Schlagwort: Amnesty International

• Climate defenders from across Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru – some of the most dangerous countries in the world to defend the environment and climate – will be part of the Amnesty delegation to COP30

• Amnesty International is also urging governments to resist aligning with US President Trump’s denial of the accelerating climate crisis and instead demonstrate true climate leadership

COP30 leaders must keep people, and not profits and power, at the heart of negotiations by committing to protect and address activists’ demands to ramp up the climate action our planet urgently needs – a full, fast, fair and funded fossil-fuel phase-out and just transition to sustainable energy for all, in all sectors, Amnesty International said ahead of the annual UN climate summit in Brazil. 

“The global climate crisis is the single biggest threat to our planet and demands a befitting response. The effects of climate change are becoming more pronounced across the whole world. We confront increasingly frequent and severe storms, wildfires, droughts and flooding, as well as sea level rise that will destroy some small island states,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, who will be attending the conference. 

“COP30 in Brazil presents an opportunity for collective resistance against those trying to reverse years of commitments and efforts to keep global warming below 1.5°C. The fact that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere soared by a record amount last year should ring alarm bells for world leaders at COP30.

“Amnesty International is urging governments to resist aligning with the Trump administration’s denial of the accelerating climate crisis and instead demonstrate true climate leadership. In the face of President Trump’s rejection of science coupled with the intensified lobbying for fossil fuels, global leaders must redouble their efforts to take urgent climate action – with or without the US. They must push back against attempts to curtail funding for renewable energy projects and resist the bullying efforts by the USA and others to weaken policies and regulations to combat climate change. 

“Humanity can win if states commit at COP30 to a full, fast, fair and funded fossil-fuel phase-out and just transition to sustainable energy for all, in all sectors, as recently confirmed by the International Court of Justice’s recent Advisory Opinion. These commitments must go hand-in-hand with a significant injection of climate finance, in the form of grants, not loans, from states that are the worst culprits for greenhouse gas emissions. Crucially, states must take steps to protect climate activists and environmental defenders. This is the only way to secure climate justice and protect the human rights of billions of people.” 

Humanity can win if states commit at COP30 to a full, fast, fair and funded fossil-fuel phase-out and just transition to sustainable energy for all, in all sectors.

Agnès Callamard

Brazil will host the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Belém from 10 to 21 November. More than 190 parties to the Paris Agreement will discuss issues such as scaling up climate finance, especially for adaptation, national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; how and when to “transition away” from fossil fuels as agreed at COP28; and how to support measures to reduce climate harms and address unavoidable loss and damage in lower income countries that are bearing the brunt of climate change despite contributing the least to it.

Keeping people at the centre of decision-making at COP30 

Amnesty International believes that a rapid, equitable and just transition must put the people most affected by climate change at the heart of all decision-making to achieve climate justice.

This year, Amnesty International will be joining forces with environmental activists who frequently risk their lives to defend human rights.  Climate defenders from across Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru – some of the most dangerous regions in the world to defend the environment and climate – will accompany the Amnesty delegation to COP30. The activists include representatives of Avá Guaraní Paranaense, Guerreras por la Amazonía, Movement of Working Children and Adolescents (MANTHOC), National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru (ONAMIAP), Rede Vozes Negras Pelo Clima and Union of People Affected by Texaco.  

“Around the world we are seeing alarming evidence of shrinking civic space for climate activism, reflected too in the silencing of defenders within the UNFCC. Too many defenders cannot attend COP30 due to persecution for their defence of human rights.  We expect COP30 to deliver a strong message regarding the role of those on the frontline of climate activism and the necessity to protect them,” said Agnès Callamard.

We expect COP 30 to deliver a strong message regarding the role of those on the frontline of climate activism and the necessity to protect them.

Agnès Callamard

Leadership at COP30 

Amnesty International is calling on COP30 delegates to: 

1. Conclude with a clear plan and timeline to phase out fossil fuels, deliver the wholly inadequate USD 300 billion climate finance target (agreed upon in COP29) and scale up the provision of public grants-based finance. The plan must also ensure that international investments flow into projects that actually help to address climate change and not into risky and unproven technologies like direct air capture or solar or marine geo-engineering that could cause human rights harms and delay the fossil fuel phase out we need. 

2. Encourage high-income high-emitting states, especially those historically the most responsible for climate change, to come forward with new and additional contributions to the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage to meet the scale of need. Also, the Fund’s Board must conduct its activities in a transparent, inclusive, and accountable manner while ensuring direct access to funding for affected communities and insulation from undue private sector influence. 

Through its COP30 presidency, Brazil should show leadership by strengthening recognition, protection and meaningful participation of climate defenders in multilateral decision-making spaces and by supporting initiatives such as the Leaders network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD) that will be officially launched at COP30.  It should also lead on the launch of a new Belem Action Mechanism for a Global Just Transition (BAM) proposed by several Observer Constituencies. Domestically, it should halt its planned expansion of fossil fuel projects and clarify when and how it will phase out all fossil fuel production and use. 

“In stark contrast to what President Trump would have you believe, a fossil fuel-free future is essential to humanity’s survival. There must be no more missed opportunities: parties at COP30 must ensure their human rights obligations guide all climate decisions at Belém and beyond,” said Agnès Callamard. 

In stark contrast to what President Trump would have you believe, a fossil fuel-free future is essential to humanity’s survival. There must be no more missed opportunities: parties at COP30 must ensure their human rights obligations guide all climate decisions at Belém and beyond.

Agnès Callamard

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Amnesty International urges a prompt, independent, impartial and internationally supervised investigation into the deadliest police operation in the state’s history.

Amnesty International strongly condemns the massacre that occurred during “Operation Containment” carried out on 28 October in the Alemão and Penha favelas in Rio de Janeiro – the deadliest in the state’s history – which left at least 121 people dead, including four police officers, and multiple reports of extrajudicial executions by civilian and military police.

“What took place in Rio de Janeiro was not a security operation, it was a massacre. Over a hundred people, most of them black and living in poverty, were killed in an operation planned and carried out by the state itself. The authorities must urgently conduct a prompt, independent and impartial investigation, and request international oversight to ensure its effectiveness,” said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International. “The government of Cláudio Castro in Rio de Janeiro has turned its security policy into a policy of death. This must cease immediately,” she added.

What took place in Rio de Janeiro was not a security operation, it was a massacre. Over a hundred people, most of them black and living in poverty, were killed in an operation planned and carried out by the state itself.  

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International. 

Extrajudicial killings and systematic repression

According to local organizations and statements from residents, the operation, in which more than 2,500  civil and military police officers were involved, allegedly saw shots being fired from helicopters, raids being carried out without a warrant, and assistance to injured persons being prevented. Testimonies and local reports claim that several bodies were found with signs of possible extrajudicial execution, including shots from behind or to the back of the head and bound hands. Under international human rights law, lethal force may be used only when strictly necessary to protect life or prevent serious injury in the face of an imminent threat. 

However, public statements made by the governor of Rio de Janeiro have attempted to legitimize the illegal use of police force, claiming that “only police officers were victims” and that the state can “exceed its powers” in the so-called “war on crime”. This rhetoric seeks to legitimize a lethal and failed policy to guarantee impunity for human rights violations committed by the security forces, thereby perpetuating them. 

“People in the favelas live under a constant state of alert and threat. Police operations in Brazil have become synonymous with terror, racism and a total lack of protection,” said Jurema Werneck, executive director at Amnesty International Brazil. “There is no possible justification for this lethal use of force. The security forces must protect lives, not destroy them.”

People in the favelas live under a constant state of alert and threat. Police operations in Brazil have become synonymous with terror, racism and a total lack of protection.

Jurema Werneck, executive director at Amnesty International Brazil.

Structural racism and impunity

The pattern of police violence in Rio de Janeiro reflects the racism embedded in Brazil’s drugs and public security policies. The government of Cláudio Castro has been responsible for four of the five deadliest operations in the state’s history, including those in Jacarezinho in 2021 and Vila Cruzeiro in 2022.

Despite repeated warnings from the United Nations (UN) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding the discriminatory nature of the so-called “war on drugs”, the Brazilian state continues to systematically carry out police operations that clearly violate international standards on the use of force.

Amnesty International warns that the Rio de Janeiro authorities have sought to criminalize relatives and neighbours who, in the absence of the state, recovered the bodies of the victims to guarantee their identification and dignified burial.

The criminalization of relatives, neighbours and human rights defenders constitutes an institutional practice that reflects structural police violence in Brazil, characterized by racism and impunity. Given this situation, the authorities have a duty to promptly and effectively investigate, prosecute and provide redress for the extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations that occurred during Operation Containment. They must also provide ongoing support and assistance to the victims’ families, allowing them to participate in the investigation in a formal and meaningful manner, pursuant to international protocols such as the Minnesota Protocol.

The authorities must also facilitate the creation of a verification commission of international experts to oversee investigations and inquiries into the human rights violations that occurred during this police operation.

“Silence and impunity are complicit in violence. Until such a time as the state assumes its responsibility and guarantees the right to truth, justice and reparation, this cycle of abuse will continue, disproportionately affecting black, mixed-raced and marginalized communities in Brazil,” said Ana Piquer. 

Silence and impunity are complicit in violence. Until such a time as the state assumes its responsibility and guarantees the right to truth, justice and reparation, this cycle of abuse will continue, disproportionately affecting black, mixed-raced and marginalized communities in Brazil.

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International. 

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

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The government is putting the well-being and in many cases the lives of the more than five million people living in South Africa’s informal settlements at risk by failing to provide them with access to quality housing and essential services, Amnesty International South Africa said in a new report. 

These people, many of them living on flood-prone land, are routinely left to cope on their own especially during severe weather conditions, despite the fact that the main responsibility for preparing for and responding to these disasters lies with the government.

Informal settlements in South Africa along with other underserved areas like temporary relocation areas, are a sore reminder of the racial injustice and disenfranchisement that were hallmarks of the colonial and apartheid regimes preceding 1994. However, this does not mean that we must ignore the fact that the ongoing housing crisis and the failure of successive governments to guarantee the right to access to adequate housing among other human rights

Amnesty International South Africa, Executive Director, Shenilla Mohamed

Amnesty International South Africa’s report Flooded and Forgotten: Informal Settlements and the Right to Housing in South Africa examines the incidence and impact of floods, both large scale and seasonal caused by heavy rain, on residents of informal settlements and underserved areas in South Africa, particularly in Johannesburg, eThekwini, and Cape Town.

“Informal settlements in South Africa along with other underserved areas like temporary relocation areas, are a sore reminder of the racial injustice and disenfranchisement that were hallmarks of the colonial and apartheid regimes preceding 1994. However, this does not mean that we must ignore the fact that the ongoing housing crisis and the failure of successive governments to guarantee the right to access to adequate housing among other human rights,” Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said. 

“The government is failing the millions of people trapped in these underserved areas, especially in a time when economic hardships and poverty are rife. People live in informal settlements because there is a lack of affordable and accessible formal housing and sometimes because they are the only affordable means of living close to work or work opportunities. Article 10 of South Africa’s Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights is clear that everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected, no matter who they are.”

More government action urgently needed to deal with increased risk of flooding

The recent floods in June 2025 in the Eastern Cape province, which caused the death of over 100 people and washed away the homes of thousands of people, was a stark reminder that urgent and long-term action by the government is needed. While South Africa’s Disaster Management Act and National Disaster Management Framework aim to reduce the risk of disaster, there is ample evidence that not enough is being done towards this end. 

Based on the experiences of people living in informal settlements documented in Amnesty International’s report, interviews with experts and practitioners in the field and a review of reports, laws and policies, evidence shows that South Africa’s response to flooding disasters – whether major or seasonal– is patchy and piecemeal, with not enough done to prepare for such events. 

For example, people displaced by KwaZulu-Natal floods in 2022 are still in temporary emergency accommodation in poor conditions nearly three years later, indicating a lack of preparedness for recovery efforts. Some of those displaced died after they were relocated to an area that was severely flooded in 2025, highlighting a serious failure to ensure that flood victims are relocated to safety. In the case of seasonal flooding, the support and assistance that many residents of informal settlements experience is alarmingly poor or absent. 

Although the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements, in their response to Amnesty International, dated 30 October 2025, asserted that “informal settlements are not planned settlements and inherently their establishment would not be preceded by the availability of basic services”, South Africa remains bound by constitutional and international obligations to provide essential services to all residents, including those living in informal settlements. 

“The reality, as documented in Amnesty International’s report, is that millions of South Africans living in informal settlements are deprived of these rights due to central government neglect, under-resourced municipalities, and poor urban governance, not simply because their settlements are unplanned,” Shenilla Mohamed said.

“The lack of access to adequate, well-located affordable housing in South Africa has also led to the growth of informal settlements in floodplains and low-lying areas which means that people living there are increasingly impacted by flooding.”

The climate crisis is making the situation far worse

Human-induced climate change has also exacerbated the risks of flooding, already a seasonal problem in South Africa’s informal settlements and underserved areas. As elsewhere in the world, this means that people who have contributed the least to climate change due to their low consumption patterns and are least able to cope with flooding are the worst affected by the impacts of climate change. 

We have no help from anyone, we have to stay and fix it, we can’t run away… where will we go?

Victim from Freedom Park

One of the main concerns expressed to Amnesty International in all three metropolitan areas was that the regular seasonal flooding of informal settlements and underserved areas was rarely seen as warranting a disaster response by the municipalities. The residents were simply left to fend for themselves and rely on charitable organisations. 

A woman from Freedom Park in Johannesburg said: “We have no help from anyone, we have to stay and fix it, we can’t run away… where will we go?”

South Africa must meet its human rights obligations

South Africa has a plethora of laws and policies on issues around access to housing, provision of essential services such as  water and sanitation, upgrading of informal settlements, a healthy environment, and preparing for and responding to disasters. It is also a state party to all the major international and regional human rights instruments including the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which guarantees the rights to access adequate housing, water and sanitation. 

© OJ Koloti/Gallo Images via Getty Images

“Despite South Africa having strong legislation and policy and clear international commitments as with so many other things in this country, implementation remains the issue. The reality points to obvious failures of the government to adequately and thoroughly realise these obligations and this comes at a huge cost to the human rights, lives and livelihoods of millions of people,” Shenilla Mohamed said. 

The South African government must provide access to adequate housing for people living in the country and commit to upgrading informal settlements with access to essential services in a manner that complies with human rights law and standards, including through budgetary and policy commitments.

© PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images

It must also mobilise all the necessary human, financial and technical resources to ensure that disaster risk reduction is fully integrated into urban planning processes and these are implemented with a view to protecting residents of informal settlements from disasters, climate change related or otherwise, and protecting their human rights.

Background

This report documents the experiences of people living in informal settlements and other underserved areas in South Africa. It is based on qualitative research carried out between February and September 2025. These experiences are presented within the framework of key laws, policies and practices related to access to adequate housing, access to essential services, and disaster preparedness and response.

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In response to the ongoing partial internet shutdown by Tanzanian authorities following the October 29 general elections, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, Vongai Chikwanda said: 

“For close to a week now, many people in Tanzania have suffered nationwide internet and electricity shutdowns.  Amnesty International is particularly alarmed by reports that amidst the blackouts, security forces have used excessive force to suppress and disperse ongoing post-election protests, resulting in the deaths and injuries of protesters.  

Amnesty International is particularly alarmed by reports that amidst the blackouts, security forces have used excessive force to suppress and disperse ongoing post-election protests, resulting in the deaths and injuries of protesters.  

Vongai Chikwanda, Deputy Regional Director, Amnesty International, ESARO

“This is the third time in less than a year that Tanzanian authorities have resorted to an internet blockade to silence dissenting voices. Authorities must immediately refrain from suppressing protests and instead respect, protect, and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly. They must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested solely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly.” 

“Authorities should promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate all killings by security agents and bring to justice in fair trials those suspected of being responsible.  Authorities must also provide victims and their families with access to justice and effective remedies. 

Authorities should promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate all killings by security agents and bring to justice in fair trials those suspected of being responsible

Vongai Chikwanda

“The authorities must also allow both local and international media to freely report on the human rights situation in the country and refrain from restricting access to information, both online and offline including by immediately restoring internet access and access to basic public services. The ongoing restrictions are making it difficult to verify information, and to document election-related human rights violations.” 

Background 

Tanzanians went to the polls on 29 October in an election dominated by the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, with the two main opposition presidential candidates, Tundu Lissu from Chadema (Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo or the Party for Democracy and Progress), and Luhaga Mpina from ACT-Wazalendo, barred from standing. Verified videos showed protesters on the streets of Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tunduma, Tanga, and Mwanza among other towns.  Ahead of the elections, Amnesty International issued a briefing outlining how the Tanzanian authorities have intensified their repression of peaceful dissent against the opposition, journalists, human rights defenders, activists and civil society organizations.   

Authorities imposed nationwide internet restrictions on election day disrupting mobile data services and blocking access to social media platforms across major networks. On Monday 3 November, residents reported partial resumption in some cities. 

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As the Supreme Court of Appeal starts hearing the appeal in Various Parties obo Minors and Another v Anglo American South Africa today, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and Amnesty International have submitted a joint amicus curiae submission urging the Court to consider international law relating to the right to an effective remedy and corporate accountability for transnational conduct in the certifications test of a class action.

This case is about more than one class action or one community in Zambia. It is about whether South African corporations can operate abroad without being held to the same human-rights standards we demand at home. South African courts have the power to close this accountability gap and to ensure that victims, wherever they are, can access remedies when abuses are linked to South African companies

Dr Atilla Kisla, International Justice Cluster Lead at SALC

The appeal concerns the certification of a class action by residents of Kabwe (Zambia) against the mining company Anglo American in South Africa. The claimants allege severe lead poisoning caused by mining operations in Kabwe. SALC and Amnesty International submit that the case represents a pivotal moment for corporate accountability and the rights of communities affected by transnational and transgenerational harm.

“This case is about more than one class action or one community in Zambia. It is about whether South African corporations can operate abroad without being held to the same human-rights standards we demand at home. South African courts have the power to close this accountability gap and to ensure that victims, wherever they are, can access remedies when abuses are linked to South African companies,” said Dr Atilla Kisla, International Justice Cluster Lead at SALC.

In their submission, SALC and Amnesty International emphasise that South Africa’s Constitution requires courts to consider international law, such as the global consensus on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and  the duty to provide effective remedies to victims  even when abuses occur beyond national borders by multinational corporations. SALC and Amnesty Internaitonal point to principles established under international law that have to be taken into account when Courts conduct an assessment of the interests of justice test relevant to the certification of the class action.

Mandi Mudarikwa, Head of Strategic Litigation, at Amnesty International highlighted that:

“This class action lawsuit stands as a quintessential David versus Goliath confrontation, marking a long-awaited step toward justice for the residents of Kabwe, who have suffered the devastating effects of lead poisoning for generations as a result of multinational mining operations. The certification of this class action could set a transformative precedent for corporate accountability, compelling powerful corporations to answer for their environmental and human rights abuses and inspiring similar movements for justice across jurisdictions.”

As the Court considers whether to certify the Kabwe community class action, SALC and Amnesty International underscore that the decision will resonate far beyond this case, setting an important precedent for how South African courts address corporate accountability and international law and transnational human-rights abuses within the framework of class actions.

This class action lawsuit stands as a quintessential David versus Goliath confrontation, marking a long-awaited step toward justice for the residents of Kabwe, who have suffered the devastating effects of lead poisoning for generations as a result of multinational mining operations. The certification of this class action could set a transformative precedent for corporate accountability, compelling powerful corporations to answer for their environmental and human rights abuses and inspiring similar movements for justice across jurisdictions

Mandi Mudarikwa, Head of Strategic Litigation, at Amnesty International

SALC and Amnesty International are represented by Lawyers for Human Rights.

Background

The Kabwe lead mine, once known as the “Broken Hill” mine, was allegedly operated and managed by Anglo American between 1925 and 1974 and reportedly contributed to extensive environmental pollution in towns and communities living in the vicinity of the mining site.

Today, experts describe Kabwe as one of the most lead-polluted places on earth. Medical studies have shown that children from Kabwe have record-high levels of lead in their blood. Children and pregnant women are at particular risk from lead toxicity, which is known to cause permanent damage to internal organs, including the brain.

The High Court in Johannesburg dismissed the application to certify the class action on 14 December 2023.

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