Reacting to the release by the Belarusian authorities of 123 individuals, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and Maryia Kalesnikava, prisoner of conscience and subject of Amnesty International’s Write for Rights 2024, Marie Struthers, Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, said:
“We welcome reports that Maryia Kalesnikava and Ales Bialiatski are among those have been freed. But let’s be clear: the latest release doesn’t erase a system that still holds hundreds if not thousands of others languishing behind bars merely for speaking out. Nor does it mean justice for Ales, Maryia and all those who should not have spent a day in prison and suffered severe human rights violations.
We welcome reports that Maryia Kalesnikava and Ales Bialiatski are among those have been freed. But let’s be clear: the latest release doesn’t erase a system that still holds hundreds if not thousands of others languishing behind bars merely for speaking out
Marie Struthers, Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International
“Maryia, Ales and all those freed today must receive full reparations for their ordeal. Every official suspected of responsibility for their wrongful imprisonments – no matter how senior – must be held accountable.
“We must also remember others whose release is long overdue. If this release is a part of political bargain, it only underscores the Belarusian authorities’ cynical treatment of people as pawns. The fate of the released and others like them must never depend on backroom deals. We call for the release of Marfa Rabkova, Nasta Loika and countless other prisoners in Belarus who are unjustly jailed on politically motivated grounds.”
Background
On 13 December, the Belarusian authorities have released 123 prisoners, including opposition politician Maryia Kalesnikava and Ales Bialiatski, a leading human rights advocate and founder of the Viasna Human Rights Centre, following an agreement with the United States to ease sanctions on the country’s potash exports. The vice chair of Viasna Valiantsin Stefanovich, the organisation’s lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich and Kalesnikava’s close associate Maksim Znak are reportedly among the released.
On 7 September 2020, Maryia Kalesnikava was abducted by masked agents and taken towards the Ukrainian border, where she resisted deportation by tearing up her passport, after which she went missing. Later it transpired that she was arrested, charged with “undermining national security” and other fabricated offences, and on 6 September 2021 she received an 11-year prison sentence.
Ales Bialiatski was convicted in 2023 on charges of “tax evasion” and “financing actions deemed to violate public order” – charges widely seen as politically motivated – and had been serving a 10-year sentence in a penal colony.
Tunisian authorities must drop charges against six staff members of the Tunisian branch of the French NGO, France Terre d’Asile, who are facing a bogus criminal trial for their humanitarian work with refugees and migrants, and cease the relentless criminalization of civil society, Amnesty International said ahead of the opening of their trial on 15 December.
Three of the Terre d’Asile Tunisie staff – including Sherifa Riahi and Mohamed Joo – have been arbitrarily held in pretrial detention for over 19 months, along with local municipality staff who collaborated with them.
“The recent verdict against the Tunisian Council for Refugees staff confirms the criminalization of support for refugees and asylum seekers, coming after Tunisian authorities put an end to access to asylum in the country. It sends a chilling message to humanitarian workers and civil society organizations, who are often helping to fulfil states’ international obligations with regards to refugees’ and migrants’ rights as well as social and economic rights for the wider population,” said Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“We call on the Tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international human rights law, put an end to this injustice and ensure the release of NGO staff and those held arbitrarily with them from the municipality. They are being prosecuted simply for their legitimate work providing vital assistance and protection to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in precarious situations.”
We call on the Tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international human rights law, put an end to this injustice and ensure the release of NGO staff and those held arbitrarily with them from the municipality.
Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for MENA
The NGO staff face trial alongside 17 former municipality officials and employees accused of collaborating with the organization. It follows the sentencing to two years in prison on 24 November of two staff members from humanitarian NGO the Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR), amid a deepening crackdown on civil society organizations that has contributed to the complete dismantling of protections for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the country.
Bogus charges against humanitarian workers
On 15 December, 23 NGO staff and local municipality officials who collaborated with them will face trial before the Tunis Court of First Instance. Three of the Terre d’Asile Tunisie staff, human rights defenders and NGO workers – former director Sherifa Riahi, financial and administrative director Mohamed Joo, along with the current director — have been held in arbitrary pretrial detention since their arrest in May 2024, in addition to Imen Ouardani, former deputy mayor of the eastern city of Sousse, and another former local official solely for having allowed the NGO to use a municipality building for their activities.
The group are being prosecuted for their humanitarian work assisting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants with overbroad charges, including “sheltering individuals illegally entering or leaving the territory” and “facilitating the irregular entry, exit, movement or stay of a foreigner.”
Terre d’Asile Tunisie was properly registered under Tunisian law and operated transparently in direct cooperation with local and national Tunisian authorities. The prosecution not only violates their right to freedom of association but also criminalizes collaboration between civil society and local authorities, in direct contravention of Tunisia’s obligations under international law towards refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and towards human rights defenders, by actively hampering protection and assistance work.
Providing humanitarian and human rights support to migrants, irrespective of their legal status, is protected by the right to freedom of association under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and must not be equated with human smuggling or trafficking, in line with the United Nations (UN) Convention on Transnational Organized Crime ratified by Tunisia. States also have an obligation to create a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders in which they can work without fear of reprisals.
Escalating crackdown on civil society
The trial follows the alarming conviction on 24 November of staff from the CTR, an NGO that worked with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide essential assistance. The Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced the CTR founder and project manager Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi to two years in prison, while suspending the remainder of their sentence after taking into account the 18 months in pre-trial detention already served. They were released as a result.
Since May 2024, Tunisian authorities have been escalating their crackdown on civil society organizations, particularly those working on migration. This campaign has included arbitrary arrests, detentions, asset freezes, bank restrictions, and court-ordered suspensions, which have impacted over 15 organizations in the last two months.
According to a statement shared by the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LTDH) on 8 December 2025, the Tunisian authorities have on at least four occasions in the past month refused access to the organization to visit prisons, despite a memorandum signed in 2015 between the League and the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry refuted wanting to put an end to the memorandum.
Other organizations targeted with criminal investigations and arbitrary detentions include the anti-racism NGO Mnemty and the children’s rights NGO Children of the Moon of Medenine, whose presidents have been in detention since May and November 2024 respectively. Authorities have also held the executive director of the Association for the Promotion of the Right to Difference (ADD), Salwa Ghrissa, in arbitrary pretrial detention since 12 December 2024.
In June 2024, Tunisian authorities ordered the suspension of registration and refugee status determination (RSD) activities by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, effectively removing the only avenue for seeking asylum in the country.
The crackdown on civil society organizations and the suspension of UNHCR activities have severely affected access to protection and vital services such as emergency shelter, healthcare, child protection, assistance for victims of gender-based violence, and legal aid. It has left potentially thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, including unaccompanied children, at greater risk of human rights violations and abuse.
“The relentless targeting of NGOs, notably those protecting vulnerable refugees and migrants, reveals a deeply worrying state strategy to dismantle the foundations of Tunisia’s civic space,” said Anne Savinel-Barras, president of Amnesty International France.
Despite the stark challenges currently facing humanity, Amnesty International continues to witness how people from all over the world are demonstrating the importance of activism and the life-changing power of solidarity.
From holding governments to account and pursuing justice for survivors of gender-based violence, to freeing human rights defenders, here are some inspiring stories of hope and humanity from the past six months to take you into the new year.
July
Global
Two landmark Advisory Opinions this year significantly contributed to clarifying the states’ human rights obligations in the face of the climate emergency, bolstering the fight for climate justice and accountability. In July, the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) made clear that the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment. The world’s highest court stressed that states have a duty to act now, including to regulate the activities of private actors, and cooperate to protect current and future generations and ecosystems from the worsening impacts of human induced climate change. Earlier in the month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rightsissued its Advisory Opinion setting transnational standards that could also shape legal jurisprudence in courts across the world.
Togo
Following calls from Amnesty International and other civil society organizations, an investigation was launched on 6 July into the deaths of five protesters recovered from rivers in the capital, Lomé. Authorities had initially refused to provide information about the deaths of the five individuals who had participated in protests that were violently repressed by security forces in the days prior, claiming that they had drowned.
Argentina
The perpetrator of a targeted arson attack that killed three lesbian women in 2024 was finally charged with aggravated homicide, motivated by homophobia.
On May 6, 2024, in Barracas, Buenos Aires, a man threw a firebomb into the room of two lesbian couples. Andrea, Pamela, and Roxana were killed in the attack, while Sofía survived.
Senegal
Following calls from Amnesty International, the Minister of Justice requested the General Prosecutor open an investigation into “political violence” that had taken place in Senegal from 2021 to 2024. Over that period, Amnesty International conducted research and denounced the killings of at least 65 people during demonstrations and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
A week later, on 6 August, the Slovenian government also banned the import of goods from Israel that originate from illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.
Amnesty International Slovenia, together with other non-governmental organizations and support from civil society, had long urged the government to adopt these measures.
August
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
On 24 July, an Israeli court lifted the travel ban on Ahmad Khalefa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, allowing him to accept an invitation from Amnesty International to travel to Italy with his family. Amnesty International organized the trip for Ahmad, securing an invitation letter from its Italian office which was used in court by his lawyers at the Adalah Center to challenge the travel ban, which significantly strengthened his case.
Ahmad Khalefa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is a lawyer, human rights defender, community organiser and newly-elected city council member. He is pictured here with his family.
The ban was imposed on Ahmad, as part of the conditions of his release in February 2024, after he was detained for almost four months for chanting slogans during a protest against the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
After returning from Italy, Ahmad thanked Amnesty International: “This trip meant the world to me and my family – we truly appreciate it. It was incredibly meaningful to feel the care and effort that went into organizing this trip and it gave us the opportunity to breathe and enjoy quality time together.”
Syria
In 2023, Syrian asylum seeker Ahmad Aabo had his temporary protection revoked while he was living in Türkiye, due to an HIV diagnosis. On 26 August 2025, he had his status restored following calls from Amnesty International. His social security was reactivated, restoring his access to free healthcare.
Amnesty’s urgent action appeal helped me breathe again. I want to send my sincere gratitude to everyone.
Syrian asylum seeker Ahmad Aabo
“The urgent action appeal helped me breathe again. I want to send my sincere gratitude to everyone. Simply because of my HIV+ status, I endured persecution, I was detained. I feared being detained every time I saw a police officer,” said Ahmad Aabo.
“Now I have my ID card again, I have regained my rights. This is the impact of the urgent action. Thanking you is not enough. I wish that no one goes through what I have been through. People living with HIV should be supported. They should not endure torture. I thank all those who signed appeals for me, all those who stood by me from the bottom of my heart.”
Türkiye
Amnesty International launched an urgent action that helped secure the release of three activists – Hivda Selen, Sinem Çelebi, and Doğan Nur – who were arbitrarily detained on 29 June, the day of the Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride march, and remanded in pre-trial detention on baseless charges.
Doğan Nur was released on 30 July after his lawyer’s appeal. On 8 August, Sinem Çelebi and Hivda Selen were released at their first hearing in a trial involving 53 people.
“The ever-expanding patterns of repression and intimidation, coupled with detentions, have become a form of punishment in Türkiye. In such a climate, it is more vital than ever that we build social solidarity and speak out against the increasing unlawfulness,” said Doğan Nur.
“With the urgent action that Amnesty International launched on our behalf, many people have heard about it and joined the quest for justice to ensure this unlawful detention ends. I would like to thank Amnesty International and its supporters for their contribution to this process. Solidarity keeps us going!’’
September
Egypt
Alaa Abdel Fattah is an Egyptian-British activist, writer, and software developer. He rose to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian revolution and has been repeatedly targeted by Egyptian authorities for his peaceful activism and criticism of the government. His most recent arrest was on 29 September 2019, amidst a widespread crackdown on protests. In December 2021, he was sentenced to five years in prison by an Emergency State Security Court on spurious charges of “spreading false news,” related to a social media post. He was due to be released in 2027, as the Egyptian authorities decided not to deduct his pretrial detention period from the prison sentence.
Alaa Abdel Fattah hugging his mother Laila Soueif the day he was released from prison. Prisoner of conscience Alaa Abdel Fattah granted presidential pardon after six years of unjust imprisonment.
Amnesty International and Amnesty UK have extensively campaigned for his release for years. He was finally granted presidential pardon and released in September 2025. His release would have never happened without the tireless campaigning and pressure by his mother Laila Souif and his sisters Mona and Sanaa Saif.
Türkiye
Tens of thousands of appeals sent by Amnesty activists helped secure the release from pre-trial detention of human rights defender and LGBTI+ activist Enes Hocaoğulları, who was imprisoned after he criticized the crackdown on mass protests following the detention and imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu during a speech at the Council of Europe in March 2025.
When he returned to Türkiye on 5 August, he was taken into police custody and remanded to pre-trial detention the same day. On 8 September, he was released at the first hearing, after Amnesty International issued an urgent action on his behalf. His next hearing is scheduled for 23 February 2026.
Tens of thousands of appeals sent by Amnesty activists helped secure the release of human rights defender and LGBTI+ activist Enes Hocaoğulları, who was imprisoned after he criticized the crackdown on mass protests following the detention and imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu during a speech at the Council of Europe in March 2025.
Following his release, Enes Hocaoğulları said:
“Thanks to a successful campaign, I was released from pre-trial detention at my initial hearing. However, the fight is not over for my case, nor for freedom of expression more broadly. But it goes without saying that I’d be in a much different place without to the success of these campaigns – especially the one co-ordinated and operated by Amnesty International.
“I’m one of the lucky human rights defenders. There are so many that have been facing and will continue to face reprisals for their activism – that receive little to no support.
LGBTI+ activist Enes Hocaoğulları
“I’m one of the lucky human rights defenders. There are so many that have been facing and will continue to face reprisals for their activism – that receive little to no support. To remind you of the importance of the protection of human rights defenders and the effectiveness of such campaigns, I leave you these words from a Roman poet: ‘Who guards the guards?’ I ask you: ‘Who defends the rights of the human rights defenders?’”
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso ’s Transitional Legislative Assembly passed a law on 1 September setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage for boys and girls, establishing consent as the basis of marriage.
Médard Ouédraogo , 50, farmer, is a member of an alert committee set up by Amnesty International and member of a partner association in the Passoré province. Amnesty International, as a leading member of the National Coalition Against Child Marriage proposed amendments to the draft bill on family and persons’ code to increase the legal age of marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls and lobbied for the draft bill to be passed into law.
Amnesty International has long called for an end to gender-based violence, including forced marriage, through its human rights education programme. As a leading member of the National Coalition Against Child Marriage, Amnesty International also proposed amendments to the draft bill to increase the legal age of marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls and lobbied for the draft bill to be passed into law.
October
Afghanistan
Following months of advocacy by the Sports & Rights Alliance and Amnesty International, FIFA finally announced that it would establish and fund an Afghan women’s refugee team.
Players of Afghanistan national women football team attend to a training session at Odivelas, outskirts of Lisbon.
The Afghanistan women’s football team, which was first formed in 2007, had disbanded after the Taliban took over in 2021, with players forced to evacuate the country for fear of reprisals. Since leaving Afghanistan, the team had continued to campaign for their right to play and to represent their country.
In October, FIFA organized a tournament in Morocco so the team could play its first international matches against Chad, Tunisia and Libya. The team were renamed Afghan Women United.
According to Khalida Popal, founder and former captain of the team, “We have been fighting for so long, it’s kind of tiring, it’s too much. But at the end of the day, when you see the players returning back on the pitch, you get this feeling that it’s all worth it. It was all worth it to see this young generation of women representing our country. It was quite emotional for me.”
November
Greece
Following an Amnesty International campaign, the head of the Greek coastguard, along with three executives, were charged for their role in the Pylos shipwreck, in which over 600 people died. This followed the charges brought against 17 officers in May.
Eswatini
Former Eswatini Member of Parliament (MP) Mthandeni Dube and an Amnesty prisoner of conscience was released from prison in November, after more than three years behind bars on politically motivated charges. These charges were linked to his calls for democratic reform. His release comes in a context of severe repression. Although it is not the end of the struggle for justice, it is an important and hard-won step forward.
Argentina
Progress was made in the fight for justice for Sofía Fernández, a 39-year-old trans woman who died in police custody in April 2023, in Pilar, Buenos Aires province, two days after being arrested by local police. In July, nine of the ten officers charged in the case were initially dismissed; however, in November, the Court of Appeals ordered all ten officers to stand trial.
Progress has been made in the fight for justice for Sofía Fernández, a 39-year-old trans woman who died in police custody in April 2023. Amnesty International has supported Sofía’s family, including her sister Mabel (pictured above), for over two years, providing financial assistance for expert reports and legal representation.
Three of them will face charges of aggravated homicide motivated by transphobia and committed by police officers.
Amnesty International has supported Sofía’s family for over two years, providing financial assistance for expert reports and legal representation.
Libya
Following investigations into the wave of killings, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances of Tebu men in south-east Libya, Amnesty International called on the Libyan Public Prosecutor to open an impartial, transparent and thorough investigation into the violations documented by the organisation against Tebu men. Two weeks later, the Public Prosector posted on Facebook announcing either opening investigations or referring defendants to trial in connection with the killings of Tebu men. Around the same time the authorities also released at least 12 men arrested during the wave documented by Amnesty International.
Finland
In November, the Finnish government adopted its fourth National Action Plan on Fundamental and Human Rights. The aim of the action plan is to strengthen the core structures of the rule of law and promote the realization of human rights in Finland. This comes after ongoing advocacy from Amnesty International Finland.
Malaysia
In a landmark case, the wife of a Malaysian pastor who was forcibly disappeared eight years ago won a lawsuit against the police and the government.
Raymond Koh was pulled out of his car by masked men in a suburb of the capital Kuala Lumpur in 2017. His whereabouts remain unknown and his family has long maintained he was taken by police. Amnesty has called for accountability in the case for years, in support of families and lawyers pushing for justice
However, in November the high court ruled he had been forcibly disappeared, with the judge holding the government and police responsible for his abduction, in Malaysia’s first such judgement.
Guinea
Workers linked to the state-owned Guinean Oil Palm and Rubber Tree Company (Société Guinéenne de Palmiers à huile et d’Hévéas – Soguipah) were awarded a fixed and structured payment schedule, thanks to calls from Amnesty International.
In October, Amnesty International launched a report revealing how workers’ rights were being abused in plantations linked to Soguipah. The report highlighted how family planters linked to Soguipah were often paid with delay and often below market prices.
Americas
The commitment to develop a Just Transition mechanism was the most prominent win at the annual UN Climate Summit COP30held in Brazil this year. A hard-won victory from civil society pressure and organizations including Amnesty International, once established, it will streamline and coordinate ongoing and future efforts to protect the rights of workers, other individuals and communities affected by fossil fuel phase out. The new Gender Action Plan also included important protections for women environmental defenders.
Amnesty International delegates at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. 12 November, 2025. Amnesty Launched the report; Extraction Extinction: Why the lifecycle of fossil fuels threatens life, nature, and human rights at the UN Climate Conference.
Amnesty has been campaigning for Sonia’s release since she was arrested and sentenced on bogus charges of “spreading false news” in 2024. The organization has issued urgent actions on her behalf and Sonia features in this year’s Write for Rights campaign.
Tunisian lawyer and writer Sonia Dahmani poses outside her home in Tunis on November 27, 2025 after her conditional release from prison.
This outcome is a tangible demonstration that persistent pressure and solidarity can make a real difference. We will continue to support Sonia in Write for Rights, demanding her full freedom by calling on the Tunisian authorities to quash her unjust sentences and drop all other charges against her.
December
Global
This year, Write for Rights is calling on millions of people to come together to change the lives of individuals whose rights have been violated around the world. 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.
On 16 September 2025, Amnesty International Zimbabwe held a Write for Rights event in Gweru, Zimbabwe. The event was attended by Amnesty International Zimbabwe’s Climate Justice Champions. These Champions are community activists who are driving climate justice initiatives within their communities. A total of 189 letters and petitions were signed during the event.
“Together we will prove that, even in the most adverse of circumstances, humanity can, must and will win out,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnes Callamard.
Responding to news that the leader of the National Union for Total Revolution of Angola (UNTRA) Serrote José de Oliveria – whose health has been deteriorating since being held in arbitrary detention since 28 July – has begun a hunger strike to protest his unlawful detention, Amnesty International’s Deputy-Director for East and Southern Africa, Flavia Mwangovya, said:
“Reports that Serrote José de Oliveria has gone on hunger strike and that his health is deteriorating is extremely concerning. Angolan authorities must allow him immediate access to all necessary medical care, and unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence, they must immediately release him.
Angolan authorities must allow Serrote José de Oliveria immediate access to all necessary medical care, and unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence, they must immediately release him.
Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty International’s Deputy-Director for East and Southern Africa
“His continued arbitrary detention is an ongoing injustice that points to the Angolan authorities’ growing intolerance towards those with dissenting voices.”
Background
On 28 July, officers believed to be linked to the Angolan Criminal Investigation Services, arrested Serrote José de Oliveira while he was filming a live video with fellow activists during the first day of a protest against rising fuel prices in Luanda, Angola’s capital. Serrote José de Oliveira was shot in the left leg during the incident. He has been held in arbitrary detention at Calomboloca Prison ever since.
Responding to reports of a Myanmar military air strike on a hospital in Rakhine State on Wednesday night, international Human Rights Day, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said:
“Nowhere and no one is safe from the violence of the Myanmar military, which is widening its repression ahead of an election later this month which has been marked by human rights abuses. The latest attack on a hospital must be investigated as a violation of humanitarian law.
“Bombing a hospital on a global day dedicated to human rights shows the utter disregard that the Myanmar military has for civilians. Harrowing images of the aftermath of this attack, shared with Amnesty, indicate this was yet another air strike.
“The prevalence of such strikes by the Myanmar military in 2025, which have reached record levels this year, underline the urgent need to suspend jet fuel, weapons and dual-goods shipments to the country.
“Almost five years after the military coup, the international community must take concerted, targeted and effective action to hold perpetrators to account in Myanmar, including the much-needed and long-overdue referral by the UN Security Council of the full situation in all of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.”
Background
The Myanmar military bombed the Mrauk-U General Hospital in Rakhine State on the evening of 10 December, according to multiple media reports, which suggest that two bombs were dropped.
According to information from the political wing of the Arakan Army, a resistance group that took Mrauk-U from Myanmar military control in 2024, 33 civilians were killed, including a baby. About 80 people were injured.
Photos and video of the damage to the hospital as well as the corpses of the victims were shared with Amnesty International. Footage of the damage, which was verified by Amnesty’s Evidence Lab, is consistent with an air strike.
Hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law and can only be targeted if being used for committing acts harmful to the enemy outside of their humanitarian functions.
Since a ceasefire broke down in 2023, the Arakan Army has taken control of 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine State, where members of the Rohingya minority have been trapped in the conflict.
