Schlagwort: human rights

Amnesty International has documented the devastating impact of Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy system in a new series of testimonials from survivors enduring a freezing winter without heat, electricity or running water.

Based on the testimonies of dozens of people from across the country, the research tells the stories of Ukrainian civilians living with the fallout from massive, incessant Russian attacks that have caused widespread and ongoing disruption to essential services. By the time of the interviews, many of those who spoke to Amnesty International had survived weeks with intermittent or no electricity supply and no heating amid the country’s coldest winter since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

“Russia isn’t just waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, it is subjecting the entire civilian population to a campaign of extreme cruelty. The scale and intensity of its attacks on vital energy infrastructure clearly indicate a strategy to spread despair among Ukraine’s civilian population and break its morale,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“News headlines cannot convey the experience of trying to survive without electricity, running water and heating during a long, freezing winter and amid nightly air raids. Today, while we are telling these stories, Russia’s relentless attacks continue and humanitarian conditions in Ukraine grow increasingly catastrophic.

“Since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has blatantly disregarded international law, including rules that protect civilians in warfare. Those responsible for atrocity crimes should know these crimes have no statute of limitation. People in Ukraine and beyond will relentlessly pursue truth, justice, and reparation and we will support them.”

I warm some water in a cup on a kerosene stove, fill up two bottles, one [goes] under my feet, the other in my hands, so as not to freeze. And we all sleep dressed… Dressed under duvets, all that we have, we put on.

Svitlana, a pensioner from Kyiv

Since last October, Russia has carried out several hundred intense long-distance aerial attacks against Ukraine. In January, these were daily – and often nightly – targeting the entire energy infrastructure. As a result, Ukraine lost more than half of its energy-producing capacity, and emergency power cuts have affected 80% of the country. This happened amid a winter in which temperatures have fallen below -15°C (5° Fahrenheit).

Interviewees, and Amnesty International’s staff members in Ukraine, have spoken of stone-cold apartment blocks, frozen and burst pipework, stalled elevators, discharged mobile phones and disrupted phone networks. As one person said: “At this point, we’re in harsh survival mode”.

Many residents have relied on camping and kerosene stoves to heat bricks and water bottles. Some have resorted to dangerous coping mechanisms, such as setting up camping tents inside their bedrooms and lighting candles within them to fight the cold.

Svitlana, a pensioner from Kyiv, said that during blackouts: “I warm some water in a cup on a kerosene stove, fill up two bottles, one [goes] under my feet, the other in my hands, so as not to freeze. And we all sleep dressed… Dressed under duvets, all that we have, we put on.”

There are many people, including older persons and people with disabilities, who are isolated and confined to their apartments, without any means of communication, whose circumstances are likely much worse than those documented in this research and who may not live through this winter to tell their story.

Amnesty International has documented widespread violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Russia’s full-scale invasion constitutes aggression, which is a crime under international law. Its strategy and tactics, including continued use of indiscriminate weapons and deliberate targeting of civilians, have caused widespread human suffering and seriously impacted Ukraine’s most vulnerable people, including children and older people. The scale and pattern of Russian aerial attacks across the country has clearly indicated that it has been seeking to damage Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

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Increasing harassment and deterioration in the health of individuals detained for exercising human rights reveals a persistent pattern of repression and authoritarian practices.

Amnesty International is deeply concerned about a further escalation of arbitrary detention, illegal surveillance and harassment against relatives of prisoners of conscience and persons involved in prominent cases of state repression in Cuba. These recent events add to a context marked by the worsening health and conditions of detention of a number of individuals imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights.

“Constant surveillance of homes, short-term arbitrary detention and unjustified restrictions on leaving the home are part of a systematic pattern of authoritarian practices that the Cuban state is using to punish and deter any form of dissent,” said Johanna Cilano, Caribbean researcher at Amnesty International.

Constant surveillance of homes, short-term arbitrary detention and unjustified restrictions on leaving the home are part of a systematic pattern of authoritarian practices that the Cuban state is using to punish and deter any form of dissent.”  

Johanna Cilano, Caribbean researcher at Amnesty International.

Harassment of family members

Amnesty International has received and verified information regarding state security operations, including police cordons around homes, permanent surveillance, unlawful restrictions on freedom of movement and threats, which affect the family members of prisoners of conscience, activists and dissidents. These authoritarian practices seek to intimidate, isolate and silence those demanding respect for the human rights, medical care or release of loved ones.

Amnesty International considers it particularly serious that these measures should target parents and other relatives whose only “crime” is to have publicly denounced human rights violations or demanded medical care and humanitarian solutions for their imprisoned relatives.

These actions are carried out without a court order, with no information on their legal grounds and no mechanisms through which to challenge them, in flagrant violation of minimum guarantees of due process.

Health of prisoners of conscience at risk

Amnesty International reiterates its concern on the alarming state of health of a number of prisoners of conscience. Loreto Hernández García and Roberto Pérez Fonseca suffer serious chronic illnesses that have progressively deteriorated in prison. Despite the fact that doctors within the prison system have confirmed the seriousness of their condition, the authorities are continuing to delay granting them prison benefits on health grounds, as provided for by Cuba law.

“The state is responsible for ensuring that all prisoners have access to appropriate health care under the same standards as are available in the community, without discrimination. Denying or delaying adequate medical care to persons in state custody may amount to a violation of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Arbitrarily obstructing the legal procedures available for the release on health grounds of persons with a serious medical condition puts their lives and well-being at risk,” said Johanna Cilano.

Denying or delaying adequate medical care to persons in state custody may amount to a violation of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. 

Johanna Cilano, Caribbean researcher at Amnesty International.

Amnesty International remains alarmed by the situation of Donaida Pérez Paseiro, who suffers from chronic bone pain and continues to lack adequate medical care, in addition to unjustified restrictions on contact with her children.

The circumstances of Félix Navarro Rodríguez continue to be particularly serious. He remains in prolonged isolation, with very limited access to the outdoors and no information whatsoever on his state of health. After undergoing medical tests on 12 January, neither he nor his family have received any results, despite him allegedly showing some symptoms of tuberculosis.

Transfer of Maykel Castillo Pérez (Maykel “Osorbo”)

Amnesty International has been informed of the recent transfer of Maykel Castillo Pérez to the prison known as Kilo 8, in the province of Pinar del Río, with no reasons or timely information being provided to his relatives, generating uncertainty and fear within the family. A family visit following the transfer took place under strict surveillance, with the constant presence of a guard who observed and listened to the entire conversation, raising serious concerns for the right to privacy and family contact without intimidation.

Other situations of particular concern

Sayli Navarro Álvarez continues to be detained in conditions that put her physical integrity at risk, as she is being held with high-risk common prisoners in a prison that has also lacked regular access to drinking water. The authorities have repeatedly denied her prison benefits on the ideological grounds of “re-education”.

Amnesty International is closely monitoring the case of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and calling for his immediate release. Luis Manuel is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in the Guanajay maximum security prison, a sentence expected to expire in July 2026.

Amnesty International urges the Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience and end arbitrary detention, illegal surveillance, harassment and other authoritarian practices, as well as to ensure prompt and adequate medical care in accordance with international standards.

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

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Responding to the 20-year sentence handed to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai for ‘national security’ offences, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: 

“This sentencing marks another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear. Imprisoning a 78-year-old man for doing nothing more than exercising his rights shows a complete disregard for human dignity. Every day he spends in behind bars is a grave injustice.  

“With this ruling we see yet again how Hong Kong’s National Security Law is being used to distort fundamental freedoms into criminal acts. Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment is a cold-blooded attack of freedom of expression that epitomizes the systematic dismantling of rights that once defined Hong Kong. 

“Jimmy Lai is a prisoner of conscience who should never have spent a single day behind bars. The Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him.” 

Background 

Hong Kong’s High Court today sentenced pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to commit sedition. The sentence follows his conviction, in December 2025. 

Lai was charged with “collusion with a foreign country or external elements” under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) on 11 December 2020. He has been continuously detained since 31 December 2020. He was later charged with two more counts of “conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or external elements” under the NSL, and one more count of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” under the Crimes Ordinance. 

Hong Kong authorities said the charges related to the publication of articles in Apple Daily, a newspaper owned by Lai, that called on foreign countries to impose sanctions. Authorities also cited Lai’s meetings with US politicians and interviews with overseas media, his Twitter (now X) posts and his list of followers on the platform which included prominent foreign politicians and NGOs supportive of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. 

Lai, a British national, was denied bail in February 2021 when Hong Kong’s highest court ruled that national security cases were an exception to the presumption in favour of bail. Amnesty International research published in June 2025 found that this was the case in 89% of national security cases. The Hong Kong government also prohibited Lai’s British lawyer Timothy Owen from representing him.  

Jimmy Lai founded the outspoken Apple Daily in 1995. Shortly after the National Security Law was introduced on 30 June 2020, nearly 200 police raided the newspaper’s headquarters. It was the first time the law was invoked to search a media outlet’s premises, and Lai was arrested along with his two sons and several newspaper executives. 

Apple Daily closed in June 2021 following another police raid and the freezing of its assets, in what Amnesty at the time called a “brazen attack on press freedom”. 

Prior to today’s sentencing, Hong Kong courts have convicted Lai in four separate cases involving “unauthorized assemblies” and fraud and handed down prison sentences totalling over seven years. 

In 2024, Amnesty International recognized Lai as a prisoner of conscience alongside human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi.

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Responding to the European Commission’s preliminary findings that TikTok’s design is addictive and in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark EU law meant to create a safer digital space, Lisa Dittmer, Amnesty International Researcher on Children and Young People’s Digital Rights said:  

“For years now, TikTok has been the forefront of Big Tech’s race to capture children’s time and attention at all costs. This announcement is an overdue but welcome acknowledgement of TikTok’s addictive design.  

“The European Commission must now urgently show that it is willing and capable of enforcing the Digital Services Act to stop this abuse and provide children, young people and adults alike with a safer online environment.  

Lisa Dittmer, Amnesty International Researcher on Children and Young People’s Digital Rights

“Amidst current discussions of restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms, governments must remember they also have a duty to protect children’s right to participate in the digital world. To do so, their focus must be on tackling the toxic design of leading social media platforms, including through effectively enforcing laws like the Digital Services Act, as opposed to restricting children’s rights.” 

Background: 

In its preliminary assessment published today, the European Commission said TikTok did not adequately assess how its addictive design features could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of its users. 

It pointed to certain design features which it said keeps users scrolling and shift their brains into ‘auto pilot mode’ and called for a change in the platform’s design. 

Amnesty International’s research has repeatedly highlighted the serious risks TikTok poses to children and young people’s mental and physical health. This included evidence of TikTok’s use of addictive design elements as well as stark findings of TikTok’s toxic rabbit hole effects associated with the platform’s hyper-personalized ‘For You’ feed.  

Most recently in October 2025, Amnesty International research conducted in France showed that TikTok continues to draw children and young people showing an interest in mental health-related videos into spirals of content that romanticizes self-harm and suicide or shows young people expressing intentions to end their lives, including information on suicide methods. 

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Responding to yesterday’s attempted murder of journalist Carlitos Candangue by armed men reportedly wearing police uniforms, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:

“The attempted murder of Carlitos Cadangue, who has been actively reporting on the illegal mining of gold in the province of Manica, is gravely concerning and shows the growing attacks on the country’s journalists simply for doing their job. Authorities must promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, effectively and transparently investigate the attempt on Carlitos Cadangue’s life and bring to justice in fair trial anyone suspected to be responsible.  This was a brazen act designed to silence a journalist who has shone a spotlight on the misdeeds of the powerful and to intimidate others from doing the same.  

The attempted murder of Carlitos Cadangue, who has been actively reporting on the illegal mining of gold in the province of Manica, is gravely concerning and shows the growing attacks on the country’s journalists simply for doing their job.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

“Authorities must also take urgent steps to effectively uphold the human rights of everyone in the country and protect journalists from harassment, intimidation and threats to their lives, whether from state actors or private individuals. They must ensure the safety and security of journalists, human rights defenders and activists in the country and end the prevailing culture of impunity which continues to fuel these attacks.”

This was a brazen act designed to silence a journalist who has shone a spotlight on the misdeeds of the powerful and to intimidate others from doing the same.  

Tigere Chagutah

Background

On 4 February, unknown armed men, whom the journalist said were dressed in the uniform of national police fired dozens of bullets at the vehicle of the SOICO Television (STV) journalist Carlitos Cadangue in Chimoio city, Manica province, at around 6pm. At the time, Carlitos Cadangue was driving home with his son. Before the attempted murder, Carlitos Cadangue received death threats following his reports on illegal mining in the province of Manica, leading to the suspension of all mining companies operating in the province, including those involved in illegal mining.

Amnesty International has reported on other journalists who have been murdered or forcibly disappeared. João Chamusse, the editor of the journal Ponto por Ponto was found dead in his home on 14 December 2023. Arlindo Chissale has not been seen since 7 January 2025. Witnesses who spoke with his family revealed that on the day of his enforced disappearance, they saw him being removed from a public minibus and beaten before being driven away by alleged members of the defence and security forces.  

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