludes that the company has not effectively implemented its duty of vigilance. The Guinean authorities, for their part, failed in their obligations to ensure that these rights were respected by the company, even though they could not have been unaware of the abuses of workers’ rights.

Soguipah took everything, there is nowhere left to farm, so we are forced to work for Soguipah.

A woman living in Diécké area

Planters plunged into precariousness

Workers on family plantations and union representatives told Amnesty that they do not have access to the agreement and contract signed in the 1990s defining their contractual relationship with Soguipah. One of the representatives said: “I have never seen this agreement. Soguipah refuses to make it available to the communities.”  

These planters are presumably obliged to sell their produce exclusively to Soguipah, often below market prices. The company also deducts sums from these sales for assistance which it no longer provides in full. A union leader said: “Before, Soguipah deducted money from us because it maintained the tracks [..] and assisted planters with agricultural techniques. This is no longer done, but Soguipah continues to deduct money from us.”

In addition, dozens of families have had their land taken away by the state for the benefit of Soguipah without fair and equitable compensation. They now depend on low-yielding monocultures that have spread at the expense of local food crops. One woman said: “Soguipah took everything, there is nowhere left to farm, so we are forced to work for Soguipah.”

Abuses widely known but ignored by the authorities

Since 2019, Soguipah workers have held protests in Diécké and in the capital Conakry over their working conditions, and the planters’ unions issued several strike notices, most recently in January 2025.

The transitional authorities must keep their repeated promises to protect the economic and social rights of everyone in the country.

Fabien Offner, Senior Researcher at Amnesty International

However, instead of taking the necessary measures to guarantee their rights, the authorities  allowed a climate of fear and self-censorship to take hold. In 2024, a manager was allegedly dismissed for publicly denouncing the working conditions of female employees. Several people described a climate of fear fuelled by the threat of sanctions. One of them said: “If I write against Soguipah today on my Facebook page, tomorrow I will be punished. One of my friends has already been through this. He was almost sacked.”

“The transitional authorities must keep their repeated promises to protect the economic and social rights of everyone in the country, including the right to a fair and equitable wage, which is a prerequisite for a decent life,” said Fabien Offner, Senior Researcher at Amnesty International.

“They must guarantee the protection of the human rights of Soguipah workers and of those who depend on the company, in accordance with the country’s obligations under the Guinean Labour Code, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the nine fundamental instruments of the International Labour Organization ratified by Guinea.”

Background

This report is based on research conducted in 2024 and 2025, for which 90 people were interviewed. Its findings were sent on 3 October to the Guinean authorities and the Soguipah management to provide them with an opportunity to respond to our findings. At the time of publication, Amnesty International has not received a response to either.

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Responding to Russia’s latest attacks on Chernihiv’s energy infrastructure, which have left the entire city and parts of the region without electricity, Veronika Velch, Amnesty International Ukraine’s Director, said:

“This morning, Chernihiv — a city of nearly 280,000 people just two hours from Kyiv — woke up to a complete blackout after a series of Russian strikes on the region’s energy infrastructure. With temperatures dropping close to freezing overnight, Russia’s strikes will make life unbearable for civilians as we have seen time and again.”

“Russia’s relentless attack that is destroying Ukraine’s energy system, which is indispensable to the survival of civilian population, is unlawful. Intentionally depriving civilians of electricity, heating and water is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. These attacks disproportionately affect the civilian population, particularly vulnerable groups including children, older people, and hospital patients who depend on uninterrupted power and water supplies.

These attacks disproportionately affect the civilian population, particularly vulnerable groups including children, older people, and hospital patients who depend on uninterrupted power and water supplies

Veronika Velch, Amnesty International Ukraine’s Director

“As Ukraine enters another winter of Russia’s war of aggression, the destruction of energy infrastructure means entire communities are left without essential services. Children are unable to continue their education and, as attacks continue, more families are forced to abandon their homes. Russia must immediately cease its attacks on infrastructure indispensable to the survival of civilians, and the international community should act urgently to support the humanitarian needs of Chernihiv’s residents and ensure accountability for those responsible for these crimes under international law.”

Background

On 21 October 2025, Russian strikes left Chernihiv without electricity, forcing the city to rely on emergency backup power and triggering water distribution across the city. The blackout followed earlier attacks on energy facilities that cut power for tens of thousands.

Amnesty International has consistently documented how Russia’s  widespread targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure may constitute war crimes and creates life-threatening humanitarian conditions.

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Ahead of the “first ever” EU-Egypt summit between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Egypt’s President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi on 22 October, Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said:    

“A truly strategic partnership entails holding each other to account. As such, President Abdelfattah al-Sisi must call on EU leaders to take tangible and effective measures to bring an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, its unlawful occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory and its cruel system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.  

“At the same time, EU leaders must call on the Egyptian President to undertake urgently needed, concrete and long overdue human rights reforms. While the Egyptian authorities have taken symbolic but welcome measures in the past month, including the release of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdelfattah, and President al-Sisi’s referral of the Code of Criminal Procedures bill to Parliament for a limited review, the rampant arbitrary detentions, unfair trials and harsh prison sentences of critics continue unabated.”  

Background 

Since the March 2024 announcement of the new EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, the Egyptian authorities have continued their policies of systematic repression and continued intolerance for peaceful dissent, as well as violations of people in Egypt’s human rights.   

As part of the EU-Egypt strategic partnership, the EU pledged a total of €7.4 billion in grants and loans to Egypt, including €5 billion in Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) concessional loans. The EU set progress in the form of “concrete and credible steps towards respecting effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, and the rule of law, and guaranteeing respect for human rights” as preconditions for Egypt to receive the MFA, along with other economic conditions.  Egypt already received €1 billion, while the remaining, €4 billion were approved by the EU Council and Parliament in June 2025 and are pending the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding and subsequent disbursement in three operations. 

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Clinical psychologist Nancy Papathanasiou has been empowering LGBTQIA+ communities in Greece for close to 20 years, bringing people together, ensuring their stories are heard and campaigning for important changes to legislation.  

In this story, Nancy shares their perspective on the importance of safety, support and why the LGBTQIA+ community should never settle for less than what they need… 

I am a clinical psychologist and my “official” relationship with LGBTQIA+ communities started in 2007 through OLKE (Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece), after I came out myself in 2002.  

While I said that I “officially” came out in 2002, the concept of coming out is multi-layered. People do many coming outs. Coming out to one’s parents is very significant even when one knows that their parents are generally accepting. I came out to my mother in 2002; however, I came out to myself and a group of close friends much earlier, in my adolescence, in 1993. Another coming out happened in 2007, another one in 2009 and potentially one a few days ago! Gender and sexuality can be a lifelong process, with lifelong coming outs. 

In 2018, along with fellow psychologist Elena Olga Christidi, we founded Orlando LGBT+ as a scientific body that brings scientific data on LGBTQIA+ topics into public attention in Greece and speaks radically about issues pertaining to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and sex characteristics.  

The team in Orlando LGBT+ consisted of psychologists and social workers who also openly identify as LGBTQIA+. What is radical about us is the communal and intersectional approaches we apply; we value knowledge as much as we value lived experience, with our main objective being the empowerment of communities.   

In fact, the most important coming out was the one I did— and we did as a team— in 2018 with Orlando LGBT+; we came out all together as mental health professionals and this was a public disclosure: we came out as queer and this was written on a website. 

Choosing a community 

At times, I have romanticised the idea of what community is. When thinking about a definition of community, it is important to first recognise that communities include different people with diverse backgrounds who are connected under a common umbrella— in this case LGBTQIA+.  

With that said, I believe that communities are formed when people choose to come together while fully acknowledging their common struggles but also the different privileges that differentiate them. 

In other words, one recognises that, despite what differentiates them, there is something that connects them with another individual, and actively chooses to “do something about it” while remaining conscious about the privileges they hold; to me, this is where communities are born.  

Sometimes, we cannot easily imagine something we have not seen before; this includes imagining a future where we are safe and can age well. It is often the case that transgender youth can hardly imagine themselves as of old age, so we have to create and maintain safe spaces within communities where people are accepted, respected and protected from all forms of violence and mistreatment. 

Queer joy 

It’s important to focus on the familial dimension of communities. We choose our people and become family with them. Families that are chosen function as protection and are something worth trying for; we aim to preserve them and, to do so, we work on these relationships to overcome arising difficulties.  

Often in LGBTQIA+ communities, we are all we have; and this is why bonding, connecting, preserving and developing are so valuable. Communities as chosen families can lead us to what is called “queer joy”. Happiness is truly understood, in my view, when one has come across what not being happy means.  

Communities as chosen families can lead us to what is called ‘queer joy’. Happiness is truly understood, in my view, when one has come across what not being happy means.  

Our present is what we have and what can offer us joy when we experience it together. In communities, our experiences are acknowledged, and they are something we can be vocal about and understood; in other words, there is space for us where we fit in. Our mental and physical health is improved when we can report and talk about (direct and indirect) discrimination; and it is easier to talk about them within our communities.  

When we know that I will be heard, we will be more willing to talk about these experiences.  

In communities, we can feel our feelings and care for each other.  

When we think about our current realities, it is important to remember the case of Zak Kostopoulos’s murder. Zak’s case was a critical point; a reminder that, despite the introduction of all pro-LGBTQIA+ laws until then (civil partnership, legal gender recognition and foster parenting), we are not yet safe. Zak’s case echoes the visceral fear of deviating from the accepted norm that many of us have and which says: if we are identified [as LGBTQIA+] we will be lynched!  

The cases of Nikos Sergianopoulos, a popular Greek actor, and well-known writer Kostas Tachtsis have also had a huge impact on me. In these murder cases, the society openly blamed the victims based on their real or perceived sexual and/or gender identities, and their sexual practices. In the case of Sergianopoulos, the media also outed him after his death. But what was more formative earlier in a way was Billy Bo’s death of HIV/AIDS in the 1980’s. He was a famous and charismatic young designer, and his death was the first public acknowledgement of HIV//AIDS -in an era that non straight sexualities were even more marginalised and stigmatized. 

Change is possible 

It’s clear that when we work together as a community, change is possible.  

For me, it starts from when same-sex marriage became a topic of public discourse; this was back in 2008 with the well-known “Tilos marriages” which was an intracommunity action.  

In addition, the civil partnership law was a result of the legal action that members of the communities started against the government on the grounds of discrimination. On the day when the bill would be voted, two main articles that equated the parties of the civil partnership with those of civil marriage regarding insurance and inheritance rights disappeared; members of the LGBTQIA+ communities who had access to the draft bill had to apply immense pressure to bring them back on the negotiation table.  

It’s clear that when we work together as a community, change is possible.  

Nancy Papathanasiou, PhD Clinical Psychologist
Scientific Director & Co-founder Orlando LGBT+

It was the same regarding legal gender recognition; for example, Colour Youth (LGBTQIA+ youth organization) pushed back against pathologizing views expressed by the Child Psychiatric Society of Greece; and it was the Greek Transgender Association that pushed for the law. Nothing would happen without constant community pressure. 

All these pro- LGBTQIA+ laws were products of communities’ pressure. We should not settle for less than what we need and the rights we are entitled to; if laws are not providing for all our needs, we should keep demanding that our full rights are guaranteed. We should remember all the harshness we have survived through and reclaim our power. We need to tap into our already-proven resilience. This is particularly pertinent for young people today. When I was young, there was no going back in terms of LGBTQIA+ gains. Today, though, we see that laws and policies might be retracted, and we cannot take them for granted.  

We’re grateful to organizations like Amnesty International who have continually supported us. What I truly appreciate is the uninterrupted and uninfluenced support it provides on trans rights; the organisation remains radical in its approaches on trans rights without being influenced by major backlash that follows today’s political developments worldwide. 

Amnesty continues to be the umbrella that helps smaller organisations and activists to be heard more widely; in this way, it can continue to empower our communities. We need international organisations like Amnesty that can speak out unapologetically in turbulent times.  

The post “Often in LGBTQIA+ communities, we are all we have” appeared first on Amnesty International.

Silence and Repression:
The new face of the Sahel

In the Sahel, repression is intensifying. Human rights defenders and journalists are being silenced under the pretext of national security.

READ OUR BROCHURE

© Amnesty International

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A region of hope and resilience

The Sahel, a vast region connecting West and Central Africa, is a land of hope and solidarity. Its committed youth, resilient communities, and human rights defenders embody a force for change and inspiration.

But since 2020, the region has been plunged into an authoritarian spiral. Under the guise of “national security” and the fight against terrorism, the authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have stepped up attacks on fundamental freedoms.

Human rights defenders, journalists and citizens who speak out peacefully are now treated as enemies of the state.

40

+

cases of journalists, activists, human rights defenders, influencers and citizens arrested, threatened or forcibly disappeared simply for daring to speak out.

An increasingly repressive climate

Coups d’état that have taken place in different countries have led to the establishment of military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, accompanied by a shrinking of civic space.

Authorities cite the “protection of national sovereignty” to justify censorship, the criminalisation of dissent and the closure of independent media.

Yet, despite the arrests, disappearances and threats, some voices continue to be raised.

Some emblematic cases

In recent years, there have been dozens of cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and targeted military conscription in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Journalists, activists, and human rights defenders risk their freedom, and sometimes their lives, as soon as they dare to speak out.

The cases presented below are an illustration of this.

© Getty Images

The case of Moussa Tchangari illustrates the abusive use of anti-terrorism laws to muzzle civil society in Niger.

Ousmane Diallo, Researcher at Amnesty International

Niger — Moussa Tchangari

Human rights defender prosecuted as a criminal

Moussa Tchangari, secretary general of the organisation Alternative Espace Citoyen, is one of the major figures in Nigerien civil society.

He has campaigned for more than twenty years for fundamental freedoms, social justice and democratic governance.

Arrest for “apology for terrorism” and “attack on national defence”

On 12 November 2024, he criticised the decision of the Minister of the Interior to withdraw the accreditations of two humanitarian NGOs and to place several organizations on the national list of persons and entities involved in terrorism (FPGE).

This administrative measure results in the freezing of assets, travel restrictions and can lead to the loss of nationality, without prior judicial conviction.

On 3 December 2024, he was arrested and charged with:

• apology for terrorism (article 399 of the Penal Code),
• criminal association linked to terrorism,
• attack on national defence,
• intelligence with foreign powers.

Since 3 January 2025, he has been in pre-trial detention at Filingué prison, without having been heard by a judge on the merits.

tell the Nigerien authorities to release Tchangari

Burkina Faso — Idrissa Barry

Journalist disappeared for denouncing abuses

Idrissa Barry, journalist and national secretary of the Servir et Non se Servir (SENS) movement, regularly denounced the atrocities committed against civilian populations in the context of the armed conflict.

Forced disappearance after critical publications

On 18 March 2025, his movement denounced “deadly attacks” attributed to Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) against civilians in Solenzo.

The next day, Idrissa Barry was arrested by individuals presenting themselves as gendarmes and taken into an unregistered vehicle.

Since then, no authority has acknowledged his detention or provided any information on his fate.

© Amnesty International

Enforced disappearance, prohibited by the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, ratified by Burkina Faso in 2009, is a continuing crime as long as the victim remains not found.

Khadidiatou Diaw, Campaigner at Amnesty International

Sign the petition to ask the Burkinabe authorities where IS Idrissa Barry

© Amnesty International Mexico EDH – © Amnesty International

Le cas de Tantie Rose illustre la criminalisation croissante des opinions sur les réseaux sociaux au Mali.

Un défenseur des droits humains malien

Mali — Rokiatou Doumbia (« Tantie Rose »)

Influencer sentenced for talking about the cost of living

Known as Tantie Rose, Rokiatou Doumbia is a Malian trader and influencer followed for her TikTok videos denouncing the high cost of living and insecurity.

Convicted for “inciting revolt” and “discrediting the State”

On 13 March 2023, she was arrested in her shop after posting a video criticising living conditions under the military regime.

The prosecution is suing her for:

• Incitement to revolt (Article 95 of the Criminal Code),
• Damage to the credit of the State (article 57),
• Criminal association.

The Bamako court sentenced her to one year in prison in August 2023.

Although she has served her sentence, she remains in detention to this day.

DEMAND FREEDOM for Auntie Rose

Mali — Clément Dembélé

Anti-corruption activist jailed despite charges being dropped

President of the Platform Against Corruption and Unemployment (PCC), Clément Dembélé is one of the most respected voices in Malian civil society.

Accused of “threatening the president” based on a voice recording

On 17 November 2023, he was arrested by the Judicial Investigation Brigade after publicly criticising the management of power cuts.

Authorities accuse him of sending a voice message containing “threats against the transitional president and his family.”

An independent forensic examination establishes that the voice in the recording is not his own.

On 17 April 2025, the judge of the National Cybercrime Unit closed the case due to lack of evidence.

Despite this, he remains detained at the Bamako Central Prison.

© Amnesty International

Continued detention despite a dismissal of the case constitutes a violation of the right to a fair trial guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Mali is a signatory.

Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa

Tell the Malian authorities to respect national and international laws and release Clément Dembélé

Read our campaign brochure and join the fight to protect freedoms in the Sahel

Acting together for freedom

These cases are only the visible part of a systematic repression.

Behind them, dozens of other activists, journalists and citizens are facing intimidation and censorship.

We cannot remain silent.

Share these stories on your networks

Sign the petition to demand change

act now

Together, let’s make our voices heard for those we try to silence.

© Amnesty International

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