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

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

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

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

Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director

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

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

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

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

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

Background:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Background

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amnesty International, alongside 24 NGOs, is calling on the Chinese authorities to ensure that Yu Wensheng is released without delay after serving his sentence, reunited with his family in Beijing, and able to freely exercise his human rights.

Read our joint statement.

The post China: Human rights lawyer jailed over planned EU meeting must be truly free after release appeared first on Amnesty International.