Schlagwort: Amnesty International

In response to the public ceremony held today in Guayaquil, where the Commander General of the Ecuadorian Air Force, on behalf of the Armed Forces, publicly apologized to the families of Nehemías Arboleda Portocarrero, Steven Medina, Ismael Arroyo and Josué Arroyo, known as “the four boys from Las Malvinas,” who were victims of enforced disappearance by members of the Armed Forces on 8 December 2024, Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:

“In light of this historic moment, we reiterate our solidarity with the families of the four boys and with all the families of the 51 people who disappeared following security operations carried out by the Armed Forces on Ecuador’s coast.”

In light of this historic moment, we reiterate our solidarity with the families of the four boys and with all the families of the 51 people who disappeared following security operations carried out by the Armed Forces on Ecuador’s coast.”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

“Public apologies are a key milestone and represent an essential component of comprehensive redress for the harm caused by this terrible crime that deeply marked Ecuador. We welcome the implementation of these measures ordered by the Constitutional Court, following its historic ruling on the Las Malvinas case.”

“We regret the lack of willingness by the Armed Forces to listen to the demands of the other families of disappeared people who were present at the event and exercising their legitimate right to protest.”

“At the same time, we are alarmed by reports that, on 2 June, military patrols allegedly harassed a relative of one of the boys from Las Malvinas at her home. It is unacceptable that families continue to face intimidation by agents of the very institution that has already caused them so much harm. We call on the Ministry of Defence to put an end to this harassment. The Ecuadorian state must guarantee the protection of the families.”

“To ensure that these serious crimes do not continue to occur, it is essential to reverse the militarized approach to public security policy, which has led to serious human rights violations. The Ecuadorian authorities must fully comply with all the measures ordered by the Constitutional Court in its historic ruling on the Las Malvinas case, including the adoption of reforms to strengthen the prevention, investigation and punishment of enforced disappearances.”

“To ensure that these serious crimes do not continue to occur, it is essential to reverse the militarized approach to public security policy, which has led to serious human rights violations.”

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

“It is also essential to make firm progress in criminal investigations into enforced disappearances. It is unacceptable for these processes to remain stalled due to the lack of cooperation from the Armed Forces, which continue to resist sharing information by claiming it is ‘classified information.’ All victims and their families should have access to truth, justice and redress.”

“While the Las Malvinas case has seen important progress, it cannot be the only case in which a ruling is secured and redress measures are adopted. The risk of impunity remains high for other victims and families who are still waiting for answers from the state.”

In addition to the families of the four boys from Las Malvinas and representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the ceremony was attended by the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Guayaquil (CDH Guayaquil), which legally represents the victims; the Committee of Families for Truth and Justice; representatives of the international community, including the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; and the Ombudsperson’s Office, which acted as mediator for the event. Amnesty International supported the event.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact press@amnesty.org

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The World Cup brings people together like no other event. That is what football is. That is what humanity can be.

Yet, millions of football fans who are set to attend the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA risk coming face to face with troubling attacks on human rights, not least those stemming from abusive and deadly US immigration policies.

Three fans, who also work for Amnesty International, will be travelling to the World Cup this year. Here they share their thoughts on why everyone attending the world’s greatest football tournament deserves to feel safe, included and free to exercise their rights.

“Everything good about football is rooted in community, inclusion and passion – the World Cup should be no exception”

Duncan Tucker, 37, from the UK but based in Mexico City

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My love of football came from playing with friends and watching with family when I was kid. I’ll never forget the roar of the crowd at White Hart Lane when my parents first took me to see Tottenham Hotspur in 1995. Nor the excitement of Euro 96, from Gazza’s wonder goal against Scotland and England’s 4-1 demolition of the Netherlands, to the crushing heartbreak against Germany – perfectly soundtracked by the anthemic “Three Lions”. I was captivated by every minute.

I’ve never been to a World Cup, so I’m buzzing to watch South Africa take on South Korea in my wife’s hometown of Monterrey in northern Mexico. I’m expecting a joyous atmosphere, given Mexico’s proud history of hosting iconic World Cups and its national obsession with the sport. Mexico should also prove a more hospitable destination than the USA, where the Trump administration’s discriminatory visa restrictions and invasive, aggressive and highly militarized immigration enforcement will discourage many potential visitors. However, while Mexico’s authorities will embrace tourists, we should not forget that they are nowhere near as welcoming to vulnerable migrants and refugees who risk their lives attempting the hazardous journey to the US border.

I hope everyone who attends will be able to enjoy the tournament in a safe and discrimination-free environment. Everything good about football is rooted in community, inclusion and passion – and the World Cup should be no exception. Yet FIFA’s outrageous ticket costs, combined with Mexico’s extreme economic inequality, have priced all but a tiny fraction of the host population out of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend matches. This is meant to be the people’s game, not a vessel for sportswashing or corporate greed. But FIFA has repeatedly betrayed the spirit of the game, from exorbitant pricing to shamelessly inventing a peace prize to curry favour with President Trump. It must urgently recentre the World Cup around all the things that make football special, before the world falls out of love with it.

“The World Cup is supposed to bring people together, but many communities are currently living in fear”

Mary Kapron, 38, from Canada

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I grew up playing competitive soccer in my hometown of Peterborough, Ontario. When I think back on that time, some of my happiest memories are travelling to games and tournaments with my teammates, who were also my closest friends. Soccer was a huge part of my life growing up, and it’s something that’s still really important to me today.

Growing up in Canada, one of my favourite things about the World Cup was how everyone came together around it. Our neighbours were from all over the world, and during the tournament you’d see flags from every country hanging from houses and cars everywhere. It always felt like this really joyful moment where people connected across cultures and backgrounds.

I’m really excited to be attending a World Cup game. At the same time, I’m also very aware of the privilege involved in being able to go. Ticket prices are incredibly high. This World Cup has become inaccessible to so many people who love the sport but can’t afford to attend.

For people travelling to the United States, there are concerns about immigration policies. Nationals from several countries participating in the tournament, including Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Iran and Senegal, are affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban, which means many won’t be able to attend matches in the US.

Given the work I do documenting human rights violations against migrants and asylum seekers in the US, I’m also concerned about immigration enforcement around stadiums, Fan Fest events or public watch parties. The World Cup is supposed to bring people together, but many communities are currently living in fear and may not feel comfortable gathering publicly.

From a soccer perspective, I hope there are surprises and upsets, and I’d love to see a country win that has never won before. But more than that, I hope people are able to experience the joy and sense of community that soccer can create. One of the reasons I love the sport is the way it brings people together across languages, cultures and borders, and I hope fans are able to celebrate safely and freely without fear.

FIFA often talks about soccer as something that unites the world, and I really believe that the sport has the power to do that. But if FIFA is serious about that message, then human rights need to be part of the conversation as well.

“Football’s biggest celebration must return to its working-class roots”

Guillermo Rodríguez García, 31, from Mexico City

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Football takes me back to my childhood, when we used to stop traffic to play with all my neighbours. That was in early 2000, before the Mexican government declared the “war on drugs”, and it was reasonably safe to go outside without adult supervision. Football is that freedom we used to have in public spaces, but it’s also family to me: my older brother and sister are big fans of the Guadalajara club, so I sort of inherited their passion.

Attending the World Cup is a mixed feelings experience! Yes, it’s exciting! The third World Cup in Mexico and the first shared with the US and Canada – an expression of how close our relationship is: migration, commerce, cultures, and shared ecosystems that rely on each other.

But it’s also difficult  to see how elitist the game has become: prohibitive prices, hyperconsumption, exploitation of host communities, and FIFA’s indolence around the genocide in Palestine. It’s hard to see our countries pretending this is a world celebration, while all three countries actively diminish the rights of migrants and people seeking international protection.

My greatest fear is that the World Cup becomes the perfect cover for human rights violations in host countries and beyond. I hope this World Cup will be a celebration that brings us closer together as humanity, and that, rather than just a mental break, it will be the opportunity to deepen our empathy for the many instances of violence occurring around the world.

I call on FIFA to prioritize fans over commercial interests. This means firmly advocating for conditions that respect the human rights of visitors and host communities, and taking all necessary measures to ensure that football’s biggest celebration returns to its working-class roots – and isn’t just for those who can afford tickets costing hundreds of dollars.

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States attending the June Climate Meetings next week in Bonn, Germany must use the talks to turn climate commitments into a concrete actionable rights-centric agenda for November’s COP31, Amnesty International said today.  

What happens in Bonn matters because it will shape the negotiations, priorities and level of ambition that governments carry into COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye later this year. These meetings are an important chance for governments to show they are ready to translate climate commitments made in the recently adopted United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on last year’s ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change into action that is rooted in human rights, equity and justice.  

“Governments must now act with urgency to deliver on their legal obligations to protect humanity and to help impacted groups recover from harms caused by climate change. Climate action that ignores human rights is not only unjust, but also less effective,” said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Climate Policy Advisor. 

“If governments want credible outcomes in Antalya, they need to show at Bonn that they are serious about moving from rhetoric to delivery.” 

In recommendations published ahead of the meeting, Amnesty International calls on governments to commit to a full, fast, fair and funded phase out of fossil fuels through a just transition, to scale up grants-based climate finance; provide full reparations for climate change related loss and damage, and to protect civic space and strengthen the participation of Indigenous Peoples, environmental human rights defenders and affected communities in climate decision-making.  

Climate action that ignores human rights is not only unjust, but also less effective.

Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Climate Policy Advisor.

The need for action is urgent 

Amnesty International is urging all parties to the climate treaties to build on progress at the recent conference in Santa Marta towards an equitable transition away from fossil fuels that leaves no one behind, including by ending fossil fuel subsidies while protecting people on lower incomes. 

It’s important that the Just Transition Mechanism agreed at COP30 is effective and funded in its setup so that it prioritizes human rights and the meaningful participation of civil society, affected groups and the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples.  

The organization is also calling for major progress on climate finance. According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) data, lower-income countries’ needs for mitigation and adaptation are estimated at USD 5 to 6 trillion by 2030, with the USD 300 billion per year by 2035 finance goal agreed at COP29 remaining far below what is needed. The shortfall in adaptation finance is particularly acute. 

“The fact that some countries insisted on removing references to climate finance from the recent UNGA resolution does not mean that obligations to provide it have gone away. We know the money is there, it’s a matter of political choice as to how it is allocated. It’s essential that the biggest polluters are made to pay for the harm they are causing,” said Ann Harrison. 

“Scaled up, primarily grants-based finance for climate action is the key to ensuring that the rights of all people, everywhere, now and in the future, are protected. This will ensure that they can live lives of dignity on a planet that can sustain both humans and the essential ecosystems of which we’re a part and on which we depend.” 

Amnesty International is further urging governments to adopt a reparative justice approach and to strengthen support for the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, including by ensuring that it operates in a fully human rights-compliant way and is backed by an ambitious resource mobilization strategy.  

Scaled up, primarily grants-based finance for climate action is the key to ensuring that the rights of all people, everywhere, now and in the future, are protected. 

Ann Harrison

Access and inclusion 

A central test for Bonn will be whether the talks are open and accessible to those most affected by climate change. Amnesty’s recommendations stress that frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, environmental human rights defenders and marginalized groups must be able to participate meaningfully in climate negotiations. The organization has raised concerns about visa access for Bonn participants and has called for all host countries to provide a dedicated UNFCCC visa process.  

Amnesty International is also urging Germany and the COP31 co-hosts Türkiye and Australia to ensure that all participants can freely express themselves and peacefully demonstrate without undue restrictions and fear of reprisals. 

“Bonn must help shift the pendulum on climate towards justice. Governments should arrive ready to make progress on a just transition away from fossil fuels, which requires adequate climate finance and reparations for loss and damage, as well as the protection of civic space. Anything less would be another failure for people already paying the price of climate inaction,” said Ann Harrison. 

Bonn must help shift the pendulum on climate towards justice. 
Anything less would be another failure for people already paying the price of climate inaction

Ann Harrison

Background 

The June Climate Meetings will take place in Bonn from 8 to 18 June 2026. It is a key preparatory meeting ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. Amnesty International has released a briefing, “Recommendations to Parties to the UNFCCC on Human Rights-Consistent Climate Action in 2026”, ahead of the conference. Amnesty spokespersons will be available for expert comments and interviews at the climate meetings in Bonn.  

Contact: press@amnesty.org 

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The Egyptian authorities must immediately halt the unjust prosecutions of three human rights activists arrested solely for organizing a peaceful event calling for the release of those arbitrarily detained, Amnesty International said today.  

On 25 May, Egyptian police arrested pharmacist Hanan Altantawy, and lawyers Mohamed Abu al-Dayyar and Wafaa al-Masry, all members of the informal group the Committee to Defend Prisoners of Conscience (CDPC), for the group’s involvement in organizing a public event in Cairo two weeks earlier highlighting cases of people unjustly detained for political reasons. Altantawy and al-Masry were released on bail on the day of their arrest but prosecutors ordered that Abu al-Dayyar be held in pretrial detention for 15 days. All three face criminal investigations in connection with accusations of “disseminating false news”, with Abu al-Sayyar is additionally facing terrorism-related charges.  

“By pursuing these unjust prosecutions, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government is sending a clear message that it has no intention of changing course or addressing the country’s decade-long arbitrary detention crisis. It is rank hypocrisy for the authorities to claim progress on human rights to international partners such as the EU while arresting people for peacefully advocating justice and freedom for unjustly imprisoned activists, journalists and politicians,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Regional Researcher at Amnesty International. 

Instead of arresting peaceful activists, the Egyptian authorities must end their relentless crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and end the rampant use of arbitrary detention to intimidate activists that has devastated thousands of lives.

Mahmoud Shalaby, Regional Researcher at Amnesty International

“Instead of arresting peaceful activists, the Egyptian authorities must end their relentless crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and end the rampant use of arbitrary detention to intimidate activists that has devastated thousands of lives. The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mohamed Abu al-Dayyar and drop all charges against Hanan Altantawy and Wafaa al-Masry.” 

On 12 May, the CDPC organized a public  exhibition titled ‘They don’t belong in prison’ at the Cairo headquarters of the political party Bread and Freedom, highlighting the cases of several arbitrarily detained individuals, including Ashraf Omar, Marwa Arafa, Mohamed Adel, and Yehia Hussein Abdelhady. 

On 25 May, at around 1am, police went to the home of Abu al-Dayyar, the former campaign manager of presidential candidate Ahmed Altantawy, and arrested him. Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) prosecutors opened investigations against him on accusations of “joining a terrorist group,” “disseminating false news,” and “using a website to promote terrorist activities.” They questioned him about the work of the CDPC, its exhibition and venue, as well as his reasons for working on Altantawy’s electoral campaign, according to his lawyer from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).  

The police presented as evidence of the accusations above a screenshot of a Facebook post about prisoners of conscience and a CD containing material related to photographs displayed at the exhibition. 

This is not the first time the Egyptian authorities have targeted Abu al-Dayyar. In February 2024, a court sentenced him to a year in prison on charges of conspiring and inciting others to “disseminate election-related material without authorization.” These charges stemmed from calls made by Ahmed Altantawy’s electoral election campaign urging people to complete endorsement forms online, after his supporters faced obstacles and intimidation when they attempted to register endorsements at public notary offices.  

A few hours after Abu al-Dayyar’s arrest, on 25 May police arrested Wafaa al-Masry from where she was staying while she was on holiday in Egypt’s North Coast. SSSP prosecutors investigated her on charges of “disseminating false news,” according to her lawyer, human rights defender Mahienour El-Massry. They questioned her about her role in organizing the exhibition and the criteria the CDPC uses to select cases for its campaigns, among other issues. On the same day, prosecutors ordered her release pending investigations on bail of 50,000 EGP (USD 957).  

Also on the morning of 25 May, police raided Hanan Altantawy’s home in Giza and arrested her, according to human rights lawyer Nabeh Elganadi. SSSP prosecutors investigated her on charges of “disseminating false news” and questioned her about the work of CDPC and the exhibition. On the same day, prosecutors ordered her release pending further investigations, on bail of 50,000 EGP (USD 957).  

On 17 May, the CDPC issued a statement denouncing the arrest and intimidation of families of people held for political reasons in connection with the exhibition organized by the CDPC. Amnesty International learned that the authorities arrested several relatives of detainees in connection to the exhibition, before releasing them within days. 

The CDPC is an informal group of members of political parties, activists, and other public figures who came together in November 2025 to campaign for the release of all those unjustly imprisoned through legal, media, and political advocacy. 

Background 

Thousands of people continue to languish in arbitrary detention in Egypt solely for exercising their human rights, without legal basis or following grossly unfair trials. In November 2025, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) stated with concern that the proliferation of arbitrary detention cases in Egypt indicates that the practice is systematic or widespread in the country. 

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In early 2025 photojournalist Marios Lolos was covering a demonstration in Athens about the Tempi rail tragedy when a police officer threw a stun grenade in his direction. It hit the left side of his head, exploding next to him. The impact resulted in him suffering permanent hearing loss and a head injury. 

“Had it exploded in front of my head and not a little bit later, we wouldn’t be speaking at the moment,” Lolos tells me, his voice thick with emotion. 

The veteran journalist and former president of the Greek Press Photo Union believes that the stun grenade was thrown at him intentionally. Footage verified by Amnesty International corroborates his testimony and suggests that he was deliberately targeted. 

Had the stun grenade exploded in front of my head and not a little bit later, we wouldn’t be speaking now

Marios Lolos, journalist and stun grenade survivor

Lolos’ experience is far from unique. In fact, it is part of a wider pattern in which the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Greece is being blatantly violated both in law and in practice. Journalists frequently find themselves in the firing line alongside peaceful protesters who are arbitrarily detained, criminalized, and subjected to unlawful use of force by police. The physical and psychological injuries they suffer can be life changing.  

Marios Lolos’ testimony – along with over fifty of others – is included in a new report published by Amnesty International today. Our research finds that these disturbing abuses are underpinned by protest legislation that fails to comply with international and regional standards, and a persistent culture of impunity for abuses by law enforcement officials policing demonstrations.   

The report, based on two years of research, includes a series of testimonies describing how Greek police deployed stun grenades often directly at peaceful protesters and journalists, above their heads or at their feet, or at times lobbing them into dense crowds.  

Stun grenades are also known as a disorientation, distraction or pyrotechnic devices, “flash-bangs”, percussion or concussion grenades. They are designed to surprise, temporarily disorientate and blind people through intense exposure to sound and light, among other effects.  

The use of stun grenades, which are military grade devices, routinely cause burns to victims, hearing loss or damage, as well as other blast and fragmentation injuries. Their use against crowds of protesters can spark panic and stampede and they have been known to start fires.  

The type of stun grenade deployed by the Greek police emits a sound intensity of 170 decibels – louder than a jet engine at close quarters. In May 2022, student Giorgos Mavros suffered a perforated eardrum, hearing loss, a head injury as well as wounds and burns after police deployed stun grenades during a peaceful student demonstration in Thessaloniki. When I interviewed him this year, he told me that “the sensation was as if I had been struck by a large iron bar”.  Four years on, he is still suffering from the physical and psychological fallout from the injury. He told me how he gets anxious and fearful at the sound of loud bangs and he has largely stopped taking part in protests.  

The type of stun grenade deployed by the Greek police emits a sound intensity of 170 decibels – louder than a jet engine at close quarters

Amnesty International verified footage of police unlawfully using stun grenades in October 2025 next to a café where people were sitting outside. It came just after police had dispersed a protest in Athens. Bystanders were caught up in the chaos.  

The report also documents the unlawful use of batons by officers striking peaceful demonstrators, chasing protesters in so-called “baton charges”, and beating individuals already under police control. It documents the harmful misuse of chemical irritants and water cannon on protesters, as well as the unlawful use of force during arrest and/or detention and by police motorbike units.   

Despite their suffering, victims often struggle to get justice. Perpetrators often go unpunished, while investigations that are opened can take years to conclude. There are many other factors that can hamper accountability, such as flawed disciplinary investigations, the inability of criminal investigations to find perpetrators, some judicial rulings that risk legitimizing unlawful force and the failure of public order police to display identification numbers. At the same time, Greece’s police oversight mechanism (EMIDIPA), lacks sufficient staff and resources to undertake more of its own investigations. 

Faced with these challenges, Marios Lolos is sceptical about his chances of getting justice for his injury, despite lodging a complaint with EMIDIPA and a criminal investigation having been initiated. The police have also launched a disciplinary investigation into the incident. But Lolos has been here before. In 2012 his skull was broken and he sustained life-threatening head injuries when a riot police officer beat him with a baton during anti-austerity demonstrations. Although administrative courts confirmed the state was responsible for his injuries, not a single officer has been held accountable despite disciplinary and criminal investigations. His experience of police impunity is mirrored by that of many of his colleagues.  

The harm inflicted by Greek police in their unlawful use of force in protests, combined with shocking levels of impunity for police abuses, threaten to have a chilling effect on the right to peaceful protest, yet Lolos and other victims refuse to be stunned into silence.  

Military-grade devices have no place in the policing of protests in Greece or anywhere in the world

Nevertheless, participating in or reporting on peaceful protests should not require people to run the gauntlet or risk life and limb. Protest laws in Greece must be reformed and abusive policing practices and impunity must end. The use of stun grenades should be reserved only for high-risk special operations, such as hostage situations. They must be banned for use in the policing of demonstrations and other public assemblies. Military-grade devices have no place in the policing of protests in Greece or anywhere in the world. 

Kondylia Gogou, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher for Europe.

This artice was first published here by EU Observer.

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