Schlagwort: human rights

Responding to the death sentences handed down today, to two former police officers by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for the killing of Abu Sayed during student-led protests in July 2024, Rehab Mahamoor, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher and Campaigner, said:

“Abu Sayed and the many other victims of police violence during the July 2024 protests deserve justice and accountability. However, the death penalty has no place in any courtroom. It’s the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and its continued use by the ICT undermines efforts to deliver a just and lasting reconciliation to Bangladesh.

“In the past, Amnesty International and several other human rights organizations have also raised serious concerns that the ICT has not observed international fair trial and due process standards in many instances. Any proceedings undertaken by the ICT demand stringently impartial and transparent judicial proceedings.

The death penalty has no place in any courtroom

Rehab Mahamoor, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher and Campaigner

“We urge the Bangladeshi authorities to take steps to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to completely abolishing the punishment.”

Background

The ICT today handed death sentences to former assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain and ex-constable Sujan Chandra Roy for their role in the killing of Abu Sayed, a student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, during the July 2024 uprising. A further 28 former officers were also given prison sentences, including three who were sentenced to life in prison.

In July 2024, Amnesty International verified evidence of unlawful use of lethal and less lethal weapons by Bangladeshi authorities against student protesters including the killing of Abu Sayed, and called for accountability without recourse to death penalty.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, without exception as it violates the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.                                                       

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A draft United Nations (UN) resolution on climate change is seeking to turn the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on states’ obligations concerning the “urgent and existential threat” posed by climate change, into a roadmap for concrete action and accountability.

Although non-binding, the landmark opinion issued by the world’s highest court in 2025 is widely regarded as an authoritative opinion that clarified the obligations of states in respect of climate change. It will significantly strengthen efforts to hold world leaders to account, guide the just and equitable phaseout of fossil fuels, reinforce climate laws and policies, and advance climate justice for billions of people globally.

UN member states are currently negotiating the draft resolution which gives full support to the ICJ opinion. They are expected to vote on the text towards the end of April 2026. Vanuatu, which has repeatedly warned that it could disappear under rising sea levels, is spearheading efforts to secure the resolution. The Pacific island nation and archipelago also led the diplomatic drive for the ICJ’s 2025 advisory opinion through active campaigning initiated by a group of young law students.  

A core group of states contributed to the “zero draft” first version of the resolution, with cross-regional representation from Vanuatu, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, and Sierra Leone.

What was the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of 2025?

The historic Advisory Opinion marked the first time the ICJ had examined the international legal framework as it applies to climate change. It is a milestone that was made possible by years of campaigning that brought together governments, youth movements, civil society organizations and frontline communities demanding climate action.

In order to reach its opinion, 15 judges from around the world sought to answer two central questions: what obligations do states have under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions; and what are the legal consequences for governments where their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the climate and environment?

In a rare unanimous opinion, the ICJ made it clear that protecting the global climate system is a legal obligation – not a political choice. Not to do so threatens human rights and the well-being of present and future generations. The ICJ also stated that countries must act together to remediate existing harm and prevent more climate havoc.

The key points of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion:

• limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels should be the primary temperature goalfor all states, consistent with the Paris Agreement.
• where deemed relevant, international human rights lawshould be applied to determine states’ duty in addressing the climate crisis rather than being limited to specific climate agreements.
• thefailure to phase out fossil fuels constitutes a wrongful act,including any continued exploration and provision of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
• states must cooperate to mitigate climate change and adapt to it to minimize harm, including through providing finance, technology and know-how.
• all countries have an obligation to address climate change; however, it is recognized that their responsibilities and capabilities will differ according to their circumstances.
• states are obliged to make full reparation for any loss and damaged caused by internationally wrongful acts.
• those forcibly displaced by climate change, including across borders, must be covered by non-refoulement protections; that is, protections against being returned to a country where they may face serious harm

What would the draft UN climate change resolution require governments to do, if adopted? 

The zero draft resolution set out steps countries must take to limit dangerous heating, protect communities, and provide justice when harm occurs.

It calls on countries to:

• Keep to 1.5°C: Adopting and implementing national climate action plans aligned with keeping global heating below 1.5°C with efforts reflecting each State’s highest possible ambition;
• Pass Strong Climate Laws: Adopting and enforcing laws and policies to prevent global environmental harm and protect human rights from the adverse effects of climate change;
• Phase Out Fossil Fuels: Taking effective steps to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions, including through measures to urgently and equitably phase out fossil fuel production, use and ending fossil fuel subsidies;
• Centre Frontline Communities: Ensuring the full, meaningful and equal participation of women, Indigenous Peoples, youth, and other marginalized groups in all forms of climate action;
• Protect Climate ‑Displaced People: Upholding the rights of people displaced by climate impacts and creating safe, regular and nondiscriminatory pathways for cross‑ border‑ protection; 
• Deliver Reparations: Providing full and prompt reparations when states violate their obligations, including through an International Register of Damage attributable to climate change and an accompanying International Mechanism for Climate Reparation.

These actions aim to stop climate harm at its source and support frontline communities most affected by climate change-related extreme weather, sea level rise, food insecurity and water stress.

Why does this resolution matter for human rights? 

The ICJ recognized that “the environment is the foundation for human life, upon which the health and well-being of both present and future generations depend.” It confirmed that people cannot fully enjoy their human rights unless governments protect our climate system. Climate harms are already putting millions at risk. 

By turning global legal standards into practical guidance for climate action, this resolution strengthens protections for people facing climate injustice and reinforces the reality that human rights and environmental protection are inseparable. 

Why has Vanuatu tabled this new UN climate change resolution now? 

Climate change is an unprecedented global human rights emergency. The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) emits heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are the primary current and historical cause of climate change; this has been settled science for decades. The world is on track to exceed 1.5°C of warming within the next decade, making climate impacts more severe and pushing many ecosystems and communities to breaking point. 

At the same time, political choices by some world leaders, like rolling back climate protections or revoking greenhouse gas rules, have weakened global progress just when we need stronger action. Fossil fuel infrastructure alone poses risks for the health and livelihoods of at least 2 billion people globally, roughly a quarter of the world’s population.

This resolution is a chance for governments to show they stand for climate justice rather than delay. 

Why are some countries opposed to the new UN climate change resolution?

Higher income states, who have also been historically high-emitters, have benefited from decades of fossil fuel use and have contributed the most to greenhouse gas pollution. Today, these governments face growing expectations to lead on cutting emissions through just transitions to renewable energy accessible to all, and by providing technological support and grant-based climate finance for mitigation and adaptation to lower income countries which are the least responsible for climate change, yet most vulnerable to its harms. They should also provide reparations for climate change related loss and damage according to their level of responsibility. 

Some powerful governments have pushed back because they fear accountability for historical responsibility and the financial obligations that follow. Yet we know that there is plenty of money to go around if polluters are made to pay for the damage they have caused.

What happens next? 

UN member states are currently expected to vote on the resolution towards the end of April 2026. If governments adopt it, this will send a strong message that the world is ready to follow the ICJ’s legal guidance and turn it into concrete measures to protect people and the planet. 

At a time when fragmentation between nations feels more visible than ever, the UNGA Resolution endorsing the ICJ Climate Ruling offers a renewed path for international cooperation. The resolution has the potential to shape global climate accountability for years to come and therefore UN Member States must engage constructively, support adoption, and protect the resolution’s ambition during negotiations.

What can you do right now? 

You can support our call for governments to: 

• back this resolution without weakening its commitments; 
• stop delaying action to rapidly and equitably phase out fossil fuels production and use; 
• protect people whose lives are already being devastated by the climate crisis; 
• invest in a just and human rights centered transition to renewable energy that leaves no one behind.

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Reacting to the news that the Russian authorities have arbitrarily designated prominent human rights group Memorial as “extremist” and banned its activities in the country, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Regional Director, said:

“For close to 40 years, Memorial’s tireless commitment to documenting past and ongoing repression in Russia has ensured that violations against millions of people are not forgotten. These include the victims of Stalin’s GULAG, unlawful acts and human rights abuses in conflicts in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine, and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of the Kremlin’s critics and political opponents today. A frontline human rights organization, Memorial has bravely defended human rights in the face of horrific reprisals, including the persecution, detention and killing of its staff.”

“By labelling Memorial as ‘extremist,’ the authorities are not just targeting one of Russia’s oldest civil society organizations and co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, they are criminalizing human rights work itself. From now on, liking or sharing Memorial’s social media and other materials, and any reference to them in publications without mentioning the organization’s ‘extremist’ status, may be prosecuted as a criminal act. These blatant attempts by the Kremlin to ban Memorial and erase its extensive archives of human rights violations from the public domain are deplorable.

By labelling Memorial as ‘extremist,’ the authorities are not just targeting one of Russia’s oldest civil society organizations and co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, they are criminalizing human rights work itself

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Regional Director

“The Russian authorities must immediately reverse this outrageous decision and ensure that Memorial and other human rights groups can operate freely in line with Russia’s obligations under international human rights law.”

Background

In a closed hearing held on 9 April 2026, Russia’s Supreme Court granted a request by the Ministry of Justice to designate the “International public movement Memorial” – a catch-all term that the government is using to impose the ban on all Memorial-related organizations – as “extremist” and ban its activities in the country.

This move culminates a years-long campaign against Memorial, which was founded in the late Soviet period and has since grown into a community of dozens of sister organizations operating in Russia and abroad. In May 2014 one of them, Russia-based Human Rights Centre Memorial, was designated as a “foreign agent.” Since then, the Russian authorities have labelled several other Memorial organizations as well as around 20 of its staff members “foreign agents.” In December 2021, International Memorial and Human Rights Centre Memorial were liquidated for alleged violations of the repressive “foreign agents” law. In February 2026, the Ministry of Justice added the Switzerland-based Memorial International Association and German foundation Zukunft Memorial to the list of “undesirable organizations.”

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Responding to the unprecedented escalation by the Israeli military which said it conducted the “largest coordinated wave of strikes” today attacking 100 sites across Lebanon within 10 minutes, killing and wounding hundreds, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef said:

“Just hours after the world cautiously welcomed news of a US-Israeli ceasefire with Iran, in Lebanon the nightmare for civilians has become more terrifying. Today has been the deadliest day since the latest round of fighting began on 2 March with an intense barrage of air strikes carried out across south Lebanon, the Beqaa valley and in crowded civilian areas in central Beirut – many without warning.  Hospitals have put out calls for blood donations, overwhelmed by the number of injured arriving.

“Even before today’s attack, which the Israeli military referred to as operation ‘Eternal Darkness’, more than 1,500 people had been killed and over a million people displaced from their homes across the country. Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers and journalists amongst those killed – the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll.

Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers and journalists amongst those killed – the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll.

Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director

“We reiterate the urgent need Israel to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure civilians are protected. Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful attacks in Lebanon and displaying a callous disregard for civilian life, fueled by the impunity Israeli officials feel they enjoy.

“The recent warning from the Israeli military spokesperson that Hezbollah has repositioned from the southern suburbs of Beirut to north Beirut and mixed areas of the city has raised fears of further attacks in civilian areas. Israeli forces are bound by their obligations under international humanitarian law to distinguish between civilians and military objectives and to categorically refrain from carrying out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, indiscriminate, disproportionate attacks.They are required to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas. Failure to uphold these obligations constitutes a serious violation of international law and places civilian lives in imminent danger.

“These attacks are a reminder that states must immediately halt the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel given the overriding risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

Fatima, an eyewitness to one of the strikes described the devastating scenes after an attack struck the building across the road from her house in Salim Salam, Beirut:

“I grabbed my laptop and rushed to the street. It was apocalyptic. Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere. I saw countless wounded adults and children. I walked further but it was the same scene in the other neighbourhoods too. I did not know where to go. I just walked aimlessly trying to get as far as possible. It was a nightmare.”

Background:

On 8 April the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for the southern suburbs of Beirut, the city of Tyre and reiterated mass evacuation orders to north of the Zahrani River.

At around 2:30pm, within just 10 minutes the Israeli military launched a series of attacks on at least 48 areas, including on crowded residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure, in the south of Lebanon, north of Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, Beirut suburbs and central Beirut.  

The Israeli military said that it had conducted coordinated strikes targeting “100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites”  located “within the heart of the civilian population”.  Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the attacks as “the largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since the pagers operation”.

Since 2024, Amnesty International has documented the Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus, and indiscriminate mass explosions targeting electronic devices. Israeli attacks in Lebanon have had a significant civilian toll and have included unlawful airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods as well as attacks on journalists, health facilities, ambulances and paramedics.

The organization also highlighted how the Israeli military extensively destroyed and damaged civilian structures and agricultural land in southern Lebanon between 1 October 2024 and 26 January 2025, continuing well after the November 2024 ceasefire. Amnesty International has also documented Hezbollah’s unlawful firing of unguided rockets into populated civilian areas in Israel, leading to the death and injury of civilians and the destruction of civilian homes.

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Responding to the draconian sentences issued against young activists prosecuted for their actual or perceived affiliation with the Russian youth democratic movement Vesna (Spring), Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

“Today’s verdict reveals how the Russian judicial system continues to rubber-stamp politically motivated reprisals. The charges brought against these young people were so outlandish, so blatantly fabricated, and the “evidence” presented so weak, that the only reasonable thing for the court to do was to throw the case out at the very start. Instead, the court handed down prison sentences, punishing the young people for expressing their views, and for their civic engagement and anti-war activism. This verdict lays bare that the Russian authorities treat principled anti-war activism as a crime, branding it as “extremism”.

The charges brought against these young people were so outlandish, so blatantly fabricated, and the “evidence” presented so weak, that the only reasonable thing for the court to do was to throw the case out at the very start

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director

“All co-defendants in the Vesna case must be immediately and unconditionally released and the verdict overturned. Russian authorities must end their abuse of criminal legislation to silence dissent and adhere to their obligations under international human rights law, including full respect for the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”

Background

On 8 April 2026, the St. Petersburg City Court delivered its verdict in the case against six young activists the authorities believe to be members of the youth democratic movement Vesna.

The court issued severe prison terms: 12 years for Anna Arkhipova, 11 years for Yan Ksenzhepolsky, 10 years for Vasiliy Neustroev and, 7.5 years for Pavel Sinelnikov, 6 years and 2 months for Evgeniy Zateev and Valentin Khoroshenin. In addition, the court imposed lengthy post-release bans on taking part in public events and online publication. Amnesty International has designated Anna Arkhipova, Vasiliy Neustroev, Yan Ksenzhepolsky, Evgeniy Zateev and Pavel Sinelnikov as prisoners of conscience

The six activists were detained on 6 June 2023 in different cities, transferred to Moscow and placed in pre-trial detention. They faced multiple charges including organizing and participating in an “extremist community,” “disseminating false information about the Armed Forces,” “disrespect for days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia,” “public calls for activities deemed to threaten state security” and “incitement to organize mass unrest” based largely on social media posts and public statements opposing the war in Ukraine. Valentin Khoroshenin is the only one who pleaded guilty to the charges and testified against his co-defendants. At least 15 other alleged Vesna members have left Russia and are on police “wanted” lists.

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