Schlagwort: Amnesty International

*Update: On 7 October 2025 Saber Chouchen was granted a presidential pardon and was unexpectedly released.

Responding to the death sentence handed down by the Nabeul Court of First Instance.to 56-year-old Saber Chouchen for his Facebook posts, including criticism of the president and calls for a public protest, Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said:

“This verdict, which sentences a man to death for peaceful dissent on Facebook, represents a significant escalation and an outrageous assault on human rights. The Tunisian authorities must immediately quash Saber Chouchen’s conviction and release him without delay.

“The use of capital punishment in this case is a stark and horrifying illustration of a government weaponizing the justice system to crush freedom of expression and the slightest sign of dissent. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment and must never be used under any circumstances, let alone to silence critics for merely expressing their opinion online.

The use of capital punishment in this case is a stark and horrifying illustration of a government weaponizing the justice system to crush freedom of expression and the slightest sign of dissent.

Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director

“The unfounded charges of attempting to overthrow the state and inciting chaos, which were based on  social media posts in which Saber Chouchen criticized the Tunisian president, calling for political change and urging a protest, expose the government’s escalating reliance on repressive laws like Article 72 of the Penal Code and Decree-Law 54 to silence critics. Criminal law has become the primary tool in an unrelenting campaign to criminalize all forms of public and peaceful dissent. This death sentence and conviction must be overturned, and all convictions and sentences based solely on the peaceful exercise of human rights must be immediately reviewed and quashed”

“Tunisia must follow the example of the majority of the world’s countries and swiftly abolish the death penalty and commute all death sentences. There is no evidence that it has a unique deterrent effect on crime and, as seen today, can be used as a tool in the state weaponry of repression. It must be immediately removed from the law books”.  

As of today, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and close to three quarters of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally, in all cases and under any circumstances. 

The post Tunisia: Authorities must immediately overturn death sentence for peaceful dissent appeared first on Amnesty International.

Reacting to the UN Human Rights Council’s decision to establish an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of past and ongoing crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: 

“In the face of continued impunity in Afghanistan, the establishment of a UN-mandated evidence gathering mechanism is a vital step towards advancing accountability for past and ongoing crimes under international law and paves the way for victims and survivors to access justice, reparation, and truth.      

“Amnesty International, together with Afghan civil society and others, has been calling for this mechanism since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Since then, the Taliban has plunged Afghanistan into a system of control and repression. Women and girls have been systematically erased from public life, denied education, work and voice; journalists, activists and minorities silenced through arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearance; and brutal corporal public punishments and executions used as tools of fear. This assault on human rights has long demanded more than words from the international community and the mechanism is a major step in a long journey towards accountability for the people of Afghanistan.  

The establishment of a UN-mandated evidence gathering mechanism is a vital step towards advancing accountability for past and ongoing crimes under international law and paves the way for victims and survivors to access justice, reparation, and truth

Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard

“Today’s resolution has the potential to be an important milestone in the fight against impunity for millions of victims and survivors in Afghanistan, spanning more than four decades of conflict. However, this potential hinges on the mechanism adopting a truly comprehensive approach – one that considers crimes committed both before and after August 2021. This should include systematic targeted attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) and other insurgent groups, as well as allegations of crimes under international law committed by security forces under the former government, international military and security forces and other agents.       

“Establishing a mechanism is only the beginning. States owe it to the victims to ensure that the mechanism is properly resourced and empowered to promote justice.”  

Background

Amnesty International, together with Afghan civil society and others, has been continually advocating for the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish an independent and impartial investigative mechanism on the situation in Afghanistan since August 2021. Calls for this type of mechanism emerged as early as 2003, and were renewed in May 2021, after the deliberate and targeted attack at the Sayed Shudaha Girl High School in the west of Kabul which killed and wounded over 250 people, mostly girl students. In response, with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)’s lead, Afghan civil society organizations and international human rights organizations advocated for the establishment of such a mechanism. 

Afghanistan has grappled with continuous conflict for over four decades, resulting in crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses by warring parties including the Taliban, ISKP, security forces under the former Government and international military and security forces and other agents. Victims and survivors have had almost no access to justice, reparation, and truth. This has now worsened with the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Amnesty International has documented many incidents of war crimes and the crime against humanity of gender persecution, as well as other crimes and human rights violations and abuses by the Taliban and others across the country.  

With no access to justice, truth, and reparation, between 1978 and 2001, at least two million people were estimated to have either been killed or wounded due to the conflict.  

Following longstanding calls from Afghan and international civil society organizations, the UN Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution without a vote to establish an “independent investigative mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of international crimes and the most serious violations of international law, including those that may also amount to violations and abuses of international human rights law, committed in Afghanistan.”  While it does not have prosecutorial powers, the mechanism can collect and preserve evidence of international crimes and serious human rights violations. This evidence can support future prosecutions in international and national courts, including those exercising universal or other forms of extraterritorial jurisdiction, and for credible efforts in the future to build a framework for accountability and justice in Afghanistan. 

The post Afghanistan: Establishment of accountability mechanism a landmark moment in pursuit of justice  appeared first on Amnesty International.

Responding to the Singapore government scheduling the execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman for Wednesday 8 October, Amnesty International’s Death Penalty Advisor Chiara Sangiorgio said:

“The Singapore government must immediately halt the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, whose case has been marred by multiple layers of unfairness, including violations of international human rights law and standards.

“It is indefensible that Singapore continues to cruelly pursue more executions in the name of drug control. So far in 2025, Singapore has executed 11 people, including nine convicted of drug-related offences. Yet there is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs.

“Pannir’s case is emblematic of the many flaws in the use of the death penalty in Singapore. Under international law and standards, the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related offences as a mandatory punishment is unlawful.

“Singapore must end its use of the death penalty and instead offer effective protection from drug-related harm, such as by expanding access to health and social services for people who use drugs and addressing the underlying socio-economic causes that lead people to engage in the drug trade.  

“Pannir and his family have shown incredible determination and resilience in advocating for the commutation of his death sentence. We join them in asking the Malaysian government, including through its diplomatic relations with Singapore, to take every measure possible to ensure his execution is halted.

“We also renew our call on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to increase pressure on Singapore to reform its drug control policies in a way that respects human rights.”

Background

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was convicted on 2 May 2017 of importing 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin) into Singapore and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.

Following the Court of Appeal’s rejection of his appeal on 5 September 2025, his family received notification on 3 October that the President had rejected Pannir’s clemency request and his execution was set for the third time.

The judge found Pannir Selvam Pranthaman to have been involved only in transporting drugs, meeting the “courier” requirement under the law. However, the prosecution did not provide him with a certificate confirming that he substantively assisted investigations to disrupt further drugs trafficking activities – a second condition to qualify for sentencing discretion in these cases –  leaving no option to the judge but to impose the mandatory death penalty. This effectively shifted the decision on sentencing to the prosecution. His conviction also relied on unfair presumptions of guilt, which the prosecution can invoke at trial to infer knowledge or possession of the drugs, shifting the burden of proof on to the defendant.

While on death row in Singapore, Pannir has written poems and songs, including some that have resulted in collaborations with other Malaysian artists.

International law and standards prohibit the imposition of the mandatory death penalty, as it denies the possibility of taking into account the circumstances in the case. International law and standards require that the imposition of the death penalty be restricted to the “most serious crimes” involving intentional killing.

Singapore is one of only four countries, alongside China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, where executions for drug-related offences were confirmed in 2024. As of today, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and close to three quarters of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally, in all cases and under any circumstances. 

The post Singapore: Unlawful execution of Malaysian for drug offence must be halted appeared first on Amnesty International.

There must be an immediate and independent investigation into the Moroccan security forces’ violent crackdown on youth protests, following credible reports that at least three protesters have been killed, dozens of others injured, and more than 400 people arrested across Morocco since late September 2025, Amnesty International said today.

The protests, described as Gen Z-led, began peacefully but the authorities responded with unlawful force and mass arbitrary arrests. For example, on the evening of 30 September, video footage reviewed by Amnesty International shows security forces deliberately driving their vehicles at protesters or violently arresting them. Eyewitnesses also described to Amnesty International how security forces forcefully arrested protesters. Over the following two nights, some violence was reported on the part of protesters, in some cases, police property was destroyed, while protests in other places remained peaceful. 

“We are deeply alarmed by emerging evidence of Moroccan security forces’ use of excessive force and mass arrests of protesters and bystanders. The authorities should ensure a transparent investigation into the deaths that occurred and must respond to any incidents of violence by exercising restraint in line with international guidelines. Morocco’s authorities must ensure the right to peaceful protest is protected. No one should be punished for exercising their human rights, demanding their economic or social rights or an end to corruption,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“Under international law, the use of lethal force by law enforcement officials is prohibited unless it is strictly unavoidable to protect life. Authorities must adopt all available measures to avoid resorting to the use of force, and where force is unavoidable, it should be strictly necessary and proportionate, and they must ensure it is used with precaution to minimize harm.”

Amnesty International has reviewed tens of videos circulated on social media showing security forces, sometimes in civilian clothes, forcibly arresting peaceful protesters on 28 and 29 September and taking them to police vans. 

We are deeply alarmed by emerging evidence of Moroccan security forces’ use of excessive force and mass arrests of protesters and bystanders.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

One protester described to Amnesty International how security forces in plain clothes surrounded individual protesters: “I saw a girl who was sitting on the floor, doing nothing, not even chanting or shouting slogans get carried forcibly by security forces, she was asking them ‘what did I do?’ and saying ‘it’s my right to be here’ but they did not answer her and shoved her violently into the van.”

Another protester from Casablanca said the police were “specifically targeting anyone who spoke to the media, I saw them rush towards a person who was giving an interview to two journalists, he was speaking into the microphones when the police came from behind him and forcibly carried him away.” Some protesters were arrested as they were giving statements to the media, as captured on videos posted online. 

These practices raise serious concerns about arbitrary detention, lack of due process, and the chilling effect on the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly.

Video footage reviewed by Amnesty International shows security forces vehicles drive straight into a group of protesters on the night between 30 September and 1 October in Oujda, resulting in at least one serious injury. 

Such actions constitute a dangerous and unlawful use of force, placing lives at risk and escalating violence. 

Intentionally using vehicles to strike demonstrators who pose no imminent threat to life is a flagrant violation of international human rights standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require authorities to minimize harm and protect life at all times.

Official figures indicate that 409 people have been arrested since 28 September, with at least 193 facing trial, many on bail. Lawyers Amnesty International have spoken to have said that the number still detained remains difficult to confirm because it is constantly changing. 

The protesters facing trial, including minors, are currently facing charges under Article 591 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which criminalizes participation in gatherings deemed violent, despite the fact that these protesters were arrested on 28 and 29 September, before any acts of violence were reported.

“The Moroccan authorities must immediately drop charges against anyone detained solely for exercising their right of peaceful assembly. The Moroccan authorities, under international human rights obligations, must respect and safeguard the right to protest. Rather than resorting to suppression, the government should address the legitimate demands of youth for better education, equitable healthcare, decent employment opportunities, transparency, and anti-corruption measures,” said Heba Morayef. 

Background

Protests erupted in late September 2025 across multiple Moroccan cities including Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Tangier, Salé, Oujda, and Rabat. The mobilization was driven by widespread frustration over failing public services, high unemployment, corruption, and vast spending on the 2030 World Cup.

The youth-led movement, identifying itself as “Gen Z 212”, has been largely decentralized and organized through social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Discord.

For several days, protests remained peaceful. Violence was only reported starting on the nights of 30 September and 1 October, when clashes escalated, vehicles were set on fire, and security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and lethal ammunition. According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, at least 263 security force personnel and 23 civilians have been injured during the unrest.

The post Morocco: Halt use of excessive force following crackdown on youth protests appeared first on Amnesty International.

Georgia’s 4 October local elections are taking place amid severe political reprisals against opposition figures and civil society, Amnesty International said.

The human rights organization has documented a sweeping campaign of repression, including politically motivated prosecutions of opposition figures, the silencing of independent media and civil society through restrictive laws and punitive measures, and the widespread arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of protesters.

“With opposition leaders jailed and civil society organizations under attack, the Georgian authorities are holding an election campaign in a context where people’s rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are being crushed,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director.

“The Georgian authorities must uphold their human rights obligations and stop the unlawful use of police force, arbitrary detentions and the torture or other ill-treatment of protesters. These abuses have already pushed the country into a deep human rights crisis following parliamentary elections in October 2024.”

Opposition leaders behind bars, dissent effectively criminalized

The misuse of the criminal justice system to sideline critics violates their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Since late 2024, dozens of political activists and protesters have been targeted with criminal prosecutions. At least 60 people have been detained on criminal charges in connection with their participation in anti-government protests, with dozens already sentenced to prison terms following unfair trials.

Among them are nine opposition figures who remain in custody. The most recent arrest, on 29 September 2025, was of politician Gela Khasaia from the Girchi – More Freedom party. He was accused of “intentionally causing minor bodily harm” during a violent incident which he claims he witnessed, rather than participated in. He reported being fully stripped, insulted and psychologically pressured while in police custody.

Civil society and independent media under assault

Independent civil society groups and media are being silenced through restrictive laws and a wide range of legal and other measures. Independent NGOs are forced to register under the “foreign influence” law and subjected to arbitrary intrusive inspections, criminal investigations and asset freezes. Several civil society groups have had their bank accounts blocked under criminal proceedings based on unfounded “sabotage” allegations, with their leaders facing repeated questioning before judicial and state bodies, and  other forms of intimidation. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) announced that it will not be able to conduct electoral observation due to the repressive environment.

Independent media outlets face similar reprisals. The Mtavari Arkhi TV-broadcaster has been forced off air since 1 May 2025. Other outlets have been targeted with politically motivated defamation suits, fines and criminal probes to supress their critical reporting. Journalists covering protests have faced assault, verbal abuse, arbitrary detention and harassment by police. At least one foreign journalist seeking to cover the elections has been denied entry to Georgia.

Background

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze labelled the organizers of protests planned on 4 October as “radical” and pledged a “strict” response, which in the current context appears a thinly-veiled threat of more use of unlawful force by police.

More than 500 protesters were detained in late 2024 alone, most on spurious administrative charges. At least 300 detainees reported torture or other ill-treatment, with dozens injured during the protests or in detention, and requiring hospitalization. Pro-government groups have violently attacked demonstrators. Despite overwhelming evidence of human rights violations, not a single police officer has been brought to account.  

Women protesters continue to face gender-based violence and gendered reprisals, including sexist insults, threats of sexual violence, and degrading strip searches, despite the Ministry of Justice’s June 2025 pledge to end unlawful full-body strip searches. On 8 September 2025, government supporters physically and verbally assaulted protesters and journalists, among them women, who assembled in front of the Tbilisi Mayor’s campaign office. The mayor responded to the attacks and the sexualized abuse with a misogynistic statement: “There isn’t a single woman here… it’s some other breed.”

Hundreds of civil servants have been reportedly dismissed as part of politically motivated purges.

The post Georgia: Elections marred by severe reprisals and risk of further violence appeared first on Amnesty International.