Commenting on Amnesty International’s designation of Artyom Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Dayneko – poets imprisoned in 2022 for public reading of their anti-war poetry – as prisoners of conscience, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “What crime have these men committed? Reading poetry in public cannot threaten national security,...

Responding to FIFA’s announcement that no action will be taken against the Israeli Football Association (IFA) over the participation of clubs based in illegal settlements in Israel’s leagues, Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International said:  “By refusing to take action against clubs based in Israeli settlements, FIFA has failed to enforce its own rules and is blatantly flouting international law. FIFA had a clear opportunity to...

Reacting to the release of 250 individuals imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated grounds, including human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova and Nasta Loika, as a part of a deal with the United States, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “While the release of hundreds of individuals unjustly detained on politically...

Responding to statements from Pakistani officials claiming that an airstrike that hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul on 16 March was targeting an ammunition depot, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director, Research, said:   “While the total death toll from this attack has yet to be independently verified, it’s clear that it resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries to civilians, at least in the hundreds.   “It’s well-documented that a large part of Camp Phoenix, a former NATO camp, had been operating as a drug rehabilitation facility since 2016. Pa...

Responding to the killings and injuries of dozens of healthcare workers and first responders in Lebanon since 2 March 2026, amid escalating attacks by the Israeli military and its allegations – without providing evidence – that ambulances and healthcare sites are being used for military activities and may be targeted, Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said:   “Israel is deploying the same deadly playbook it used in 2024 in Lebanon to kill dozens...

As journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj marks three years in arbitrary detention tomorrow, we the undersigned civil society organizations call for his immediate and unconditional release. We continue to stand in solidarity with Irfan and his family. Our organisations also demand an end to the Indian government’s continued repression of human rights defenders...