THE STATE OF

THE WORLD9S

HUMAN RIGHTS
APRIL 2025
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

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mobilizes the humanity in everyone and campaigns for change so we

can all enjoy our human rights. Our vision is of a world where those in

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determination. Given this and our interest in highlighting state

accountability, we organize our information on human rights in the

world primarily according to the division of states that are accountable

for the human rights situation on their territory.

First published in 2025 by Except where otherwise noted, This report documents key

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© Amnesty International 2025

human rights situation Amnesty

Index: POL 10/8515/2025
For more information, please visit
International has monitored
ISBN:º978-0-86210-510-5
the permissions page on our
during 2024.

Original language: English

website: amnesty.org
The absence of a particular

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that no human rights violations

of concern to Amnesty

International took place there

during the year. Nor is the length

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comparison of the extent and

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not cover extensively the use of

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International issues a separate

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sentences and executions.

ii Amnesty International Report

 THE STATE OF

THE WORLD9S

HUMAN RIGHTS
APRIL 2025
iv Amnesty International Report
CONTENTS
THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S HUMAN RIGHTS

Abbreviations 7 Denmark 150

Preface 9 Dominican Republic 150

Global analysis 16 Ecuador 152

Africa regional overview 26 Egypt 153

Americas regional overview 34 El Salvador 158

û
Asia-Paci c regional overview 42 Equatorial Guinea 161

Europe and Central Asia regional Eritrea 163

overview 50 Eswatini 164

Middle East and North Africa regional Ethiopia 166

overview 59 Fiji 168

Afghanistan 70 Finland 169

Albania 73 France 170

Algeria 75 Gambia 174

Andorra 77 Georgia 176

Angola 78 Germany 178

Argentina 80 Ghana 181

Armenia 82 Greece 182

Australia 83 Guatemala 185

Austria 85 Guinea 187

Azerbaijan 86 Haiti 189

Bahrain 89 Honduras 190

Bangladesh 90 Hungary 191

Belarus 94 India 193

Belgium 96 Indonesia 197

Benin 97 Iran 201

Bolivia 99 Iraq 206

Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 Ireland 210

Botswana 102 Israel and the Occupied Palestinian

Brazil 103 Territory 211

Bulgaria 107 Italy 216

Burkina Faso 109 Japan 219

Burundi 111 Jordan 220

Cambodia 114 Kazakhstan 223

Cameroon 116 Kenya 225

Canada 118 Kosovo 228

Central African Republic 120 Kuwait 229

Chad 122 Kyrgyzstan 231

Chile 124 Laos 233

China 126 Lebanon 234

Colombia 132 Lesotho 238

Congo 136 Libya 239

Côte d9Ivoire 138 Madagascar 244

Croatia 140 Malawi 245

Cuba 141 Malaysia 247

Cyprus 143 Maldives 249

Czech Republic 144 Mali 250

Democratic Republic of the Congo 146 Malta 252

Contents v
Mexico 254 Togo 363

Moldova 258 Tunisia 364

Mongolia 260 Türkiye 368

Montenegro 261 Turkmenistan 372

Morocco/Western Sahara 262 Uganda 373

Mozambique 265 Ukraine 376

Myanmar 268 United Arab Emirates 380

Namibia 271 United Kingdom 382

Nepal 272 United States of America 385

Netherlands 274 Uruguay 390

New Zealand 275 Uzbekistan 392

Nicaragua 276 Venezuela 394

Niger 278 Viet Nam 398

Nigeria 280 Yemen 400

North Korea 283 Zambia 404

North Macedonia 285 Zimbabwe 406

Norway 286

Pakistan 287

Palestine (State of) 291

Papua New Guinea 293

Paraguay 294

Peru 296

Philippines 299

Poland 301

Portugal 303

Puerto Rico 304

Qatar 306

Romania 308

Russia 309

Rwanda 314

Saudi Arabia 316

Senegal 320

Serbia 322

Sierra Leone 324

Singapore 326

Slovakia 327

Slovenia 329

Somalia 330

South Africa 332

South Korea 335

South Sudan 337

Spain 340

Sri Lanka 343

Sudan 346

Sweden 348

Switzerland 349

Syria 350

Taiwan 354

Tajikistan 355

Tanzania 358

Thailand 360

vi Amnesty International Report

ABBREVIATIONS

European Convention on Human Rights

AI
(European) Convention for the Protection of
û
Arti cial intelligence
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

ASEAN
ICC
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
International Criminal Court

AU
ICCPR
African Union
International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights
CEDAW

UN Convention on the Elimination of All

ICESCR
Forms of Discrimination against Women
International Covenant on Economic, Social

and Cultural Rights

CEDAW Committee

UN Committee on the Elimination of

ICRC
Discrimination against Women
International Committee of the Red Cross

CERD
ILO
International Convention on the Elimination of
International Labour Organization
All Forms of Racial Discrimination

International Convention against enforced

CERD Committee
disappearance
UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial
International Convention for the Protection of
Discrimination
All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

COP29
INGO
The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to
International non-governmental organization
the UN Framework Convention on Climate

Change
LGBTI

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and

ECOWAS
intersex
Economic Community of West African States

MP
Escazú Agreement
Member of parliament
Regional Agreement on Access to

Information, Public Participation and Justice

NATO
in Environmental Matters in Latin America
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
and the Caribbean

NDC
EU
Nationally determined contribution
European Union

NGO
European Committee for the Prevention of
Non-governmental organization
Torture

European Committee for the Prevention of

OAS
Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
Organization of American States
or Punishment

Abbreviations 7
 UN Special Rapporteur on torture
OCHA
UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other
û
United Nations Of ce for the Co-ordination of
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
Humanitarian Affairs
punishment

OHCHR, the UN human rights of ce û

UN Special Rapporteur on violence against
û
Of ce of the United Nations High
women and girls
Commissioner for Human Rights
UN Special Rapporteur on violence against

women and girls, its causes and

OSCE
consequences
Organization for Security and Co-operation in

Europe
UNESCO

û
United Nations Educational, Scienti c and
UN
Cultural Organization
United Nations

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency

UN Convention against Torture
û
Of ce of the United Nations High
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Commissioner for Refugees
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or

Punishment
UNICEF

United Nations Children9s Fund

UNDP
UN Development Programme
UPR

UN Universal Periodic Review

UN Refugee Convention

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

WHO

World Health Organization

UN Special Rapporteur on climate change

UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and

protection of human rights in the context of

climate change

UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial

executions

UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial,

summary or arbitrary executions

UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty

UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty

and human rights

UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of

expression
UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and

protection of the right to freedom of opinion

and expression

UN Special Rapporteur on racism

UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary

forms of racism, racial discrimination,

xenophobia and related intolerance

8 Amnesty International Report

PREFACE

The world is at a historic juncture. Unprecedented forces are hunting

down the ideals of human rights for all, seeking to destroy an

international system forged in the blood and grief of World War Two and

its Holocaust. This religious, racial, patriarchal crusade, which aims for

an economic order predicated on even greater inequality between and

within states, imperils hard won equality, justice and dignity gains of

these past 80 years.

A multiplicity of assaults 3 against human rights accountability,

against international law, and against the UN 3 have been but some of

the hallmarks of the ûrst 100 days of US President Donald Trump9s

<reign= in 2025.

But those reckless and punishing offensives, against efforts to end

global poverty and undo long standing racial and gender-based

discrimination and violence, did not start this year. Red lines don9t turn

green overnight.

Since his second inauguration, President Trump9s actions are

accelerating in directions that Amnesty International and other human

rights organizations have already üagged 3 our warnings were

dismissed; our appeals, ignored. His trajectory is continuous with, and

the product of, systemic, deliberate and selective decisions taken over

the past decade but reaching new depths in 2025.

Make no mistake. This is not merely about President Trump. The

roots are far deeper. And, unless there is concerted and courageous

resistance, this historic juncture will mutate into an historic

transformation: not merely an era of change but a change of era.

A NIGHTMARE THAT BEGAN IN SLOW MOTION

For a decade or more, the world has witnessed a steady spread of

authoritarian laws, policies and practices, shrinking civic space and

eroding enjoyment of freedom of expression or association. Policy

choices have deepened inequality, increased poverty and nourished

billionaires. The Covid pandemic laid bare the greed, racism and

û
sel shness of powerful states prepared to let millions die. And

confronted with the climate crisis, states largely failed to live up to their

promises made in Paris in 2015.

With multiple red lights üashing critical warnings, there then came,
in 2024, genocide.

2024: GENOCIDE LIVE-STREAMED AS IT HAPPENED

Since 7 October 2023 3 when Hamas perpetrated horri c crimesû

against Israeli citizens and others and captured more than 250

hostages 3 the world has been made audience to a live-streamed

genocide. States watched on as if powerless, as Israel killed thousands

upon thousands of Palestinians, wiping out entire multigenerational

families, destroying homes, livelihoods, hospitals and schools.

2024 will be remembered for how Israel9s military occupation grew

ever more brazen and deadly, for the way the USA, Germany and a

handful of other European states supported Israel; the way the USA,

Preface 9
under the Biden administration, repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council

û
resolutions calling for a cease re and states continued arms transfers

to Israel.

In 2024, Israel and its powerful allies, ûrst among them the USA,
claimed that or acted as if international law did not apply to them,

wilfully ignoring orders of the International Court of Justice and

indictments of the International Criminal Court.

In 2024, President Vladimir Putin continued the systematic attacks

on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, killing more civilians than in 2023.

Destroying or occupying the majority of Ukraine9s thermal energy power

plants, Russia caused regular blackouts for thousands. It illegally tried

scores of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia and in areas of Ukraine

it occupied.

ü
In 2024, thousands of Sudanese deaths from con ict and hunger, in

the midst of the largest forced displacement crisis in the world, were

met with near-complete global indifference as was the lethal escalating

violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Niger or

Myanmar. The associated opportunities for arms trade were not

ignored, and calls for arms embargoes fell on deaf ears.

2024 demonstrated states9 willingness to deploy propaganda to the

ü û
service of armed con icts, ampli ed by social media algorithms and

powerful voices, and without regard to accuracy or hate-ridden

consequences.

In sum, 2024 dehumanized us all.

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AND MULTILATERALISM

South Africa, however, signalled that other choices can be made. Its

International Court of Justice case against Israel for allegedly breaching

the Genocide Convention is a crucial step towards justice. The

International Criminal Court (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav

Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Al-Masri for alleged war

crimes and crimes against humanity was a historic breakthrough.

Yet countries that vigorously supported the ICC in its prosecution of

President Putin for the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children took a

very different response when it came to Israel. A number of US

senators threatened the ICC Prosecutor in 2024 and President Donald

Trump later sanctioned the Prosecutor in 2025.

The time has passed for lamenting the double standards of the

architects of the post-World War Two rules-based system. Before 2024

was over, many states were actively undermining that system9s

institutions and working against its values, resulting in a situation where

little more than a shell of its original intentions was left standing.

President Trump is just a super-accelerator of trends already well

advanced.

10 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THE MEDIA:

CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE

In 2020, Amnesty International warned of authoritarian tendencies

emerging across and within countries. We were right to be worried. In

2024, more authoritarian laws and practices were adopted. Attacks

û
against political dissent intensi ed, including through mass arrests and

enforced disappearances. More NGOs and more political parties were

forcibly disbanded, suspended or targeted arbitrarily as <extremist=.

There were disproportionate responses to civil disobedience and

unprecedented criminalization of human rights defenders, climate

activists, students and others expressing solidarity with Palestinians;

many were labelled as <terrorists=. Feminists and other campaigners

for the rights of women and LGBTI people continued to face massive

backlash. At least 21 states brought forward laws or bills aimed at

suppression of free speech or banning media outlets. The number of

journalists killed in 2024 reached new heights: according to the NGO

the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 124 journalists and media

workers were killed last year, nearly two thirds of them Palestinians

killed by Israel.

<DRILL, BABY, DRILL= MEETS <BURN, BABY, BURN=

In 2024, no region was left unscathed by the climate crisis. An intense

heatwave in South Asia was followed by devastating üoods affecting

û
millions and forcing the displacement of thousands. Record wild res in

South America destroyed Amazon rainforests and imperilled

ecosystems stretching across entire countries. In Somalia, droughts

and üoods destroyed communities, collapsed local economies, and

displaced families and communities.

2024 was the ûrst calendar year in which the global average
temperature rose to more than 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average.

Blazing temperatures demand trail-blazing climate action. Yet on top

of states9 failures to phase out use of fossil fuels, COP29 negotiations

delivered a miserly ûnancing agreement that risks trapping lower-

income countries in a cycle of indebtedness.

President Trump9s mantra of <drill, baby, drill= merely echoed what

was already underway, with his 2025 decision to withdraw the USA

from the Paris Climate Agreement welcomed by other fossil-fuel

dependent states.

And so, across the world, communities will keep burning, drowning,

dying.

A TOXIC MIX FOR MILLIONS

In 2024, the World Bank warned that <global poverty reduction slowed

to a near standstill during the past ûve years, raising concerns that
2020330 would be a lost would be a lost decade= in its report Poverty,

Prosperity and Planet: Pathways out of the Polycrisis.

ü
The toxic mix of manufactured poverty, con ict, political oppression

and the climate crisis displaced an estimated 110 million people in

2024. Yet rather than address root causes, many governments and

political movements weaponized xenophobic and racist rhetoric,

inciting hatred. Ignoring or circumventing judicial orders, they used

Preface 11
extreme and violent measures to push back irregular arrivals at their

borders.

GENDER EQUALITY? ATTACKS ON WOMEN9S AND LGBTI RIGHTS

In Afghanistan, 50% of the population, namely women and girls, were

condemned to what many have described as a <slow death=. The

Taliban government criminalized the public existence of women and

girls, passing so-called vice and virtue laws, denying their rights to work

and education. Dozens of women protesters were forcibly disappeared

or arbitrarily detained.

û
In Iran, new compulsory veiling laws intensi ed oppression of

women and girls, imposing üogging, exorbitant ûnes and harsh prison
û
sentences, while of cials and vigilantes who violently attack women

and girls for defying the law continued with impunity.

Violations of LGBTI rights escalated in many places, while

governments from Argentina to Russia introduced laws and/or policies

that restricted access to sexual and reproductive health services. In the

USA, Meta and TikTok removed certain abortion information online.

Meanwhile, gender-based violence including femicide, and sexual

ü
violence in armed con ict were reported on the rise in many parts of

the world.

THE END OF AN ERA?

Powerful states are deriding our history. They pretend that the lessons

of the 1930s and 1940s 3 from the Genocide Convention to the Geneva

Conventions to the UDHR and the UN Charter 3 can be set aside,

forgotten, erased. With Donald Trump9s election and signi cant û

corporate capture of his administration, we are turbo-thrusted into a

brutal era where military and economic power trumps human rights

and diplomacy; where gendered and racial hierarchies and zero-sum

thinking shape policy, where nihilistic nationalism drives international

relations.

HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In 2024, all 193 member states of the UN General Assembly agreed to

pave the way for a ûrst ever treaty on crimes against humanity. In
2024, the UN General Assembly also agreed to create a Framework

Convention on International Tax Cooperation, paving the way for

international cooperation to stop tax abuse and potentially providing

essential funding for rights realization. In 2024, the Gambia rejected a

bill to repeal the 2015 Women9s Amendment Act which bans female

û
genital mutilation. Poland adopted a consent-based de nition of rape,
th
becoming the 19 European country to do so, and the Bulgarian

parliament voted down a bill to create a Russian-style foreign agents

registry. In 2024, Belgian national courts recognized the country9s

responsibility for crimes against humanity committed during

colonization. And early in 2025, the Filipino authorities handed over

former President Duterte to the ICC to face crimes against humanity

charges for his deadly war on drugs.

12 Amnesty International Report

The UN Summit for the Future in September 2024 had its limitations.

However, states agreed to create a more equitable international system

by enabling greater representation within the Security Council,

especially for Africa, transforming the international ûnancial

architecture, addressing the debt crisis and increasing development

funds.

Crucially, the year of elections 3 64 took place across the world in

2024 3 did not result in a victory lap for anti-human rights forces.

Around the world, a large number of citizens voted for a different path,

demonstrating that the rise of authoritarian practices is not inevitable,

that it can be resisted.

The future is not set, but the world is at a critical juncture. One

hundred days into the Trump administration, some states are rising to

the challenge, but the majority are not. Instead, many pretend the new

emperor is honourably garbed; many are adopting the new emperor9s

clothes. The naked reality is very different: the silencing of dissent,

attacks on academic freedom, escalating military budgets, plundering

of aid allocations, trade retaliations: these are the see-through

garments of a world in deep crisis.

Yes, we must address the international system9s systemic failures to

uphold human rights. But today, we are facing re-energized forces that

are working to impose a new system altogether: not one better

equipped for equality and justice, but one without human rights

protections; not one better serving the rule of law, but one designed to

û
serve the rule of pro t over justice.

Organized resistance against those forces is not merely essential; it

is our only legitimate recourse. As they have always done when states

fail to uphold human rights, community organizers and human rights

defenders are standing up. They are resisting these regimes of power

û
and pro t that recklessly imperil our common dignity. They are showing

once again that civil society is the front line of defence of human rights

and fundamental freedoms.

Resist we must. Resist we will.

Agnès Callamard

Secretary General

April 2025

Preface 13
14 Amnesty International Report
 THE STATE OF

THE WORLD'S

HUMAN RIGHTS
GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
GLOBAL ANALYSIS

Amnesty International9s research in 2024 highlights several key themes shaping current

global human rights trends: violations of international humanitarian law during armed

ü
con icts, repression of dissent, discrimination, economic and climate injustices, and the

misuse of technology to infringe on human rights. Despite some limited positive

developments, many of these trends represent setbacks that risk being exacerbated in 2025

and beyond, as states, particularly powerful ones, continue to undermine the international

rules-based system and authoritarian practices spread across different continents.

ARMED CONFLICT VIOLATIONS

Civilian populations faced war crimes in different countries and genocide in Gaza in 2024 and

have continued to do so in 2025. While international justice mechanisms have taken important

steps towards accountability in some cases, powerful governments have repeatedly blocked

attempts to take meaningful action to end atrocities.

CRIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

ü
Armed con icts have devastated the lives of millions of people around the world, including in

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of

Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Libya, Mali,

Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and

ü
Yemen. Parties to the con icts 3 both government forces and armed groups 3 have committed

war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, such as direct attacks

on civilians and civilian infrastructure and indiscriminate attacks that have killed and injured

civilians.

Many people, particularly those from marginalized communities, have been denied their

rights to education, food, water, adequate housing, healthcare and security. In August 2024,

the UN declared famine conditions in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in Sudan.

With 11 million internally displaced people in 2024, Sudan faces the largest displacement

crisis in the world. As Russia has continued to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in

population centres in Ukraine with missiles and drones, basic living conditions have

plummeted for Ukrainian civilians, with children, older people and other at-risk groups paying a

particularly high price. Russia has also subjected detained Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of

war to enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment.

Israel9s actions in Gaza have taken a catastrophic toll on Palestinian civilians and amounted

to genocide. Meanwhile, Israel9s system of apartheid and unlawful occupation has become

increasingly violent in the occupied West Bank, marked by a sharp increase in arbitrary

detentions, unlawful killings and state-backed attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian civilians.

ü
There was an alarming surge in cases of con ict-related sexual and other gender-based

violence in some countries in 2024. In CAR, more than 11,000 cases of gender-based violence

were reported in the ûrst half of the year. In Sudan, the UN Independent International Fact-
Finding Mission for the Sudan found that members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)

perpetrated widespread sexual violence.

ü
Some violations in armed con ict settings have had a disproportionate impact on women

and girls. In Gaza, multiple waves of forced displacement have contributed to inhumane

conditions for over a million Palestinians, but particularly impacted pregnant and breast-

feeding women. In north-east Syria, thousands of women and girls have been detained for

more than ûve years without charge or trial in camps or detention facilities because of their
û
male relatives9 suspected af liation with the Islamic State armed group.

16 Amnesty International Report

 ü
Systemic racism has fuelled con icts. In Israel, political leaders have used dehumanizing

rhetoric against Palestinians. In Myanmar, the Rohingya have continued to face racist attacks,

causing many to üee their homeland in Rakhine State. In Sudan, some RSF attacks on civilians
have been ethnically motivated. Meanwhile, Russia has sought to change the demographics of

the Ukrainian territories it has occupied and suppressed Ukrainian and other local languages

and cultures.

Millions of people worldwide have protested against the crimes committed by parties to

ü
armed con icts. However, multilateral institutions, notably the UN Security Council, have often

ü
been unable or unwilling to pressure parties to armed con icts to comply with international

humanitarian law or to ensure humanitarian assistance matches the scale of the needs of

civilians. As a result, these institutions are losing legitimacy, and their continued existence is

being questioned.

Throughout 2024, governments 3 individually and multilaterally 3 failed repeatedly to take

meaningful action to end atrocities. The USA, the UK and many EU states publicly backed

Israel9s actions in Gaza. The USA abused its veto power, with the consequence that for months

the UN Security Council was not able to take any effective action, only calling for an immediate

û
but limited cease re on 25 March 2024. Even then, the USA undermined the Security Council

by declaring the resolution non-binding, in an effort to shield its ally from compliance. Stronger

action was taken by the UN General Assembly, which adopted, in September 2024, a

resolution calling for an end to Israel9s occupation of Palestine within 12 months and, in

û
December 2024, another two resolutions calling for a permanent cease re in Gaza, the release

of all hostages and the full, rapid, safe and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance into

û
and throughout Gaza, and reaf rming full support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees

(UNRWA). In November 2024, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an

end to attacks against civilians in Sudan and calling for facilitation of humanitarian assistance

to millions in desperate need there.

Governments should reform the UN Security Council so that permanent members cannot

use their veto power to block action aimed at ending and redressing atrocity crimes. They

should also increase humanitarian aid for civilians in need.

ACCOUNTABILITY

While its actions have been inadequate in some countries, such as Afghanistan and Nigeria,

the International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken important steps towards accountability in Israel

and the OPT, Libya and Myanmar. In October 2024, the ICC announced arrest warrants against

û
six leaders, senior members and af liates of the al-Kaniat armed group in Libya for war crimes.

In November 2024, the ICC Prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for Senior General Min Aung

Hlaing for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people during military operations in

2017. In the same month, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders on

charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

û û
Some states clari ed that they would enforce the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli of cials.

However, a number of Israel's allies have announced they will not. Similarly, Mongolia failed to

û
ful l its obligation as a party to the Rome Statute to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, for

whom the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for war crimes in March 2023, when he visited the

country in September 2024.

In 2024, the International Court of Justice issued three sets of provisional measures in the

case brought by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention and issued an

advisory opinion ûnding that Israel9s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful. Some states,
including Belgium and Spain, have complied with calls by UN experts to suspend arms exports

to Israel. Litigation by civil society actors has challenged arms transfers in countries such as

Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the UK. The USA has continued to be by far the largest

exporter of arms to Israel, and some European states, including the Czech Republic, France

Global analysis 17
and Germany, have continued to transfer arms to states where there was a lack of

accountability for past abuses and a substantial risk they could be used to commit or facilitate

serious violations, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Governments should support the ICC, protect it and its staff from sanctions and other

threats, and enforce its warrants. They should also stop irresponsible arms transfers.

REPRESSION OF DISSENT
Authorities in a broad sweep of countries have employed authoritarian practices and

introduced new measures to restrict freedom of expression, association and peaceful

assembly. They have used these and existing laws and regulations to clamp down on human

rights defenders, critics and opponents, or as a way to evade accountability and entrench

power.

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

In 2024, new restrictive regulations on the right to protest were approved or proposed in

Argentina, Georgia, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Peru. In some countries, including Türkiye,

authorities imposed blanket bans on protests.

Security forces often brutally and lethally dispersed protests, as well as using mass arbitrary

arrests and enforced disappearances to suppress them. In 2024, killings and/or mass arrests

of scores of protesters were documented in countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Georgia,

Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Senegal.

In Bangladesh, the armed forces were deployed against student protests and <shoot-on-sight=

orders issued, resulting in close to a thousand deaths, with many more injured.

Across the world, including in Canada, Egypt, Fiji, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia,

the Maldives and the USA, advocates for an end to the war in Gaza and Palestinian rights have

faced violence, harassment or arrest.

The deployment of lethal and less lethal weapons against protesters has continued to lead to

deaths and injuries across the world. However, the global civil society campaign for an

international, legally binding Torture-Free Trade Treaty has been developing its global reach,

drawing state attention to the need for a treaty and gaining vocal support from a number of UN

Special Procedures.

In positive moves, in July 2024, the ECOWAS Court ruled that Nigeria had violated

#EndSARS protesters9 rights; in May, regulations in the UK enhancing police powers to restrict

protests were struck down as unlawful.

When the president of South Korea suspended fundamental rights, including the right to

peaceful assembly, following a declaration of martial law in December 2024, popular protests

successfully challenged the move. The National Assembly quickly reversed it and the president

was suspended from of ce. û

Governments should stop unlawfully deploying lethal and less lethal weapons against

protesters and redouble efforts towards negotiating and adopting a UN Torture-Free Trade

Treaty.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSOCIATION

In 2024, authorities introduced or sought to introduce new restrictions on the right to freedom

of expression. States including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burkina Faso, China

(including Hong Kong), Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, India, Kyrgyzstan,

Lesotho, Moldova, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and

Viet Nam brought forward laws or bills that risked suppressing free speech or the banning of

media outlets.

18 Amnesty International Report

Authorities in Côte d9Ivoire, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guinea, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua,

Paraguay, Russia, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda and Venezuela, among other

countries, took new measures to restrict freedom of association. Measures included disbanding

or suspending NGOs or political parties, or labelling them <extremist=.

More broadly, rampant attacks on the rights to freedoms of expression and association have

continued. Governments9 repressive tactics have included arbitrary detention, torture and

unjust prosecution of critics and opponents, as well as the deployment of spyware. In some

cases, they have unlawfully killed or forcibly disappeared critics or sentenced them to death.

Among those targeted have been journalists, online commentators, political and trade union

activists, and human rights defenders 3 including campaigners for the rights of women, LGBTI

people and marginalized communities. In 2024, in countries including Belarus, China,

Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Türkiye, individuals were convicted and

sentenced to prison terms on charges related to <terrorism= or <extremism=, following unfair

trials, solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association, including on

social media.

Governments should repeal laws and end practices that violate the rights to freedom of

expression and association.

DISCRIMINATION
Racial and other forms of discrimination have driven many countries9 approaches to asylum

and migration and affected the rights of marginalized groups. Meanwhile, marginalized groups

have been scapegoated and presented as a threat to political or economic stability to legitimize

further restrictions on human rights and allow those in power to strengthen control. In 2024,

there were advances and setbacks in the domains of LGBTI rights and sexual and reproductive

rights.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Racism and other forms of oppression have continued to drive many countries9 approaches to

asylum and migration. Discriminatory policies and practices disproportionately affect racialized

groups of migrants, refugees and other non-citizens.

1 Several countries including Canada,

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have continued operating visa schemes that are shaped by racism and

û
tie migrant workers to a speci c employer, increasing the risk of labour exploitation. States and

non-state actors have also deployed and misused abusive digital technology in migration

management and asylum systems.

2

Governments around the world have taken extreme and violent measures to prevent and

push back irregular arrivals. These have included actions to shift the responsibility for refugees

and migrants to other countries, border closures and mass returns. In 2024, Egypt arbitrarily

detained hundreds of Sudanese refugees before forcibly returning them to Sudan; they were

among the more than 3.2 million Sudanese refugees living in neighbouring countries, often in

dire conditions. Pakistani authorities forcibly returned hundreds of thousands of refugees to

Afghanistan in pursuit of an unlawful deportation policy. The USA suspended the entry of

asylum seekers at the USA-Mexico border, exposing them to extortion, abduction and sexual

and gender-based violence. Belarus continued to force refugees and migrants across its

borders with the EU, resulting in some deaths in perilous conditions. Other European countries

and the EU failed to reduce dependence on third countries for migration management or

expand safe and legal routes for refugees.

Global analysis 19
Governments9 abusive responses to irregular migration have also undermined the rule of law,

as they have ignored and circumvented judicial orders upholding the rights of migrants, asylum

seekers and refugees. Greece has consistently ignored judgments from the European Court of

Human Rights (ECtHR). For example, its coastguard9s use of ûrearms during border control
operations has remained of concern despite an ECtHR ruling in 2024 that Greece had violated

the right to life during an interception at sea in 2014. In 2024, the UK sought to overturn a

2023 Supreme Court ruling that Rwanda was not a safe country as it pursued a scheme to

enable the enforced removal of asylum seekers there; the scheme was scrapped following a

change of government.

By contrast, community sponsorship groups across the world kept countering such racism

and exclusion with concrete expressions of solidarity.

Governments should adopt migration policies that effectively address inequality and

exclusion.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Racialized, ethnic, minority and other marginalized groups have continued to face systemic

discrimination and entrenched inequalities, deeply affecting their human rights.

In 2024, in a positive move, Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan won the right to use their

û
Indigenous names, rather than Mandarin language versions, in of cial documents. However,

respect for Indigenous Peoples9 rights suffered setbacks in several countries. The New Zealand

government enacted new laws that undermined the rights of M
ori. Governments in countries

including Bolivia, Indonesia and Malaysia proceeded with extractive or development projects

on land claimed by Indigenous Peoples without their free, prior and informed consent.

û
Racial pro ling and institutionalized racism in areas such as law enforcement and welfare

have persisted, highlighting the pervasive nature of these injustices. In the Americas, law

enforcement actions have targeted, or disproportionately affected, Afro-descendants in

countries including Brazil, Ecuador and the USA. In Asia, ethnic and religious minorities such

as non-Han ethnic groups in China and the Pamiri minority in Tajikistan have faced

persecution and systemic discrimination. In Europe, Norway and Switzerland have used

û
discriminatory racial pro ling, while in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden automated

welfare systems have led to discriminatory practices against racialized people, as well as

women and low-income individuals.

û
In the UK and other countries, the ampli cation by social media platforms of harmful

content played a role in racist and xenophobic violence.

Experts, activists and organizations working on the legacies of colonialism have continued to

call for governments to address their colonial past and the ongoing impact on human rights. In

August, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights recognized that structural racism

and racial discrimination posed barriers to the full enjoyment of the rights of Afro-descendant

people and tribal communities and called on states to implement comprehensive reparatory

justice. In November, experts from the African continent and its global diasporas called on

European governments to address their colonial past and ongoing impacts at the Dekoloniale

Berlin Africa Conference, a decolonial counter-version of the 1884-1885 Berlin Africa

Conference 140 years earlier.

3
Governments should end the racial discrimination built into laws and practices, address

the question of reparatory justice for slavery and colonialism and challenge the legacy of

these historical injustices in contemporary forms of racism and inequality.

20 Amnesty International Report

GENDER-BASED DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE

Opposition to gender equality has escalated in many contexts. Gender-based discrimination

and violence against women, girls and LGBTI people remain pervasive, particularly for those

experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. In Afghanistan, where women

and girls have continued to be subjected to gender persecution (a crime against humanity), the

Taliban imposed yet more severe restrictions in 2024, completely cutting them off from public

life and effectively limiting all aspects of their life. In Argentina, a femicide was reported every

û
33 hours in 2024. In Iran, authorities intensi ed their brutal crackdown on women and girls

û
who de ed compulsory veiling.

Despite setbacks, some progress on LGBTI rights occurred in 2024. Thailand became the

ûrst country in South-East Asia to achieve marriage equality for LGBTI people, while a ban on
same-sex marriage was ruled unconstitutional in Japan. Same-sex marriage was legalized in

Greece and the Czech Republic. Courts in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan made advances in

û
recognizing the rights of transgender people with regard to gender-af rming practices. In

Namibia, the High Court struck down legislation outlawing consensual same-sex sexual

conduct, although the government then appealed the decision.

At the same time, the backlash against LGBTI rights continued through the proliferation of

discrimination and repressive laws driven by anti-rights and anti-gender movements.

4 In

Ghana, Malawi, Mali and Uganda, legislative or judicial authorities took steps to, respectively,

criminalize or uphold bans on consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults. Georgia

adopted legislation on <family values and the protection of minors= that contained numerous

homophobic and transphobic measures, seemingly following much of the blueprint Russian

<gay propaganda= law. Bulgaria banned <LGBTI propaganda= in schools. Violence and denial

of human rights protections severely affected transgender people globally.

In 2024, several countries introduced policies that increased access to sexual and

reproductive health services. In Europe, France became the ûrst country in the world to
explicitly include abortion as a guaranteed freedom in its constitution, while several other

countries backed measures to protect patients and healthcare providers from harassment

outside abortion clinics. However, other countries, including Afghanistan, Argentina, Chile,

Puerto Rico and Russia, introduced policies in law or practice that reduced access to sexual

and reproductive health services. Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta and TikTok

removed information about abortion online.

Barriers in accessing abortion care persisted in many countries and those defending

abortion rights remained under attack. Activists, advocates, healthcare workers and others

were exposed to stigmatization and threats and were criminalized through unjust prosecutions,

investigations and arrests.

Governments must end gender-based discrimination and violence, repeal repressive laws

and ensure access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and

services, including safe abortion.

ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE INJUSTICE

Governments have failed to demonstrate the ambition needed to address the ever-increasing

ü
human rights costs of climate change. Meanwhile, high levels of in ation, debt repayment and

tax abuse have undermined economic and social rights in countries at all levels of income, but

particularly the lowest. In addition, in the context of the transition to renewable energy, demand

û
for so-called <critical minerals= has increased signi cantly, posing new human rights risks.

Global analysis 21
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Governments have utterly failed to meet their obligations to protect human rights within and

beyond their borders in the face of accelerating climate change. The UN Environment

Programme has reported that the world is on track to reach roughly 3 degrees Celsius of

warming above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. In May 2024, it was reported

that the average temperature for the previous 12 months had been more than 1.5 degrees

above pre-industrial levels.

5
2024 showed that, even at current levels of warming, the human rights costs of climate

change are unacceptably high. Climate change has made more severe and more likely

û
unnatural disasters like hurricanes, cyclones, wild res and heavy rainfall, leading to increased

death, forced displacement, famine and other human rights harms. Flooding in Bangladesh

and India displaced hundreds of thousands in 2024. Climate change drove more people from

their homes in Africa, adding to the millions already forcibly displaced there.
6

Some governments have chosen to grow their economies through investment in economic

sectors and projects that harm human rights, including the right to a healthy environment.

Such investments are often poorly regulated and encourage corporate actors to maximize their

û
pro ts irrespective of the <collateral= damage to human rights. For example, governments have

û
provided signi cant direct and indirect taxpayer-funded subsidies to the fossil fuel industry,

û
despite its responsibility for signi cant human rights harms all over the world; in unproven

solutions to the climate crisis that may entail human rights abuses in their implementation,

such as carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production; and in large-scale tourism

û
projects. In some cases, these projects have entailed forced evictions, signi cant pollution and

other human rights harms.

The countries that have generated the most carbon emissions have only contributed paltry

amounts of climate ûnance for adaptation in the lower-income countries that are on the front
lines of climate harm. Climate adaptation can help to minimize death and other human rights

harms, through the implementation of robust early warning systems, resilient health systems

and emergency response infrastructure. Some ûnancing has relied on loans that further indebt
low-income countries.

Activists and communities have demanded climate justice. Some have used domestic or

international judicial mechanisms to force governments to commit to a faster phase-out of fossil

fuels, though governments have not always implemented resulting judgments. Three decisions

û
issued by the ECtHR in April 2024 clari ed states9 human rights obligations in the context of

the climate crisis.

7 One ruled that Switzerland had failed to comply with its obligations to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the Swiss parliament voted to reject it. Meanwhile, the

International Court of Justice began hearings for an advisory opinion on climate change that

û
was initiated by student-led efforts on the Paci c island nation of Vanuatu.

All governments should implement a fast, fair and funded phase-out of fossil fuels and

stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. Historic emitting countries and other countries in a

position to do so should provide grant funding for climate adaptation in lower-income

countries most harmed by climate change.8

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

ü
Worsening climate change has been set against a backdrop of global con icts, high in ation ü
and debt repayment, poor corporate regulation and pervasive tax abuse.
9 In 2024, lower-

û
income countries9 debt payments hit their highest levels in 30 years, dwar ng budgets for

health and education in many countries. Unfair tax systems and the failure to rein in corporate

and individual tax avoidance and evasion have further deprived governments of much needed

revenues for rights realization. As a result, extreme poverty and inequality have continued to

ü
deepen. Poverty and con ict, combined with climate change-related drought and other

unnatural disasters, have meant that hundreds of millions have experienced severe food

22 Amnesty International Report

insecurity. In 2024, famines were declared in Gaza, Haiti and Sudan. Globally, humanitarian

responses provided less than half the funding required to meet immediate needs.

Challenging this situation, activists and communities have protested and engaged in civil

disobedience to express cost-of-living concerns, even in the face of increasing criminalization

of protests. In addition, 2024 saw the adoption of the terms of reference for drafting a UN

Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. This convention has the potential to

lay the groundwork for a more equitable global tax system that prevents the abuse that

undercuts government capacity to invest in the rights to health, education and social security.

An overwhelming 110 countries voted in favour, with only eight voting against and 44

abstentions.

Governments should move quickly to draft, adopt and implement the UN tax convention,

and take steps to prevent tax abuse in the interim.

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

ü
Efforts by corporate actors to in uence law and policy, poor government regulation of corporate

actors and company failures to meet their human rights responsibilities have enabled a vast

range of rights violations, such as companies polluting the drinking water, ûshing grounds,
farmland and air of nearby communities and trampling the rights to information and consent.

In the context of the transition to renewable energy, demand for so-called <critical minerals=

û
has increased signi cantly, posing new human rights risks. Leading electric vehicle makers

have not demonstrated that they are meeting international human rights standards or even

putting their own policies into action.

10
However, there has been some progress. Most notably, the EU introduced a new corporate

accountability regulation in 2024 that requires large corporations to respect new rules on

human rights, environmental impacts and climate. While the Corporate Sustainability Due

û
Diligence Directive faces major challenges, it remains the world9s most signi cant attempt yet

to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence rules in line with the UN Guiding Principles

on Business and Human Rights.

The EU should reject efforts to weaken the human rights, environmental and climate
protections in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and other regional blocs

should follow suit with their own due diligence laws.

TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The elections in the USA in 2024 highlighted the immense power of Big Tech companies over

technological deployments and regulatory discussions, as well as their ability to facilitate

violations of the rights of migrants, LGBTI people and others, and ultimately underscored the

urgent need for binding human rights technology regulation around the world. Without

adequate regulation, governments have increasingly abused spyware and other surveillance

tools, and have entrenched inequalities by relying on new AI technologies in public sector

settings. Meanwhile, social media companies have continued to enable the spread of hateful

and violent content.

ABUSE OF TECHNOLOGY

Facial recognition technologies have had a chilling effect on the right to protest in many regions

of the world. In some countries, the police have monitored peaceful protesters with highly

advanced cameras on drones and video surveillance cars. This practice violates the right to

privacy, has a chilling effect on the right to peaceful assembly and may have discriminatory

effects.

Global analysis 23
There has been widespread use of spyware technologies in an increasing number of countries

across the world. New digital security threats such as the abuse of online ad tracking, the

process of gathering data on how internet users interact with adverts, have emerged.

Meanwhile, lack of transparency and regulation has continued to obscure the murky trade in

surveillance technology such as spyware. In 2024, evidence was exposed of sales and

deployment of highly invasive spyware and surveillance products to companies and state

agencies in Indonesia, while mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students studying abroad

continued to be subjected to surveillance while using Chinese and other apps and digital

platforms. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence, sometimes facilitated through

surveillance, posed a growing threat to women and LGBTI activists in countries including

Thailand and Uganda.

Civil society activists, including Amnesty International, as well as some states, have sought

accountability for spyware-related abuses. In 2024, litigation against spyware ûrm NSO Group
continued in countries including Thailand and the USA, despite efforts by Israel to undermine

this. However, at the multilateral level, efforts to address spyware have tended to focus on

voluntary codes of conduct. For instance, in 2024, France and the UK launched the Pall Mall

Process to bring together states, the private sector and civil society to address issues around

commercial cyber intrusion. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has continued to create and

make available new tools for activists to protect themselves.

11

Governments should prohibit unlawful surveillance and unlawful surveillance tools and

put in place robust safeguards to protect against abuses and provide remedy to victims.

INADEQUATE REGULATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Governments have stepped back from commitments to regulate new technologies, partly

ü
triggered by changes in the US administration and heavily in uenced by industry interests.

States have increasingly integrated AI technologies into public sector functions and enabled the

development and expansion of AI-powered systems in welfare, policing, migration and military

û û
contexts. Often these technologies are deployed under justi cations of government ef ciency,

cost savings or other austerity measures but, in reality, compound existing discrimination,

reinforce gender inequalities and entrench racial, socio-economic systems of power.

12

States9 continued reliance on automated tools in the provision and supervision of social

protection has led to discriminatory and unfair outcomes.

13 These harms are in part caused by

the üawed implementation of new but increasingly common techniques such as <entity
resolution=, by which states, such as India, identify and link personal records across different

databases.
14

Regulation of AI has been held back globally by narratives that position the USA and China

as competitors in an arms race and thus promote rapid unchecked AI development both for

national security reasons, and under a false dichotomy between regulation and innovation.

Governments should do more to regulate AI technologies and companies that produce

them, ensuring that human rights are integral to the design and deployment of new

technologies.

BUSINESS MODEL OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES

Social media companies operating with unchecked power have rolled back protections aimed

at preventing harms to the most marginalized and at risk. They have also continued to operate

a business model that systemically prioritizes engagement over everything else, therefore

enabling the spread of hateful and violent content. This has kept young people in particular

hooked on their platforms, despite harmful knock-on effects. In 2024, globally, youth activists

faced threats and harassment online.

15 In the Philippines, Amnesty International documented

state-backed <red-tagging= attacks that targeted youth activists for their activism.

24 Amnesty International Report

The EU set a mixed precedent on tech regulation. Its landmark Digital Services Act, which fully

came into force in February 2024, placed obligations on online platforms and search engines

to ensure respect for human rights.

16 The European Commission then decided to investigate

TikTok over the possibility that it had breached the regulation for failing to protect young

users.
17 The EU9s AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024, set limits to some of the

most rights-violating uses of AI, although it failed to put people and their rights at its centre.
18

In other positive news, in Ethiopia, victims of human rights abuses continued to make

progress in their efforts to hold Facebook to account, in courts accessible to them, for the

harms that Facebook had caused or contributed to. However, elsewhere, proposed legislation

to address the harms of social media was often overly broad or sought to limit children9s and

young people9s access to social media without addressing the underlying issues of the social

business companies9 model or adequately considering the opinions of children and young

people.

Governments should adequately regulate social media companies to protect human

rights. The companies themselves should move away from their unlawful, surveillance-

based business model.

1. Obligations of State Parties on Addressing and Eradicating Xenophobia and Its Impact on the Rights of Migrants, Their Families, and Other

Non-Citizens Affected by Racial Discrimination, 4 April ±

2. Primer: Defending the Rights of Refugees and Migrants in the Digital Age, 5 February ; The Digital Border: Migration, Technology and

Inequality, 21 May ±

3. <Global: Africans and people of African descent call on Europe to reckon with their colonial legacies=, 18 November ±

4. We Are Facing Extinction: Escalating Anti-LGBTI Sentiment, the Weaponization of Law and Their Human Rights Implications -in Select

African Countries, 9 January ±

5. <Global: Record-breaking 12-month run of global heat underlines urgency of action to deliver climate justice=, 5 June ±

6. <Africa: Richer countries must commit to pay at COP29 as climate change forcibly displaces millions across Africa=, 4 November ±

7. Climate Inaction, Ruled Out! European Court Clarifies State Obligations to Tackle the Climate Crisis, 21 August ±

8. Amnesty International Recommendations to Parties to the UNFCCC on Human Rights Consistent Climate Action in 2024, 23 October ±

9. What9s Tax Got to Do with It: A Resource Guide on Tax and Human Rights, 17 September ±

10. Recharge for Rights: Ranking the Human Rights Due Diligence Reporting of Leading Electric Vehicle Makers, 15 October ±

11. <Amnesty International9s Security Lab unveils new tools to support civil society against digital threats=, 5 June ±

12. Briefing: Gender and Human Rights in the Digital Age, 10 July ±

13. Briefing: Social protection in the Digital Age, 6 March ±

14. Use of Entity Resolution in India: Shining a Light on How New Forms of Automation Can Deny People Access to Welfare, 30 April ±

15. <Three out five young activists face online harassment globally for posting human rights content=, 1 July ±

16. <EU: Landmark Digital Services Act must be robustly enforced to protect human rights=, 17 February ±

17. <EU/Global: European Commission9s TikTok probe aims to help protect young users=, 19 February ±

18. <Statement: EU takes modest step as AI law comes into effect=, 1 August ±

Global analysis 25
AFRICA REGIONAL OVERVIEW

ü
While Africa9s armed con icts caused relentless civilian suffering, including increasing

levels of sexual and gender-based violence, and death on a massive scale, international and

regional responses remained woefully inadequate, with civilians feeling forgotten.

The cost-of-living crisis deepened as prices of food, fuel and other basic necessities
spiralled. High taxation levels, unsustainable public debts, widespread and unchecked

ü
corruption, escalating con icts and extreme weather events exacerbated the crisis.

Protesting meant putting one9s life in danger. Demonstrations were too often brutally and

lethally dispersed and attacks on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly

and association remained rampant. Repressive tactics used by governments included

enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests and detentions of opponents, human rights

defenders, activists, journalists and their critics.

ü
Con ict and climate-induced shocks remained the main drivers of forced displacement,
and Sudan continued to suffer the largest displacement crisis worldwide. The number of

ü
refugees from con ict zones continued to soar; many refugees lived in squalid conditions or

in fear of forced return.

Discrimination and gender-based violence 3 fuelled by societal norms 3 remained a daily

reality for women and girls.

High income countries with primary responsibility for causing climate change failed to

make adequate funding available for loss and damage and for adaptation measures.
Consequently, communities continued to bear the brunt of protracted droughts, recurrent

üoods and extreme storms and heat which were likely exacerbated by climate change.
A culture of impunity continued to embolden perpetrators of crimes under international

law and other serious or gross human rights violations.

UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

Unlawful attacks and killings by government forces and armed groups were reported across the

region, including in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia,

South Sudan and Sudan.

Operations by government forces often left a trail of civilian death. In Burkina Faso, the

military reportedly killed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in the villages of

Soro and Nodin in February. Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed in May by the military

and its proxy forces during a supply operation against besieged towns in the east. In Ethiopia,

following armed clashes in January between government forces and militias in Merawi town,

Amhara region, government forces rounded up scores of civilian men from their homes, shops

and the streets and executed them.

In several conüicts, airstrikes or drone attacks by government forces resulted in civilian

casualties. In Mali, army drone strikes killed at least 27 civilians, including 18 children in

March, and eight civilians, including six children, in October. In Niger, an army drone strike in

January reportedly killed around 50 civilians in the village of Tiawa, Tillabéri region. In Nigeria,

military air strikes in Kaduna state killed 23 people in a village, including worshippers at a

mosque and shoppers at a market. In Somalia, two strikes in March by Turkish-made drones,

supporting Somali military operations, killed 23 civilians, including 14 children, in the lower

Shabelle region.

26 Amnesty International Report

Armed groups were responsible for some of the deadliest attacks against civilians. In Burkina

Faso, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) reportedly killed around 200

people, including civilians, in Barsalogho in August. In the DRC, most civilian killings occurred

when armed groups, including the March 23 Movement, the Cooperative for Development of

the Congo and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), battled with government forces in the east

and west. In June the ADF killed more than 200 civilians in two separate attacks. In Somalia,

the UN Assistance Mission reported that Al-Shabaab was responsible for 65% of the 854

civilian casualties recorded in the country between January and September. In Sudan, the

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued its attacks on civilians, some of which were ethnically

motivated. In October the RSF launched retaliatory attacks on towns and villages in eastern

Gezira state, after one of its commanders defected to the Sudanese Armed Forces, killing at

least 124 civilians in seven days according to the UN.

Armed groups frequently targeted places of worship, schools, hospitals and other civilian

objects. In Burkina Faso, an armed group killed 15 worshippers at a Catholic church in

Essakane, Sahel region on 25 February. On the same day, another armed GSIM group killed at

least 14 worshippers at a mosque in Natiaboani, Est region. In August, GSIM killed 26 civilians

at a church in Kounla, Boucle du Mouhoun region. In February, armed groups in Mozambique

burned down three churches and two schools and set ûre to a hospital in the Chiúre district.

ü
Parties to armed con icts must respect international humanitarian law, including by

protecting civilians and religious and educational institutions and other cultural property,

and ending targeted and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

There was an alarming surge in cases of conüict-related sexual violence. In CAR, more than

11,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in the ûrst half of the year. In the DRC,

the number of reported cases doubled in the ûrst quarter of 2024, in comparison to the same

period in 2023. In Sudan, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the

Sudan found that RSF members perpetrated widespread sexual violence during attacks on

cities in the Darfur region and in Greater Khartoum. They frequently raped and gang-raped

women and girls in front of their family members, particularly in the Darfur region and in Gezira

state. Conüict-related sexual violence was also prevalent in Somalia and South Sudan. In one

incident in Somalia, two members of the Somali National Army allegedly raped two sisters aged

15 and 16 years.

ü
Parties to armed con icts should issue clear orders to their members or forces,

prohibiting acts of sexual and gender-based violence.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

RIGHT TO FOOD

Large proportions of the region9s population continued to face hunger. In the Southern Africa

region, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe were affected by

the worst El Niño-induced drought in a century, and some of which responded by declaring a

state of emergency. The drought destroyed crops and livestock, threatening food security for

millions. In August the Southern African Development Community announced that 17% of the

population of the Southern Africa region (68 million people) needed aid.

Severe food insecurity was experienced in other parts of Africa, including in CAR, Somalia

and South Sudan. In CAR, more than 2.5 million people were affected, with more than 50% of

the population in Mbomou, Haute-Kotto and other regions living in a situation of emergency or

crisis food insecurity. In Somalia, at least 4 million people faced crisis or emergency food

insecurity, and an estimated 1.6 million children aged between six and 59 months faced acute

Africa regional overview 27

malnutrition. In South Sudan, approximately 7.1 million people (56.3%) were projected to face

crisis-level or more severe food insecurity during the year, and more than 2.5 million children

and women experienced acute malnutrition.

RIGHT TO EDUCATION

While the AU committed to build resilient education systems, conüict and insecurity kept

millions of children out of school. In violation of the Safe Schools Declaration (an

intergovernmental agreement for the protection of education in armed conüict), hundreds of

schools in conüict zones were destroyed in attacks or became shelters for the displaced. In

Sudan, more than 17 million children remained out of school, with Save the Children reporting

in May that attacks on schools had increased fourfold since the start of the conüict in April

2023. In West and Central Africa, UNICEF reported that more than 14,000 schools were closed

due to conüict as of September, affecting 2.8 million children. In Burkina Faso, conüict forced

the closure of 5,319 schools as of March, affecting nearly one million children.

RIGHT TO HEALTH

Governments continued to fail to uphold their pledges made in the Abuja Declaration over two

decades earlier to allocate 15% of their national budgets to healthcare. With governments

spending on average only 7.4% of national budgets on healthcare, public health systems

struggled to deliver quality services. Meanwhile, healthcare costs remained high, while the

WHO warned in December that governments9 heavy reliance on people to pay for their own

healthcare was pushing more than 150 million people into poverty across the region. In Kenya,

a new national health insurance system created difûculties in accessing healthcare for many

patients. On a positive note, Ghana expanded its malaria vaccine roll-out while the Niger

government announced a 50% reduction in patients9 fees for medical treatment, laboratory

tests, imaging and medical and surgical procedures, and abolished fees for childbirth and

dialysis in public hospitals.

An Mpox outbreak affecting countries including Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Congo, the DRC

and South Africa, caused alarm throughout the region. By 30 July, 14,250 Mpox cases and

456 deaths were reported in 10 countries, representing an increase of 160% and 19%

respectively, in comparison to the same period in 2023. The DRC accounted for over 96% of

all cases and deaths reported. In August the WHO declared the region9s Mpox outbreak <a

public health emergency of international concern=.

FORCED EVICTIONS

Thousands of people were left homeless and destitute after governments carried out forced

evictions in several countries, including Congo, Côte d9Ivoire and Kenya. In Congo, residents of

Mpili, Kouilou department, were forcibly relocated to make way for potash extraction by a

Chinese company. In Kenya, the government demolished the homes of at least 6,000

households in the Mathare and Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlements of Nairobi amid heavy rainfall

and üooding.

Governments must immediately act to address socio-economic hardships, including by

taking swift action to prevent hunger, and addressing the underlying causes of food
insecurity; endorsing and implementing the Safe Schools Declaration and ensuring access

ü
to education for children in con ict zones; prioritizing public spending on healthcare in line

with the Abuja Declaration; ending forced evictions and adopting moratoriums on mass

evictions pending the establishment of adequate legal and procedural safeguards for those

threatened with eviction.

28 Amnesty International Report

REPRESSION OF DISSENT
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

Excessive use of force by security forces was common. Police killings and mass arrests of

protesters were documented in countries including Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and

Senegal. In Guinea, a 17-year-old protester was shot dead in February during a trade union

strike. In March, two boys aged eight and 14 were shot dead when a power cut in the city of

Kindia sparked protests. In Senegal, security forces killed four people, including a 16-year-old

boy, during protests in February objecting to delayed presidential elections. In Kenya, the

national human rights institution documented 60 deaths in June and July during anti-Finance

Bill protests. More than 600 protesters were arrested between June and August. Following

Mozambique9s disputed October elections, security forces unleashed the worst crackdown on

protests in years. At least 277 people died, including children and bystanders. In Nigeria, at

least 24 people were killed during the #EndBadGovernance protests in August while more than

1,000 were detained.

Brutal repression of protests by security forces was also reported in Angola, Benin,

Botswana, Côte d9Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Uganda. In other countries, including Chad,

Tanzania, Togo and Zambia, authorities banned protests. In Tanzania, more than 500 people

afûliated to the opposition Chadema party were arrested in August for allegedly violating a ban

on a youth conference. In September the police announced a ban on all Chadema protests. In

Togo, demonstrations and meetings planned by opposition political parties and civil society to

discuss proposed constitutional changes were routinely banned.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Governments targeted critics with intimidation, arrest and judicial harassment. In Cameroon,

the minister of territorial administration banned in October <any media debate on the state of

the President= following rumours about President Biya9s health. In Eswatini, authorities

continued to use a 2008 anti-terrorism law to target government critics. In Madagascar,

authorities used Predator spyware to monitor political opposition members. In Senegal,

politician Ahmed Suzanne Camara was arrested and charged in July with <offending the head

of state= after he called the president and the prime minister liars. Another politician, Cheikhna

Keita, was arrested in September after speaking on TV about tensions between the president

and the prime minister.

In Uganda, eight musicians were arrested by military ofûcials in April when they were

overheard during a public event complaining about a speech by President Museveni. Also in

April, a court barred social media activist Ibrahim Musana from mentioning on social media the

names of several government ofûcials, including President Museveni, pending the

determination of a case against him on charges including promoting hate speech. In July a

court sentenced Edward Awebwa to six years9 imprisonment for sharing videos mocking the

president. In Zambia, authorities ûled üimsy charges against several critics for exposing

allegations of corruption or criticizing government ofûcials. For example, Raphael Nakacinda,

secretary general of the opposition Patriotic Front party, was sentenced to 18 months9

imprisonment for <defaming the president= under a law that was repealed in 2021.

Several governments sought to introduce new restrictions on the right to freedom of

expression. In Equatorial Guinea, parliament began debating in March a cybercrime bill that

would introduce new restrictions on social media use. In Gambia and Lesotho, there were fears

that cybercrime bills before the respective parliaments would lead to abuses of and restrictions

on the right to freedom of expression if passed without amendments. In Niger, authorities

reinstated jail sentences for defamation and related offences, reversing progress previously

made on the right to freedom of expression.

Africa regional overview 29

Governments ignored a call by the African Commission on Human and Peoples9 Rights

(ACHPR) in March to refrain from interrupting telecommunication and internet services and/or

blocking access to digital platforms. Such practices were reported in countries including

Comoros, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Senegal and Sudan. In

Sudan, a near-total telecommunication blackout in February posed serious risks to the

coordination of emergency assistance and humanitarian services to millions of people caught

up in conüict.

MEDIA FREEDOM

Crackdowns against journalists fostered a climate of fear leading to self-censorship. Journalists

were threatened, physically assaulted and/or arbitrarily arrested in Angola, Chad, Guinea,

Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe and other countries. As of 10 December,

eight journalists had been killed in Africa, ûve of them in Sudan, according to the International

Federation of Journalists. Chadian journalist Idriss Yaya was murdered, together with his wife

and four-year-old son, in March after receiving threats, likely linked to his reporting of

escalating communal conüicts in the Mongo region.

More than two decades after Eritrea9s free press was dismantled, there remained no form of

registered, privately owned media. In Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Tanzania, Togo and

elsewhere, authorities suspended or threatened to suspend the operations of media houses

and newspapers. In Burkina Faso, authorities suspended the broadcasters TV5 Monde, BBC

and Voice of America, as well as access to the websites of nine Burkinabe media organizations,

for two weeks in retaliation for their reporting on the Nodin and Soro massacres. In Guinea, the

government ordered the revocation of operating licences for several radio and TV stations for

alleged <non-compliance with content speciûcations=. In Tanzania, regulatory authorities

suspended for 30 days the digital platforms of The Citizen, claiming that the platforms had

published material that disrupted <national unity and social peace= in connection with a video

about missing or murdered people. In Togo, authorities suspended the accreditations of all

foreign journalists for the coverage of the April elections.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Civil society organizations9 ability to organize and freely conduct their activities were curtailed.

In Côte d9Ivoire, the government adopted an ordinance regulating such organizations9 activities,

sparking fears that it would be used to interfere in their ûnances and control their activities. The

Ethiopian authorities arbitrarily suspended the licences of ûve national human rights

organizations and four of the suspensions were still in place at the end of the year. In Guinea,

the government suspended the renewal of NGOs9 operating licences for four months pending

an assessment of their activities. In Rwanda, a new law imposed restrictions on budgeting and

management decisions of national NGOs.

In Uganda, an amendment to the NGO law paved the way for the dissolution of the semi-

autonomous NGO Bureau and its re-establishment as a department within the Ministry of

Internal Affairs, signalling a move towards centralized decision-making, control and increased

government oversight of NGO affairs. In Zimbabwe, the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO)

Amendment Bill 2024 3 pending before the Senate at the year9s end 3 contained provisions

that could be used to restrict civic space and threaten the existence, independence and

operations of civil society organizations.

Governments must ensure law enforcement agencies comply with international human

rights law and standards, including on the use of force; end all forms of harassment against

those exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; and create a

safe and enabling environment for civil society organizations to function.

30 Amnesty International Report

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS AND ENFORCED

DISAPPEARANCES
Arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition activists and human rights defenders were

witnessed in many countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad,

Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and

Zimbabwe. In Angola, the health of detained activists Adolfo Campos and Gildo das Ruas

deteriorated drastically when they were denied medical care. In Chad, following the killing of

opposition leader Yaya Dillo in February during an assault by security forces on his party

headquarters, 25 of his relatives were arrested, most of whom were detained in a high-security

prison without access to legal representation or medical care. In July, 14 were sentenced to 10

years9 imprisonment and 10 others acquitted, while one remained in detention without charge.

However, in November and December, they were all released without explanation. In Mali, the

gendarmerie arrested 11 politicians in June for holding a meeting in Bamako, the capital.

Accused of <disturbing public order and plotting against the state=, they were released in

December.

Elsewhere in the region, authorities increasingly used mass arrests, rounding up hundreds of

people. In Congo, 580 people were arrested in May and June after Brazzaville authorities

launched Opération Coup de Poing to combat crime. In Ethiopia, hundreds of people were

arrested nationwide on the pretext of enforcing a state of emergency. In the Amhara region, the

federal army and security forces launched a new mass arrest campaign in September,

detaining thousands of people in four days. In Mozambique, hundreds were arrested ahead of

the October general elections for their support or membership of the opposition Optimist Party

for the Development of Mozambique. Thousands more were arrested in the post-election

period. In Zimbabwe, authorities intensiûed their crackdown on peaceful dissent, arresting

more than 160 people, including opposition members, union leaders, students and journalists,

ahead of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development

Community held on 17 August in Harare, the capital. Earlier, in June, police had arrested 78

people during a raid on a private gathering at the home of Jameson Timba, party leader of the

opposition Citizens Coalition for Change.

Enforced disappearances remained pervasive, including in Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. In Kenya, the Law Society reported that at

least 72 people were forcibly disappeared in connection with the anti-Finance Bill protests. In

Guinea, Omar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, members of the National Front for the Defence of

the Constitution, arrested in July, and journalist Habib Marouane Camara, arrested in early

December, remained forcibly disappeared at the year9s end.

Governments must end the use of arbitrary arrests and detentions, and enforced

disappearances of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, opponents and government

critics; immediately and unconditionally release anyone detained solely for peacefully

exercising their human rights; and disclose the fate and whereabouts of anyone subjected to

enforced disappearance.

RIGHTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE, REFUGEES AND

MIGRANTS
With more than 11 million internally displaced people, of whom 8.6 million had been displaced

since April 2023, Sudan suffered the largest displacement crisis in the world. Other countries

with staggering numbers of internally displaced people included the DRC (7.3 million), Burkina

Faso (2 million), South Sudan (2 million), Somalia (552,000), CAR (455,533) and Mali

(331,000). Living conditions in internally displaced people9s camps remained deplorable, with

Africa regional overview 31

continuous attacks by armed groups exacerbating the situation. In August, the UN declared

famine conditions in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in Sudan9s North Darfur

region.

The number of refugees from conüict zones continued to soar. Sudanese refugees in

neighbouring countries exceeded 3.2 million. They lived in dire conditions, including in Egypt

where hundreds were arbitrarily detained pending their forced return to Sudan. Between

January and March, Egyptian authorities forcibly returned an estimated 800 Sudanese

nationals.

More than 20,000 migrants from various countries were expelled from Algeria to Assamaka,

a town in Niger9s Agadez region, between January and August. In May, several people died of

apparent exhaustion en route to or on arrival in Assamaka.

Governments must end the arbitrary detention of refugees and migrants on the basis of

their migration status and protect them from forced returns and mass expulsions.

DISCRIMINATION AND MARGINALIZATION

The rape and murder of seven-year-old Heaven Awot in Ethiopia and the death of three girls

after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone became emblematic of the

prevalence of sexual violence against women and girls across the region. However, positive

developments were recorded in several countries. In Côte d9Ivoire, the National Assembly

adopted an amendment to the Criminal Code to allow abortion in cases of incest. Equatorial

Guinea9s government adopted a declaration outlining measures to address gender disparities

and promote women9s empowerment. Gambia9s parliament rejected a bill to overturn the ban

on FGM. Sierra Leone enacted a law banning early and child marriage. In South Africa, the

High Court in Pretoria declared sections of a law dealing with sexual offences unconstitutional

for providing a subjective test for criminal intent where sexual violence is not criminalized if a

perpetrator wrongly and unreasonably believed that the complainant consented.

As activists marked the 10th anniversary of the ACHPR resolution 275 on protection from

violence of LGBTI people, authorities continued to weaponize legal systems to target and

discriminate against them. In Mali a new Criminal Code was adopted under which consensual

same-sex sexual conduct was punishable by imprisonment and a ûne. In Burkina Faso, a draft

family code threatened to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. Ghana9s

parliament passed a bill which further criminalized LGBTI people. In Malawi and Uganda,

courts ruled to uphold bans on consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults. In

Eswatini, the government continued its refusal to register an LGBTI organization. In contrast,

positive developments elsewhere included the introduction in Botswana of a constitutional

amendment bill that could protect intersex people from discrimination. The Namibian High

Court struck down legislation outlawing consensual same-sex sexual conduct.

Governments must combat all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence against
women and girls, including by addressing the root causes, and increasing efforts to

eliminate harmful practices. Governments must repeal anti-LGBTI laws and refrain from

efforts to criminalize consensual same-sexual conduct.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

High income countries with primary responsibility for causing climate change failed to make

adequate funding available for loss and damage and for adaptation measures. Consequently,

millions of people endured drought while thousands were affected by torrential rain and üoods.

Deaths from üooding were reported in countries including Cameroon, Côte d9Ivoire,

Madagascar, Mali and Niger. In Niger and Mali, at least 339 and 177 people died in üoods,

32 Amnesty International Report

respectively. In Madagascar, Cyclone Gamane resulted in 18 deaths, displaced 20,737 people

and damaged vital infrastructure including roads and bridges.

The securing by several governments of funding to address the climate change crisis came

at the cost of increasing debt burdens. Côte d9Ivoire secured USD 1.3 billion to improve its

climate resilience and transition to renewable energy. Namibia secured USD 10 billion to

develop so-called <green hydrogen=. Meanwhile, the South African government announced the

establishment of a climate change fund to respond to the impacts of climate change and build

resilience. In Madagascar, the government committed to a 28% reduction in greenhouse

emissions by 2030. Other developments included the Congolese government9s suspension of

operations at the Metssa Congo recycling company in Vindoulou, Pointe-Noire department, due

to potential risks to the health of the surrounding populations and environment. Senegalese

authorities suspended until mid-2027 all mining activities along the Falémé river because of

health and environmental concerns relating to the use of chemicals during mining.

Governments must take immediate measures to protect against the effects of climate
change and strengthen their preparedness for extreme weather events, including by seeking

international assistance and climate ûnance from higher income countries, especially those
most responsible for climate change.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND REPARATION

Impunity remained entrenched in many countries. In Eswatini, the government failed to

investigate extrajudicial killings carried out between 2021 and 2024, including the killing of

human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko in 2023. In Ethiopia, the government continued to

dismiss crimes documented by human rights bodies while its <transitional justice= initiative,

limited to reconciliation, remained largely a paper exercise. In Senegal, an amnesty law passed

in March halted prosecutions for the killings of 65 protesters and bystanders between March

2021 and February 2024.

However, measures to promote justice and accountability for crimes under international law

were recorded in several countries. In CAR, the UN-backed Special Criminal Court arrested two

suspects and issued an international arrest warrant for former president François Bozizé for

alleged crimes against humanity linked to actions by his presidential guard between 2009 and

2013. Gambia9s National Assembly passed laws in April to establish the Special Accountability

Mechanism and the Special Prosecutor9s Ofûce. In December, ECOWAS agreed to establish the

Special Tribunal for the Gambia, demonstrating progress towards accountability for crimes

committed under former president Yahya Jammeh. In South Sudan, laws to establish truth and

reparations commissions were enacted, but the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South

Sudan remained stalled.

In a few cases, prosecutions of suspected perpetrators resulted in convictions. In Guinea,

the Dixinn Criminal Court convicted eight people, including former president Moussa Dadis

Camara, for crimes against humanity in connection with the September 2009 stadium

massacre. The ICC sentenced Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz to 10 years9 imprisonment for crimes

against humanity and war crimes committed in Mali between May 2012 and January 2023.

Governments must strengthen measures to prevent and combat impunity by undertaking

prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, effective and transparent investigations into

crimes under international law and other serious or grave human rights violations and

abuses, bringing suspected perpetrators to justice and ensuring victims9 access to an

effective remedy.

Africa regional overview 33

AMERICAS REGIONAL OVERVIEW

Human rights defenders in the Americas were stigmatized, harassed and attacked,

including through arbitrary detention, defamatory campaigns, enforced disappearances,

forced displacements, illegal surveillance, killings, threats, torture and unfair trials.

Freedom of expression was at risk due to attacks on and harassment of the press,
including the killing of journalists and unlawful surveillance of the population. Restrictive

regulations and repression by law enforcement posed obstacles to the right to protest.

States failed to investigate and redress gross human rights violations and crimes under

international law, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions. There

were some limited developments in accountability for political repression and crimes

committed in the past. The Inter-American human rights system continued to be a key

player in the region9s efforts to achieve truth, justice and reparation.

Unfair trials and arbitrary and mass detentions continued to be a daily occurrence as a
form of repression or as part of public security strategies. In some countries, unfair trials

were held before tribunals and courts lacking independence.

Anti-Black racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples continued to be

prevalent in the region. Discrimination against LGBTI people was recorded throughout the

region. Violence severely affected transgender people.

States failed to take the necessary actions to minimize the human rights impacts of the

û
climate crisis. Wild res, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and üoods affected communities
in several countries.

û
States did not ful l their obligations to guarantee economic and social rights, which

particularly affected groups that suffer discrimination. Poverty and inequality were prevalent

in the region. Health services were inadequate and underfunded, and food insecurity

affected millions.

Gender-based violence, including femicide and sexual violence, continued unabated and

unpunished throughout the region. Access to abortion was hindered in law and practice,
mainly affecting people facing multiple forms of discrimination. Several countries

introduced policies in law or practice that reduced access to reproductive health services.

Indigenous Peoples continued to be subjected to violence, discrimination and

marginalization, and several states denied them their right to free, prior and informed

consent. Abuses by state and non-state actors were often linked to land tenure, titling

issues and extractive industries.

Thousands of people continued to leave their countries and move across the region
seeking international protection, due to persecution, human rights violations, insecurity and

the adverse effects of climate change. Many migrants, refugees and asylum seekers faced

violence, xenophobia and racism, and legal and bureaucratic obstacles to exercising their

rights.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

The Americas continued to be dangerous for human rights defenders, with violations including

arbitrary detention, defamatory campaigns, enforced disappearances, forced displacements,

illegal surveillance, killings, threats, torture and unfair trials. Across the region, the most

vulnerable human rights defenders belonged to particular groups, such as women, Afro-

descendants, Indigenous persons and LGBTI people. Women searching for disappeared

people faced high levels of risk.

34 Amnesty International Report

Land, territory and environmental defenders were at particular risk of attacks and harassment

by governmental authorities and non-state actors including in Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. In Bolivia, park rangers protecting the Madidi National Park

were subjected to threats and attacks, while in Peru, four land, territory and environmental

defenders were killed, including three Indigenous leaders.

Governments failed to guarantee adequate protection mechanisms for human rights

defenders. In Brazil, the Protection Programme for Human Rights Defenders operated in fewer

than half the country9s states. In Honduras, local organizations raised concerns over the

weakness and ineffectiveness of the national protection mechanism. In Peru, the Ministry of

the Interior continued to lack a protocol to coordinate the protection of human rights defenders

with the police. Despite this trend, there were some limited advances in Guatemala where the

government reactivated the ofûcial body responsible for the analysis of risks to human rights

defenders.

States must guarantee that human rights defenders are able to carry out their work safely
and without fear of reprisals. NGOs and other human rights associations and movements

must be respected and allowed to conduct their work.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY

Civic space as an intersection of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly

was threatened by governments in the region in a concerning and growing trend.

Freedom of expression was at risk due to attacks on and harassment of the press in

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay,

Uruguay and Venezuela. In Colombia and Mexico, a number of these attacks resulted in violent

deaths. In Argentina and El Salvador, female journalists experienced digital violence, including

sexual harassment.

Journalists were criminalized and stigmatized by state authorities in several countries. In

Cuba, between September and October at least 20 journalists were summoned by the

authorities, threatened with criminal prosecution and forced to record videos incriminating

themselves. Their mobile phones and laptops were conûscated. In Nicaragua, media outlets

had their assets conûscated; in Venezuela, radio stations continued to be shut down and the

government hindered access to social media platforms. In Mexico, at least four journalists were

killed and the personal information of 324 journalists provided to the presidency for

accreditation purposes was leaked and posted on a website.

Some governments continued their efforts to control, restrict or close down NGOs. Paraguay

and Venezuela approved bills that would increase control over civil society organizations and

lead to arbitrary restrictions, including closure and criminal proceedings against their

members. A similar bill was proposed in Peru but was still pending approval at the end of the

year.

Unlawful surveillance and other privacy violations continued. In Argentina and Chile, there

were reports of mass surveillance through facial recognition and other technologies. In the

USA, similar concerns were raised about a mobile application with facial recognition and GPS

tracking, which was mandatory for migration and refugee processes. In Colombia, there was

controversy around the alleged purchase in 2021 of Pegasus, highly invasive spyware that

enables full and unrestricted access to a device, and its use.

Repression and the obstruction of protest continued to be a concern in the region. Protests

were repressed by law enforcement in Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, the USA and Venezuela,

among others. In Canada and the USA, peaceful university demonstrations against Israel9s

genocide in Gaza were met with violence from law enforcement ofûcials. According to the NGO

the Venezuelan Observatory on Social Conüict, between 29 and 30 July, 915 protests were

registered in the country, out of which 138 were repressed by security forces and pro-

Americas regional overview 35

government armed groups. New restrictive regulations on the right to protest were approved or

proposed in Argentina, Nicaragua and Peru, highlighting the deterioration of civic space.

States must protect civic space and repeal laws and practices that hinder the rights to

freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and prohibit unlawful

surveillance by state and private actors.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND REPARATION

States failed to investigate and redress enforced disappearances in the region. In Argentina,

the executive ordered the closure of the Special Investigation Unit for the search of children

appropriated and forcibly disappeared during the 1976-1983 military regime. In Peru, a law

instituting a statute of limitations to crimes against humanity and war crimes committed before

2002 came into effect. New cases of enforced disappearances occurred in Colombia, Cuba,

Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela.

Unlawful killings were committed with impunity; some cases might constitute extrajudicial

executions. In Ecuador, the Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce noted a spike in reports of possible

extrajudicial executions during the ûrst half of the year. In Mexico, military personnel attacked

and killed people in several states, including migrants and children. In Venezuela, at least 24

people died as a result of government repression of protests after a contested presidential

election. Detainees in Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Venezuela experienced torture and

other ill-treatment in prisons.

In Haiti, abuses by criminal gangs continued unabated. Gangs were responsible for

countless abuses, including killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence,

attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions and denial of humanitarian access.

Lack of accountability for human rights violations during protests and other political

repression in previous years continued in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras,

Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela. Some positive developments were registered during the year,

however, including the start of criminal proceedings in recent cases of repression in Chile and

Peru. In Brazil, ûve military police ofûcers were charged with kidnapping and false

imprisonment in the case of Davi Fiuza, who was forcibly disappeared in 2014. In October, two

men were convicted for the 2018 killing of councillor and human rights defender Marielle

Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes. In Paraguay, a former police ofûcer was sentenced to

30 years in prison for torture committed in 1976, during the military regime.

Truth and reparation mechanisms were fruitful but remained insufûcient. In Brazil, memory

and truth policies were partially resumed, including the Special Commission on Political Deaths

and Disappearances. In Mexico, the Mechanism for Truth and Historical Clariûcation presented

two reports addressing grave human rights violations between 1965 and 1990. In Peru, a court

order initiated the process of comprehensive reparations for victims of forced sterilizations

during the 1990s. The ICC authorized the resumption of the investigation into alleged crimes

against humanity in Venezuela.

The Inter-American human rights system continued to be a key player in the region9s efforts

to achieve truth, justice and reparation. Among other issues, it expressed concern about

mercury poisoning of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, promoted land recovery for the Garifuna

community in Honduras and issued protection orders for people arbitrarily detained in

Nicaragua. It also determined Colombia responsible for a campaign of persecution against the

Lawyers Collective <José Alvear Restrepo= and Argentina responsible for failing to adopt

reasonable measures to prevent the 1994 attack at the headquarters of the Argentine Israelite

Mutual Association centre.

States must guarantee truth, justice and reparations for human rights violations and

crimes under international law and bring all those suspected of criminal responsibility to

justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian tribunals.

36 Amnesty International Report

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR TRIALS
Unfair trials and arbitrary detentions continued to be a daily occurrence as a form of repression

or as part of public security strategies. In Cuba, 14 people were convicted for participating in

peaceful protests in 2022 in the municipality of Nuevitas. In Guatemala, former prosecutor

Virgina Laparra was declared guilty in an unfounded criminal proceeding shortly after being

released in another arbitrary proceeding, which forced her to go into exile. The Mechanism for

the Recognition of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua documented at least 151 individuals in the

country detained for political reason. In the USA, Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist,

continued to serve two life sentences despite serious concerns about his conviction and

sentencing. In Venezuela, human rights defenders and journalists continued to be criminalized

and arbitrarily detained, but people from all walks of life were at risk with at least 2,000

arbitrary detentions recorded after the elections, including 200 children.

Mass detentions, as well as detention without due process, in relation to security strategies

continued to be a concern. In Ecuador, thousands of possible arbitrary arrests were carried out

by law enforcement with apparently little justiûcation. A report by the Inter-American

Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) conûrmed that the state of emergency in El Salvador

had led to mass arbitrary detentions. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed

concern regarding the systematic use of arbitrary detention in Mexico, including the use of

arraigo (precautionary detention without charge) and automatic pretrial detention. Despite this,
the Mexican Congress increased the list of offences to which automatic pretrial detention

applies. In the USA, authorities expanded the system of arbitrary mass immigration detention.

In some countries, such as Venezuela, arbitrary arrests were accompanied by short-term

enforced disappearances and often followed by unfair trials before courts lacking

independence. The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers

expressed concern for the right to independent and impartial judges in Bolivia, after judicial

elections were delayed for more than a year. During a country visit to Guatemala, the IACHR

pointed out that unfounded criminalization was evidence of a lack of judicial independence in

the country. Mexico amended its constitution to incorporate the election of judges at all levels,

undermining judicial independence.

Authorities must take all the necessary measures to put an end to arbitrary detentions

and to guarantee the right to a fair trial.

DISCRIMINATION
Anti-Black racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples continued to be prevalent in

the region. In August, the IACHR recognized that structural racism and racial discrimination

posed barriers to the full enjoyment of the rights of Afro-descendant people and tribal

communities and called on states to implement comprehensive reparatory justice.

Law enforcement actions were targeted against, or disproportionately affected, Afro-

descendants in Brazil, Ecuador and the USA. In Canada, the Federal Court heard an

application to certify a class action brought by current and former federal public service

workers against the government for anti-Black racism in recruitment. In the Dominican

Republic, racial discrimination remained widespread and structural, particularly towards

Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian asylum seekers seeking protection.

In Brazil, 537,941 Indigenous individuals faced food insecurity, according to the Ministry of

Indigenous Peoples. In Canada, the police killed nine Indigenous People in separate incidents

in one month. In Colombia, Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities continued

to experience disproportionate impacts from human rights violations and breaches of

international humanitarian law and were disproportionately affected by large-scale forced

displacement.

Americas regional overview 37

Discrimination against LGBTI individuals was recorded in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia,

Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the USA and Venezuela.

Violence severely affected transgender people. In Brazil, in a report published in 2024, the

human rights group Grupo Gay da Bahia reported 257 violent deaths in 2023, mainly affecting

young Black transgender individuals. In Colombia at least 21 transgender women were killed,

according to the NGO Afûrmative Caribbean. In Mexico, the media and civil society

organizations reported at least 59 femicides of transgender women.

States must take the necessary measures to end racism, discrimination and other forms

of intolerance and ensure redress for victims.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

States failed to take the necessary actions to minimize the human rights impacts of the climate

crisis. Governments did not properly address their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions and phase out the use of fossil fuels. Countries including Brazil, Ecuador and

Venezuela increased oil extraction and gas üaring. Canada and the USA, both high-income and

high-emitting countries, failed to address the use of fossil fuels in the production of energy and

remained major emitters of greenhouse gases. They also blocked agreement on an adequate

new climate ûnance target at COP29.

Fires in the region, especially in the Amazon basin, caused massive loss of fragile

ecosystems and affected the ability of carbon sinks to mitigate global warming. There were

extensive wildûres in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru

and the USA. The response of governments to the effects of ûres on ecosystems and human

rights, including those of Indigenous Peoples and rural communities, was insufûcient.

The worsening effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion and

üoods, affected communities throughout the Americas region. Flooding in Rio Grande do Sul in

Brazil affected 2.3 million people and displaced 600,000. In Honduras, communities in the

Gulf of Fonseca reported negative impacts on their livelihoods caused by rising sea levels. In

Mexico, families from the El Bosque community, who had been evacuated in 2023 due to sea

level rises attributed to climate change, were relocated and received new homes following legal

actions by community members.

Governments must urgently address the effects of the climate crisis on human rights by
taking local, national and region-wide action, including phasing out fossil fuels and by

seeking international assistance and climate ûnance when needed. High-income, high-
emitting countries must provide adequate climate ûnance.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

States did not fulûl their obligations to guarantee economic and social rights, which particularly

affected groups that suffer discrimination. Poverty and inequality remained problematic in the

region. In Argentina, the introduction of austerity measures had a disproportionate impact on

children and older people.

Health services were inadequate and underfunded, affecting access to services and

medicines in Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay

and Venezuela. In Brazil, dengue fever cases surged leaving 6,041 dead, compared with 1,179

deaths in 2023. In Haiti, the health system faced serious challenges that brought it to the brink

of collapse. In Puerto Rico, the health and lives of people dependent on electrical equipment

were put at risk by the inadequate electricity supply. In Uruguay, access to mental health

services was insufûcient in the face of growing demand. Despite the recommendation of a 6%

GDP health expenditure by the Pan American Health Organization, Mexico allocated only 2.9%

of GDP and Paraguay only 4%, to name two examples.

38 Amnesty International Report

Food insecurity affected millions, including children, in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti

and Venezuela. In Argentina, the minimum pension beneût failed to cover the cost of living. In

Cuba, the government signiûcantly reduced the supply of subsidized <basic food baskets= and

people had to stand in long lines to access groceries. Almost half the population in Haiti

needed humanitarian assistance, with alarming levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. The

UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food visited Venezuela and reported that nearly 53% of

the population was exposed to extreme poverty with insufûcient income to purchase a <basic

food basket=.

States must take all necessary measures to tackle poverty and inequality and to meet

their human rights obligations regarding economic, social and cultural rights.

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Gender-based violence, including femicide, continued unabated and unpunished throughout

the region. A variety of sources reported alarming numbers of femicides in the region, including

in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and

Venezuela. Neither Cuba nor the Dominican Republic had legislation making femicide a

speciûc criminal offence.

In Argentina, a femicide was reported every 33 hours; despite this, the government

implemented budgetary cuts to policies addressing gender-based violence. There were limited

developments in Guatemala as the government acknowledged state responsibility for the

feminicides of Maria Isabel Véliz Franco and Claudina Velásquez in the early 2000s, as ruled

by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Other forms of violence also affected women and girls in the region. In Brazil, the Federal

Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce was actively monitoring cases of gender-based political violence

against women. In Canada, organizations called on the Ontario state government and

municipalities to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. In the Dominican Republic,

the media reported sexual and gender-based violence during immigration operations. In Haiti,

sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, increased in the ûrst half of the year. In

Peru, the government registered 12,924 cases of rape against women and girls. In the USA,

government data indicated that American Indian and Alaska Native women were 2.2 times

more likely to experience sexual violence than non-Indigenous women.

Authorities must end impunity for violent crimes against women and girls and increase

efforts to prevent them.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Access to abortion continued to be hindered in law and practice, disproportionately affecting

people facing intersecting forms of discrimination. The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti,

Honduras and Nicaragua continued to prohibit abortion in all circumstances. Partial

criminalization of abortion remained a source of concern. In Brazil, the Ministry of Women

reported that the prohibition of abortion disproportionately affected women living in poverty. In

Peru, only therapeutic abortion was legal and access to such abortions was inadequate.

Venezuela made no progress in improving sexual and reproductive rights, and abortion

remained criminalized.

Several countries introduced policies in law or practice that reduced access to reproductive

health services. In Argentina, the National Directorate of Sexual and Reproductive Health

announced that there was a shortage of essential supplies for abortion services. In Chile,

healthcare institutions and professionals refused to perform abortion services on the grounds of

their moral or religious views, undermining pregnant people9s right to access abortion. In

Puerto Rico, the Senate approved Bill PS 495, introducing restrictions on abortions for minors,

Americas regional overview 39

requiring the authorization of a parent or guardian for the procedure. In the USA, bans and

restrictions on abortion threatened people9s rights to life and health, and exacerbated barriers

to abortion for Black and other racialized people, Indigenous Peoples, undocumented

immigrants, transgender people, rural residents and people living in poverty. Medical

professionals increasingly left states with severe abortion bans, increasing regional inequality in

access to reproductive healthcare and particularly affecting rural and low-income areas.

Nevertheless, some progress was registered with health authorities in Colombia publishing

regulations granting access to lawful abortion services up until 24 weeks of pregnancy, as

mandated by a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling. In Mexico, seven states adopted legislation

decriminalizing abortion, although another one reduced it from 12 to six weeks.

Authorities must guarantee access to safe abortions and other sexual and reproductive

rights.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Indigenous Peoples continued to be subjected to discrimination and marginalization, and

states failed to respect their rights. The right to free, prior and informed consent was denied in

several countries. The Bolivian government failed to implement meaningful processes to

guarantee consent for extractive projects affecting Indigenous territories. Canada negotiated a

free trade agreement with Ecuador without consulting with Indigenous Peoples in the country.

Abuses by state and non-state actors were frequently linked to land tenure and titling issues.

In Brazil, hundreds of conüicts affecting Indigenous Peoples largely stemmed from the lack of

land demarcation and the demarcation process advanced slowly. In Guatemala, dozens of

peasant ( campesino) and Indigenous communities were at risk of forced evictions. In

Paraguay, the Tekoha Sauce Indigenous community of the Avá Guaraní Paranaense people

were still waiting for the restitution of their ancestral territory, appropriated by the Itaipú

Binational hydroelectric dam. The IACHR expressed concern about the ongoing impacts of

illegal mining on the life, health and survival of the Yanomami people in Venezuela.

Indigenous Peoples continued to face harassment and violence throughout the region,

including a lack of state protection against violence in Brazil, harassment by law enforcement

ofûcials in Chile, and internal forced displacement in Mexico and Nicaragua. In Colombia, the

Ombudsperson9s Ofûce reported that 50% of children recruited by armed groups were

Indigenous People. In Canada, the report of the Independent Special Interlocutor

acknowledged that Indian Residential Schools were <colonial institutions of genocide=. In the

USA, the Department of the Interior published its ûnal report on the Federal Indian Boarding

School initiative, identifying at least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 schools and at

least 973 conûrmed deaths.

States must respect and protect Indigenous Peoples9 rights, including ownership and

control over their lands and resources, and take measures to eliminate discrimination and
violence against them.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Thousands of people continued to leave their countries and move across the region, due to

persecution, human rights violations, insecurity and the adverse effects of climate change.

Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers faced xenophobia and racism in the Americas. By the

end of the year, more than 7.89 million Venezuelans had üed the country since 2015, while

people also üed from Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras due to violence and human rights

violations. In June, the IACHR noted with concern that many states9 responses to migration

included externalization and militarization of borders and deportation without due process.

40 Amnesty International Report

Refugees and migrants faced legal and bureaucratic obstacles to exercising their rights. In

Canada, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program continued to tie migrant workers to a single

employer who controlled their legal status and labour conditions, putting migrant workers at

heightened risk of labour exploitation. In the Dominican Republic, authorities failed to inform

new arrivals about the asylum process, imposed undue barriers for visas and residence

permits, summarily and collectively expelled Haitians and implemented racist migration

policies. In Mexico, the National Institute of Migration failed to expedite humanitarian visas to

asylum seekers, preventing them from accessing their rights to health, education and work. In

Peru, authorities continued to expel migrants and refugees without the guarantee that another

country would receive them. The USA suspended the entry of asylum seekers at the USA-

Mexico border, violating their right to seek safety and forcing them to wait in Mexico where they

were exposed to extortion, abducted, and experienced discrimination and sexual and gender-

based violence.

Refugees and migrants continued to face violence, harassment and threats. In the

Dominican Republic, violence and excessive use of force were recurrent in raids, according to

local NGOs. In Chile, Congress continued to discuss bills proposing the criminalization of

refugees and migrants.

Authorities must cease unlawful deportations and respect the principle of non-

refoulement. States must combat racism and xenophobia and guarantee all internationally

recognized rights to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Americas regional overview 41

ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL OVERVIEW

ü
Political turmoil, repression and armed con ict contributed to a worrying human rights

picture in the region. Yet despite huge risks, human rights defenders and activists

continued to claim their rights and speak out against oppression.

New laws curtailed rights further, including to freedom of expression. Protests were
frequently responded to with unlawful force often resulting in casualties. Political

opponents, human rights defenders, journalists and others were subjected to surveillance,

arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment and unlawful killing. These and other

violations were facilitated by impunity, although a court decision and truth commission

recommendations offered hope of reparations for victims in Japan and South Korea.

Extreme weather, rising sea levels and other slow onset events caused more devastation,

yet governments again failed to take the urgent action needed to tackle climate change and

adapt to climate-related harms.

û ü
A signi cant escalation in the armed con ict in Myanmar resulted in further grave

violations of international law. Rights, particularly those of women and girls, became even

more restricted under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and severe repression of dissent

continued in China and North Korea.

There was progress towards recognition of LGBTI rights in some countries. However,

systematic gender-based discrimination and violence against women, girls and LGBTI

people remained pervasive. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and of ethnic and descent-
based minorities were routinely ignored during extraction and development projects.

Violations of economic and social rights, including to housing and education, remained

high. People üeeing conüict and repression were too often put at risk by forcible
û
deportations or inde nite arbitrary detention.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The space for freedom of expression continued to shrink across the region. In countries

including Indonesia, Nepal and Papua New Guinea, media workers faced violence and

intimidation. In Afghanistan, more media outlets were banned, including two private TV stations

that were suspended for criticizing the Taliban. Journalists in Myanmar were sentenced to long

prison sentences. In Pakistan, at least seven journalists were killed in targeted attacks and

dozens of others were arrested and charged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.

New laws restricting the right to freedom of expression came into effect in Bangladesh,

Malaysia, Pakistan and Viet Nam. Sri Lanka9s new Online Safety Act contained vaguely deûned

crimes and broad powers leading to fears that it would be used to further restrict free speech.

In India, new laws replacing colonial-era legislation were also restrictive and the crime of

sedition, used to suppress government critics, was retained. The Chinese government

introduced new measures to prevent mainland internet users from using slang and other

<obscure expressions= to evade online censorship. In Hong Kong, authorities rubber-stamped

the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance which introduced broad deûnitions of <national

security= and <state secrets= already applied in mainland China, along with stronger

enforcement powers and harsher penalties.

Government critics faced prosecution in many countries. In Thailand, trials and

imprisonment of pro-democracy activists under lese-majesty and other restrictive laws

continued. In Cambodia, a journalist, internationally recognized for exposing human rights

abuses in cyber scam compounds, was arrested and charged with incitement. In Singapore,

government critics, including opponents of the death penalty, were required to post

42 Amnesty International Report

<corrections= for spreading <online falsehoods=. In Laos, two artists were detained for satirical

social media posts criticizing poor road conditions, while in China, a renowned artist was

detained for decades-old works criticizing the Communist Party leadership.

Tight control over on- and ofüine communications in some countries further restricted

access to information and excessively limited freedom of expression. The North Korean

government9s ban on contact with the outside world continued. Arbitrary internet restrictions

were imposed in Pakistan. In Bangladesh and India authorities imposed temporary internet

blackouts ostensibly to maintain law and order, but in practice they were used to suppress

dissent. In Malaysia, two ûlmmakers of a previously banned ûlm were charged with <wounding

religious feelings=.

Concerns about the use of surveillance technologies continued. In Indonesia, Amnesty

International documented the extensive sale and deployment of highly invasive spyware to and

by state agencies and private companies. In Thailand, a court dismissed a case brought by a

pro-democracy activist against cyber intelligence company NSO Group for its role in facilitating

the use of its Pegasus spyware to hack his phone.

Attempts to silence critics abroad by some governments became more pervasive. Mainland

Chinese and Hong Kong students studying overseas continued to be subjected to surveillance.

Hong Kong authorities issued further arrest warrants and cancelled the passports of pro-

democracy activists living overseas, and offered ûnancial rewards for information which could

lead to arrests. A human rights lawyer who worked on political cases and was forcibly returned

to China from Laos in 2023, was detained pending trial.

Governments must repeal or amend laws that violate the exercise of the right to freedom
of expression, take measures to protect the expression of political and other opinions,

including to safeguard media freedoms.

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION

Governments in the region responded to protests with repression. In Bangladesh, student

protests sparked by the reinstatement of a law reserving a quota of government jobs for

descendants of independence war veterans, were met with unlawful force. As anti-government

demonstrations spread, the armed forces were deployed and <shoot-on-sight= orders issued,

resulting in close to a thousand deaths 3 many more were injured. In Indonesia, police used

excessive and unnecessary force against crowds protesting against changes to the election law.

Although the proposed amendments were subsequently withdrawn, many demonstrators were

injured and hundreds arbitrarily arrested.

In Nepal, protests were forcibly dispersed and peaceful demonstrators detained. Police in

the capital, Kathmandu, used tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrations on

several occasions. In India, excessive force by police against farmers9 protests resulted in at

least one death. Hong Kong authorities deployed police to prevent commemorations of the

1989 Tiananmen crackdown. As in previous years, several people were arrested for

participating in such events. In Papua New Guinea, police arrested and charged several men

protesting against their eviction from an informal settlement in the capital, Port Moresby.

Following a declaration of martial law by the president of South Korea, fundamental rights

including the right to assembly were suspended 3 a move that was quickly reversed by the

National Assembly. He was subsequently suspended from ofûce and a warrant for his arrest

was issued at the end of December.

Advocates for an end to the war in Gaza and Palestinian rights faced harassment and arrest.

In Fiji, police banned demonstrators from carrying Israeli and Palestinian üags and intimidated

peaceful protesters. Authorities in Singapore investigated several people for protesting against

arms sales to Israel and charged three others who were attempting to deliver a petition against

the war to the Presidential Palace. In the Maldives, two women were arrested at

Asia-Pacific regional overview 43

demonstrations demanding boycotts on Israeli products. In Malaysia, police detained pro-

Palestinian protesters outside the US embassy in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The right to freedom of association also came under further attack. In Thailand, a court

ordered the disbandment of the opposition Move Forward Party, which had won the highest

number of seats in the 2023 parliamentary elections. Eleven of the party9s executives were also

banned from running for ofûce. In the Philippines, the government continued to target <red-

tagged= activists and organizations accused of links to banned communist groups by charging

them with terrorism-related offences. In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, garment

workers were prevented from exercising their right to freedom of association to address low

wages and extreme informalization of labour. In Bangladesh, at least one garment worker was

killed and dozens of others injured when police ûred on a protest for higher wages.

Governments should ensure the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association

are protected. Unlawful use of force against protesters must be prevented and laws, policies

and practices that violate the rights of peaceful assembly and association reviewed and
changed.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Extreme weather, slow onset events and toxic air pollution exacerbated by climate change had

devastating consequences across the region, disproportionately affecting the poorest and most

marginalized. High income, high emitting countries in the region worked with other higher

income countries to block agreement at COP29 on an adequate level of climate ûnance that

was being demanded by lower income countries.

South Asia was again impacted by extreme heat and severe üoods which affected the lives of

millions. In India9s Assam state, üoods resulted in the deaths of at least 113 people. In

Bangladesh, 500,000 people were displaced. Flooding and landslides in Afghanistan, Nepal,

and Pakistan also resulted in hundreds of deaths and displaced thousands. Air pollution in

India9s capital, Delhi, and in cities in Pakistan reached record levels causing deaths in both

countries, particularly among members of marginalized communities.

Some progress towards reducing carbon emissions or improving environmental protections

was evident, but overall, the regional response to climate change and environmental

degradation was insufûcient. In China, capacity to generate energy from non-fossil fuel sources

exceeded that from fossil fuels for the ûrst time. However, the pace of China9s construction of

coal-ûred power plants abroad remained concerning. In Papua New Guinea, 30% of land was

allocated for conservation, although the country remained heavily reliant on fossil fuels. A

landmark court decision in South Korea required the government to revise greenhouse

emissions targets to protect the rights of future generations. Paciûc Island nations supported

the start of hearings by the International Court of Justice on states9 obligations and

responsibilities surrounding climate change.

Many other governments failed to meet fossil fuel reduction and other targets, even when

they had committed to them. Japan9s investment in overseas liqueûed natural gas projects

continued to undermine global efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. Australia undermined progress

with its plans to increase, rather than scale down, coal and gas production by 2030. A new law

in New Zealand weakened environmental protections, and a draft energy law and regulation in

Indonesia were criticized for failing to facilitate the transition to net zero emissions. Despite

suffering severe climate-induced harms, India9s climate change targets continued to be rated

<highly insufûcient=.

Environmental human rights defenders continued to be targeted for their work. They

included a leading ûgure in the climate change movement imprisoned in Viet Nam, who went

on hunger strike for the third time to protest against deplorable detention conditions. In

44 Amnesty International Report

Cambodia, 10 environmental activists associated with the Mother Nature movement were

convicted of <plotting= and <insulting the King=.

Governments must increase investment in disaster preparedness and adaptation and

prioritize the protection of marginalized and other groups disproportionately affected by the

climate crisis, including by seeking international assistance and climate ûnance, if needed.
Higher income and other high-emitting countries must take the lead in climate mitigation,

including by stopping the expansion of fossil fuel production, ending fossil fuel subsidies,
and ensuring that their climate policies are consistent with keeping global warming within

1.5°C.

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS, AND TORTURE AND

OTHER ILL-TREATMENT
Human rights defenders, political activists and others were subjected to arbitrary arrest and

detention in many countries in the region. Those detained often faced torture and other ill-

treatment.

In Afghanistan, more than 20,000 people, including 1,500 women, were reportedly

imprisoned. They included perceived political opponents and individuals accused of violating

the Taliban9s morality code. Detainees were at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Extrajudicial killings of detainees were also reported. North Korean authorities continued to

hold thousands of people in political prison camps, where they faced inhuman conditions and

torture and other ill-treatment including sexual violence.

In China, labour rights activists and citizen journalists were among those sentenced to prison

terms for advocating for human rights. In Hong Kong, 45 pro-democracy activists were

sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of <conspiring to commit

subversion= for organizing unofûcial election primaries. Prisoners in Viet Nam serving long

sentences for opposing the government suffered ill health and were denied access to medical

care. In Pakistan, more than 100 civilians were held in military custody for participating in

protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in 2023; 85 were sentenced to

prison terms by military courts. Senior opposition leaders remained in detention awaiting trial.

The Sri Lankan government9s much criticized and highly abusive anti-drugs campaign

continued, leading to the arbitrary detention of tens of thousands of people, mainly from

marginalized socio-economic groups.

Authorities must refrain from misusing the justice system against political opponents and

others exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression, peaceful protest and other

human rights. States must release and compensate those who are arbitrarily detained and
prohibit and criminalize torture and other acts of ill-treatment.

IMPUNITY AND THE RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND REPARATION

Despite some progress towards justice for victims of human rights violations in several

countries, impunity continued to be the norm in the region and fuelled further violations.

In Pakistan and the Philippines, where there has been little or no accountability for long-

standing patterns of enforced disappearances, labour and land rights activists, political

opponents and journalists were among those forcibly disappeared during the year. Lack of

access to justice in Afghanistan further enabled the culture of impunity and continued human

rights violations. The Chinese government took no steps towards establishing accountability for

possible crimes against humanity against members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim

groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Indian government not only failed to

intervene to stop ethnic violence in the state of Manipur, but also did not pursue prosecutions

Asia-Pacific regional overview 45

against members of armed vigilante groups responsible for human rights abuses during the

violence. In Papua, Indonesia, unlawful killings of civilians continued with impunity in the

context of the armed separatist struggle.

There were also moments of hope. In Japan, the Supreme Court ruled that victims of a

former <eugenics= law, under which more than 16,000 people with disabilities or chronic

illnesses were forcibly sterilized, should receive compensation. A report issued by a truth

commission in South Korea on the coerced adoption of thousands of babies between 1961 and

1987 recommended reparations for victims. In Bangladesh, the new interim government

established a commission of inquiry to investigate enforced disappearances of activists,

political opponents and others between 2009 and 2024.

However, justice efforts faltered elsewhere. In Nepal, newly adopted legislation intended to

advance justice for atrocities committed during the armed conüict era was not fully consistent

with international standards and could shield some perpetrators from prosecution. In Sri Lanka,

civil society rejected proposed legislation to establish a new truth and reconciliation

commission, including because of lack of meaningful consultation with victims, and the

government9s failure to implement recommendations made by previous investigative bodies.

Governments must strengthen efforts to ûght impunity by undertaking prompt,

independent, impartial and effective investigations into crimes under international law and

other serious human rights abuses, bringing suspected perpetrators to justice, and ensuring

effective remedy for victims.

VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

As the armed conüict in Myanmar escalated, the military and some armed opposition groups

were accused of committing war crimes and other serious violations of international

humanitarian law. The military campaign of indiscriminate and direct attacks on civilians and

civilian infrastructure intensiûed bringing the death toll to over 6,000 since the 2021 coup.

Shipments of aviation fuel continued to reach the military despite international measures to halt

supplies. The armed opposition group Arakan Army was accused of burning the homes of and

killing Rohingya civilians, causing many to üee their homeland in Rakhine State.

In Afghanistan, attacks by armed groups including the Islamic State of Khorasan Province,

predominantly targeting Shia-Hazara communities, resulted in more civilian casualties. Civilian

casualties were also reported following Pakistan military aerial bombardments of Taliban

positions along the border.

ü
All parties to armed con icts must respect international humanitarian law, including by

ending direct attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and indiscriminate

attacks.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsened. According to the UN, over half the

population required humanitarian assistance, with 85% living on under USD 1 a day. Access to

healthcare was a problem for all, but especially for women and girls with the EU warning that

only 10% had access to basic health services. In North Korea, 40% of the population was

reportedly undernourished. Taliban and North Korean government policies and actions were a

signiûcant contributory factor to these dire humanitarian situations.

Authorities in several countries continued to carry out forced evictions and house

demolitions in violation of the right to housing. In India the Supreme Court ruled that forced

demolition of property was illegal, but only after thousands of homes had been destroyed in

previous years in a continuing government campaign to <punish= Muslims for past communal

violence. In Mongolia, authorities forcibly evicted almost 2,000 households from land in the

46 Amnesty International Report

capital, Ulaanbaatar. In Nepal, families, often from marginalized Dalit and Tharu communities,

living in informal settlements were forcibly evicted. There was no remedy for thousands of

people forcibly evicted from the Angkor World Heritage site in Cambodia in previous years.

Many others continued to live under the threat of eviction.

Tens of millions of children in the region continued to be denied their right to education. The

Taliban maintained their ban on girls9 education beyond primary school. Millions of children in

Myanmar were out of school because of the armed conüict and deliberate attacks by the

military on education facilities. Further school closures by the Chinese government threatened

Tibetan culture and language. Reduced spending on the education sector was among the

concerns raised by OHCHR, the UN Human Rights Ofûce, in relation to declining public

investment in social services in Laos.

Reports of forced labour and poor working conditions also continued. The UN described

forced labour in North Korea as widespread and institutionalized and said that the systematic

use of forced labour in prisons may amount to the crime against humanity of enslavement.

Malaiyaha Tamil tea plantation workers accused the Sri Lankan government of failing to protect

workers from forced labour, debt bondage and other human rights abuses.

Governments must act to ensure economic, social and cultural rights, including to food,

healthcare, housing and education to all people without discrimination, and end the

practice of forced labour.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Gender-based discrimination and violence against women and girls was pervasive across the

region. In Afghanistan, where women and girls were already experiencing the crime against

humanity of gender persecution, the Taliban imposed yet more restrictions effectively limiting

all aspects of their life. Many were arrested for non-compliance with dress codes and there

were reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence against detained women and girls.

Levels of gender-based violence increased sharply; women9s rights groups reported that more

than 300 women and girls were killed during the year.

Elsewhere, governments failed to take adequate action to address high rates of rape, sexual

abuse and harassment, and other forms of violence against women and girls. In South Korea,

the growth of online deepfake non-consensual images and videos was deemed by women9s

groups to constitute a <national emergency=. In the Maldives, the government failed to act on

UN treaty body recommendations to make female genital mutilation and domestic violence

speciûc crimes.

In India, the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in her workplace sparked nationwide

protests. Caste-based discrimination in India also continued to fuel sexual and other violence

against Dalit women. In one instance a woman was burnt alive after she ûled a sexual

harassment complaint in Madya Pradesh state. Impunity for violence against Dalit women and

girls also persisted in Nepal.

Governments must implement comprehensive measures to address discrimination and

gender-based violence against women and girls, including by tackling root causes of

intersectional gender-based discrimination, ensuring access to justice, protection and other

support for survivors, and ending impunity for perpetrators.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Thailand became the ûrst country in South-east Asia to achieve marriage equality for LGBTI

people; court rulings in several other countries also advanced LGBTI rights. In South Korea,

the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to the same healthcare as

heterosexual couples. In China, a court awarded child visiting rights to a woman in a same-sex

Asia-Pacific regional overview 47

relationship. In Japan, two separate high court decisions ruled that the ban on same-sex

marriage was unconstitutional. In Nepal, a Supreme Court ruling recognized the right of a

transgender woman to have her gender identity recognized in ofûcial documents.

However, LGBTI people continued to be subjected to violence, discrimination and, in some

countries, criminalization. Consensual same-sex sexual relations remained punishable by death

in Afghanistan. In China, LGBTI activists were at risk of arbitrary detention. Transgender people

remained at particular risk of violence. In Fiji, there was outcry by human rights groups when

the authorities failed to effectively investigate the death of a transgender sex worker after she

was kidnapped and violently assaulted.

Governments should strengthen protections for LGBTI people, including by

decriminalizing consensual same-sex sexual relations, adopting comprehensive anti-

discrimination laws, and ensuring access to legal gender recognition. All reports of violence

and other abuses against LGBTI people should be effectively investigated and perpetrators

brought to justice.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS, AND ETHNIC AND DESCENT-

BASED DISCRIMINATION
Indigenous Peoples9 rights suffered setbacks in several countries and Indigenous Peoples and

ethnic and descent-based minorities continued to be disproportionately affected by

marginalization and discrimination across the region.

In a positive step, Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan won the right to use their Indigenous

names, rather than Mandarin language versions, in ofûcial documents. In contrast, the New

Zealand government enacted new laws and proposed others that undermined the rights of

M
ori, prompting countrywide protests. In other countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia,

development projects on land claimed by Indigenous Peoples continued without their free,

prior and informed consent. In Mongolia, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of

Indigenous Peoples expressed concern about the negative impact of mining activities on the

lives and livelihoods of herder communities.

In Australia and New Zealand, Indigenous Peoples were signiûcantly over-represented in the

criminal justice system. In the former, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children suffered

high rates of incarceration 3 three Aboriginal boys were reported to have died in detention in

Western Australia. In Viet Nam, Montagnard Indigenous Peoples continued to face

discrimination, and more than 100 were convicted of terrorism charges in unfair trials in

relation to attacks on police posts in 2023.

The Chinese government continued its repression of non-Han ethnic groups, including by

arbitrarily detaining cultural and religious ûgures. Hundreds of hate crimes were reported

against Muslims and other religious minorities in India, where over 100 people were convicted

of torching Dalit homes in 2014.

Authorities must take concrete measures to guarantee the rights of Indigenous Peoples as

well as those of ethnic and descent-based minorities, including by repealing or amending

legislation and policies that discriminate against them, prioritizing policies and programmes

to eliminate structural discrimination in the criminal justice system and elsewhere, and
ensuring meaningful consultation on and free prior and informed consent for development

and other projects and decisions that affect them.

48 Amnesty International Report

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS
Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand were among the countries that continued to allow the

indeûnite arbitrary detention of refugees and migrants. In Malaysia, concerns were raised about

the continued detention of children and there were ongoing reports of dire conditions and

abuse in immigration detention centres. In Thailand, the UN found that the appalling detention

conditions of a group of more than 40 Uyghur asylum seekers, who had been held for over 10

years, could amount to torture or other ill-treatment.

People üeeing armed conüict and repression were at risk of forcible return. Border guards in

Bangladesh unlawfully returned Rohingya people üeeing armed conüict in Myanmar9s Rakhine

State; Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh continued to suffer appalling

conditions. Thai authorities were suspected of collaborating with the Vietnamese government to

arrest several Montagnard refugees, including one human rights defender who faced potential

deportation to Viet Nam where he would be at risk of human rights violations. Pakistan

authorities pursued a deportation policy, forcibly returning hundreds of thousands of refugees

to Afghanistan despite calls to provide international protection to Afghans üeeing systematic

discrimination and oppression there.

Migrant workers in several countries lived and worked in unsafe conditions. Human

trafûcking also remained a concern in the region. In South Korea, a factory ûre killed 23

people, mostly migrant workers. In Taiwan, Indonesian workers were found to have worked on

a ûshing vessel for over a year without pay or contact with the outside world before the

authorities intervened. In Cambodia, concerns persisted about human trafûcking and forced

labour in scam compounds, while a UN treaty body raised concerns of sex trafûcking in Laos.

Governments must cease detaining asylum seekers simply on the basis of their

immigration status and allow them to seek international protection. Unlawful deportations
should be immediately halted and the principle of non-refoulement respected. Protections

û
against human traf cking and forced labour should be strengthened and survivors of human

û
traf cking provided with legal and other support.

DEATH PENALTY
Pressure for the abolition of the death penalty in Japan intensiûed after the death sentence of

an 88-year-old man, who had spent more than 45 years on death row, was overturned after a

judge found that evidence in his original trial for murder was fabricated. Public executions

continued in Afghanistan, and there were reports that the Taliban may resume the stoning to

death of women for <adultery=.

Executions of people convicted of drug-related offences continued in several countries,

including China and Singapore. The extent to which the death penalty was used in China,

North Korea and Viet Nam remained unknown, but was believed to be extensive. A new law in

China placed further restrictions on disclosing information about the practice and new judicial

guidance encouraged the use of the death penalty against individuals supporting Taiwanese

independence.

Governments retaining the death penalty must take urgent steps to abolish it and, in the

û
meantime, establish an of cial moratorium on executions.

Asia-Pacific regional overview 49

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL

OVERVIEW

EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Russia9s continuing aggression against Ukraine dominated an embattled rights landscape,
with the region at the forefront of the global downswing against human rights. The war and

increasingly authoritarian practices saw a growing number of countries move in tandem as

they rejected their human rights obligations and undermined national and international

institutions. Champions of human rights were left under siege.

Russia9s relentless violations of international humanitarian law and crimes under

international law, including direct attacks on civilian infrastructure, saw an incessant loss of

life and a dramatic drop in basic living conditions in Ukraine, along with growing suffering
among children and other at-risk groups.

ü
Impunity persisted for these crimes, as well as for violations in the con ict between

Armenia and Azerbaijan, and many governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia led

audacious assaults on human rights with little prospect of accountability. Civil society was

under direct attack and shrank in many countries, operating in a climate of fear and

secrecy. Rights defenders were jailed or forced into exile. Peaceful protesters braved

growing repression despite unprecedented violence. Notwithstanding the courageous efforts

of many, the impact of the human rights community visibly declined.

û
The abuse of extremist and terrorist legislation, and of cial rhetoric of <traditional

ü
values=, sti ed gender and sexual and reproductive rights, in particular. Monitoring

activities, including by international organizations, were increasingly constrained.

Transnational persecution of exiled activists increased, exposing further the weakness of

national and international mechanisms in protecting human rights.

Freedom of religion and belief saw setbacks. Justice systems were blatantly weaponized
to suppress dissent, and torture and other ill-treatment remained endemic. Gender-based

violence increased. The rights of refugees and migrants continued to be eroded.

Fossil fuel production and consumption grew, contributing to air pollution, which blighted

human health.

VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

Russia continued to systematically attack civilian infrastructure and commit war crimes in

Ukraine. Civilian casualties were higher than in 2023. As Russia continued to target population

centres with missiles and drones, basic living conditions plummeted for Ukrainian civilians,

with children, older people and other at-risk groups paying a particularly high price. Russia

destroyed or occupied up to 70% of Ukraine9s thermal energy generation capacity, causing

regular rolling blackouts. Scores of Ukrainian prisoners of war were illegally tried in Russia and

in areas of Ukraine it occupied, for participating in hostilities.

Russia reported hundreds of civilians dying from Ukrainian strikes on its own territory, but

the numbers and circumstances could not be veriûed independently.

Impunity continued for past violations in the conüict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over

the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The European Court of Human Rights ruled Russia to

be in violation of the right to life and other human rights while establishing and policing the

boundaries of the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia.

All allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity should be subject to impartial

and independent investigations, including through the principle of universal jurisdiction.

50 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Dissenting voices were increasingly suppressed under charges of treason and threatening

national security, via designation as <foreign agents= and by the use of counter-extremist,

counter-terrorist and homophobic legislation, propped up by rhetoric around <traditional

values=. Not one was spared, from human rights defenders to artists, journalists, playwrights

and lawyers.

Belarus9s <List of persons involved in extremist activities= exceeded 4,700 names, and the

number of online, printed and broadcast materials banned as <extremist content= almost

doubled in 2024. Harassment and violence escalated against dissenting voices in Georgia, with

many activists and protesters suffering vicious attacks by unidentiûed assailants, in some cases

seemingly encouraged or instigated by authorities.

Dozens of independent journalists, activists, bloggers and social media commentators in

Kyrgyzstan faced criminal prosecution ostensibly in retribution for criticism. Moldova extended

the scope of its anti-treason legislation to peacetime. Tajikistan adopted a law prohibiting

clothing that was <alien to national culture=. Uzbekistan9s latest draft of its Information Code

prohibited dissemination of information promoting <separatism= and <religious extremism= or

displaying disrespect towards the state.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

The operating environment for civil society organizations was stymied, stigmatized and

imperilled. Building on the long-standing Russian model, Kyrgyzstan adopted <foreign agent=

style legislation. It obliged NGOs receiving foreign funding and engaging in vaguely deûned

<political activity= to register as <foreign representatives=, forcing many organizations to reduce

activities or stop operating as NGOs. Similarly, Georgia enacted the Transparency of Foreign

Inüuence law compelling organizations with over 20% foreign funding to declare themselves

agents of foreign inüuence and comply with onerous and intrusive requirements.

In Azerbaijan, independent NGOs and the media continued to face arbitrary restrictions,

including denial of registration and burdensome reporting requirements. Tajikistan continued to

shut down NGOs, further to 700 closed in recent years. In Russia, 55 more organizations,

including those of Indigenous Peoples, were arbitrarily labelled <extremist=, and the list of

individuals and organizations labelled as <foreign agents= grew by 169.

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

The already negligible space for peaceful assembly shrunk dramatically further, via unduly

restrictive legislation and the use of unlawful force against protesters. This, alongside the

crackdown on freedom of association, discouraged participation in human rights activities,

including by those who could form the next generation of leadership.

In Georgia, police did not stop at beating, injuring and detaining hundreds of protesters, but

also searched and arrested activists in their homes and ofûces.

In Russia, following the sudden, suspicious death of prominent opposition leader Aleksei

Navalny in prison, hundreds were arrested and dozens received severe administrative penalties

including ûnes and detention, for publicly mourning him. In Armenia, police used unlawful

force against demonstrators on several occasions during large-scale protests in April and May

calling on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. In Kazakhstan, <offences= under

assemblies-related legislation allowed authorities to jail protesters long after the event.

Governments must repeal laws and end practices that hinder the rights to freedom of

expression, association and peaceful assembly, and stop using pretexts to crush dissent and

ü
sti e discussion of their human rights records.

Europe and Central Asia regional overview 51

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

Freedom of religion and belief saw setbacks across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Ukraine

legislated to ban <religious organizations afûliated with centres of inüuence= in Russia. At the

same time Orthodox priests in Russia who expressed anti-war sentiment were defrocked or

otherwise reprimanded, and imprisonment of Jehovah9s Witnesses continued. Religious ûgures

in Belarus not aligned with government policy faced harassment and arrests. In Tajikistan, the

Pamiri minority continued to suffer a full-scale assault on the right to practise their faith and the

preservation of their culture.

Governments must take effective measures to implement legal and policy reforms to fully

protect, promote and guarantee freedom of religion or belief without discrimination.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Torture and other ill-treatment remained endemic, with its perpetrators overwhelmingly

enjoying impunity.

Independent UN experts condemned Russia9s <coordinated state policy of torturing

Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war=; survivors reported severe beatings, electric shocks,

sexual violence, sleep deprivation and mock executions. Exceptionally, the Council of Europe

publicly denounced Azerbaijan9s refusal to address long-standing concerns about widespread

torture and other ill-treatment by police. In Belarus, ûve of those jailed under politically

motivated charges died in 2024, while others endured incommunicado detention so prolonged

that it amounted to enforced disappearance. Most of the 400 people detained in Georgia

during protests in November and December reported mistreatment; scores were hospitalized

with serious injuries and many were denied medical care. In Tajikistan, the unfairly imprisoned

Pamiri human rights lawyer Manuchehr Kholiknazarov was among those whose health

seriously deteriorated and who was denied adequate medical treatment, while the authorities

ignored international calls for his release. In Kazakhstan, accountability remained elusive for

widespread allegations of torture by security forces during protests in January 2022.

Governments must act urgently to end torture and other ill-treatment, bringing all those

suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials.

UNFAIR TRIALS

In a rare positive development, 22 defendants in the so-called Kempir Abad case in Kyrgyzstan

were acquitted of politically motived charges. In a growing number of countries, however,

judicial systems were weaponized to persecute dissent. The number of cases of those

convicted in their absence grew.

Belarus targeted political opponents, human rights defenders and lawyers with lengthy

prison sentences: 20 exiled political analysts and journalists afûliated with opposition leader

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received 10 to 11-and-a half years9 imprisonment for crimes against

the state and <extremism=. In Russia convictions for treason and espionage rose signiûcantly.

In Georgia the authorities blatantly instrumentalized the justice system to crackdown on anti-

government protest, and courts routinely ignored evidence of torture. In Tajikistan members of

arbitrarily banned opposition groups faced imprisonment, while lawyers suffered severe

retaliation for their work.

Authorities must guarantee rights to a fair trial and refrain from abusing the justice

system to persecute dissent.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Protections for survivors of domestic violence were strengthened in Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Elsewhere, however, gender-based violence was on the rise. Ukrainian authorities reported an

80% increase in domestic violence cases compared to 2023. In Kyrgyzstan the number rose

52 Amnesty International Report

37% over the previous year. In Turkmenistan, amendments required courts to prioritize

reconciliation of spouses in cases of divorce, even if domestic violence was involved.

Governments must urgently combat all forms of gender-based violence and address their

root causes.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

LGBTI people9s rights were in decline, in tune with a growing emphasis on <traditional values=.

Georgia adopted legislation on <family values and the protection of minors= containing

numerous homophobic and transphobic measures, seemingly adopting much of the blueprint

Russian <gay propaganda= legislation. Belarus updated its deûnition of pornography to include

<non-traditional sexual relations and/or sexual behaviour=. A petition for legislation to

criminalize <LGBTI propaganda= in Kazakhstan, however, caused such an outcry that hearings

on the proposed law were postponed.

Consensual sexual relations between men remained a crime in Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan.

Governments should repeal laws, policies and practices that discriminate against LGBTI

people, including by decriminalizing consensual same-sex sexual relations.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

Children increasingly were deprived of adequate human development conditions. UNICEF

reported that 78% of Tajikistani children suffered food poverty, including 34% in severe

poverty. Half of the Kyrgyzstani population could not meet basic nutritional requirements, with

children disproportionately affected.

Children9s right to quality education was violated in Russia and Russian-occupied territories

of Ukraine, with the school curriculum including indoctrination lessons glorifying Russia9s war

against Ukraine. Russia also legislated to deny children of migrants enrolment in school unless

they passed a Russian-language test and were in Russia legally.

Governments must ensure the rights of everyone to an adequate standard of living, and

access to quality education.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

The rights of refugees and migrants continued to be eroded. Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians

displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia remained without the prospect of a safe and

digniûed return. In Kazakhstan, activists from Uzbekistan9s autonomous Karakalpakstan

Republic faced the threat of forcible return and the risk of torture and long prison terms.

Belarus9s authorities continued to force refugees and migrants across its borders with the EU.

Russian authorities engaged in anti-migrant rhetoric and Russian regions passed laws banning

migrants from working in certain occupations.

Governments must ensure all those üeeing persecution and human rights violations have
access to safety and international protection, and that no one is returned to a real risk of

serious human rights abuses.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Azerbaijan hosted COP29 and failed to advance regional and global climate justice. Its

authorities excluded Azerbaijani human rights defenders and activists from the summit,

persecuting them before and after the event, and creating a climate of self-censorship and

intense surveillance. Output of oil and gas continued to grow, while most countries failed to

demonstrate a commitment to either addressing climate change or reducing reliance on fossil

fuels.

Air pollution continued to blight human health and was worsened by continued burning of

fossil fuels. A World Bank study found that air pollution in the Uzbekistan capital, Tashkent,

Europe and Central Asia regional overview 53

accounted for around 3,000 premature deaths annually.

Advocates protesting harm caused by natural resource extraction in Armenia, Azerbaijan

and Georgia were silenced by authorities.

High-emitting countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia must take the lead in climate

mitigation, including by stopping the expansion of fossil fuel production and subsidies.

Governments must take immediate measures to protect individuals and communities

against the risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather conditions.

WESTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

û
Discrimination, pro ling, stigmatization and harassment based on identity including race,
religion, gender and sexuality were themes that permeated every aspect of human rights

protection and guarantees. Reports of hate crimes spiked.

Overly broad and vague counterterrorism laws were used to suppress freedom of

expression, association and assembly. Unnecessary or excessive force was used by police

against peaceful protesters, with some deprived of liberty for peaceful acts of civil

disobedience. Surveillance technologies were used extensively to chilling effect.

An arsenal of hostile, repressive laws was also deployed to deter and punish solidarity
with Palestinians or criticism of Israel9s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The

commitment of governments across Europe to international law was tested and came up

û
short, with some of cials taking measures to shield the state of Israel from accountability.

Despite the International Court of Justice and UN experts demanding that countries stop all

arms transfers to Israel, some continued to export weapons and parts.

Control of borders took precedence over the rights of refugees and migrants. Torture and

other ill-treatment, particularly of migrants and people with disabilities, remained a

û
concern. Challenges persisted in accessing gender-af rmative care. Gender-based violence

remained widespread. Access to housing, social security and healthcare was eroded.

Disasters exacerbated by climate change wreaked havoc, particularly in southern European

states.

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination remained a persistent concern. Women, Black, Arab, Roma and other racialized

people and groups, and people on low incomes, faced direct discrimination, affecting their

access to social security, political representation, employment and education. Anti-immigrant

and Islamophobic hate crimes surged after stabbings in Germany and the UK. France, among

other countries, saw a rise in antisemitic, Islamophobic and racist crimes. Portugal dismissed

most hate crime investigations.

Norway and Switzerland used discriminatory racial proûling. In Denmark, the Netherlands

and Sweden automated welfare systems led to discriminatory practices against women,

racialized people, and low-income individuals. France imposed discriminatory bans on sports

hijabs, including during the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic games.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Czech Republic and Greece, and bans on

conversion practices were pending in the UK. LGBTI people, however, continued to face

signiûcant challenges. Legal gender recognition remained difûcult in Bulgaria and Serbia, and

stalled in North Macedonia. Violence and discrimination persisted in Poland and Slovakia, with

Poland lacking speciûc hate crime legislation. Türkiye continued to unlawfully ban LGBTI pride

marches.

Despite local action plans for Roma integration in some countries, Roma faced

discrimination, segregation and social exclusion. Italy violated the European Social Charter

regarding the right to housing for Roma. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights highlighted structural racism in the treatment of Roma in Ireland and Serbia. Slovakia's

54 Amnesty International Report

segregation of Roma children led to a European Commission complaint, and segregation also

persisted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Roma in Croatia and

Roma refugees from Ukraine in Romania struggled to access essential services.

Governments should meaningfully address systemic discrimination including against

Jewish, Muslim, Black, Roma, LGBTI people and migrants.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

Various states adopted measures curtailing freedom of expression connected to solidarity with

Palestinians or voices critical of Israel9s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Germany

criminalized the slogan <from the river to the sea,= leading to convictions. The UK government

curtailed freedom of expression related to Palestine, while France investigated numerous

individuals for <apology for terrorism. Spain investigated Palestinian solidarity activists for

<gloriûcation of terrorism=.

While Spain approved an Action Plan on Democracy to reform legislation limiting freedom of

expression, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) were deployed in Bulgaria

and Serbia, a new authority in Hungary targeted civil society, and criminal prosecutions

continued against those who peacefully opposed the government in Türkiye.

The right to peaceful assembly came under severe attack as states increasingly stigmatized

and criminalized peaceful protesters, imposing unjustiûed and punitive restrictions and

resorting to ever more repressive means to stiüe dissent. People protesting against Israel9s

genocide against the Palestinian people were particularly targeted, as were those

demonstrating about climate change.

In positive moves, regulations in the UK enhancing police powers to restrict protests were

ruled unlawful and a court in Italy acquitted eight activists after recognizing their motive to take

climate action. Efforts continued, however, to ban climate-related and pro-Palestinian

demonstrations. Excessive restrictions were placed on such protests in France, and in Finland,

Germany and Italy there were reports of unnecessary or excessive force against people

participating in such demonstrations. Türkiye imposed blanket bans on protests. In the

Netherlands, drones and facial recognition technology were used against peaceful protesters.

Serbia, Greece and Türkiye saw excessive force by police and/or arbitrary arrests during

demonstrations.

The space for all to exercise the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly

must be protected from state overreach under various pretexts.

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

Several European states were complicit in irresponsible arms transfers, with the Czech

Republic, France and Germany continuing arms exports to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

However, civil society challenged arms transfers in Denmark and Montenegro; the Netherlands

halted the export of F-35 ûghter parts to Israel due to legal concerns; and Spain and Belgium

complied with calls by UN experts and the International Court of Justice to suspend arms

exports to Israel.

Governments should halt weapons transfers to countries where there is a substantial risk

of them being used to commit or facilitate serious human rights abuses.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND REPARATION

Europe continued to grapple with its past colonial history and ensuring justice and reparations

for crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. A number of countries

signing the 2023 Ljubljana 3 The Hague Convention, which seeks to narrow the accountability

gap for such crimes. A court in Belgium recognized the state9s responsibility for crimes against

humanity during colonial rule in Congo, ordering reparations.

Europe and Central Asia regional overview 55

However, politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to publicly deny genocide and glorify

war criminals. Serbia made no credible efforts towards accountability for all crimes under

international law, focusing instead on weakening a UN resolution on the Srebrenica genocide.

In Croatia, most victims of wartime sexual violence remained unregistered for special status

beneûts. The UK faced legal challenges over the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, with courts

ûnding it incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ofûcials in some European countries openly stated or suggested that they would not

implement the ICC arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

and Yoav Gallant, former Israeli defence minister.

All allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide should be subject to

impartial and independent investigations, including through the principle of universal

jurisdiction.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

European countries and the EU failed to introduce policies and practices to prioritize protecting

the lives of refugees and migrants over the control of borders, take credible steps to deliver

accountability for violations, reduce dependence on third countries in the area of migration

management or expand safe and legal routes. Italy attempted to detain asylum seekers

rescued at sea in Albania, to have their claim examined outside of the country. The EU9s

cooperation with Egypt and Tunisia persisted despite evidence of human rights violations in

these countries. Reports continued of violence at borders and unlawful returns from Greece to

Türkiye, Cyprus to Lebanon and from Türkiye to Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

NGOs and human rights defenders remained the target of criminalization measures. In

Greece, defenders faced ongoing prosecution for assisting refugees and migrants. Three UN

experts raised concern about Italy9s restrictions on the activities of human rights defenders

rescuing lives at sea.

Refugees and migrants experienced a regression in their rights within their host country.

Ukrainian refugees in Hungary lost state support for housing, while Belgium and Ireland left

thousands of asylum seekers without accommodation.

Governments must ensure all those üeeing persecution and human rights violations have
access to safety and international protection, and that no one is returned to a real risk of

serious human rights abuses.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Torture and other ill-treatment of migrants and people with disabilities remained a concern.

Positive developments included Belgium establishing a federal preventive mechanism and

Hungary overturning a ban on physical contact between prisoners and visitors. Romania

adopted a ûve-year action plan to tackle ill-treatment in institutions. However, overcrowding

and inadequate healthcare persisted, for example in Albanian and Italian prisons, and

allegations of torture were reported in Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Governments must act urgently to end torture and other ill-treatment, bringing

perpetrators to justice.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Several countries adopted legislative changes to address impunity for sexual violence. The

Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland introduced a consent-based deûnition of rape,

and Croatia made femicide a separate criminal offence.

Gender-based violence, however, remained widespread. Romania saw an increase in

reported incidents of domestic violence compared with previous years. Killings of women

mainly by partners and ex-partners continued at an alarmingly high level, including in Bulgaria,

Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Spain and Türkiye. Migrant women, sex

56 Amnesty International Report

workers and trans women faced systematic barriers when trying to ûle complaints of sexual

violence. In France, such obstacles included denial of the right to register a complaint and

threats of expulsion.

Governments should end impunity for all gender-based violence.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Some countries took positive steps to remove barriers to accessing abortion. France became

the ûrst country in the world to explicitly include abortion as a guaranteed freedom in its

constitution, and several countries backed measures to protect pregnant people from

harassment outside abortion clinics.

However, abortion remained largely criminalized and barriers in accessing abortion persisted

in many countries. Andorra continued to enforce a full abortion ban, in Poland abortion

remained severely restricted and in Malta, risk to the life of the pregnant person remained the

only legal exception allowing access to abortion. In England and Wales, there was an increase

in investigations and prosecutions of women accused of having an abortion outside the legal

framework.

Refusals to provide abortion care on grounds of conscience or religion remained a concern,

including in Croatia, Italy and Portugal. Abortion was particularly inaccessible in rural and

economically deprived areas in countries such as Croatia and Slovenia.

Governments must guarantee access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive

healthcare, including safe abortion.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

There were obstacles for people accessing social security. Women and people with disabilities

in Austria faced stigmatization, bureaucratic hurdles and restrictive legal provisions. In Finland,

signiûcant cuts to social security jeopardized an adequate standard of living for those already

on low incomes. In the UK the standard social security allowance was less than the cost of

common essentials.

The right to health was eroded in Italy and Spain owing to insufûcient public investment in

health infrastructure. In Greece, health workers and experts continued to report ongoing and

signiûcant gaps in the national health system.

Across the UK, 4.3 million children were living in poverty, with a disproportionate impact on

children from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, while in Italy 10% of the population was

living in absolute poverty.

Access to housing remained a signiûcant challenge. In Poland, a shortage of affordable

housing led to substandard living conditions. Andorra failed to prevent winter evictions and

Ireland saw record levels of homelessness.

Governments must take immediate action to guarantee all people9s economic and social

rights, free from discrimination, including by assigning adequate resources and ensuring

universal and comprehensive social protection.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Several countries faced disasters including üoods, wildûres and extreme heat exacerbated by

human-induced climate change. Spain saw torrential rains in October, causing üash üoods and

224 deaths. Record temperatures attributed to climate change caused deaths in Greece and

Portugal.

Europe and Central Asia regional overview 57

Despite limited positive outcomes, from Slovenia imposing stricter emissions limits, Croatia

planning for 75% renewable electricity by 2030, the growth of renewable energy in Hungary

and the cancellation of a mining permit in Montenegro over environmental concerns, many

countries lagged behind in climate policies. A landmark ruling by the European Court of

Human Rights (ECtHR) found Switzerland9s inadequate climate policies had violated the right

to effective protection from the serious adverse effects of climate change. Germany9s climate

plans were deemed legally insufûcient and Türkiye9s climate policies were rated critically

insufûcient. The Netherlands weakened its climate policies, Norway continued new exploration

for fossil fuels, Greece expanded gas infrastructure and Belgium spent EUR 15.5 billion on

fossil fuel subsidies. Collectively, European countries blocked agreement at COP29 on an

adequately scaled-up climate ûnance target.

Governments should speedily phase out the use and production of fossil fuel through a

just transition and end all fossil fuel ûnancing. They should also urgently scale up climate

ûnance and additional dedicated funding for loss and damage to lower-income countries.

RIGHT TO PRIVACY

While Montenegro suspended the use of facial recognition software, and a court in France

ruled that AI-powered audio surveillance systems were manifestly illegal, the unlawful use of

spyware and facial recognition technology remained a concern. Invasive digital forensic

techniques were used against activists and independent journalists by the authorities in Serbia.

In Germany, police used facial recognition technology without sufûcient legal basis. The ECtHR

ruled that Poland had breached the right to privacy through <secret surveillance= related to the

use of Pegasus spyware, and in Hungary a court found that the country9s data protection

watchdog had failed to effectively investigate a case of four individuals targeted by Pegasus.

Governments must stop the slide into creating surveillance societies.

58 Amnesty International Report

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

ü
Crisis, con ict and upheaval beset the Middle East and North Africa region in 2024. Israel9s

actions in Gaza took a catastrophic toll on civilians and amounted to genocide. Israel also

ü
escalated its armed con ict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. December9s sudden ousting of
President Bashar al-Assad in Syria exposed the consequences of decades of impunity for

human rights violations in a region plagued by ongoing repression and a rise in authoritarian

practices in multiple countries.

û
Israel9s relentless military offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip intensi ed the long-

standing humanitarian crisis caused by Israel9s 18-year unlawful blockade of Gaza. It left

most of the Palestinians there displaced, homeless, hungry, at risk of life-threatening

diseases and unable to access medical care, power or clean water.

ü
Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen were drawn into the con ict. For the ûrst time, Iran
and Israel openly launched direct attacks on each other9s territories. In September, cross-

border hostilities between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah escalated into intense

military confrontations. Israel attacked areas across Lebanon, with a devastating effect on

civilians.

While millions of people worldwide protested against Israel9s actions in Gaza, throughout

2024 the world9s governments 3 individually and multilaterally 3 failed repeatedly to take
û
meaningful action to end the atrocities and were slow even in calling for a cease re.

Meanwhile, Israel9s system of apartheid became increasingly violent in the occupied West

Bank, marked by a sharp increase in unlawful killings and state-backed attacks by Israeli

settlers on Palestinian civilians.

ü
The effects of other long-standing con icts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen continued to

blight the lives of millions, particularly people from marginalized communities, many of

whom were denied their rights to food, water, adequate housing, healthcare and security.
International justice mechanisms took important steps towards accountability in Israel

and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Libya. But Israel9s allies and other

powerful actors attacked or dismissed these accountability measures, shielding perpetrators

from justice and further laying bare double standards and the failure of the rules-based

global order.

Governments and non-state armed actors across the region continued to repress dissent.

Authorities detained, tortured and unjustly prosecuted dissidents and critics, punishing
them with harsh sentences, including the death penalty. Among those targeted were

journalists, online commentators, political and trade union activists, people expressing

solidarity with Palestinians, and human rights defenders. In some countries, security forces

used unlawful and even lethal force, alongside enforced disappearances and mass arbitrary

arrests, to suppress protests. Virtually all perpetrators of these crimes enjoyed impunity.

Discrimination remained rife region-wide on the basis of gender, race, nationality, legal

status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion and class.
The major fossil fuel-producing states failed to take steps to address climate change,

even as the region continued to suffer the harmful, often life-threatening, consequences of

the climate crisis, including extreme weather events and slower onset catastrophes such as

increasing water scarcity.

Middle East and North Africa regional overview 59

ARMED CONFLICTS
ISRAEL9S OFFENSIVE IN GAZA

By the end of 2024, 14 months after deadly attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed

groups in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel9s unremitting military assault on the Gaza

Strip had killed at least 45,500 people and injured at least 108,300. Many Palestinians were

yet to ûnd their loved ones9 remains in the rubble.

Throughout the year, Amnesty International documented multiple war crimes by Israel,

including direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and indiscriminate and

disproportionate attacks, often destroying entire multigenerational families.

In an attempt to create a buffer zone along Gaza9s eastern perimeter, Israeli forces using

bulldozers and manually laid explosives, systematically destroyed agricultural land and civilian

buildings, razing entire neighbourhoods, including homes, schools and mosques.

Israel9s actions forcibly displaced 1.9 million Palestinians, 90% of Gaza9s population, and

deliberately engineered an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Amnesty International9s research found that Israel committed acts prohibited under the

Genocide Convention with the speciûc intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, thus committing

genocide. These acts included killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm to civilians and

deliberately inüicting conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.

Israel repeatedly denied, obstructed and failed to allow and facilitate meaningful

humanitarian access into and around Gaza. Israeli forces conducted a large-scale invasion of

the southern city of Rafah in May. The government ignored warnings from the international

community, including Israel9s own allies, as well as legally binding orders of the International

Court of Justice (ICJ), not to attack Rafah because of the devastating effect it would have on

the civilian population.

Israel issued waves of <evacuation= orders, squeezing Gaza9s population into small, densely

populated areas that lacked life-sustaining infrastructure, healthcare and food. As a result,

most Palestinians in Gaza were facing extreme hunger and rapidly spreading disease. Israeli air

strikes frequently hit civilians who were following <evacuation= orders, including after they

arrived in areas that Israel promised would be safe.

Israel also continued to arbitrarily detain and, in some cases, forcibly disappear Palestinians

from Gaza. They were routinely transferred into Israel and held there incommunicado, without

charge or trial, and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.

The presence of Palestinian armed groups in or near civilian areas in Gaza, including camps

for internally displaced people, endangered civilian lives and likely violated their obligation

under international law to avoid, to the extent feasible, locating ûghters in densely populated

areas. They continued to hold civilians 3 Israelis and foreign nationals 3 hostage, a violation of

international humanitarian law that constitutes a war crime.

Israel9s decades-long system of apartheid against Palestinians continued. Attacks by Israeli

settlers in the occupied West Bank against Palestinian civilians and their property rose sharply.

These attacks, which had the backing of the Israeli state, along with extensive land seizure,

home demolitions and unlawful use of force, constituted the crimes against humanity of

forcible transfer and apartheid.

The international community failed to act meaningfully to end Israel9s atrocities in Gaza.

Powerful nations, including the USA and many western European states, publicly backed

Israel9s actions, undermining the universal value of international law. For months the UN

Security Council took no effective action and only called for a ceaseûre in March.

On 26 January the ICJ issued its ûrst provisional measures in the case brought by South

Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention. This was followed by two further orders

on 28 March and 24 May. Israel deûed the Court9s orders. Nevertheless, some states

continued to arm Israel with weapons used to violate international law, despite being warned

60 Amnesty International Report

that this was in violation of their obligation to prevent genocide and risked their complicity in

genocide and war crimes.

On 21 November the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against

Israel9s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defence minister, Yoav Gallant and, in

Palestine, Al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Deif on charges of war crimes and

crimes against humanity.

Throughout the year, sustained protests and demonstrations against Israel9s actions in Gaza

involved millions of people worldwide and were met by severe restrictions on freedom of

expression and assembly in many countries.

OTHER ARMED CONFLICTS

Israel9s attacks on Gaza led to armed hostilities and attacks in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and

Yemen, some of which included US and UK forces.

After nearly a year of sporadic cross-border attacks, on 23 September Israel launched a new

military offensive in Lebanon. An estimated 4,047 people were killed, more than 16,600

injured and 1.2 million displaced in Lebanon between 8 October 2023 and the end of 2024.

Israeli forces attacked homes, farmland, schools, churches, mosques and hospitals, including

in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. They also razed more than 20 villages, with Israeli soldiers

using explosives, bulldozers and excavators to destroy civilian buildings long after gaining

control of the areas. The armed group Hezbollah ûred hundreds of rockets from Lebanon at

northern Israel during the year, killing more than 100 people.

Huthi armed forces based in Yemen killed civilian seafarers when they attacked dozens of

vessels in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, alleging the vessels were linked to

Israel, the USA and UK. In response, US armed forces carried out naval and air strikes, some

jointly with UK forces, against Huthi targets. The Huthis carried out missile and drone attacks

against Israel on at least 48 occasions, killing one civilian. In retaliation, on 20 July Israel

bombed Hodeidah port, critical for delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen, and Ras Kathnib

power station, killing at least six civilians. On 29 September, Israel bombed the ports of

Hodeidah and Ras Issa, as well as al-Hali and Ras Kathnib power stations, in Hodeidah

governorate, reportedly killing ûve civilians and injuring others.

In April, Iran launched more than 300 munitions at Israel in retaliation for a strike on Iran9s

consulate in Syria which killed seven members of Iran9s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. In

October, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Hamas

leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The same month, Israel carried

out strikes on 20 targets inside Iran, killing one civilian and four military personnel.

Israel increased its military operations in Syria in the context of the conüicts in Gaza and

Lebanon. In December, following the overthrow of President Assad in Syria, Israeli forces

moved troops into the UN-deûned demilitarized buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights,

signalled an expansion of illegal Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights, and carried out

hundreds of air strikes in Syria.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of armed factions under the Popular Mobilization

Units, intensiûed its operations against Israel in response to Israel9s attacks on Gaza and

Lebanon, carrying out attacks which the group said targeted military sites and infrastructure in

Israel and the Golan Heights.

Elsewhere in the region, long-standing armed conüicts and their aftermath continued to

devastate the lives of millions of people, with parties to the conüicts 3 some backed by foreign

governments 3 committing war crimes and other serious violations of international

humanitarian law.

Middle East and North Africa regional overview 61

In Syria, parties to the long-standing armed conüict and their allies continued to conduct

unlawful attacks, killing and injuring scores of civilians and destroying vital infrastructure. In the

ûrst half of the year, President Assad9s government, supported by Russia, escalated attacks on

north-western Syria under the control of armed opposition groups. Türkiye repeatedly launched

military attacks on cities and villages in north-eastern Syria, in its continuing war on Kurdish

groups based there, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to vital civilian infrastructure.

On 8 December, opposition forces ousted Syria9s President Assad, ending his family9s ûve

decades of brutal and repressive rule marked by widespread human rights violations

amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sporadic armed clashes took place in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, other parts of western Libya

and southern Libya between militias and armed groups vying for control of resources or

political inüuence, leading to civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects.

ü
All parties to armed con icts must respect international humanitarian law, in particular

ending direct attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and indiscriminate attacks.
Foreign governments must stop transfers of weapons where there is an overriding risk of

their use to commit or facilitate serious violations of human rights or international

humanitarian law.

REPRESSION OF DISSENT
Authorities across the region continued to violate the right of people to express critical or

dissenting views, including online, whether about their human rights records, economic

policies, or in response to the conüict in Gaza or social issues. Some governments used

unfounded terrorism-related charges or charges of spreading <false news= to silence opposition

voices and to inüict harsh punishments on their critics.

In Iran, authorities subjected protesters, women defying compulsory veiling laws, journalists,

artists, writers, academics, university students, LGBTI individuals, members of ethnic and

religious minorities, and human rights defenders to a range of violations, including arbitrary

detention, summons for coercive interrogations, and unjust prosecution leading to sentences of

death, imprisonment, ûnes and/or üogging for peacefully exercising their human rights.

Hundreds of people in Jordan were charged under the repressive Cybercrimes Law for

criticizing the authorities, expressing solidarity with Palestinians, or calling for peaceful protests

and public strikes. The Jordanian authorities routinely violated the fair trial rights of people

arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Saudi Arabia continued to arbitrarily detain individuals for their real or alleged views without

giving them any opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. In many cases,

these individuals were then sentenced to lengthy prison terms or the death penalty on vague,

<catch-all= charges that criminalize the expression of peaceful opposition as <terrorism=, in

violation of fair trial rights.

Across North Africa, repression of dissent continued or escalated. Tunisian authorities

intensiûed their crackdown on freedom of expression and all forms of dissent, using repressive

laws and unfounded charges to arbitrarily detain high-proûle members of the political

opposition, journalists, social media users, human rights defenders, lawyers and critics. Egypt9s

targeting of journalists, peaceful protesters, dissidents, opposition politicians and government

critics continued unabated. In Morocco and Western Sahara, Moroccan authorities targeted

journalists, activists and government critics, despite a royal pardon for thousands of prisoners.

Algeria cracked down on freedom of expression and the press, peaceful assembly and

association, including by frequently using fabricated terrorism-related charges to stop peaceful

dissent. In Libya, militias and armed groups arbitrarily arrested and detained hundreds of

62 Amnesty International Report

activists, protesters, journalists and online content creators simply for exercising their rights to

freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Governments must respect the rights to freedom of expression and association, including

by ensuring that journalists, human rights defenders and activists can enjoy these rights

without harassment, violence and prosecution, and releasing those detained for exercising

these rights.

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

In almost every country in the region, governments used various tactics to prevent or forcibly

disperse peaceful protests.

Egyptian authorities carried out mass arrests before planned protests and violently dispersed

the few small protests that took place. On 23 April, for instance, they violently broke up a small

protest by women human rights defenders and others showing solidarity with women in

Palestine and Sudan. Authorities in Iraq frequently used force, including ûring live ammunition,

to disperse protests driven by widespread frustration over government corruption, economic

hardship and poor public services.

Tunisia9s authorities repeatedly used baseless and vague <obstruction= charges to arbitrarily

detain, prosecute and convict individuals simply for joining peaceful protests. Jordanian forces

arrested thousands of protesters and bystanders linked to huge protests in support of

Palestinians in Gaza between October 2023 and October 2024, with many remaining in

detention at the end of 2024. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities maintained their

repression of peaceful assembly and conducted mass trials of peaceful protesters and other

dissidents.

Governments must respect the right to peaceful assembly and end their crack-downs on
peaceful protesters.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

People across the region faced multiple, ongoing crises, including devastating conüicts, severe

economic and debt shocks, and the increasing toll of the climate emergency. Rising inüation,

government failings and other factors 3 local, regional and international 3 put intense pressure

on the cost of living, including in some of the poorest and most populous countries in the

region. This left millions of people food insecure and struggling to survive, and undermined

their rights to health, water and an adequate standard of living.

In Lebanon the long-standing ûnancial and economic crisis, which the government helped to

cause and prolong, continued. The government failed dismally to introduce the necessary

reforms to protect people9s economic and social rights, including their right to social security.

The crisis had a devastating effect on marginalized groups, including, for example, by putting

adequate healthcare even further out of reach for many older people, those with disabilities,

informal workers, and refugees, and was exacerbated by the destruction caused by Israel in its

war with Hezbollah.

Economic crisis also severely affected people9s social and economic rights in Egypt, amid

the government9s failure to meet its budgetary obligations for spending on health and

education. A new law privatizing healthcare jeopardized access to health services, particularly

for those living in poverty. The authorities used threats and arrests to repress workers

demanding the minimum wage and residents protesting against forced eviction.

In many countries, governments failed to protect low-paid workers from labour abuses and

denied workers the right to join and form independent trade unions and to strike without fear of

punishment. In the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, low-paid migrant

workers continued to face extreme exploitation, discrimination, grossly inadequate housing,

Middle East and North Africa regional overview 63

physical and mental abuses, wage theft by their employers, limited access to healthcare, and

summary dismissal. Worst affected were domestic workers, most of them women.

Governments must take urgent action to uphold people9s economic and social rights,

including by establishing universal social protection systems that enable everyone,

including marginalized groups, to access an adequate standard of living, including food,

water and healthcare. Donor governments and international ûnancial institutions must
urgently work to support governments in achieving this goal. Governments must also protect
the right of workers to join and form independent trade unions and to strike, while

extending labour law protections to all migrant workers, including domestic workers.

DISCRIMINATION
WOMEN AND GIRLS

Across the region, women and girls continued to face discrimination in law and practice,

including in relation to the rights to freedom of movement, expression, bodily autonomy,

inheritance, divorce, political ofûce and employment opportunities. Gender-based violence

online and ofüine remained common and was committed with impunity. In some countries,

such violence increased while protections for women became weaker.

Laws in Algeria and Iraq allowed rapists to escape prosecution by marrying their victim.

In Yemen the Huthi de facto authorities and armed groups continued to restrict women9s

movement and ban them from travelling without the accompaniment or written approval of a

male guardian.

Despite some positive steps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, authorities continued to fail to

hold perpetrators of domestic violence to account and imposed arbitrary restrictions on the

freedoms of survivors who sought protection in the woefully underfunded shelter system.

Lawmakers also attempted to pass amendments to the personal status law that would

signiûcantly undermine protections for women and girls.

In Iran, authorities intensiûed their crackdown on women and girls who defy compulsory

veiling, including through digital surveillance such as facial recognition technology. Increased

security patrols harassed and attacked women and girls in public spaces.

Militias and armed groups in Libya targeted women inüuencers and content creators for the

way they expressed themselves and their dress. In November the Tripoli-based Government of

National Unity announced plans to introduce compulsory veiling for women and enforce it

through <morality police=.

LGBTI PEOPLE

Across the region, people were arrested and prosecuted for their sexual orientation or gender

identity. Many were given harsh sentences when convicted of consensual same-sex sexual

relations. Attacks on the rights of LGBTI people intensiûed in Iraq, Libya and Tunisia.

In Libya, the Internal Security Agency militia in the capital, Tripoli, and other militias and

armed groups arbitrarily arrested and prosecuted individuals for their actual or perceived

sexual orientation and/or gender identity and broadcast their torture-tainted <confessions=. In

Tunisia, LGBTI groups reported an increase in prosecutions for <homosexuality charges=.

In April, Iraq criminalized same-sex sexual relations for the ûrst time, punishable with up to

15 years9 imprisonment. The new law also penalizes actions such as <promoting= same-sex

relations or transgender expression and adds vague charges such as <acting effeminate=.

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Across the region, members of national, ethnic and religious communities and minorities faced

embedded discrimination in law and practice, including in relation to their rights to worship

and to live free from persecution and other serious human rights abuses.

64 Amnesty International Report

Israel further entrenched its system of apartheid through oppression and domination over

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. It systematically committed a wide range of human

rights violations, including forcible transfers, administrative detention, torture, unlawful killings,

denial of basic rights and freedoms, and persecution.

In Iran, ethnic minorities including Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Baluchis, Kurds and

Turkmen faced discrimination which restricted their access to education, employment,

adequate housing and political ofûce. Members of the Baha9i religious minority were subjected

to widespread and systematic violations.

Governments must end discrimination based on race, national origin, ethnicity, religion,

gender, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. They must implement legal

and policy reforms to grant equal rights for all without discrimination and to protect,

promote and guarantee the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.

RIGHTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE, MIGRANTS AND

REFUGEES
Protracted conüicts left vast numbers of internally displaced people struggling to survive in

Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen. Most faced discrimination by

authorities, barriers to accessing services, blocks on their right to return home or reprisals if

they tried to return without authorization, as well as restrictions on and cuts to vital

humanitarian aid.

Approximately 1.1 million Iraqis remained internally displaced, many struggling to access

essential needs and services such as housing, water and healthcare. Iraqi security forces

subjected some to arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance and torture, including electric

shocks and waterboarding, for perceived afûliation to the Islamic State armed group.

In Syria, the number of internally displaced people reached 7.2 million, according to

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Following President Assad9s ousting in December, the

humanitarian and security situation remained bleak and uncertain. Nevertheless, many

European countries announced they would consider or enact a suspension of pending asylum

applications by Syrians.

The rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants were violated across the region, with

government failings coupled with the failure of the international community, namely wealthier

countries, to share responsibility through providing adequate resettlement places and

humanitarian assistance. In Lebanon, around 90% of the country9s estimated 1.5 million Syrian

refugees were living in extreme poverty and unable to access adequate food, housing,

education and healthcare. A disturbing rise in anti-refugee rhetoric, in some cases fuelled by

local authorities and politicians, intensiûed the hostile environment. Meanwhile, many refugees

and asylum seekers in neighbouring Jordan, which hosted 2 million Palestinian and

approximately 750,000 other refugees, including Syrians, faced poverty and deteriorating

conditions.

Tunisia9s routine and collective expulsions of migrants and refugees to Algeria and Libya

continued to violate the principle of non-refoulement and left people in deserted or remote

border areas without food or water. From May, authorities cracked down on organizations

defending refugees9 and migrants9 rights, reducing their access to essential services.

Refugees and migrants in Libya, including those intercepted at sea by armed groups and

EU-backed coastguards and forcibly returned to Libya, were subjected to indeûnite arbitrary

detention, torture and other ill-treatment, extortion, forced labour and unlawful expulsions.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily detained and forcibly returned thousands of Sudanese

nationals, despite Sudan9s raging armed conüict, in üagrant violation of international law.

Middle East and North Africa regional overview 65

Governments must end the arbitrary detention of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants on

the basis of their migration status and protect them from torture and other ill-treatment in

detention, refoulement and mass or collective expulsions. Governments must take concrete

û
steps to ensure the voluntary, safe and digni ed return of internally displaced people to

their areas of origin.

DEATH PENALTY
Most states in the region retained the death penalty and imposed death sentences in 2024,

including for offences not involving intentional killing, for acts protected under international law

such as consensual same-sex sexual relations and apostasy, and for bogus or overly broad

charges brought to silence dissent. Several countries executed people. In Iraq, mass

executions were carried out without lawyers and relatives being informed in advance. Iran9s

execution spree continued as authorities used the death penalty as a tool of political

repression.

û
Governments must immediately establish an of cial moratorium on executions with a

view to abolishing the death penalty.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

The region continued to suffer the harmful, often life-threatening, consequences of climate

change, including extreme weather events, slower onset catastrophes such as increasing and

extreme water scarcity, and other environmental mismanagement. Governments failed to take

adequate steps to stop climate change, mitigate its impacts or provide adequate support to

those most affected.

Iraq suffered severe water shortages and increasing air and water pollution. Ineffective waste

management and deforestation intensiûed dust storms and waterborne diseases,

disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly displaced persons. Jordan also

suffered water shortages, with supply only meeting around two-thirds of demand.

Extreme heat blighted Kuwait, with record temperatures in late May being 4°C to 5°C above

past averages. Yet, in March, the CEO of the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation

announced that Kuwait would signiûcantly increase oil production by 2035, and announced

further increases when new reserves were discovered in July.

Other countries failed to make progress towards necessary fossil fuel phase out. In February,

Bahrain sought a loan to expand fossil fuel extraction by creating 400 new oil wells and 30 gas

wells. A report in June by Global Witness conûrmed that the UAE9s COP28 team had pursued

fossil fuel deals for the state-owned oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Company while hosting

the climate conference in 2023. Also in June, Saudi Arabia9s energy minister announced plans

to increase oil production between 2025 and 2027.

Governments must urgently take steps to mitigate the climate crisis, including by curbing

carbon emissions and ending the extraction and use of fossil fuels. All states with the

û
necessary resources should signi cantly increase funding to countries in need of assistance
for human rights-consistent mitigation and adaptation measures.

IMPUNITY
Across the region, states continued to facilitate impunity for perpetrators of serious human

rights violations, highlighting the failings of deeply üawed domestic judicial systems.

Decades of long-standing impunity for recurrent war crimes and egregious human rights

violations by Israel against Palestinians in the context of apartheid and unlawful occupation

prevailed.

66 Amnesty International Report

Moroccan authorities failed to provide victims9 families with truth, justice and reparations after a

deadly crackdown by Moroccan and Spanish security forces against sub-Saharan African

migrants attempting to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla in

2022.

In Iran, impunity prevailed for unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture and other

ill-treatment including rape and other forms of sexual violence, and other crimes under

international law or grave human rights violations committed in 2024 and previous years.

In October the ICC announced arrest warrants against six leaders, senior members and

afûliates of the al-Kaniat armed group for the war crimes of murder, torture, enforced

disappearances and other inhumane acts in Tarhouna, Libya, which the group controlled until

June 2020.

European countries continued to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of

committing crimes under international law in Syria through their national courts under the

principle of universal jurisdiction.

Governments must combat impunity by undertaking thorough, independent, impartial,

effective and transparent investigations into human rights violations and crimes under

international law and bringing suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials in civilian

courts.

Middle East and North Africa regional overview 67

68 Amnesty International Report
 THE STATE OF

THE WORLD'S

HUMAN RIGHTS
A-Z COUNTRY ENTRIES
 and Ghor claimed nearly 350 lives, destroyed

AFGHANISTAN or damaged more than 7,800 homes and

displaced more than 5,000 families. Thirty-

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan two out of 34 provinces were affected by

üash üoods, which UNICEF claimed were

The people of Afghanistan experienced <hallmarks of the intensifying climate crisis=.

worsening levels of human rights violations

under the de facto Taliban authorities. WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Women and girls faced the crime against The Taliban continued expanding their

humanity of gender persecution and were draconian restrictions on women and girls. In

increasingly deprived of their rights to May, they announced salary cuts for women

freedom of movement and freedom of who had been banned from working for the

expression. Access to healthcare remained state but remained on the payroll, reducing

û
dif cult, and education for women and girls their pay to AFN 5,000 (USD 70) per month.

beyond primary school remained banned. Mid-year, the Taliban promulgated a <vice

The Shia-Hazara community continued to and virtue law= banning women9s voices from

face targeted attacks and killings, primarily being heard in public and preventing women

by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province without mahram (male chaperones) from
(IS-KP). The Taliban continued to using transport. Under this repressive law,

marginalize women as well as ethnic and the Taliban <morality inspectors= (police)

religious groups from political participation, were empowered to threaten and detain

access to public services and humanitarian individuals who violate their morality code

assistance. and bring them before the Taliban9s courts for

The Taliban9s arbitrary arrests, forcible prosecution.

disappearances, torture and other ill- Severe restrictions remained in place 3

treatment and extrajudicial executions of despite the April 2023 UN Security Council

former government employees, human resolution calling for their swift reversal 3 and

rights defenders, journalists and critical continued to impact all aspects of women9s

voices continued. The Taliban continued to and girls9 lives. Women and girls remained

attack and arrest journalists and restricted banned from attending education beyond

media freedom. Hundreds of prisoners were primary school (grade six). In December, it

reportedly sentenced to death. was additionally reported that the Taliban

The UN and the international community banned women and girls from attending

failed to address impunity for ongoing and medical education. They remained banned

past atrocities. Despite a deepening from participating in sporting activities,

humanitarian and human rights crisis, visiting parks and public baths, and travelling

Afghan refugees were forcibly returned to more than 72km or appearing in public

Afghanistan in large groups. without mahram.

The Taliban9s draconian restrictions further

BACKGROUND decimated women9s ûnancial independence,

The Taliban continued to be in de facto plunging women-headed households deep

control since the then-government collapsed into poverty and creating difûculties for

in August 2021 amid the withdrawal of US women running home-based businesses.

and NATO forces. The Taliban annulled the Bans remained on women working in the

constitution and laws that existed prior to public sector, except in areas such as

their takeover. Many Taliban leaders faced primary education, healthcare and certain

travel bans as they are sanctioned by the UN security institutions. The Taliban9s decision

Security Council. banning women from working with UN

In June the UN reported that üash üoods agencies and NGOs remained unchanged.

in the provinces of Baghlan, Badakhshan Due to restrictions on freedom of peaceful

assembly, Afghan Witness, an independent

70 Amnesty International Report

research team, reported that 94% of all Rapporteur and acknowledged serious

women9s protests <took place indoors=. accountability gaps. However, it failed to

establish an independent international

Gender-based violence accountability mechanism to investigate and

In August the UN Special Rapporteur on the to collect and preserve evidence of ongoing

situation of human rights in Afghanistan and past crimes under international law and

reported cases of women detainees being other serious human rights violations. Ninety

sexually abused and assaulted by the national and international human rights

Taliban. Similarly, Afghan Witness and the organizations, including Amnesty

media reported that the Taliban initiated a International, had called for such a

campaign in January to arrest women and mechanism to address the cycle of impunity
4
girls for non-compliance with mandatory in the country. In August a group of UN

hijab rules. This resulted in the arrest and Special Procedures mandate holders

detention of dozens of women and girls highlighted that an avenue for access to

during the year, <with many reporting justice was <virtually non-existent= in

degrading treatments, torture, and even Afghanistan.

rape=. The ICC investigation of the situation in the

There were continued reports of a sharp country remained slow and limited in scope.

increase in gender-based violence as well as It excluded members of US and other

forced and early marriage. Between January international forces involved in the conüict

2022 and June 2024, Afghan Witness before 2021, as well as members of the
5
recorded 840 incidents of gender-based former Afghan government.

violence against women and girls, including

332 killings, based on their monitoring of UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

open-source information. Impunity continued Shia-Hazaras were systematically targeted in

as the institutions and legal framework attacks and killings at their places of worship,

designed to address gender-based violence education and civilian locations across the

remained dismantled by the Taliban. country. The Islamic State of Khorasan

In June, Amnesty International joined calls Province (IS-KP) claimed responsibility for

led by Afghan women human rights most of these attacks. The UN Assistance

defenders to recognize gender apartheid as a Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

1
crime under international law. However, documented several attacks in a Hazara-

Afghan women human rights defenders were dominated area, west of the capital, Kabul

excluded from the third UN-convened between January and March. In September,

meeting on Afghanistan in Qatar on 30 June 14 Hazara travellers were unlawfully killed in

2
and 1 July. central Afghanistan.

In September, Germany, Australia, Canada IS-KP suicide attacks also targeted

and the Netherlands announced legal action members of the Taliban de facto authorities,

before the International Court of Justice causing civilian casualties. Civilians

against the state of Afghanistan for violations continued to be harmed by landmines and

of CEDAW by the Taliban de facto other explosive remnants from the previous
3
authorities. conüict. UNAMA reported civilian injuries

and deaths in March, resulting from aerial

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND strikes by the Pakistan army and ground

REPARATION engagement between the Taliban and

The Taliban announced in August that they Pakistan's military forces along the border.

would no longer allow the UN Special

Rapporteur on Afghanistan to enter the ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES, ARBITRARY

country. In September the UN Human Rights ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

Council9s resolution on Afghanistan extended As of June, 20,000 people, including 1,500

the vital mandate of the UN Special women, were reportedly imprisoned under

Afghanistan 71
the Taliban. <running away= 3 which disproportionately

The Taliban continued using arbitrary affected women and girls 3 and pederasty.

arrests, enforced disappearances and UNAMA also documented at least 1,033

unlawful detention against people perceived instances of unlawful use of force (205 on

as political opponents. These included former women and girls and 828 on men and boys)

government employees, religious scholars by members of the MPVPV between August

who criticized the Taliban9s policies, civil 2021 and March 2024.

society activists and human rights defenders

and many journalists. For example, the DEATH PENALTY

Afghan human rights organization Rawadari The Taliban continued to carry out public

recorded 614 cases of arbitrary detention in executions of individuals who had been

the ûrst six months of the year. The sentenced to death by their courts, despite

organization further reported that it had serious concerns regarding compliance with
6
documented 35 cases of enforced fair trial rights. UNAMA reported that three

disappearance from nine of the country9s 34 men were publicly executed in February and

provinces in the same period. one man in November. In July, reports further

In August the Taliban Ministry for the indicated that between 300 and 600

Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice prisoners were sentenced to death by the

(MPVPV, also known as the morality Taliban courts. In March, media reported that

inspectors or police) announced that they the Taliban may resume <stoning to death= as

had detained 13,000 people over the past punishment for <adultery=.

year for violating their morality rules. Ahmad

Fahim Azimi, an education rights activist, was FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

released in September after 11 months9 The Taliban relentlessly suppressed freedom

imprisonment, following arbitrary arrest and of expression by banning media outlets from

an unfair trial in which he was accused of operating and restricting their programming.

organizing protests and <inciting women to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked

protest=. Afghanistan among the three worst countries

for media freedom in 2024. In April, at least

EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS, TORTURE two local private TV stations (Noor and Barya)

AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT were suspended for criticizing the Taliban. In

Detainees, including members of the former May, RSF raised concerns that journalists

government and those critical of the Taliban, and analysts were prohibited from working for

remained at risk of torture and other ill- and collaborating with Afghanistan

treatment and extrajudicial executions. International, a popular TV news channel

UNAMA recorded at least 98 cases of operating outside the country.

arbitrary arrest and detention of former The Taliban also reportedly introduced

government employees between January and restrictions on live political talk shows,

June, including 20 incidents involving torture including limitations on who could participate

and other ill-treatment and nine incidents of in interviews and what they could say. In

unlawful killings. October, media reported that the Taliban in

The Taliban9s use of public corporal Takhar province had banned ûlming and

punishment, amounting to torture and other broadcasting <living things=, as it is against

ill-treatment, continued across the country. their vice and virtue law. In November,

UNAMA reported punishments taking place UNAMA reported the use of arbitrary arrest,

in at least one province each week. From torture and other ill-treatment, and threats

April to June, UNAMA recorded 179 and intimidation against 336 journalists and

individuals (147 men, 28 women and four media workers between August 2021 and

boys) sentenced to corporal punishments. September 2024.

Accusations included <adultery= and

72 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF Taliban restrictions. Meanwhile, countries in

The Taliban9s restrictions on Shia the region, including Iran, Pakistan and

jurisprudence being taught in the education Türkiye, continued to forcibly return

system remained in place. The Taliban hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.

promulgated decrees and laws which These added to the 1.1 to 1.3 million who the

instituted religious discrimination and IOM reported had already been returned in

implemented monolithic religious doctrine. 2023. Some European countries also

There were reports of the Taliban forcing returned Afghan refugees back to the

members of the Shia Islamic community to country.

convert their religious sect to the Sunni

faction of Islam. The Taliban restrictions on LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

the Ashura commemoration, which is mainly LGBTI people continued to face

observed by Shia communities, continued. discrimination and other human rights

Additionally, the Taliban called Nawroz (solar violations, including threats and arbitrary

new year celebrations) <un-Islamic=. detention. Same-sex consensual relations

remained illegal and punishable by death.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Poverty, which was exacerbated after the

Taliban takeover in 2021, deepened in 1. <Global: Gender apartheid must be recognized as a crime under

response to extreme weather events and international law=, 17 June ±

ongoing internal displacement and economic 2. <Global: UN-hosted Doha meeting on Afghanistan faces a

crisis. UNDP reported that about 85% of credibility test=, 21 June ±

Afghans lived on less than one dollar a day. 3. <Afghanistan: International legal initiative an important step

According to the UN Ofûce for the toward tackling the Taliban9s war on women=, 26 September ±

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 23.7 4. <Afghanistan: Meaningful action needed at UN Human Rights

million people, more half the country9s Council to advance accountability for past and ongoing crimes

population, needed humanitarian assistance. under international law in Afghanistan=, 26 September ±

Of those, 12 million people were food 5. Afghanistan: Amnesty International Calls for the Urgent

insecure, while 2.9 million experienced Establishment of an Independent International Accountability

emergency levels of hunger. UNICEF Mechanism for Afghanistan, 18 September ±

estimated that 2.9 million children faced 6. <Afghanistan: Taliban must halt all executions and abolish death

acute malnutrition in 2024, with 850,000 penalty=, 23 February ±

experiencing life-threatening malnutrition.

The humanitarian assistance programme

remained severely underfunded. ALBANIA

Rawadari reported that the Taliban

intentionally deprived marginalized religious Republic of Albania

and ethnic groups of humanitarian and

development assistance, as well as access to

Cancer patients were denied access to free
essential services and government jobs. healthcare in the Mother Teresa Hospital in
The International Organization for Tirana. Widespread domestic violence
Migration (IOM) warned of <a near-collapse of against women and girls continued. People
the national public health system=, with the in prisons experienced overcrowding and
EU warning that <basic health services are
inadequate healthcare. Threats to press
available to just 10% of women=. UNAMA
freedom persisted. Concerns over refugees9
warned that restrictions on access to
rights were raised by the approval of an
contraception violated women and girls9 right agreement with Italy regarding detention
to sexual and reproductive health. centres for asylum seekers rescued at sea.
People continued to üee the country in

large numbers, both due to the worsening

humanitarian crises and the draconian

Albania 73
RIGHT TO HEALTH continued to face intimidation from both

Several patients needing cancer treatment politicians and organized crime.

were transferred by doctors from the state

Mother Teresa Hospital in the capital, Tirana REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

to their private, fee-charging clinics. The In January, the Constitutional Court gave the

doctors were suspended and investigations green light for parliament to ratify an

were ongoing. The UN Committee on agreement with Italy regarding the

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights construction of two detention centres in

highlighted concerns about inadequacies in Albania to hold asylum seekers rescued by

healthcare infrastructure, shortage of Italian state ships, despite concerns over

personnel, lack of access to specialized arbitrary detention. The ûrst asylum seekers

services for sexual and reproductive health detained under the agreement, from

and unequal distribution of healthcare Bangladesh and Egypt, were returned to Italy

services, particularly in rural areas. following another Italian court decision in

October; this granted them the right to have

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE their asylum claims processed in Italy.

The police reported that, in the ûrst six

months of the year, 686 women had been DISCRIMINATION

subjected to domestic violence, an increase Roma and Egyptian people

of 30 cases compared to the previous year. A

In April, the CERD Committee highlighted
study in May highlighted that lack of
persistent challenges for Roma and Egyptian
institutional support forced victims of
people, including difûculties in obtaining birth
domestic violence back to their abusers. The
registration and identity documents, and
UN ESC Committee highlighted that the
accessing public services. The committee
procedure for obtaining free legal aid should
found evidence of de facto segregation and
be reviewed to ensure better access for
discrimination of Roma and Egyptian children
domestic violence victims.
in some schools.

CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING

LGBTI people
TREATMENT
In May, a symbolic same-sex marriage in
In January, the European Committee for the
Tirana sparked controversy despite not being
Prevention of Torture once again expressed
legally recognized. It triggered outrage from
concerns about the living conditions of
the political right and religious groups,
forensic psychiatric patients in detention. At
leading to increased hate speech against the
the temporary facility housing psychiatric
LGBTI community.
patients within Lezha Prison, the Committee
In July, the UN Independent Expert on
was concerned about overcrowding, lack of
protection against violence and
medical staff and poor infrastructure. The UN
discrimination based on sexual orientation
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
and gender identity urged the government to
separately reported a high number of people
align laws and policies with the realities faced
in pretrial detention and inadequate access
by LGBTI people, recognizing their
to healthcare for people in detention.
experience of stigmatization and

discrimination in education, healthcare,

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
employment and daily life.
In May, the 2024 World Press Freedom Index

by Reporters without Borders found that

press freedom and independence of the

Albanian media were <threatened by conüicts

of interest between the business and political

worlds, a üawed legal framework and partisan

regulation=. It found that journalists

74 Amnesty International Report

 association of members of opposition political

ALGERIA parties, and to arbitrarily arrest and prosecute

political opposition activists for exercising

1
People9s Democratic Republic of Algeria their human rights. In August, judicial

authorities subjected political activists to

Authorities maintained their closure of civic judicial supervision under abusive conditions

space through a severe crackdown on the including a ban on all publications, media

rights to freedom of expression, peaceful interventions and political activity.

assembly and association. The use of

unfounded terrorism charges to crush Freedom of peaceful assembly and of

peaceful dissent continued, including association

against political activists, journalists, trade Authorities remained highly intolerant

unionists and human rights defenders. towards peaceful gatherings and other

Authorities increased the penalty for peaceful assemblies. Throughout the year,

irregularly exiting Algeria and introduced a security forces prevented at least three

penalty of up to ûve years9 imprisonment for human rights and cultural events from taking

facilitating an irregular exit. The place and arrested at least 64 activists who

government collectively and unlawfully attempted to organize peaceful gatherings.

expelled at least 31,404 refugees and In March the ILO9s Committee on Freedom

migrants to Niger. Authorities failed to of Association expressed deep concern about

investigate allegations of torture and other the multiple difûculties encountered by

ill-treatment. Civil society reported 48 leaders of the Trade Union Confederation of

femicides; there remained no Productive Forces (COSYFOP) and afûliated

û
comprehensive of cial statistics on gender- organizations in the exercise of their trade

based violence. A prolonged climate- union rights and rights to freedom of

induced drought negatively affected the association.

realization of human rights. Authorities In a May report the UN Special Rapporteur

introduced measures to address in ation; ü on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly

ü
food in ation slowed but remained high. and of association declared that the

criminalization of civil society work in Algeria

BACKGROUND had <a chilling effect and has created a

Early presidential elections took place on 7 climate of fear, resulting in a severe shrinking

September. According to the Constitutional of civic space=.

Court, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was

re-elected with 84.3% of the vote from a Counterterrorism and human rights

turnout of 46.1% of eligible voters. The use of vaguely worded and unfounded

In July the World Bank reclassiûed the terrorism charges to suppress peaceful

Algerian economy from lower-middle-income dissent remained widespread. Activist and

to upper-middle-income following a revision poet Mohamed Tadjadit was arbitrarily

to national accounts statistics undertaken by detained for nine months following his arrest
2
the authorities. on 29 January on <terrorism= charges. On

According to the World Weather Attribution 28 March, union leader Hamza Kherroubi,

initiative, July9s extreme heatwave in the president of the COSYFOP-afûliated Algerian

Mediterranean region, including Algeria, was Union of Industries (UAI), was unjustly

related to climate change. convicted and sentenced to 20 years in

prison on baseless terrorism-related charges.

REPRESSION OF DISSENT

Political activists Freedom of expression and of the press

On 28 April the president ratiûed Law 24-06

Authorities continued to restrict the rights to
amending and supplementing the Penal
freedom of peaceful assembly and
Code. The law introduced a plethora of overly

Algeria 75
broad and vague amendments and new punishable by up to two years in prison and a

provisions which facilitate the criminalization ûne.

of acts protected by international human

rights law. The law could lead to further self- FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

censorship and prevent free and open Law 24-06 increased the maximum penalty

discussions on matters of public interest. for irregularly exiting Algeria from six months9

Authorities continued to curtail the work of to three years9 imprisonment. Article 175bis1

journalists through arbitrary detentions and introduced a new penalty of up to ûve years9

prosecutions and unlawful sanctions against imprisonment for <anyone who facilitates or

independent media outlets. On 13 June, the attempts to facilitate, directly or indirectly= an

Algiers Court of Appeal conûrmed the irregular exit.

arbitrary dissolution of media group Interface

Medias, after the conviction and sentencing REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

of its director and founder, Ihsane El Kadi, to According to the organization Alarm Phone

seven years in prison in June 2023 on Sahara, Algeria summarily and collectively
3
trumped-up and vague charges. Ihsane El expelled at least 31,404 refugees, asylum

Kadi was released on 1 November in a seekers and migrants to Niger during the

presidential pardon for 4,000 prisoners, year.

which also included activist Mohamed

Tadjadit (see above), human rights defender FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

Mohad Gasmi and at least 20 other arbitrarily Authorities continued to use Decree Law 06-

detained activists, human rights defenders 3, which discriminates against religions other

and journalists. than Sunni Islam, to violate the rights of non-

Authorities also placed or maintained Muslims for practising their faith, including

arbitrary travel bans and other restrictions on through criminal prosecutions.

activists, lawyers, trade unionists and According to the Protestant Church of

journalists in relation to the exercise of their Algeria, 46 out of 47 of their churches

human rights, including freedom of remained closed either due to judicial

expression. harassment or because the authorities

ordered their closure.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

The Penal Code and Family Code continued TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

to unlawfully discriminate against women in Judicial and security authorities continued to

matters of inheritance, marriage, divorce, ignore detainees9 allegations of torture and

child custody and guardianship. Women9s other ill-treatment.

rights groups continued to call for the repeal Authorities failed to open an investigation

of discriminatory provisions. after journalist Merzoug Touati submitted a

The activist group Féminicides Algérie complaint on 12 August in which he alleged

recorded at least 48 femicides as of 23 that police ofûcers in the north-eastern city of

December. No comprehensive ofûcial Bejaia subjected him to torture and other ill-

statistics were available on gender-based treatment to reveal the location of his phone,

violence, amid concerns over severe under- including by threatening to subject him to

reporting due to societal stigma, police sexual violence in police custody.

inaction, limited shelters, fear of further Algeria again failed to submit its fourth

abuse and other barriers for women and girls periodic report to the UN Committee against

seeking protection and justice. Torture, which was due in 2012.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

The Penal Code continued to criminalize A January report from the European

consensual adult same-sex sexual relations, Commission9s Joint Research Centre

highlighted the effects of ongoing and severe

76 Amnesty International Report

climate change-related droughts across the in April and a 10% to 15% increase in

Mediterranean region, including Algeria, with retirement beneûts in May.

negative repercussions on agriculture, Algeria had yet to submit its ûfth periodic

ecosystems, drinking water availability, report to the UN Committee on Economic,

energy production and the increased risk of Social and Cultural Rights which was due in

wildûres. 2015.

To address the drought, on 8 February,

Algeria announced a programme to

rehabilitate several wastewater treatment 1. <Algeria: Authorities must halt ongoing repression of civic space

plants, with the declared objective of deriving ahead of presidential elections=, 2 September ±

60% of water for irrigation from treated 2. <Algeria: Authorities must drop bogus charges against Hirak

wastewater by 2030. activist Mohamed Tadjadit=, 17 July ±

On 8 June, protests erupted in the north- 3. Algeria: Further Information: Journalist9s Sentence Confirmed on

western region of Tiaret following months of Appeal: Ihsane El Kadi, 16 January ±

water shortages and rationing related to the

drought. The government sacked the local

ofûcials it alleged were responsible for ANDORRA

mismanagement, mobilized water trucks and

announced the construction of a water Principality of Andorra

pipeline.

Algeria remained in the top nine gas üaring A total ban on abortion remained in place.
countries globally. Gas üaring releases An activist who raised concerns about the
greenhouse gas emissions and can harm the
ban was acquitted after a protracted
health of surrounding communities. In June,
judicial process. A bill to address concerns
the World Bank reported a 5% reduction in around affordable housing was welcomed
gas üaring volume and a 3% decrease in but deemed insuf cient. û
üaring intensity in Algeria compared to the

previous year, in addition to a 2% decrease in SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

oil production. A total ban on abortion remained in place,

violating the right to safe abortion care. Those

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS in need of an abortion had no alternative but

On 1 July a court unjustly convicted and
to travel 3 if able 3 to other countries in
sentenced civil society activist Rabah Kadri to search of essential healthcare.

a one-year suspended prison term, a ûne and

payment of damages in relation to his TikTok HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

posts criticizing socio-economic conditions in In January, following a judicial process lasting
Algeria and demanding political change.
more than four years, the trial of Vanessa
Food inüation slowed but remained high at
Mendoza Cortés, president of the women9s
almost 5%, threatening the rights to food,
rights organization Associació Stop
health and housing for the poorest section of Violències, ended in acquittal. She had been

the population. According to the World Bank, charged with <a crime against the prestige of

food accounted for more than half of the institutions= after speaking out about

household expenditure for the poorest 40%. women9s rights and the harmful impact of
The 2024 budget introduced tax
Andorra9s abortion ban during a CEDAW
exemptions on sales and imports of several 1
Committee session in 2019.
food products, increased the salary scale for

public sector employees by about 15%, and

RIGHT TO HOUSING
increased allowances for students, people In March, a report published by the

with disabilities and unemployed people. European Committee of Social Rights found

Authorities announced a new assisted Andorra in breach of the European Social

employment contract for unemployed people

Andorra 77
Charter as its laws failed to prohibit evictions DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

during winter or provide for compensation in Some prisoners were denied adequate

the event of an illegal eviction. medical care. The health of at least two

In July, the government introduced a draft activists, imprisoned since September 2023

bill aimed at sustainable growth and in connection with their roles in supporting

protection of the right to housing. Although peaceful protests, deteriorated. In February,

welcomed, the bill lacked concrete targets to Adolfo Campos was admitted to the prison

increase social housing stock. At the end of hospital for urgent treatment. The prison

the year, the bill had not been debated in authorities ignored doctors9

parliament. recommendations and his lawyers9 request

In October, the European Commission that he be transferred for surgery at an

against Racism and Intolerance external facility. In June, Gildo das Ruas

recommended that Andorra review its ûve- complained of fever and body aches but

year residency requirement for access to prison authorities did not let him see a doctor

social housing, to ensure equitable access to until 1 August when he was diagnosed with

housing for foreigners in vulnerable spinal deviation, preventing him from

situations. standing for more than 30 minutes, and

prescribed a wheelchair and a lumbar

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION prosthesis. A wheelchair delivered to the

Defamation laws, including the prison by his lawyers on 15 August was

1
criminalization of criticism of the authorities withheld from him for at least four days.

and Andorran institutions, remained in force,

breaching international human rights law. FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

The Angolan National Police (PNA) repressed

at least seven protests against the continuing

1. <Andorra: Acquittal of activist who raised concerns about total detention of activists, including Adolfo

abortion ban at a UN meeting 8an important victory9=, 17 January Campos and Gildo das Ruas (see above),

± high living costs, denial of workers9 rights and

the prospect of President Lourenço serving a

third term in ofûce, among other things.

ANGOLA On 22 June the PNA prevented the

National Unity for Total Revolution of Angola

Republic of Angola (UNTRA) movement from holding a peaceful

demonstration in the capital, Luanda. At least

Civil society activists and journalists were 11 protesters were arrested, one of whom

arrested and detained for exercising their was beaten and seriously injured by the

arresting ofûcers. They were released without

rights to freedom of expression and
charge seven hours later.
peaceful assembly. Some of them were
A demonstration against new legislation on
denied necessary healthcare in detention.
There was no investigation into the killing of vandalism and national security was stopped

one woman by security forces and the injury by the PNA on 31 August when at least

of another. The fate and whereabouts of two seven protesters, including activists and a

members of the National Unity for Total journalist, were arrested at Santa Ana

cemetery in Luanda, taken to Luanda

Revolution of Angola Movement remained
Provincial Command and released without
unknown. Women and children from the
charge 10 hours later.
south-western provinces were most
vulnerable to food insecurity, which was The PNA repressed another UNTRA

expected to affect 5% of the overall protest on 21 September, claiming it was

population. unauthorized, which the organizers refuted.

At least seven protesters were detained,

including organizers who had resisted a

78 Amnesty International Report

police order to disperse. The police FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

conûscated their banners, pamphlets and On 6 June, TV Nzinga journalist Guilherme

telephones. They were all released the same Fortuna was prevented from reporting on the

day without charge. mass lay-off of workers from the Luanda-

Bengo Special Economic Zone when ofûcers

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS of the 4th Police Station assaulted him,

The PNA continued to arbitrarily detain destroying his camera and recording

people, particularly activists involved in equipment.

protests.

On 4 January the PNA arrested Laurinda UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

Gouveia, a human rights activist, and her There was no investigation announced into

husband along with their two-year-old the killing on 23 August of Elzira dos

daughter at a peaceful protest in Luanda that Prazeres Manuel Zonga, and the injury of

called for the release of activists and the Esperança José Manuel, by gunshots ûred by

social media inüuencer Neth Nehara, who PNA ofûcers who were trying to stop a violent

was serving a two-year prison sentence for clash between rival groups in the Rangel

criticizing the president on TikTok. Laurinda neighbourhood of Luanda. The two women

Gouveia and her family were released the had not been participating in the violence. A

next day after she and her husband attended police ofûcer was also seriously injured

a summary trial at the Luanda Provincial during the clash.

Court, which dropped all charges on the

basis of insufûcient evidence. ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

On 16 March, Laurinda Gouveia was According to Deutsche Welle News and

rearrested along with Elisabeth Campos and UNTRA9s secretary-general Leonardo Marcos,

Marinela Pascoal, as they were about to two UNTRA members were forcibly

participate in a protest organized by Women disappeared on 11 March. They were

for Civic and Political Rights against police believed to have been taken by SIC and DIIP

violence and high living costs. They were ofûcials after they left the Radio Iglesias ofûce

released the same evening after their lawyer in Luanda, where they were being

lodged a complaint. interviewed about a protest they were

On 20 March, PNA ofûcers detained three planning for 23 March against high living

people in the cities of Bengo and Huambo for costs and the continued detention of

participating in a general strike called by the <political= prisoners. Their fate and

General Centre of Independent and Free whereabouts remained unknown at the end

Trade Unions of Angola to demand an of the year.

increase in the national minimum wage and

better living conditions. RIGHT TO FOOD

Florindo Chivucute, the executive director People from the Cunene, Huila and Namibie

of civil society organization Friends of Angola, provinces faced severe drought caused by

was arrested on 27 August for disobeying the long-term impact of El Niño. Agricultural

police orders after he ûlmed trafûc police and production was compromised. About 5% of

ofûcers from the Criminal Investigation Angola9s population, particularly women and

Services (SIC) and the Directorate of children, were expected to experience food

Investigation of Penal Offences (DIIP) insecurity during the year. Planned

attacking him. He spent a night in handcuffs government cuts to fuel subsidies were

in the 4th Police Station, Luanda, before expected to compound the situation in the

being given a two-month suspended prison absence of sufûcient social protection

sentence. measures. While local authorities in Cahama

commune, Cunene province, constructed

dams to improve access to water, and

distributed resilient seeds to address the

Angola 79
agricultural production deûcit, the measures Argentina rejected the 2030 Agenda.

were insufûcient. Consequently, hundreds of Furthermore, it was the only country to

people continued to migrate from Cunene dissociate itself from the Pact for the Future

province to Namibia. and vote against a resolution in the UN

General Assembly aimed at preventing digital

violence against women and girls.

1. <Angola: Immediately release activists wrongfully jailed for one

year and denied medical care=, 16 September ± SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

According to the Ministry of Health, since the

2021 legalization of abortion before 14 weeks

ARGENTINA of pregnancy, 245,015 people accessed a

safe abortion within the public health system

Argentine Republic up to October 2023. Abortion-related deaths

reduced by 53% between 2020 and 2022. In

January, however, President Javier Milei

Barriers to accessing abortion remained.
referred to what he called <the bloody
High rates of femicide and gender-based
abortion agenda=, alongside other
violence persisted and support services
were cut. Female journalists experienced stigmatizing rhetoric and false information.

digital violence. New legislation legalized Despite the abortion law remaining in effect

mass surveillance. Repressive responses to (amid parliamentary attempts to overturn it),

public demonstrations increased. Poverty in September the National Directorate of

worsened and the government imposed Sexual and Reproductive Health announced

that there was a shortage of essential

harsh austerity measures, particularly
supplies for abortion services.
impacting older people. The government
took regressive steps in the ûght against According to information published in

climate change, including introducing 2024, every hour ûve girls aged under 20

legislation to authorize deforestation and gave birth in Argentina in 2022. Despite this,

mining in periglacial zones. the government reversed the Adolescents9

Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention Plan,

which had successfully reduced the teenage

BACKGROUND
pregnancy rate by 49% over the previous
Argentina remained immersed in a deep
four years. The Ministry of Health dismantled
economic and social crisis. In June,

according to the National Institute of it by reducing the real-term budget by 68%,

Statistics and Census (INDEC), 52.9% of the ending the contracts of 619 specialists and

population were living in poverty. cutting resources.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child

voiced concern over the closure and SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Between January and December a femicide

degradation of institutions, retraction of
was reported every 33 hours. Despite this,
public policies, and drastic reduction to the

budget allocated to guarantee the rights of resource cuts for policies around gender-

children and adolescents, including cuts to based violence were alarming. The gender-

investment in health and education. based violence hotline <144= reduced its staff

Congress had failed to appoint an by 42% and the Acompañar programme,

which aims to strengthen the economic

ombudsperson since 2009. The Executive
independence of individuals experiencing
Branch proposed only male candidates for
gender-based violence, had reduced its
two vacancies at the all-male Supreme Court.

A proposal to lower the age of criminal reach by 98.63% in the ûrst quarter of 2024

responsibility from 16 to 13 years was compared with the same period in 2023.

pending approval. In June the Brazilian justice system found

actor Juan Darthés guilty of raping

Argentinian actor Thelma Fardín when she

80 Amnesty International Report

was 16 years old. Juan Darthés holds dual learning algorithms used to analyse

Brazilian and Argentinian citizenship and had <historical crime data and predict future

relocated to Brazil following Thelma Fardín9s crimes=.

accusation in 2018. Brazil does not extradite

its own citizens. FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

In May, three lesbian women died after a Following the approval of restrictive

man threw a Molotov cocktail into their room regulations on the right to protest in

while they slept. December 2023, the authorities responded to

In August a man was convicted for the public demonstrations with increasing

murder of Tehuel de la Torre, a young repression. On 1 February, during a peaceful

transgender man who disappeared on 11 protest against a bill proposing austerity

March 2021. The court found that the crime measures, Matías Auûeri was blinded in his

was aggravated because it was motivated by left eye by a rubber bullet ûred by police.

hatred of gender identity, marking the ûrst On 12 June, 33 people were arbitrarily

decision by the Argentinian justice system detained and criminalized during protests

recognizing extreme gender-based violence against a new version of the same law. The

against transgender men. Pierina Nochetti, a Inter-American Commission on Human

lesbian human rights activist, faced criminal Rights condemned the authorities9 comments

charges that could have resulted in up to four stigmatizing and criminalizing demonstrators,

years in prison for allegedly painting grafûti and describing them as <terrorists= with

protesting at the disappearance of Tehuel de alleged plans for a <coup d9état=.

1
la Torre. In October, she was acquitted.

In April, inüuencer Emmanuel Danann was IMPUNITY

sentenced to community service and The Executive ordered the closure of the

participation in a gender violence prevention Special Investigation Unit for the search of

workshop and was prohibited from children appropriated and forcibly

mentioning journalist Marina Abiuso following disappeared during the 1976-1983 military

systemic online gender-based harassment regime.

against her. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Over the past ûve years, 63.5% of female found Argentina responsible for failing to

journalists in Argentina have experienced adopt reasonable measures to prevent the

digital violence, with 85.6% reporting attack on 18 July 1994 at the headquarters

harassment or trolling. Additionally, 45.9% of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association

have faced sexual harassment or threats of centre, as well as for not fulûlling its duty to

sexual violence. As a result, 50% of these investigate the attack and its cover-up with

journalists reported engaging in self- due diligence and for violating the right to

censorship, and 34.5% chose to withdraw historical truth.

2
from digital platforms altogether.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MASS The introduction of austerity measures had a

SURVEILLANCE disproportionate impact on children and

Since President Milei9s administration began older people.

in 2023, nearly 30 journalists experienced According to the INDEC, 15.7 million

harassment and violence on social media people lived below the poverty line in the ûrst

and in the media from the president and half of 2024, an increase of 11.2 percentage
3
other ofûcials. points compared with the end of 2023.

Resolutions 428/2024 and 710/2024, UNICEF reported that in April more than a

issued by the Ministry of Security, enabled million children went to bed without an

mass surveillance through monitoring social evening meal.

media, digital applications and the internet, Reduction in pension values was one of

as well as facial recognition and machine- the main drivers of the ûscal adjustment

Argentina 81
carried out by the administration. For the

whole of 2024, the minimum pension beneût ARMENIA

failed to cover the cost of living, impacting

people9s right to an adequate standard of Republic of Armenia

living. Despite the decision by Congress to

increase the value of pensions, the president The government struggled to integrate more
vetoed the change, undermining the than 100,000 refugees from Nagorno-
economic and social rights of older people. Karabakh. Freedoms of expression and
The average person living in Argentina peaceful assembly were curtailed on several
suffered economic austerity, while the ûscal occasions and journalists and
system favoured a regressive tax system that environmental defenders were threatened
exacerbated inequality. The government and harassed. Amendments to the domestic
justiûed austerity and budget cuts as violence law provided increased protection
necessary to achieve ûscal balance, while to survivors. Discrimination against LGBTI
reducing progressive taxes and increasing tax people persisted.
exemptions for large companies.

BACKGROUND
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Negotiations towards ûnalizing a peace deal

Concerns remained over the government9s with Azerbaijan continued amidst a tense

position on climate change. The president security situation, marked by clashes around

declared that <global warming is a lie from Azerbaijan9s Nagorno-Karabakh region and

socialism= and announced that he was along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

unsubscribing Argentina from the Agenda Tensions also remained high over key issues

2030 commitments, which include targets to such as territorial corridors and the status of

limit climate change. The Climate Action Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tracker rated Argentina9s climate targets and The government continued to strengthen

policies as <critically insufûcient=, meaning political ties with the EU and USA, while

that they were not at all consistent with the announcing plans to leave the Russian-led

Paris Agreement9s 1.5°C limit for the average Collective Security Treaty Organization.

global temperature rise. The post-conüict tensions with Azerbaijan

The government also introduced regressive continued to fuel domestic political unrest. In

legislation authorizing deforestation in April and May, large-scale protests erupted

currently protected areas and expanding the after a border demarcation agreement with

authorization of mining activities in the Azerbaijan left four villages in the Tavush

periglacial zone. The reforms had not been region on the Azerbaijani side of the border.

passed by the end of the year. Protesters blocked roads, calling on Prime

Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign and

criticizing his handling of the 2022 conüict

1. <Argentina: Ongoing criminalization against LGBT+ activist=, 30 with Azerbaijan and his government9s shift in

May ± political alliances.

2. <Muted: The impact of digital violence against women

journalists=, 15 October (Spanish only) ± REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

3. <Escalation of attacks on freedom of expression in Argentina: The government continued to face difûculties

Amnesty International's letter to the IACHR=, 23 July (Spanish in integrating more than 100,000 refugees

only) ± who üed Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan

took control in September 2023. Housing,

employment and education remained

particularly difûcult for many refugees. Their

right to a safe and digniûed return remained

unfulûlled.

82 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY by media smear campaigns. These included

The police used unlawful force against allegations that their activism threatened

demonstrators on several occasions during national security. The attacks followed their

the protests in April and May calling on the December 2023 joint statement raising

prime minister to resign. concerns about the environmental impacts of

On 12 June, police and demonstrators the controversial Amulsar mining project.

clashed in the centre of the capital, Yerevan,

during protests against the border SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

demarcation agreement. Some 101 On 12 April, parliament adopted

individuals were injured, including 17 police amendments to the domestic violence law,

ofûcers, and 98 people were reportedly strengthening protections for survivors and

detained. At least 15 individuals were later removing the previous emphasis on

charged with hooliganism and violating public <restoring family harmony=, which could

order. No law enforcement ofûcers were potentially put pressure on victims to stay in

indicted or charged following an inquiry into abusive relationships. The amendments

the proportionality and legality of the police expanded the deûnition of domestic violence
1
response. to include physical, sexual, psychological and

economic abuse. The amendments also

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION introduced new offences including forced

The protests in April and May were medical interventions, restricting access to

accompanied by reports of increased healthcare, <virginity testing= and stalking.

pressure and harassment against journalists,

including insults and threats. The Armenian LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression Stigmatization and discrimination against

reported that 14 journalists and media LGBTI people continued. In June, staff in the

workers were injured while covering the ofûce of the Ombudsperson reported being

protests, due to targeted attacks as well as subjected to threats, harassment and verbal

the crush of the crowd. Some journalists were abuse, particularly for their work with LGBTI

shoved and pushed to the ground, while individuals.

others reported being beaten and injured by

police ofûcers.

On 22 March, authorities detained podcast 1. <Armenia: Violence during street protests must be investigated=,

hosts and political opposition activists Vazgen 13 June ±

Sagatelyan and Narek Samsonyan on

charges of hooliganism and remanded them

in custody for two months. The two men were AUSTRALIA

accused of using obscene language against

the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan and Australia

other ûgures from the ruling party on the

media outlet AntiFake. Their trial began on Discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres
23 September. If convicted, they could face Strait Islander peoples remained
up to ûve years9 imprisonment. entrenched. Children as young as 10 years

of age were imprisoned. New migration laws

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT û
increased risks of inde nite detention or
The Amulsar gold mine was given permission
refoulement, and other human rights abuses
to resume operations in January without fully
in detention. Anti-protest laws were used to
addressing the environmental concerns restrict the right to peaceful assembly. New
around water and land pollution, which had fossil fuel projects were approved,
led to protests in previous years. perpetuating Australia9s status as a leading
Environmental defenders faced lawsuits fossil fuel producer.
intended to silence them and were targeted

Australia 83
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS immigration detention in similar

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples circumstances.

continued to face inequality. Only ûve of the In late November, three new migration

19 targets set in the National Agreement on laws were passed that included increased

Closing the Gap were on track. Progress on powers to remove and detain refugees and

four targets worsened, including Indigenous migrants, including to third countries, and

incarceration rates, children in out-of-home new powers to conûscate phones in

2
care, and suicide rates among First Nations detention.

Peoples.

Eighteen Indigenous People died in RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

custody during the year. In July, the Disability Royal Commission

Indigenous women experienced published a report which made over 200

disproportionate levels of domestic violence. recommendations. Only 13 of these were

Perpetrators of crimes against missing and fully accepted, with agreement <in principle=

murdered Indigenous women and children on 117 others. The government did not agree

were often not held accountable. to phase out special schools, group homes or

segregated employment settings, nor to pass

CHILDREN9S RIGHTS new laws for greater protections for people

The Northern Territory lowered the age of with disabilities, as recommended. There

criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and were fears that this would negatively impact

reintroduced physical restraint devices such the rights to housing, education and work for

as spit-hoods. Queensland introduced people with disabilities.

tougher sentences for children under <adult

crime, adult time= policies. In June, Victoria RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

raised the age of criminal responsibility to 12, The government continued to expand fossil

but rescinded plans to raise this to 14. fuel projects, ranking among the top 20

In Western Australia, three Aboriginal boys countries in developed gas reserves. Australia
1
died in the youth detention system. was also one of nine nations responsible for

Indigenous children were 23 times more 90% of global coal production. It planned to

likely to be under youth justice supervision increase coal and gas output by more than

and 28 times more likely to be in detention, 5% by 2030: an increase incompatible with

despite making up only 5.7% of the global climate commitments. There was no

population aged 10 to 17. clear plan to phase out fossil fuels or curb

extraction. Climate ûnance contributions were

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS rated as critically insufûcient.

Unlawful refugee policies continued,

including indeûnite detention in Australia and FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

sending asylum seekers <offshore= to Nauru. Anti-protest laws were used against climate

By the end of the year, there were over 100 activists and those protesting against the war
3
refugees and asylum seekers in Nauru. in Gaza. On 25 June, in Newcastle, New

In May, the High Court dismissed a South Wales, police stopped a climate

challenge brought by an Iranian asylum protester attempting to disrupt trains and

seeker, known as ASF17, who had been arrested at least 26 people. In November,

detained since 2013. ASF17 was over 170 people were arrested for temporarily

unsuccessful in his claim of persecution blocking coal ships. Students and activists

based on his sexuality under a üawed <fast advocating for Palestinian human rights

track= assessment process. He faced faced arrests, police violence and

indeûnite detention in Australia since he was harassment. The University of Sydney

unable to be removed to Iran. The ruling introduced a policy requiring students to

impacted up to 200 people held in apply for permits to protest. At the University

of Melbourne, CCTV footage and Wi-Fi

84 Amnesty International Report

location data were used as evidence in In September the Ministry of Social Affairs

misconduct hearings against protesters. adopted the Housing First approach as an

In September, anti-war protesters were Austrian-wide model to support people

arrested after clashes with police outside a experiencing homelessness. Despite this

major defence weapons exposition in positive development, the government failed

Melbourne. Police ûred rubber bullets at to adopt a comprehensive national housing

demonstrators. strategy.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

1. <Australia: Death of 17 year old Aboriginal boy in WA youth By year9s end 27 women had been killed in

detention a shameful, preventable tragedy=, 30 August ± cases of suspected femicides, amid concerns

2. <Australia: Labor9s new migration laws deliver a dangerous about a failure to adopt long-term strategies

setback for rights of refugees and people seeking asylum=, 2 to prevent such violence. In September the

December ± Council of Europe9s Group of Experts on

3. <Australia: Police attempts to block protests go against Action against Violence against Women and

government9s human rights obligations, say civil liberties and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) called on

community groups=, 2 October ± Austria, among other things, to ensure that

places in women9s shelters were available in

sufûcient quantity and in an adequate

AUSTRIA geographic distribution.

Women continued to have limited access

Republic of Austria to safe and affordable abortion care in several

federal states. Stigmatization of health

personnel providing abortion care remained a

Social security provisions remained
inadequate. Abortion continued to be further barrier to women accessing safe
2
criminalized. Peaceful acts of civil abortion services. Civil society continued to

disobedience were met with prison terms urge the government to fully decriminalize

without due process. Parliament passed a abortion.

Freedom of Information Act, but with far-

reaching exceptions. Guardianship for FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

Peaceful acts of civil disobedience were met

unaccompanied children seeking
with prison terms without due process and
international protection was not guaranteed.
Anti-discrimination legislation was negative rhetoric was used against climate

inadequate at the regional level. Police activists. In May, protests by Palestinian

û
of cers were still not required to wear solidarity movements at the University of

û
identi cation badges. No climate protection Vienna and the Technical University were

dispersed by the police.

act was introduced.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Women and people with disabilities faced In January, parliament passed the Freedom

signiûcant barriers in accessing social of Information Act, although most

assistance beneûts, including stigmatization, municipalities were exempted from the duty

bureaucratic hurdles and restrictive legal to proactively publish information of general

interest.
provisions, which undermined their right to
1 In August, the government published a
social security. During the parliamentary
draft law on surveillance of encrypted
election campaigns, the Austrian People9s

Party as well as the Austrian Freedom Party communications which would allow the use

advocated restricting access to social of highly invasive spyware.

assistance beneûts for asylum seekers and

non-nationals.

Austria 85
DETAINEES9 RIGHTS still not required to wear identiûcation

In June the UN Committee against Torture badges, impeding accountability.

(CAT) expressed concerns over conditions in

some detention deportation centres and RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

called on Austria to end the practice of Human-induced climate change increased

detaining individuals with mental health extreme weather events, with üoods, storms,

issues in so-called security cells in such and mountain snowfall in September. The

facilities. government failed to introduce a binding

climate protection act.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

In June the UN CAT expressed concerns

about the lack of any federal provision to 1. <As if You Were Going to the Enemy=: Access to Social Assistance

ensure guardianship for all unaccompanied Benefits in Austria, 28 June ±

asylum-seeking children on their arrival in the 2. Austria: <It9s my job= 3 Healthcare Professionals As Defenders of

country. A legislative proposal by the Ministry the Law on Abortion in Austria, 26 June (German only) ±

of Justice to address this was not forwarded

to parliament for discussion.

Also in June the Constitutional Court AZERBAIJAN

upheld a decision to send a man back to

Afghanistan, despite concerns that he faced Republic of Azerbaijan

a real risk of serious human rights violations.

In October the Court of Justice of the EU The year saw a sharp decline in respect for
ruled that an Afghan woman9s gender and
human rights, with the authorities
nationality alone could sufûce as proof of
continuing to impose an effective ban on
persecution, following Austria9s denial of independent oversight. Impunity prevailed
refugee status to two Afghan women. for past violations in the con ict over the ü
There were no safe and digniûed pathways disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
like resettlement programmes for people Independent NGOs and the media
seeking international protection. continued to face arbitrary restrictions.

Human rights defenders and activists were

DISCRIMINATION arrested for their legitimate activities.
Austria failed to harmonize anti-
Peaceful protests were suppressed. Torture
discrimination legislation across national and and other ill-treatment remained
regional levels. Disability, ethnicity and widespread. LGBTI people were denied
gender continued to be considered protected justice.
grounds only in access to goods and

services.
BACKGROUND
Concerns persisted throughout the year
In November, Azerbaijan hosted COP29 amid
about rates of antisemitic and anti-Muslim
allegations that senior ofûcials from its
crimes. conference team were using the opportunity

In the run up to parliamentary elections in to broker new fossil fuel deals. The Host

September, there was a notable increase in Country Agreement was never made public,

racist speech, including by public ofûcials, although a leaked version indicated a lack of
particularly online targeting of asylum seekers
genuine protection for human rights.
and refugees.
The authorities deûed efforts to ensure

oversight, refusing to cooperate with

UNLAWFUL USE OF FORCE international intergovernmental bodies and

In January, the new police oversight body civil society organizations, including those

became operational although concerns over focused on human rights mechanisms. In

its full independence persisted. Police were January, the government threatened to

86 Amnesty International Report

withdraw from the Council of Europe (CoE) government critics. In April, human rights

and the European Convention on Human defender Anar Mammadli, winner of the

Rights, after the council's Parliamentary 2014 PACE human rights prize, was arrested

Assembly (PACE) suspended Azerbaijan9s and placed in pretrial detention on fabricated

credentials due to insufûcient cooperation smuggling charges. His arrest came shortly

and a worsening rights record. Authorities after his Election Monitoring and Democracy

also restricted monitoring of February9s snap Studies Center published an assessment on

presidential election, which was criticized by the conduct of the February presidential

observers for lacking genuine competition election and as he, together with other

and was won by the incumbent. human rights defenders, announced a

Peace negotiations with Armenia coalition on climate justice ahead of COP29.

progressed after Azerbaijan agreed to drop its More than a dozen journalists remained in

demand for a <Zangezur Corridor= to its arbitrary detention following their arrest in

Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia in 2023. Authorities also extended the pretrial

August. However, its new demands for detention of at least 11 journalists from

Armenia to amend its constitution to remove Azerbaijan9s few remaining independent

references to unity with Nagorno-Karabakh, news outlets, falsely accusing them of

as well as ongoing disputes over border currency smuggling in connection with

delineation, further complicated efforts to alleged funding from western donors.

reach a ûnal settlement. On 6 March, police raided one of the last

remaining independent news channels

VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL Toplum TV, its partner organization the

HUMANITARIAN LAW Institute of Democratic Initiatives (IDI), and

Impunity prevailed for violations in the the Platform for the Third Republic, an

conüict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh opposition group. They detained journalists

region. On 24 January, when suspending and activists including Toplum TV founder

Azerbaijan9s credentials, PACE reiterated its Alasgar Mammadli, journalist Mushûg Jabbar,

concern at Azerbaijan9s failure to Third Republic board members Akif

acknowledge the severe humanitarian and Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzetli, and IDI activists

human rights impact of restricting access Ramil Babayev and Ali Zeynalov, all on

from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh through fabricated charges. Independent journalists

the Lachin Corridor. PACE also reiterated its Imran Aliyev and Farid Mehralizade, arrested

condemnation of Azerbaijan9s September on 18 April and 29 May respectively, also

2023 military operation, which led to the remained in detention on false charges of

displacement to Armenia of the entire ethnic currency smuggling.

Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Between August and November, the

amounting to more than 100,000 people. prosecution brought new fabricated charges

Their right to a safe and digniûed return of illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering

remained unrealized. and tax evasion against journalists of the

investigative outlet Abzas Media, who had

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND been held in arbitrary detention since

ASSOCIATION November 2023. Its director and his deputy

Independent NGOs and the media continued Ulvi Hasanli and Mahammad Kekalov, editor-

to face arbitrary restrictions, including denial in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi and journalists Nargiz

of registration and onerous reporting Absalamova, Elnara Gasimova and Haûz

1
requirements. The media sector remained Babali faced between eight and 12 years9

under effective government control, resulting imprisonment if convicted.

in widespread self-censorship. The In July and August, academics Igbal Abilov

presidential election and COP29 were and Bahruz Samadov were arrested on

preceded by new waves of arrests of fabricated charges of treason. They remained

independent journalists and other

Azerbaijan 87
in pretrial custody and were denied contact academic Gubad Ibadoghlu, who had been

with their families. held in pretrial detention for 274 days, was

moved to house arrest as his health

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY deteriorated. He remained under

Freedom of assembly remained severely and investigation on false charges and was

unduly restricted and the authorities banned from leaving Azerbaijan to receive

continued to imprison those taking part in medical care.

peaceful protests.

In April, trade union activist Aykhan LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Israûlov was sentenced to three years9 On 19 April, the European Court of Human

imprisonment on fabricated drug charges in Rights struck out the case of A. v. Azerbaijan

retaliation for participating in peaceful and 23 related applications, based on

protests by couriers in August 2023. Azerbaijan9s unilateral declaration, which

Two activists who supported environmental acknowledged <the fact there was a violation

protests in the village of Söyüdlü, Gadabay of the applicants9 rights= and made a

district, in 2023 were also convicted on false commitment to pay them damages. The

drug-related charges (see below). Joshgun applicants alleged, among other things, that

Musayev, who printed posters during the as LGBTI persons they had been subjected to

protest, was arrested in August and discrimination, arbitrary arrests, mistreatment

sentenced to three years9 imprisonment. and forced medical examinations. The court9s

Former member of parliament Nazim decision, which activists criticized for denying

Baydamirli, arrested in October shortly after justice, left the allegations unaddressed

he publicly supported the protests, was because the authorities failed to conduct

sentenced to eight years9 imprisonment. effective investigations and bring those

responsible to justice. In 2019, the applicants

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT had indicated to the court that <they were not

Torture and other ill-treatment, and impunity satisûed with the terms of the [Azerbaijani

for the perpetrators, remained widespread. government9s] unilateral declaration= on

On 3 July, in an exceptional move, the CoE9s which the decision was based.

Committee for the Prevention of Torture

publicly denounced Azerbaijan9s ongoing RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

refusal to cooperate and address long- On 5 August, the government authorized the

standing concerns, including widespread resumption of operations at a gold mine in

physical ill-treatment and, on occasions, Söyüdlü, including expanding an existing

torture by the police. It called on the pond containing toxic waste. The operations

Azerbaijani authorities <to break this 8unholy had been suspended for a year following

alliance9 between the continued resort to environmental protests in 2023 over

physical ill-treatment/torture by the police concerns of improper storage of toxic waste

and the pervasive practice of threats, planting during mining operations. Locals and

evidence, forced confessions and extortion=. environmental activists alleged that the waste

On 24 July, Ulvi Hasanli (see above) was causing serious health problems and

published a letter alleging torture and other polluting surrounding agricultural land. The

ill-treatment, including systematic beating of protests were brutally suppressed by the

prisoners, in the detention centre where he authorities.

was held.

Jailed government critics continued to be

denied adequate medical care, resulting in 1. Azerbaijan: Update: The Human Rights Situation in Azerbaijan

signiûcant worsening of their health. They Ahead of COP29, 1 November ±

included Anar Mammadli, Alasgar

Mammadli, Ruslan Izzetli, Aziz Orujov, Fazil

Gasimov and Famil Khalilov. On 22 April,

88 Amnesty International Report

 for imposing the travel ban or how he could

BAHRAIN contest it.

On 25 March, authorities detained

Kingdom of Bahrain Ebrahim Sharif, a leader of the outlawed

opposition party Wa8d, for social media posts

Bahrain continued to suppress the rights to in which he criticized the government for

freedom of expression and association, investing national revenues in McLaren

including through arbitrary detention and Automotive company rather than public

travel bans. The right to freedom of housing. He was released on 28 March but

peaceful assembly was not fully respected; the authorities did not formally drop the

peaceful and violent demonstrators were criminal investigation, allowing them the

grouped together in unfair trials which discretion to bring future charges in the case.

relied on non-credible evidence including This was the second time in less than a year

<confessions= taken from children. that the authorities had detained Ebrahim

Sharif for his political expression online.

BACKGROUND On 30 July the Ministry of the Interior and

Bahrain released 2,586 prisoners, including Ofûce of Public Prosecution detained Hasan

more than 750 people detained for political al-Hayeki, Jamsheer Fairouz, Husain 8Id,

reasons, according to Shia opposition groups, Sayed Mohamed al-8Alawi and Saleh Sahwan

in three royal pardons on 8 April, 15 June for organizing a gathering on the night of 16

and 4 September. The 8 April pardon July at which people chanted: <We demand

included human rights defender and prisoner the release of the prisoners!= and other

of conscience Naji Fateel. However, other political slogans. Hasan al-Hayeki was

prominent human rights defenders including released on 3 September. The others were

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Abduljalil Al- released on 22 September.

Singace remained arbitrarily detained.

ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF NATIONALITY

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION On 10 July the Court of Cassation stripped

Bahrain continued to conduct arrests and Mohamed Rafeeq al-Husaini, the

prosecutions of government critics. On 5 representative of al-Muharraq Governorate9s

May, authorities began a criminal trial against First Electoral District, of his membership of

human rights activist Ali al-Hajee for the Council of Representatives, the elected

peacefully protesting against an arbitrary house of Bahrain9s parliament, on the

travel ban imposed on him after his release grounds that he held Pakistani as well as

1 Bahraini nationality. Pakistan does not

from prison in 2023. He had been released

after serving a 10-year sentence for his recognize Mohamed Rafeeq al-Husaini as a

involvement in peaceful protests. He was Pakistani national, and he had lived in

acquitted on 29 May and the travel ban was Bahrain with Bahraini nationality for decades.

lifted in August. In August the Court of Cassation stripped

Authorities continued the criminal Mohamed Rafeeq al-Husaini of his Bahraini

investigation, begun in November 2023, of nationality and the executive authorities

Jasim Hussein Al Abbas, based on a blog deported him to Pakistan. The government

post he wrote about Bahrain9s conversion to acted against him after he called on 30 April

Islam. Authorities held him under an arbitrary for the release from prison of Ali Salman, the

travel ban throughout the year on the leader of the outlawed opposition party al-

accusation of <circulating wrong historical Wefaq. Ali Salman is serving a life sentence

information=. Despite his repeated inquiries, because of his political activities; Amnesty

the authorities would not disclose to him International considers him to be a prisoner

which government agency was responsible of conscience.

Bahrain 89
FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

The authorities continued to arrest, prosecute Authorities responded to long-term sit-in

and imprison peaceful demonstrators and protests by inmates at Jaw prison, which

bystanders in unfair trials. On 25 March, began in March, by restricting the protesters9

seven defendants were convicted for telephone calls and visits and by cutting off

participating in a pro-Palestine protest in the electricity to their buildings. This included

village of Sanabis on 2 November 2023. The cutting off detainees9 air conditioning during

court handed down prison sentences to all summer temperatures of 44 to 46°C.

seven defendants in the absence of any As in previous years, prisoners and their

credible evidence that they had committed families were routinely denied access to their

an internationally recognized criminal offence medical records.

(see below).

Despite the large-scale pardon and release RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

of prisoners, Bahrain continued to arbitrarily During COP29 in November, Bahrain9s oil

detain 10 leaders of mass anti-government minister announced the country9s

protests that took place in 2011, including commitment to reducing emissions by 30%

activists and prisoners of conscience. The 10 by the year 2035 and achieving net zero by

men, who were convicted before a military 2060. However, in February, Bahrain had

court on charges including <setting up terror sought a USD 500 million loan to expand oil

groups to topple the regime and change the and gas production by 400 new oil wells and

constitution=, had their convictions and 30 gas wells.

sentences upheld on appeal in September

2012.

1. <Bahrain: Human rights activist faces trial in further prosecution

UNFAIR TRIALS for protesting travel ban=, 3 May ±

Criminal cases continued to be prosecuted

through procedures that often violated the

right to a fair trial. In cases where violence BANGLADESH

was allegedly used against police during

street demonstrations, defendants were People9s Republic of Bangladesh

typically tried in groups resulting in group

verdicts, undermining the right to a

Freedom of expression continued to be
determination of individual criminal liability. ü
sti ed by the draconian Cyber Security Act
In February and March, for example, a which did not adhere to international laws
court tried three adults and three children in and standards. Student-led protests faced
one proceeding on charges of participating in violence from the police, armed forces and
a pro-Palestine demonstration in the village of
groups aligned with the former ruling party,
Karzakkan on 17 November 2023 where
the Awami League. The violence left
some protesters engaged in violence against
hundreds dead and thousands injured and
the police and some remained peaceful. In sparked domestic and international
the separate trial of seven defendants in pressure for reform. The new interim
connection with the pro-Palestine protest in government began to address the issue of
Sanabis on 2 November 2023, the only enforced disappearances, however, families
evidence used to convict them consisted of
of the disappeared were still waiting for
statements from ofûcers of the Ministry of the
truth and justice. Rohingya refugees
Interior and the claim that ûve of the
continued to face dire living conditions in
defendants had <confessed= under camps, without access to essential services.
interrogation. Four of the ûve <confessions= Religious minorities and Indigenous
were from children, including two 15-year- Peoples faced violence. Garment workers
olds. continued to suffer intimidation,

90 Amnesty International Report

harassment and repression of their rights to <derogatory remarks= about then prime

freedom of association and peaceful minister Hasina on social media. On 24

assembly. December the interim government approved

the draft Cyber Protection Ordinance (CPO)

BACKGROUND which repealed and replaced the CSA. The

Following weeks of student-led protests, on 5 CPO has been criticized by civil society for its

August Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vague, over-broad and repressive provisions,

resigned and üed to India. An interim which could be used to stiüe freedom of

government comprised of advisers was expression.

formed on 8 August. Subsequent Selim Khan, a 19-year-old atheist blogger

breakdowns of law and order were reported, who had expressed views critical of Islam in a

along with incidents of violence against those private Facebook group, had been arrested

with ties to the Awami League party and and detained under the CSA on 4 November

minority communities, including Indigenous 2023. Despite ûnally being granted bail on 13

Peoples. The interim government extended March after several refusals, he was not

an invitation to the OHCHR, the UN human released until 13 August. His case was

rights ofûce, to investigate human rights ongoing at year9s end.

violations that took place between 1 July and On 14 August, journalist Rozina Islam was

15 August. acquitted of allegedly stealing conûdential

In August, üash üoods and heavy monsoon documents. She had been detained under

rains created what authorities referred to as the Ofûcial Secrets Act and Penal Code in

the <worst climate disaster in recent May 2021 and held for a week before being

memory=. Climate-induced üooding affected released on bail. The authorities failed to

almost 6 million people and displaced at least produce any evidence to substantiate the

500,000. charges against her.

During the nationwide protests that took

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION place in July-September, authorities enforced

Following mounting domestic and an internet blackout on 18 July for six days.

international pressure, in 2023 the Ongoing restrictions were reported. The

government had replaced the Digital Security government alleged the blackout was to

Act (DSA) with the equally draconian Cyber combat the spread of misinformation. Civil

Security Act (CSA). Despite its repeal, media society groups expressed concern, however,

reports indicated that cases continued to be that it hindered human rights monitoring and

ûled under the DSA as late as April. In limited people9s ability to counter
2
February the Rangpur Cyber Tribunal misinformation.

instigated investigations into the editor of a

local newspaper and two other people; all FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

were later charged and imprisoned under the A quota system that allocated 30% of

DSA. government jobs to descendants of

The CSA was criticized for duplicating independence war veterans was reinstated in

problematic provisions of the DSA. It retained June. In early July, university students took to

58 of the 62 provisions 3 28 were retained the streets in protest demanding equal job

verbatim 3 and enabled severe restrictions on opportunities based on merit. Many were
1
freedom of expression, liberty and privacy. concerned the quotas favoured supporters of

In February, Pinaki Battacharya, a blogger the ruling party. The protests took place amid

living in exile in France, and six others were high unemployment rates, including among

charged under the CSA for allegedly graduates.

distorting images of then prime minister On 15 July, peaceful protesters were

Sheikh Hasina and publishing them on social violently dispersed by police using unlawful

media. Similarly, in June, 11 people were force. Some protesters were allegedly

charged under the CSA for allegedly making attacked by members of the Bangladesh

Bangladesh 91
Chatra League (BCL), a group afûliated with between 16 July and 9 September was at

the Awami League, with the support of least 875, of whom at least 52% were

security forces using batons, sticks and students. Media reported at least 111 deaths

ûrearms. Students reported being attacked on 4 August alone.

by members of these groups while they were From August onwards, protests called for

seeking treatment in hospital. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina9s resignation,

On 16 July, student leader Abu Sayed was which culminated in a planned <Long March

intentionally and unlawfully shot by police to Dhaka= on 5 August. Sheikh Hasina üed to

ofûcers who ûred directly at his chest from India and resigned on 5 August, after 15

across the street in circumstances where he years in power.

posed no threat. Abu Sayed was reported

dead upon arrival at the hospital. His was one Women9s and girls9 rights

of six deaths reported on 16 July. Women and girls played a key role in the

Protests demanding an apology for the student protest movement, facing unlawful

violence from former prime minister Sheikh use of force by the police and reporting

Hasina erupted across the country in violent attacks from groups afûliated with the

solidarity with student protesters. Some Awami League. Women who spoke to

protests turned violent and public facilities Amnesty International said they were kicked

such as railway stations and highways were in their breasts, stomach and head during

reportedly damaged. At midnight on 19 July these attacks. Media reports suggested that

a nationwide curfew was implemented. women and girls were attacked to deter them

Armed forces were deployed and authorities from protesting.

passed <shoot-on-sight= orders. Women journalists claimed that their

Amnesty International documented the coverage of the protests led to them being

repeated use of unlawful force by authorities targeted by the police, groups afûliated with

with weapons including assault riües loaded the Awami League and even protesters.

with lethal ammunition. Authorities ûred tear On 27 July, Nusrat Tabbasum, a student

gas into enclosed spaces and used rubber leader and key protest coordinator, was

bullets and shotguns loaded with pellets. arrested and arbitrarily detained alongside

Lethal and less-lethal weapons were used other coordinators. The government claimed

against unarmed students, violating they were taken into custody <for their

Bangladesh9s obligations under international safety=. Nusrat Tabbasum was released on 1

law and standards. August with ûve others after they went on a

According to media reports, between 17 32-hour hunger strike. The coordinators

and 29 July, 10,000 protesters were arrested claimed that while in police custody they

and detained, including student leaders, were coerced into declaring an end to the

protest coordinators, bystanders and people protests.

providing protesters with food and water.

Student leaders Arif Sohel, Rony Sheikh and ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

Sabir Rahman were arrested in July. Their According to Odhikar, a Bangladeshi human

families and lawyers reported being denied rights organization, there were 10 reported

access to them while in detention, in violation cases of enforced disappearances between

of their due process rights. Rony was January and June.

released on bail on 2 August, Arif was After Sheikh Hasina9s resignation, three

released on bail on 3 August, and Sabir was people whose whereabouts had been

released on bail at the end of July. Most of unknown for years were released from a

the students were arrested under mass First secret detention facility. They were Michael

Information Reports, (FIRs), where they Chakma, an Indigenous rights activist who

remained unnamed. was forcibly disappeared in 2019; Abdullahil

According to local civil society group Aman Azmi, a retired brigadier general and

Human Rights Support Society, the death toll son of the head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party,

92 Amnesty International Report

who was forcibly disappeared in 2016; and FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

Ahmad Bin Quasem, a Supreme Court Authorities failed to protect minority

lawyer, who was also forcibly disappeared in communities from violence, discrimination

2016. and harassment. On 5 and 6 August, there

On 27 August the interim government set was a spate of attacks against Hindu and

up a ûve-member Commission of Inquiry to Ahmadi communities. Houses, places of

investigate allegations of enforced worship and businesses belonging to

disappearances that took place between 6 religious minorities were attacked and at least

January 2009 and August 2024. On 14 one person from the Hindu community was

December the Commission published an killed.

interim report which detailed the legal

frameworks and patterns observed in INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

incidents of disappearances in Bangladesh. In April and May, as part of an ongoing

In a welcome step, on 29 August, the military operation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

interim government acceded to the in south-eastern Bangladesh, over 100

International Convention against enforced Indigenous Bawm people were arbitrarily

disappearance. However, Bangladesh is a arrested on charges including alleged

dualist country (one where the government sedition under the draconian Special Powers
3
considers international law separate from Act They remained in detention at the end of

domestic law) and there was no domestic the year.

legislation enacted to give full effect to the On 20 September, violence erupted

Convention in the domestic system. between Bengali settlers and Indigenous

Jummo people in the Khagrachari and

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS Rangamati districts of the Chittagong Hill

Bangladesh was host to almost 1 million Tracts. The violence left at least three people

Rohingya refugees who üed violence and dead, 15 injured and at least 50 homes and

persecution in Myanmar. Living conditions in businesses burned.

the camps remained dire, especially as more

refugees entered Bangladesh due to violence WORKERS9 RIGHTS

in Myanmar. Refugees in camps experienced Garment workers faced continued repression

food insecurity, a lack of housing and and crackdowns on their right to freedom of

essential services such as healthcare, and association, assembly and peaceful protest.

were unable to be registered by UNHCR, the At least nine garment workers, along with

UN refugee agency. Many refugees were other workers, including child labourers, were

prevented from entering Bangladesh and killed by authorities exercising unlawful use

were <pushed back= 3 unlawfully rejected at of force during the nationwide protests in July

the border by guards 3 in violation of the and August. During this time, many garment

principle of non-refoulement. factories were closed for extended periods,

Refugees were also victims of üoods and leaving workers without wages and forcing

landslides in the camps during heavy many to protest in demand of back pay.

monsoon rains. A large ûre which spread Workers faced arbitrary charges and

through the camps in January led to at least unlawful use of force, prompting fears of

800 shelters being burned, affecting the arrest or detention. On 30 September a

shelter of almost 7,000 refugees. According garment worker was shot dead by police, and

to UNHCR, authorities and humanitarian at least 41 workers were injured when initially

agencies provided refugees with temporary peaceful protests demanding higher wages

emergency shelter, food and medical and turned violent.

psychological support. At least 40,000 garment workers remained

at risk of arrest and detention due to legal

charges brought against them during wage-

related protests in September to November

Bangladesh 93
2023. Despite the announcement on 24 intended to be perceived as preparation for a

September by the interim government that military confrontation.

they would drop these charges, by the end of In October the UN Special Rapporteur on

the year the majority of cases had not been the human rights situation in Belarus stated

formally dropped. that the country9s engagement with the UN

On 11 September the Bangladesh human rights system had <reached its lowest

Garment Manufacturers and Exporters historical point=.

Association promised to abolish a database of

workers. They had previously denied that the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

database was being used to <blacklist= and AND ASSEMBLY

prevent the employment of workers Freedom of expression remained severely

associated with trade unions or protests. curtailed. The ofûcial list of online, printed

and broadcast materials labelled by the

authorities as containing <extremist content=

1. <Bangladesh: Repackaging repression: The cyber security act and continued to grow. Each month, hundreds of

the continuing lawfare against dissent in Bangladesh=, 8 August individuals were arbitrarily added to the <List

± of persons involved in extremist activities=,

2. <Bangladesh: Further video and photographic analysis confirm which comprised 4,707 people as of

police unlawfully used lethal and less-lethal weapons against December.

protesters=, 25 July ± At the end of the year, 45 media workers

3. <Bangladesh: Over 100 Indigenous People Arbitrarily Arrested: were in prison for their professional activity.

Bawm Villagers=, 22 May ± The suppression of civil society

organizations, including independent NGOs,

trade unions and ethnic and religious

BELARUS communities, escalated. At least 329

organizations were dissolved or in the

Republic of Belarus process of dissolution in 2024.

Human rights defender and 2020 protest

The authorities continued to crack down on icon, 73-year-old Nina Bahinskaya, was

arbitrarily detained in October for marching

all forms of public criticism and abused the
with a poster of an arbitrarily banned political
justice system to penalize peaceful dissent.
party. Police held her in custody in handcuffs
The suppression of independent media and
civil society organizations escalated. Torture for three hours, then released her pending a

and other ill-treatment were endemic and court hearing.

impunity prevailed. The enforced

disappearance of prisoners was widely FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

Religious organizations and clergy not aligned

practised. The LGBTI community continued
with the government faced accusations of
to face harassment. Refugees and migrants
creating or distributing extremist materials,
were forced across borders with the EU.
Climate action policies remained leading to prohibition and blocking of online

inadequate. materials and social network proûles,

arbitrary detentions and arrests.

BACKGROUND In May, Roman Catholic priest Andrei

Yukhnevich was detained for displaying a

With international isolation prevailing, Belarus
Ukrainian üag on his social media account.
continued to engage with Russia
He was then accused of sexually abusing
economically, politically, diplomatically and

militarily. Rhetoric about external threats from minors and remanded in custody.

EU neighbours and Ukraine continued, and

Belarus9s military forces conducted activities ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

The authorities released dozens of prisoners

convicted of politically-motivated charges,

94 Amnesty International Report

under non-disclosure conditions and after There had been no contact with the

forcing them to appeal for pardon. Their imprisoned 2020 protest leader Maryia

names were not released. Kalesnikava for over 600 days, until her

However, arrests and prosecution of father was granted a meeting with her in

dissenters remained widespread, particularly November following international pressure.

targeting participants and supporters of the

peaceful mass protests in 2020, whose family UNFAIR TRIALS

members were also harassed. In January, The authorities continued to abuse the justice

police raided the homes of about 160 system to suppress peaceful dissent,

individuals, mainly relatives of unfairly targeting political opponents, human rights

imprisoned protesters. Some were brieüy defenders, activists, and lawyers, among

detained and questioned. others. Trials in absentia were commonplace.

As of December, 1,265 people were In July, 20 exiled political analysts and

imprisoned on politically motivated charges journalists afûliated with opposition leader

and around 3,000 were released after fully Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya were sentenced to

serving their sentence, according to the between 10 and 11-and-a-half years9

Human Rights Centre Viasna. Also, according imprisonment for crimes against the state

to Viasna, at least 55 people were detained in and <extremism=.

2024 upon returning to Belarus from exile.

Some were penalized under administrative LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

proceedings, and 17 faced criminal charges, In February the Prosecutor General

including for making donations to victims of presented a draft law to parliament proposing

human rights violations. to make "propaganda of non-traditional family

relations", including "propaganda of

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT abnormal relationships, pedophilia, and

Torture and other ill-treatment remained voluntary refusal to have children",

endemic, with perpetrators enjoying administrative offences.

impunity. Individuals convicted on politically In April the Ministry of Culture updated the

motivated charges endured harsher ofûcial deûnition of pornography by adding

treatment in custody, their prison uniforms <non-traditional sexual relations and/or sexual

marked with yellow badges. Several such behaviour=, clarifying that it included, among

high-proûle prisoners were denied contact other things, consensual same-sex and

with the outside world, frequently put in bisexual relationships.

punishment cells for extended periods and The LGBTI community continued to face

refused adequate healthcare. harassment, including arbitrary arrests.

Five victims of politically motivated NGOs and media reported that, in August

prosecution died in detention. Two of them, and September alone, at least 30 LGBTI

Vadzim Khrasko and Igor Lednik, had pre- people were detained. Their detentions were

existing health conditions that were well mostly for purported <minor hooliganism=

known to the authorities. and subscription to <extremist= materials, but

also for <production and distribution of

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES pornographic materials= (a criminal offence if

Throughout the year, there was no outside committed repeatedly).

contact with and no direct information about

Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Ihar Losik, Maksim CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

Znak, Mikalai Statkevich, Viktar Babaryka Human rights organizations ZMINA, Freedom

and other imprisoned high-proûle activists, House, BYPOL and Viasna reported 2,219

journalists and politicians. According to the cases of the forcible transfer of Ukrainian

UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, such children to Belarus, where they were enrolled

prolonged periods of isolation could amount into local education facilities and subjected to

to enforced disappearances. indoctrination and propaganda.

Belarus 95
REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Authorities continued to force refugees and In February, parliament adopted a new

migrants across Belarus9s borders with the criminal code. It criminalized some acts,

EU. According to the NGO Human including a malicious attack on the authority

Constanta, in the three years to March 2024, of the state, gloriûcation of terrorism and

at least 116 migrants and refugees were lese-majesty (an offence of showing a lack of

reported to have died in the border areas respect for the sovereign), which would

between Belarus and the EU, as a result of undermine freedom of expression.

adverse conditions and alleged violent

forcible returns. FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

Municipalities continued to require prior

DEATH PENALTY authorization for public gatherings, a

No new executions were recorded. A German disproportionate restriction of the right to

1
national, Rico Krieger, was convicted of protest. In May, police used a water cannon

several offences, including spying and and tear gas to disperse a peaceful

mercenary activities, and sentenced to death demonstration near the Israeli embassy

in July. He was later pardoned and then protesting against human rights violations in

freed on 1 August as part of a prisoner Gaza. The mayor of Uccle district had

exchange agreed between Russia and several ordered the protest to be broken up as the

western countries. organizers had not obtained prior

authorization.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT In September, civil society organizations

The Climate Change Performance Index warned against increasing repression against

lowered Belarus9s ranking to 47th place pro-Palestinian demonstrators, highlighting

(<among the overall low performers=), scoring the use of administrative sanctions against

it <very low in the Renewable Energy and peaceful protesters for failing to comply with

Climate Policy categories=. unlawful municipal authorization regimes.

Around 70 people who had participated in or

sympathized with the occupation of a

BELGIUM university building in the capital, Brussels

were summoned for questioning in a criminal

Kingdom of Belgium investigation into membership of a group

2
<inciting segregation and racism=.

New criminal offences risked undermining

the right to freedom of expression. Arms REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

transfers to Israel were halted but Authorities continued to leave thousands of

repression against pro-Palestinian protesters asylum seekers homeless and destitute by

was on the rise. Asylum seekers were left denying them access to accommodation.

homeless and Afghan asylum seekers were Despite the severity of the human rights

denied protection. Prison conditions crisis in Afghanistan, the Ofûce of the

remained dire although some progress was Commissioner General for Refugees and

made in establishing oversight. Provisions Stateless Persons continued to deny

for care for survivors of sexual violence were international protection to the majority of

strengthened and the country9s policies on Afghan asylum seekers. Statistics published

people with disabilities were reviewed in December indicated that only 39% of

internationally. The state was ordered to pay those applying were granted protection. Most

reparations for crimes against humanity of the Afghan nationals who did not obtain

during colonial rule. international protection were unable to return

to Afghanistan and were vulnerable to abuse

due to their irregular migration status.

96 Amnesty International Report

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

On 18 April, parliament adopted a law on REPARATION

care centres for survivors of sexual violence On 2 December, the Court of Appeals of

which established a legal basis for such Brussels recognized the responsibility of the

centres, safeguarded funding and ensured Belgian state for the crime against humanity

collaboration between hospitals, the police of abduction and systematic racial

and the public prosecutor9s ofûce. segregation of Métis children (those of mixed

African and European ancestry) under

DETAINEES9 RIGHTS Belgian colonial rule in the Democratic

The new criminal code adopted in February Republic of the Congo. The court ordered

stipulated that custodial sentences should be reparations to be paid to the ûve appellants.

used only as a last resort.

Overcrowding in dilapidated prisons RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

continued, with insufûcient access to In May, a non-exhaustive inventory by the

essential services, including healthcare and federal government showed that in 2021 the

sanitary facilities. state spent EUR 15.5 billion in fossil fuels

In April, a federal preventive mechanism subsidies; the actual ûgure was higher still.

against torture and other ill-treatment was

established, bringing ratiûcation of the

Optional Protocol to the UN Convention 1. Europe: Under Protected and Over Restricted: The State of The

against Torture one step closer. Right to Protest in 21 European Countries, 8 July ±

2. Belgium: <NGOs and trade unions concerned about repressive

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES measures targeting pro-Palestinian movement in Belgium=, 20

In September, the Committee on the Rights of September (French only) ±

People with Disabilities recommended, 3. Belgium: Submission to The UN Committee on The Rights of

among other things, that Belgium develop Persons with Disabilities: 31st Session, 12 August-5 September

and enact an effective deinstitutionalization 2024, 12 July ±

strategy; ensure mobility policies meet the

speciûc needs of people with disabilities,

including older people; and ensure that

BENIN
people with disabilities have a sufûcient
3
income to lead a digniûed life.
Republic of Benin

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS Rights to freedom of expression and

In February, the Walloon regional government
peaceful assembly continued to be routinely
suspended export licences of military
curtailed. Opposition leaders were arbitrarily
material to Israel, after an open letter sent by
detained. Detention conditions violated
civil society organizations. In December,
international human rights standards for the
media reported that the Walloon regional
treatment of prisoners. Victims of forced
government had resumed issuing export
eviction linked to tourism development
licences for military material to the United
projects continued to be denied adequate
Arab Emirates despite signiûcant human
compensation. Armed groups killed people
rights concerns.
at the borders with Niger and Burkina Faso.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS BACKGROUND

Political parties continued to block a vote in
A new electoral code 3 denounced by the
parliament on a proposal aiming to improve
opposition 3 was enacted in March. The text
access to abortion services and bring the
restricted participation in the presidential
laws into closer compliance with the 2022
election, scheduled for 2026. Despite the
WHO Abortion Care Guideline.
lifting of the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS

Benin 97
against Niger after the 2023 coup, tensions meeting that day to discuss the deterioration

between Benin and neighbouring Niger in their working conditions. He was released

increased following Niger9s refusal to open its the same day after being presented to the

borders. This led to an increase in the cost of public prosecutor and after the dockers

living in Benin. announced a strike.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

Steve Amoussou, a Beninese national, was Opposition leader Reckya Madougou

arrested on 12 August in Lomé, Togo, where remained in detention, despite the UN

he was living. He was transferred to Benin, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stating

where he was charged by the Court for the in 2022 that her detention was arbitrary. She

Repression of Economic Offences and was convicted in December 2021 of

Terrorism with <electronic harassment, <complicity in acts of terrorism= and

initiation and publication of false news and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

direct incitement to rebellion=. His trial,

which began on 7 October, was ongoing at EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

the end of the year. The Beninese authorities On 27 November, the public prosecutor of

claim that he is <Frère Hounvi=, the the Parakou court announced the opening of

pseudonym of a cyber activist known for his an investigation and the arrest of seven police

criticisms of the authorities. ofûcers, after Samba Fayçal Ouorou Gani was

The management of Benin9s leading found dead on 19 November after a police

private media group, La Gazette du Golfe, check.

announced in February the dismissal of its

200 employees after the authorities froze its DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

bank accounts. This followed a decision on 8 Prisoners continued to live in ûlthy,

August 2023 by the High Authority for overcrowded cells without adequate clean
1
Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) to water and medical treatment. According to

suspend <all means of mass communication= the director general of the Prison Agency, as

of the group, in connection with an alleged of September there were more than 19,000

<gloriûcation of a coup d9état= after detainees in Benin9s 11 detention facilities,

comments made on the situation in Niger. around 300% over capacity. Due to lack of

In September, the president of the HAAC space, most prisoners slept on the üoor on

threatened to suspend media outlets that do their side, with no room to turn round. Most

not comply with the authorities9 requirements prisons were not equipped with fans, despite

regarding terrorism-related information. the excessive heat. The air in the buildings

and cells was fetid due to the lack of sanitary

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY facilities. Prisons lacked medical staff, and

On 26 April security forces repressed with prisoners reported that medicine was often

excessive force a trade union protest against denied, unavailable or out of date.

the high cost of living in Cotonou, after the In August, deputies of the National

prefect of the Littoral department banned it Assembly submitted several written questions

on the grounds that no <request for to the government regarding the poor

authorization= had been received. Several conditions in detention and excessive periods

union leaders were arrested and released the of preventive detention.

same day. On 11 May the prefect of the On 9 October, the president adopted a

Littoral department authorized a similar decree <on the organization and internal

protest in Cotonou. regime of prisons=, setting high standards for

On 30 December, several trade unions detainees9 health and hygiene.

issued a statement denouncing the arrest the

previous day of a trade union leader from

Cotonou, who had called for a dockworkers9

98 Amnesty International Report

FORCED EVICTIONS In June, the general commander of the

People forcibly evicted from the district of army led armed vehicles to the government

Fiyégnon in Cotonou in September 2021 in palace in an attempted uprising and was

connection with tourism development arrested shortly afterwards, alongside other

projects along the coast were yet to receive collaborators.

adequate compensation. Residents had not

been appropriately warned of the eviction or HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

when it was planned to take place. Most of Authorities failed to protect human rights

the residents were at home when the defenders, who continued to be stigmatized,

demolition equipment arrived, and the harassed and attacked. Defenders of

demolitions were carried out in the rain, at territory, land and the environment were at

night and at the start of the school year, with particular risk. Park rangers protecting the

consequences for children9s education. Madidi National Park continued to be

subjected to threats and attacks. In August,

ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS human rights defender Waldo Albarracín

On 16 and 17 April, an attack by unidentiûed Sánchez and his family received physical

gunmen on the Monkassa customs post left threats for their historic human rights work.

three people dead, including one member of The work of the Permanent Assembly on

the Beninese defence and security forces. On Human Rights in Bolivia, an NGO in the

the night of 24 July, seven soldiers and ûve capital, La Paz, continued to face serious

African Parks rangers were killed in W obstacles. Its ofûce remained occupied by

National Park, bordering Niger. In recent groups related to political power brokers and

years, attacks by armed groups increased in blocked by police ofûcers, undermining its

border areas, attributed by the authorities to normal casework and functions. Human

Islamic State and Al-Qaeda ûghters from rights organizations signalled the particular

neighbouring countries. risk faced by women defenders, who were

generally overlooked in data relating to

aggressions against human rights defenders.

1. <Benin: Prisoners penned into overcrowded, dirty cells denied

healthcare amid heatwave=, 1 August ± INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Despite being a state party to Covenant 169

of the ILO, the government failed to

BOLIVIA implement meaningful processes to

guarantee the free, prior and informed

Plurinational State of Bolivia consent of Indigenous Peoples in relation to

extractive projects that affect their territories,

or to respect their right to self-determination

Attacks on and harassment of human rights
or offer security of tenure for their land and
defenders continued. Authorities failed to
territory. The CERD Committee expressed its
fully guarantee Indigenous Peoples9 rights
to self-determination and free, prior and <concern about the alleged violation of the

informed consent. Judicial elections were constitutional right to prior consultation in the

delayed. Authorities9 actions were Ayllu Acre Antequera community=, an

û
insuf cient to combat wild res, which û Indigenous community affected by mining

activities in their territory.

reached record levels.

BACKGROUND RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL

Many people continued to face socio- The UN Special Rapporteur on the

economic obstacles to access their rights to independence of judges and lawyers and the

health, food and water, among others. OAS expressed concern for the right to

independent and impartial judges, after

judicial elections were delayed for more than

Bolivia 99
a year. The elections were partially carried out creating parallel legal and institutional

on 15 December. frameworks in contravention of the BiH

constitution. The UN High Representative in

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT BiH, Christian Schmidt, accused the RS

There were some advances by the legislative authorities of continuing to <actively subvert=

assembly in abolishing a series of laws that the state.

permitted deforestation and the expansion of In March, the EU opened accession

industries such as cattle ranching, industrial- negotiations with BiH, a major milestone

scale agriculture and extractive projects. despite the lack of progress on key reforms.

Nevertheless, in contravention of Bolivia9s The authorities9 failure to adopt the draft

international commitments on carbon Reform Agenda 2024-2027 left BiH as the

emissions, authorities failed to take decisive only Western Balkan country outside of the

action to combat wildûres. These reached EU9s Growth Plan.

record levels during August and September, Major national parties held most municipal

putting people9s rights to housing, health and assemblies in the October local elections, but
1
education, among others, at risk. opposition parties had more success in urban

centres.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS Following an extended heatwave in

The Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce reported that summer, unprecedented torrential rain in

between January and December 84 October caused üoods and landslides, killing

feminicides had been registered. 26 people and causing the destruction of

hundreds of homes in several municipalities

across the country.

1. <Americas: Open letter to South American presidents on

wildfires=, 23 September ± FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND

ASSOCIATION

Journalists were often targets of verbal

BOSNIA AND threats and attacks, including by public

ofûcials.

HERZEGOVINA In January, amendments to the RS

Criminal Code classifying defamation as a

Bosnia and Herzegovina criminal offence entered into force.

A media investigation in June found that

Criminalization of defamation in Republika recent legal changes and progressively more

Srpska and progressively more restrictive restrictive measures imposed under the

measures countrywide were re ected in a ü pretext of ûghting disinformation had reduced

û
signi cantly lower ranking in the World freedom of expression, especially on social

media, in both RS and the Federation of BiH.

Press Freedom Index. Roma and returnees
In April, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
from the Bosnian war continued to face
widespread discrimination. Reception rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of

conditions for migrants and refugees association called on the authorities to

improved. Genocide denial and glori cation û urgently reverse restrictive laws and practices

of convicted war criminals persisted. that threatened civic space, social cohesion

and democratic institutions.

Protests in support of Palestine took place

BACKGROUND
throughout the year without restrictions.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remained

deeply divided and politically fragile. In May, In May, the RS government withdrew its

Republika Srpska (RS) decided to draft an controversial Law on Special Registry and

agreement on <peaceful disassociation= from Publicity of the Work of NGOs from

the Federation of BiH and passed entity laws parliamentary procedure. This would have

required non-proût organizations to enrol in a

100 Amnesty International Report

special registry, subjected them to increased In June, the Federation of BiH parliament

legal oversight and potentially classiûed them adopted a Strategy for Prevention and

as <agents of foreign inüuence=. RS president Combating of Domestic Violence 2024-2027.

Milorad Dodik said the law would be It aimed to strengthen violence prevention

reintroduced after <further harmonization= measures, improve support for victims and

with European standards. survivors, and set up programmes for work

BiH dropped from 64th to 81st place in with perpetrators.

the World Press Freedom Index published by

Reporters Without Borders. REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

In August, a boat carrying 30 refugees and

DISCRIMINATION migrants, mostly from Syria, capsized on the

Discriminatory provisions in the constitution Drina River on the border with Serbia, killing

and electoral laws at state level continued to at least 11 people, including a nine-month-

deny adequate political representation to old baby.

people who did not identify as one of the The authorities considerably improved

country9s <constituent peoples=: Bosniak, housing conditions for migrants and refugees

Croat or Serb. in reception centres, but the CERD

There was no progress in implementing Committee expressed concern about the

previous judgments and recommendations of continued administrative detention of

the European Court of Human Rights, which migrants, including children.

had found the power-sharing arrangements

in the country discriminatory. RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

Roma continued to face social exclusion REPARATION

and discrimination. Most lived in chronic In May, the UN General Assembly adopted a

poverty in inadequate housing and had resolution designating 11 July as an

limited access to formal employment or International Day of Reüection and

public services including healthcare and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in

1
education. The CERD Committee urged Srebrenica. Politicians in the RS continued

authorities to take urgent steps to address to publicly deny genocide and war crimes

systemic racial discrimination against Roma. and glorify convicted war criminals. The

In the Federation of BiH, the long-standing CERD Committee called on the authorities in

<two schools under one roof= system of BiH to investigate and prosecute all incidents

separate schools in the same building with of hate speech.

separate curricula for Bosniak and Croat Courts in RS continued to apply statutes of

pupils, persisted, despite multiple court limitations barring many civil compensation

rulings ûnding the practice to constitute claims ûled by the victims of war crimes,

discrimination. especially in cases of sexual violence, and

In the lead-up to 11 July, the day chosen required victims to cover legal fees when

to commemorate the events in Srebrenica in their claims were dismissed.

1995, incidents of violence against returnees More than 7,500 people remained missing

and internally displaced persons from the as a result of the Bosnian war.

Bosnian war of 1992 to 1995 increased.

Returnees also continued to face limited

access to education, healthcare, social 1. <Bosnia and Herzegovina: Srebrenica resolution an important

protection and employment. recognition for victims and their families=, 23 May ±

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Gender-based violence remained

widespread, with at least 11 women killed by

a partner or family member.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 101

 tons in 2021-22 to 125,184 tons in 2022-23,

BOTSWANA leaving 163,000 people food insecure. The

situation was exacerbated by the El Niño

Republic of Botswana effect, leading to a severe lack of rain and

worsening harvests, putting a further 37,000

Police used unnecessary and excessive people at greater risk of hunger.

force against demonstrators protesting a bill

to grant excessive presidential powers. LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Persistent drought increased the threat of In March, the government introduced a

food insecurity. Religious groups opposed constitutional amendment bill that included

draft amendments which proposed to protections against discrimination for intersex

protect LGBTI people9s rights. Gender-based people and persons with disabilities. The bill

violence continued to rise. The UN urged was opposed, particularly by religious groups

the government to address environmental like the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana

challenges, including access to water. (EFB), who objected to the inclusion of

Botswana continued to sentence people to intersex rights, citing concerns over <morality

death. and the erosion of Christian values=. The EFB

called for a national referendum on the issue.

BACKGROUND

The opposition Umbrella for Democratic GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Change (UDC) party ousted the Botswana Gender-based violence remained widespread

Democratic Party from its 58-year rule in the and continued to rise. WoMen Against Rape,

October general elections. Political analysts a human rights organization ûghting against

linked the UDC9s success to rising corruption, gender-based violence, reported an increase

declining health and education standards, in cases from 2023 and gaps in legal

and depleted public funds under the protection, including the absence of

previous administration. legislation outlawing marital rape. In June,

the UN Population Fund identiûed violence

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY against women as a major public health

In September, protests erupted outside the concern in Botswana. In September, Tonota

National Assembly as parliament debated a District Council reported a rise in sexual

bill that sought to grant the president abuse cases. The police service recorded 47

sweeping powers to appoint key civil threats to kill, 25 murders, 30 sexual abuse

servants. Opposition members boycotted the cases, and 93 rapes and attempted rapes

vote, and police used unnecessary and against women over the Christmas holiday

excessive force against people protesting the period.

bill, injuring several of them. Civil society

groups condemned the violence. The bill RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

failed to pass due to insufûcient In March, following a visit to the country, the

parliamentary support. UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to

a healthy environment urged Botswana to

RIGHT TO FOOD address environmental challenges including

In June, then-president Masisi declared pollution, the climate crisis and access to

2023-2024 an <extreme agricultural drought water. He recommended legal recognition of

year=, raising urgent concerns over food the right to a healthy environment, and the

security. In May, a report by the Rural advancement of renewable energy.

Development Secretariat, an ofûcial body,

highlighted the devastating effects of drought DEATH PENALTY

on food production, water supplies and Botswana continued to sentence people to

nutrition. Crop yields dropped from 206,572 death. There were no executions.

102 Amnesty International Report

 staggering 270% rise in the number of neo-

BRAZIL Nazi groups in the country between 2019

and 2021.

Federative Republic of Brazil After being dismantled by the previous

administration, memory and truth policies

Poverty decreased but persisted for more were partially resumed, including the Special

than a quarter of the population. The child Commission on Political Deaths and

mortality rate decreased; maternal deaths Disappearances.

disproportionately affected Black women. The 2024 national budget showed limited

Deaths from dengue fever and tuberculosis investment in certain social policies,

increased. Unemployment decreased; especially those of the Ministry of Racial

forced evictions and homelessness Equality which are aimed at addressing racial

remained concerning. The education budget inequalities.

was cut. Alarming police violence continued

under the banner of the <war on drugs=. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Children continued to be at risk of violent The Getúlio Vargas Foundation released data

death, particularly Black youths. Impunity in June showing that poverty had decreased,

persisted for human rights violations but 28% of the population were still

committed by state agents. Brazil remained experiencing poverty in 2023. The latest data

one of the most dangerous countries for from the National Observatory of Inequalities

land rights defenders, especially Indigenous revealed that in 2022 Black people,

and Quilombola defenders. Trials for the especially women, earned substantially less

killings of various human rights defenders than white people.

were ongoing. Deforestation and wild resû

continued unabated in the face of the Right to health

government9s inadequate response. Ofûcial data published in 2024 showed that

Flooding in Rio Grande do Sul particularly in 2023 3,280 women suffered obstetric

affected vulnerable groups. Attacks against maternal deaths, of whom 66% were Black.

Indigenous and Quilombola communities Infant mortality in 2023 had dropped to the

û
remained frequent, mostly due to inef cient lowest rate in 28 years, with 32,006 deaths,

land demarcation policies. Gender-based the majority of which were Black children.

violence increased against women and In 2024, dengue fever cases surged to 6.6

LGBTI people, including femicides and million, leaving 6,041 people dead,

gender-based political violence. Proposed compared with 1.6 million cases and 1,179

legislation threatened access to abortion. deaths in 2023, according to the Ministry of

Health. The same ministry reported that in

BACKGROUND 2023 the death rate from tuberculosis had

In June, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) increased for the second consecutive year.

decriminalized the possession of marijuana Recent studies showed that the number of

for personal use up to a limited amount. This suicides increased by 43% between 2011

was an important but limited step towards the and 2022 despite a 36% reduction in

decriminalization of drugs and the mitigation suicides worldwide. The highest suicide rate

of the disproportionate impact of the drugs by race/ethnicity was among Indigenous

trade on vulnerable groups. People at around 16.6 per 100,000.

The 2024 Violence Atlas report

documented 46,328 violent deaths in 2023, Rights to housing and work

mostly by ûrearms. From 2012 to 2023, a The Brazilian Institute of Geography and

Black person was killed every 12 minutes. Statistics reported a decrease in

According to a 2024 report by the National unemployment, to 7 million unemployed and

Human Rights Council, there had been a 3.1 million <discouraged workers=

(unemployed workers who have lost hope of

Brazil 103
ûnding a job), by the third quarter of 2024. EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

The Institute of Research on Applied Alarming police violence persisted under the

Economics reported that employment banner of the <war on drugs=. According to

included 48.3 million informal jobs. information released in 2024 by the Brazilian

The Zero Eviction (<Despejo Zero=) civil Public Security Forum, from 2013 to 2023

society coalition claimed there were 1.5 there was a 188.9% increase in homicides

million forced evictions between October committed by police, with 6,393 deaths in

2022 and June 2024. No public data on this 2023. Most of the victims were Black and

was available. young people, accounting for 82.7% and

The latest data from the uniûed register 71.7% of cases, respectively. Racism was

database from federal government gave the also present in violence against the police,

number of 309,023 rough sleepers in 2024. with Black police ofûcers accounting for

The Ministry of Human Rights and 69.7% of police deaths by lethal violence.

Citizenship only had disaggregated data This level of violence affected police

available from 2023 about race 3 68% of ofûcers9 mental health. The Brazilian Public

homeless people were Black people 3 and Security Forum reported that the suicide rate

violence against this population, having among police ofûcers increased by 26.2%

6,268 incidents, mostly physical violence. from 2022 to 2023, with a total of 118 cases.

The army was still deployed in Rio de

RIGHT TO EDUCATION Janeiro state, as it had been since 2010. The

The country faced signiûcant educational Ministry of Justice and Public Security

challenges. In September, the Ministry of outlined programmes to strengthen external

Education9s budget was cut by BRL 1.3 control and oversight of the police.

billion (approximately USD 230 million) for

the remainder of the year. CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

Police operations had a signiûcant impact Congress discussed proposals to reduce the

on education. Redes da Maré, an minimum age of criminal responsibility and

organization based in a favela in Rio de extend sentencing periods for children.

Janeiro, reported that by August 38 police Recently released data from UNICEF

operations had taken place in the Maré area, revealed that between 2021 and 2023 at

disrupting 34 days out of 200 in the school least 15,101 children were victims of violent

year in that area. deaths. Of these, 82.9% were Black children

After a spike in school violence with 16 and adolescents. The mortality risk for Black

episodes in 2023 and seven attacks by young people was 4.4 times higher than that

October 2024, the government announced of white young people over the same period.

new security measures and launched the In 2023, 900 children and adolescents were

School Violence Monitoring and Prevention killed by police.

System in April. In Rio de Janeiro state, the freedom of

movement of Black young people was further

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION restricted by Operation Summer, which

AND ASSEMBLY started in September and was planned to

Data released in 2024 by the Brazilian continue until March 2025, despite being

Association of Investigative Journalism suspended by a court ruling. The operation

reported 330 attacks on journalists in 2023, allowed police ofûcers to conduct searches

including stigmatization, physical assault, on children and adolescents in certain areas

and civil and criminal lawsuits. The majority without clearly deûned criteria and to refer

of the aggressors were state actors, them to social services.

accounting for 55.7% of cases. In April, an important step was taken

towards increasing the protection of the rights

of children and adolescents. A resolution

issued by the National Council for the Rights

104 Amnesty International Report

of Children and Adolescents prohibited the country9s states. In 2024, 1,134 cases were

conûnement of this group in <therapeutic under monitoring, with over half involving

communities= (organizations sheltering Indigenous and Quilombola individuals

people with drug dependence). These (traditional people who are descendants of

institutions are known for several human Africans who escaped slavery). Most threats

rights violations. came from landowners, companies and

public security agents.

IMPUNITY In October, two men were convicted for the

Accountability for human rights violations killing of councillor and human rights

committed by state agents remained poor. A defender Marielle Franco and her driver

decade after 19-year-old Johnatha de Oliveira Anderson Gomes in March 2018. The STF

was shot during a police operation in the accepted the indictment of the individuals

Manguinhos favela of Rio de Janeiro, the accused of ordering the crime, including a

police ofûcer suspected of criminal congressman and the former head of Rio de

responsibility for his death was brought to Janeiro9s Civil Police, who were arrested. The

trial before a jury. The jury decided that he Ethics Committee of the House of

had not intended to kill Johnatha, and the Representatives voted to revoke the mandate

case was downgraded to be reviewed by a of the accused congressman. According to

1
military court. The jury was nulliûed on the media, in June the STF opened an

appeal. It was agreed that a new trial would investigation into the obstruction of justice

take place. targeting a former head of Rio de Janeiro9s

A court acquitted three police ofûcers for state civil police, a former homicide police

the murder of João Pedro Matos, an 11-year- station chief and a police commissioner in

old boy killed inside his home during a police charge of conducting investigations into the

operation in the Complexo do Salgueiro favela crime.

2
in Rio de Janeiro in May 2020. An indictment against the alleged

In the case of Davi Fiuza, who was forcibly perpetrators of the 2022 murder of

disappeared in São Cristóvão, a environmental activists Bruno Pereira and

neighbourhood in the city of Salvador in Dom Phillips was pending appeal. An

Bahia state in 2014, ûve military police investigation into those who had ordered their

ofûcers were charged with abduction and killing was ongoing.

false imprisonment, out of 17 who were Justice progressed for the killings of

indicted. In October, the Superior Court of Quilombola leaders Flávio Gabriel Pacíûco

Justice maintained the jury9s jurisdiction dos Santo (<Binho do Quilombo=) in 2017

despite the defendants9 request to be brought and his mother Mãe Bernardete Pacíûco in

to trial before a military court. The case was 2023. Binho9s alleged killers were arrested

still awaiting trial. and an indictment for Mãe Bernardete

Pacíûco9s homicide was ûled in court.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Global Witness highlighted Brazil as the RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

second most dangerous country for land and According to the National Institute for Space

territorial rights defenders in 2023, Research, Brazil accounted for 54.5% of

particularly Indigenous Peoples. Despite a South America9s wildûres in 2024, and

legal mandate from 2007, a national plan for deforestation in the Cerrado and Amazon

human rights defenders was still not ready. zones reached 8,237.9km², primarily on rural

From 2020 to May 2024, the National lands. Mining activities affected 66.2km²,

Human Rights Ombudsman received 2,332 encroaching on protected areas and

complaints regarding violations against Indigenous lands. The Ministry for the

human rights defenders. The Protection Environment was unable to provide Amnesty

Programme for Human Rights Defenders International with a list of mining companies

operated in fewer than half (10) of the responsible for environmental damage.

Brazil 105
The government9s response to wildûres and between farmers, state agencies, and

deforestation during the year was delayed, Indigenous groups was established by the

with major initiatives only starting in June and STF. Indigenous People abandoned these

intensifying in September. meetings claiming they were not allowed

During the year, 58% of Brazil faced the meaningful participation.

worst drought in 75 years, with a third of the According to the Ministry of Indigenous

population experiencing severe conditions. Peoples, 537,941 Indigenous People faced

Flooding in Rio Grande do Sul state food insecurity in 2024, one of the adverse

affected 2.3 million people and displaced effects of non-Indigenous exploitation of

600,000, leading to a state of emergency in natural resources.

27 cities. Ofûcial data reported 806 injuries,

183 deaths and 28 missing resulting from the Quilombolas

üood. Vulnerable groups were especially Quilombolas continued to suffer violence and

affected, including 16,691 Indigenous lacked state protection. According to a recent

People. By August, the state9s health report from the National Coordination of the

department had reported 788 conûrmed Articulation of Black Rural Quilombola

cases of leptospirosis and 2,844 cases under Communities and the NGO Terra de Direitos,

investigation, resulting in 26 deaths, between 2018 and 2022 at least 32

alongside 10 outbreaks of acute diarrhoeal Quilombola people were killed in 11 states,

disease. the main causes being land conüict and

gender-based violence. According to the

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS Ministry of Racial Equality, 126 Quilombola

Data released in July by the Missionary communities experienced conüicts during

Indigenous Council revealed that, in 2023, at January and February. The Palmares Cultural

least 208 Indigenous People were murdered. Foundation reported that the land of 3,051

Additionally, 1,040 Indigenous children up to Quilombola communities had been certiûed,

the age of four died from mostly preventable with 262 still being processed in 2024.

causes, and 180 suicides were reported. According to the Brazilian Institute of

The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Geography and Statistics, only 12.6% of the

reported that 652 cases of land conüict were total Quilombola population were living in

under review by the second half of 2024. In ofûcially demarcated territories (a recognition

August, violent attacks increased against the stage prior to titling) and 4.3% living in titled

Guarani Kaiowá community in Mato Grosso territories.

do Sul state and the Ava-Guarani in Paraná Racism was prevalent, evidenced by the

state. In September, Neri Guarani Kaiowá, a Ministry of Human Rights9 reporting an 80%

23-year-old Indigenous man, was killed by increase in human rights violations against

police ofûcers during an operation in Afro-Brazilian religious communities. In the

Nhanderu Marangatu Indigenous land in ûrst half of 2024, 342 violations were

Barra Farm, in the city of Antonio João, Mato documented by the Ministry of Racial

Grosso do Sul state. Equality.

These conüicts largely stemmed from the

lack of land demarcation, the demarcation SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

process having been completed for 601 Data from Brazil9s Public Security Annuary

Indigenous lands and 731 still pending in highlighted an increase in violence against

2024. Law 14.701 3 approved at the end of women. A report published in July stated that

2023 3 declared that only those lands in 2023, Brazil recorded 1,467 femicides, an

occupied when the federal constitution of increase of 0.8% on the previous year, 63%

1988 was promulgated could be demarcated, affecting Black women and 64% occurring at

which undermined Indigenous rights. Despite home. There were 258,941 reports of

previous court rulings deeming this physical assaults, a rise of 9.8%. There were

unconstitutional, a conciliation mechanism 894,511 cases of psychological violence,

106 Amnesty International Report

threats and stalking, all of which had 2. <João Pedro case: There is no self-defence when an unarmed child

increased. A total of 540,255 emergency is killed inside their home by police action=, 10 July (Portuguese

protective measures were granted, 26.7% only) ±

more than the previous year. Sexual violence

had also increased, with 83,988 rapes, a

6.5% increase, of which 88% were against BULGARIA

women and girls, 52% against Black people,

and 76% against children under 13 years Republic of Bulgaria

old. Despite these numbers, National Gender

Violence Map found that 61% of incidents go Independent journalists and media fought
unreported. numerous defamation lawsuits. Parliament
LGBTI people faced severe threats, with introduced amendments prohibiting <LGBTI
7,673 human rights violations reported to the propaganda= in schools but rejected other
human rights hotline last year. In a report amendments that would have further
published in 2024, the human rights group undermined LGBTI rights. Anti-immigrant
Grupo Gay da Bahia reported 257 violent attacks increased. A Saudi activist was at
deaths in 2023, mainly affecting young Black risk of deportation. Systematic failures
transgender people. At least 5,537 LGBTI continued to plague psychiatric care.
people had been violently killed between Measures to strengthen protection for
2000 and 2023. Transgender Europe victims of domestic violence were pending.
conûrmed in a report published in 2024 that

Brazil had the highest number of transgender BACKGROUND

murders globally between October 2022 and In October, Bulgarians went to the polls for

September 2023. the seventh time in three years. The

In a year in which mayors and city protracted political instability left the

councillors were elected across the country, Ombudsman role vacant since April.

gender-based political violence remained a An intense heatwave led to wildûres and

concern, with ofûcial data showing 455 water shortages.

reported violations. The Federal Public

Prosecutor9s Ofûce was actively monitoring FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

91 cases of gender-based political violence in Independent journalists and media reporting

2023 and 2024. on organized crime and corruption faced

strategic lawsuits against public participation.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS In January, the Soûa City Court rejected a

Bill 1904/24 threatened the rights of people libel claim by an insurance company for an

accessing abortion by proposing that unprecedented BGN 1 million in damages

abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy would (about EUR 500,000) against e-magazine

be considered murder and increasing Mediapool over a story about the Green Card

penalties to 20 years9 imprisonment for system in Bulgaria. Mediapool9s editor-in-

anyone involved, even for pregnancies chief called the ruling, which was not ûnal,

resulting from rape. This bill and other similar <an important victory= for media freedom.

propositions were still under discussion in In April, minister of interior Kalin Stoyanov

parliament. The Ministry of Women reported ûled a defamation lawsuit against the Bureau

that the prohibition of abortion for Investigative Reporting and Data over the

disproportionately affected women living in outlet9s reporting on alleged corruption in the

poverty. ministry. Media Freedom Rapid Response

said the lawsuit was designed to <silence

legitimate investigative reporting=.

1. <10 years of fighting for justice for Johnatha=, 6 March In a landmark ruling in June, the European

(Portuguese only) ± Court of Human Rights found that Bulgaria

Bulgaria 107
had violated the rights to a fair trial and people in Bulgaria reported being bullied in

freedom of expression of journalist Rosen school due to their sexual orientation or

Bossev, who was found guilty of defamation gender identity.

in a criminal case in 2019. The court ILGA-Europe, an LGBTI-rights NGO,

concluded that his conviction was not made ranked Bulgaria as the third lowest-

by an <impartial tribunal= and violated performing country in the EU for the

freedom of expression. protection of LGBTI rights in 2024.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION DISCRIMINATION

In September the so-called Foreign Agents Roma continued to face discrimination in all

Bill, introduced for the fourth time by the pro- walks of life. In July the Supreme

Russia party Revival, was defeated in a Administrative Court ruled that the former

parliamentary committee. The bill would leader of the Bulgarian National Movement

prohibit foreign-funded organizations from Party, Krasimir Karakachanov, engaged in

carrying out activities in educational discriminatory harassment due to anti-Roma

institutions and in some ministries. statements made in 2019, which triggered

An NGO from Stara Zagora was denied widespread anti-Roma violence.

municipal funding after its founder criticized Against the backdrop of disinformation and

border police for ill-treating migrants. hostile rhetoric by politicians in the lead-up to

the European Parliament elections in April,

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS there was an increase in xenophobic

In July, the European Court of Human Rights incidents, including physical attacks on

retroactively found the case of Y.T. v Bulgaria, asylum seekers and foreign nationals.

a trans man who was denied legal recognition

of his gender identity, to be inadmissible. The REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

court urged Bulgaria to set up a transparent Although the number of people travelling the

and accessible framework for legal gender so-called Balkans route towards western

recognition. Europe dropped, pushbacks and violence

In August, in an urgent procedure, persisted on the Bulgarian border with

parliament adopted amendments to the Law Turkey.

on Pre-School and School Education, which A Saudi activist, Abdulrahman al-Khalidi,

prohibited the provision of information about who was awaiting a ûnal decision in the

<non-traditional sexual orientation= and asylum process in Bulgaria, was at risk of

<gender identity different from biological sex= deportation to Saudi Arabia. Despite a court

in schools. Rights organizations strongly ordering his release, he remained in

opposed the legislation, calling it a direct administrative detention in the Busmantsi

assault on fundamental freedoms of the Detention Centre near Soûa and was denied
1
LGBTI community. Teachers across Bulgaria adequate medical and psycho-social support.

faced threats for opposing the legislation. The Human rights organizations warned that if

leader of Revival, the party which initiated the deported, he would be at risk of torture and
3
amendments, threatened to ûle criminal other serious human rights violations.

charges against teachers who <want to push

homosexual propaganda=. RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In September, parliament rejected In January, the European Committee for the

amendments to the Child Protection Act Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or

introducing criminalization of gender- Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

afûrming healthcare for minors and noted that patients in psychiatric institutions

draconian ûnes for healthcare professionals continued to lack adequate psycho-social

2
providing this care. care, which was <neglectful and harmful to

According to an EU Agency for patients=. The CPT criticized the Ministry of

Fundamental Rights survey, 72% of LGBTI

108 Amnesty International Report

Health for failing to prevent and punish

persistent ill-treatment of patients. 1. <Bulgaria: Ban of 8LGBTI propaganda9 in schools is attack on the

In April, rights organizations reported entire LGBTI community=, 8 August ±

widespread abuses of people with disabilities, 2. <Bulgaria: Rejection of attempts to criminalise gender-affirming

including torture and other ill-treatment, healthcare a welcome block against rising tide of hate=, 27

ûnancial and verbal abuse, neglect and September ±

isolation in institutions, including small group 3. <Bulgaria should not deport Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-

homes. Khalidi and should immediately release him=, 12 March ±

In August, a 57-year-old patient died in a

ûre in a psychiatric hospital in Varna. An

investigation by the Ombudsman9s Ofûce BURKINA FASO

found that the patient was immobilized at the

time and left without supervision, while the Burkina Faso

hospital complex itself was severely

understaffed, with only one doctor on duty.

People accused of plotting against the state

were arbitrarily arrested. Activists,

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE journalists and magistrates were victims of
In March, Together against Violence, a enforced disappearances. The continuing
coalition of 37 rights organizations, asked the ü
armed con ict resulted in hundreds of
authorities to urgently implement the 2023 civilian deaths and the blockades of several
amendments to the Law on Domestic towns. Media organizations were temporarily
Violence, including improving risk closed. The government planned to
assessment procedures and coordination
criminalize consensual same-sex sexual
between institutions.
relations in the amended Personal and
The National Council for Prevention of and Family Code.
Protection from Domestic Violence ofûcially

started working. In September, the

BACKGROUND
government adopted the Programme for the In January, Burkina Faso announced its

Prevention of and Protection from Domestic intention to leave ECOWAS in a joint

Violence 2024-2026, which included
declaration with Mali and Niger. In July a
measures to strengthen education and
Confederation of Sahelian States, uniting
prevention programmes and provide support
these three countries, was announced.
for the victims of domestic violence. In May the political transition, which

Women9s rights organizations reported that started in January 2022 and was due to end

at least 18 women died due to domestic in July, was extended for a further ûve years.

violence in 2024. The conüict continued to rage between

government forces and the armed groups the

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims
Despite a previous commitment to speed up
(GSIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel.
the phase-out of coal-ûred plants, in April Burkinabe authorities claimed to have

parliament postponed a vote on the Climate reconquered 69% of the country as of

Neutrality Roadmap. Protests by coal and August.

power plant workers fearing job losses slowed As of May, there were more than 2 million
down Bulgaria9s green transition.
internally displaced people due to the
The Ministry of Environment and Water
conüict. In November the government froze
concealed from the public that the air quality
the assets of a more than 100 individuals,
monitoring system in Soûa failed to including exiled opponents and critics that it

accurately report pollution levels. accused of involvement in terrorism.

Bulgaria dropped from 36th to 46th place

in the Climate Change Performance Index.

Burkina Faso 109

ARBITRARY DETENTION In August, seven magistrates were arrested

In January, Evrard Somda, former high and forcibly disappeared after they received a

commander of the National Gendarmerie, conscription order from the authorities to be

was accused of involvement in a coup plot deployed to the front line. A few days before

and arrested. He remained in their arrests, a court in Bobo-Dioulasso ruled

incommunicado detention at the end of the that some of the conscription orders were

year. illegal and a violation of their human rights.

Guy-Hervé Kam, a lawyer, was also Some of the conscripted magistrates had

arrested in January over accusations of been investigating alleged crimes by

involvement in a coup plot and held supporters of the authorities.

incommunicado. Several court injunctions

ordering his release were not implemented. UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

During his eventual release on 29 May, he Abuses by armed groups

was re-arrested by state security forces and

On 25 February an armed group attacked
presented before a military judge, who
and killed 15 worshippers at a Catholic
accused him of plotting against state security
church in Essakane, Sahel region, according
and remanded him in custody. He was freed
to media and local sources. On the same day
and placed under judicial review on 10 July.
an armed group attacked and killed at least
He was arrested and detained again in
14 worshippers at a mosque in Natiaboani,
August after another summons before a
Est region.
military court.
In August around 200 people, including
Emmanuel Zoungrana, a former military
civilians, were reportedly killed by the GSIM
commander who was accused of <plotting
in Barsalogho while digging trenches.
against state security= in January 2022, was
On 25 August the GSIM attacked and
re-arrested in May despite court orders
killed 26 civilians at a church in Kounla,
1
calling for his provisional release.
Boucle du Mouhoun region.

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES
Violations by government forces
In February, Bassirou Badjo and Rasmane
In February the Burkinabe military unlawfully
Zinaba, two members of the citizen9s
killed at least 223 civilians, including at least
movement Balai Citoyen, were forcibly
56 children, during an operation in the
disappeared before being forcibly
villages of Soro and Nodin, according to
conscripted to the front line, despite a
Human Rights Watch. An investigation into
November 2023 court ruling calling for the
the killings was announced by the
suspension of their conscription.
Ouahigouya High Court.
In June, Atiana Serge Oulon, editor of the
In May the French newspaper Libération
biweekly investigative newspaper
reported that hundreds of civilians were killed
L9Évènement, along with journalist Alain
by the military and its proxy forces in
Traoré and television presenters Kalifara Séré
Marmiga and several villages near Mansila
and Adama Bayala, were arrested, allegedly
during a supply operation to besieged towns
by security services, and forcibly
in the east.
disappeared. In October the government

announced that Atiana Serge Oulon, Kalifara

RIGHT TO INFORMATION
Séré and Adama Bayala had been
In April the Higher Communications Council
conscripted for military service but gave no
(CSC) suspended the broadcasters TV5
information on the whereabouts of Alain
Monde, BBC and Voice of America, as well as
Traoré.
access to the websites of nine international
In June, former military commander Yves
media organizations, for two weeks in
Didier Bamouni was abducted by
retaliation for their reporting on the Nodin
unidentiûed actors. His whereabouts
and Soro massacres.
remained undisclosed at the end of the year.

110 Amnesty International Report

In June the CSC suspended for one month all the Rights of the Child 3 both ratiûed by

editions of the Burkinabe news organization Burkina Faso 3 and could encourage child

L9Évènement, denouncing <breaches of law marriage. The draft Code, sent to parliament

and journalism ethics=, following the in July, was yet to be voted on and enacted.

publication of an article alleging

embezzlement of funds intended for the LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, The draft Personal and Family Code would

an auxiliary force of the army. The decision criminalize consensual same-sex sexual

was overruled by an administrative court on relations, as well as those who defend or

12 July. In August, L9Évènement announced promote them, if passed.

the suspension of its activities.

TV5 Monde was again suspended for six DEATH PENALTY

months by the CSC in June, following an In November the government announced its

interview it conducted with Newton Ahmed intention to reintroduce the death penalty.

Barry, an exiled public ûgure and critic of the

military regime.

In December, the daily newspaper 1. <Burkina Faso: Authorities must immediately release Guy Hervé

L9Observateur Paalga was summoned by the Kam and Lt-Colonel Zoungrana=, 31 May ±

CSC after publishing an article about the

Malian army.

BURUNDI
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

The continued sieges by armed groups Republic of Burundi

against several cities and towns continued to

affect people9s access to farmlands, causing Journalists and others who spoke out
a spike in cost of living, and forced against authority ûgures faced arbitrary
displacement of civilians. As of November, arrest, detention and physical attacks.
the Humanitarian Response Plan 3 led by Certain offences by the media were
OCHA 3 had only received 40% of funding decriminalized. The government continued
pledged by the government and donors for
to interfere in the internal affairs of the
healthcare, education and shelter among
political opposition. Arrests and enforced
other things.
disappearances of opposition members
continued. Healthcare for detainees was
Right to education inadequate. The Truth and Reconciliation
The conüict had forced the closure of 5,319 Commission9s mandate expanded to include
schools as of March, affecting 818,149 land disputes. Discrimination against LGBTI
pupils, according to the Ministry of
people and unmarried women continued.
Education. However, according to UNICEF,
The cost-of-living crisis worsened with rising
1,304 schools were reopened during the year
fuel and food prices. There were more than
and 440,945 internally displaced pupils were 86,000 internally displaced people due to
enrolled. climate-related extreme weather, and more

than 289,500 Burundians remained as

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS refugees in neighbouring countries.
The preliminary draft decree of the new

Personal and Family Code raised the legal

BACKGROUND
age of marriage of men and women to 18
Ahead of the 2025 legislative and local
years, in conformity with international law. elections, a new electoral code, adopted in

The draft Code stipulated that the minimum June, signiûcantly increased the deposits

legal age could be reduced to 16 if candidates must pay to stand in elections.

authorized by a judge, which would be

contrary to CEDAW and the Convention on

Burundi 111
The ûrst national census since 2008 took independent media houses) and other private

place in September, collecting data on media organizations faced physical attacks,

population, housing, agriculture and arrests and detention. On 6 June, Iwacu

livestock. received a warning from the National

Tensions with Rwanda persisted. In Communication Council, an ofûcial body, on

January, Burundi closed the border with the grounds of <serious professional

Rwanda in response to attacks claimed by misconduct=, which cited several articles

the armed group Resistance for the Rule of published by Iwacu, without indicating

Law in Burundi (RED-Tabara), which the UN speciûc concerns. On the night of 25 June,

Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic unidentiûed people threw stones for several

of the Congo accused Rwanda of supporting. hours into Iwacu9s ofûce compound in
3
Burundian armed forces continued their Bujumbura.

deployment in the eastern region of the The media law was revised for the fourth

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), time since 2013, with the introduction of

under a bilateral agreement signed in what was described as a partial

February between Burundi and the DRC, decriminalization of press offences. Under

following the East African Community the new law, promulgated by the president in

Regional Force9s withdrawal in December July, the punishment for anyone who

2023. publishes or broadcasts information

In June, the Sub-Committee on constituting the offences of <insult=, <harmful

Accreditation of the Global Alliance of imputation=, <contempt=, <dissemination of

National Human Rights Institutions false news=, <public outrage against good

recommended that Burundi9s National morals=, <slanderous denunciation=,

Independent Human Rights Commission be <invasion of privacy=, <attack on the

downgraded due to insufûcient presumption of innocence= and <revelation of

independence and effectiveness. In October the identity of a victim of sexual violence=,

the UN Human Rights Council renewed the was reduced to a ûne rather than a prison

mandate of the Special Rapporteur on sentence.

Burundi. The government continued to interfere in

the internal affairs of the National Congress

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION for Liberty (CNL) opposition party. In March,

AND ASSEMBLY the interior minister refused the CNL

On 13 February the Cassation Chamber of president, Agathon Rwasa, permission to

the Supreme Court upheld journalist Floriane hold an extraordinary congress. The same

Irangabiye9s conviction, which related to her month, the minister formally, and rapidly,

criticism of the government. On 14 August, acknowledged the report and outcomes of an

she received a presidential pardon. She was extraordinary congress of CNL members
1
released on 16 August. opposed to Agathon Rwasa at which he was

Journalist Sandra Muhoza was arrested on replaced as party leader. Agathon Rwasa9s

12 April and later charged with <endangering replacement, Nestor Girukwishaka, was

internal state security= and <ethnic aversion= considered to be close to the ruling National

for comments she made in a WhatsApp Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces
2
group. Her trial, scheduled for 5 September, for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD)

was postponed reportedly because there was party.

no fuel to transport prisoners to the court. In

a hearing on 12 November the prosecution ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

sought a 12-year sentence. On 16 December Arrests of opposition political party members

she was convicted and sentenced to 21 were reported regularly, including members

months in prison. of the Movement for Solidarity and

Several journalists working for Iwacu Democracy, Front for Democracy in Burundi

newspaper (one of the last remaining and CNL. In March, CNL members loyal to

112 Amnesty International Report

Agathon Rwasa were arrested on their way to renewed for a further four years. In a

and outside the congress where he was signiûcant expansion of its remit, it assumed

replaced (see above). responsibility for cases that were left

Trade unionist Émilienne Sibomana was unresolved by the National Commission for

released from prison on 21 November, more Land and Other Properties (CNTB) when the

than four months after her acquittal on 28 latter9s mandate ended in 2022, as well as

June by the Gitega Court of Appeal on new land dispute cases. Between 2006 and

charges of <slanderous denunciation=. She 2022, the CNTB was charged with resolving

had been arrested in January 2023, the day land disputes relating to returning refugees

after she accused a school principal of sexual and internally displaced people who had üed

abuse during a public meeting at which the during past periods of violence. The CVR law

education minister was present. states that there is no judicial appeal for its

decisions.

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

The Forum for Consciousness and DISCRIMINATION

Development, a Burundian NGO, Both the prosecution and defence lodged

documented 34 cases of enforced appeals in the case of 24 people arrested in

disappearance between January and June, the capital, Gitega, at a workshop on

primarily of political opposition party economic inclusion in February 2023. They,

members. There was no news on the fate or and two others later added to the case, had

whereabouts of 24 of them by the end of been prosecuted for <homosexuality= and

June. <incitement to debauchery=. In January the

Gitega Court of Appeal acquitted all 26

INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS defendants on the <homosexuality= charge.

Prisoners were denied access to adequate Five people were found guilty of <inciting

medical care and family visits. Prisons were debauchery= and sentenced to one year in

chronically overcrowded. prison and a ûne. They were released in

Christophe Sahabo, who was arrested in February.

April 2022 in a dispute over the management High-level ofûcials continued to use violent

of Kira Hospital, remained in detention with and inüammatory rhetoric against LGBTI

major delays in his court case. During a people. During a speech for International

hearing at Muha High Court in Bujumbura on Women9s Day in March, President

10 September, he vomited and collapsed and Ndayishimiye stated in Kirundi: <I9ve said it

was transferred to hospital where he and I repeat it, homosexuals should be

underwent tests and began treatment. publicly stoned.=

Despite a recommendation to keep him Ofûcials in several provinces conducted a

under medical observation for several days, campaign against <concubinage= (the

he was transferred back to Ruyigi Prison cohabitation of a married person with

(160km from the hospital) on 12 September. someone who is not their spouse, which is

His family members were refused access to illegal under Burundian law). As a result,

him in prison on 14 September. Two between January and June, 900 women and

independent doctors reviewed Christophe 3,600 children were driven from their homes

Sahabo9s medical notes and test results and in Ngozi Province. Also in Ngozi Province, the

conûrmed that his condition was potentially governor issued a deadline of 30 June for

life-threatening and required urgent medical 1,300 couples not registered with the civil
4
attention. registry to regularize their marriages.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

REPARATION Burundi9s strained economic situation

In May the mandate of the Truth and deteriorated and the government failed to

Reconciliation Commission (CVR) was respond effectively. High inüation rates and a

Burundi 113
scarcity of hard currency contributed to December 2024. The Tanzanian Ministry of

severe fuel shortages which left commuters Home Affairs subsequently assured UNHCR,

struggling to get to work. Food prices the UN refugee agency, that the camps there

increased steeply 3 the price of sugar, for would remain open and no one would be

example, rose by 150% in mid-September. In forced to return.

July, the price of potatoes was 45% above

the ûve-year average.

As in previous election cycles, from August 1. Burundi: Rhetoric Versus Reality: Repression of Civil Society

onwards there were widespread reports of Continues under President Ndayishimiye9s Government, 21

individuals and businesses being forced to August ±

pay contributions to the CNDD-FDD party, 2. Burundi: At a Critical Juncture for Burundi, the Special

with access to services denied to those who Rapporteur9s Mandate Remains Vital, 29 August ±

refused. 3. <Burundi: End intimidation of media as 2025 elections

approach=, 4 July ±

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT 4. <Burundi: Jailed doctor needs urgent medical care: Dr Christophe

As of December, 86,159 people remained Sahabo=, 18 September ±

internally displaced, 93% of them due to

extreme weather events in part driven by

climate change, including torrential rains, CAMBODIA

landslides and üooding of rivers and the

shores of Lake Tanganyika, which affected at Kingdom of Cambodia

least 298,000 people overall. The World

Weather Attribution initiative called on

Human rights violations continued
Burundi to improve its existing disaster
unabated. Thousands of families in Angkor
preparedness policies and early warning continued to live under threat of forced
systems to reduce the impacts of such eviction, while thousands already evicted
events. With the support of UNDP, the were denied remedy and remained living in
government launched a USD 10 million inadequate housing, struggling with debt
climate resilience project in September in and without work. Ninety-seven people,
some of the most affected areas in and
including children, were arrested for
around Bujumbura.
peacefully expressing their opinions, and

subsequently charged with incitement and

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS plotting, showing the extent of the
There were 289,621 Burundian refugees deterioration of civic space. An
living in neighbouring countries as of 31 internationally renowned journalist was
December; 20,081 refugees returned to arrested after extensively reporting about
Burundi from countries in the region,
the scamming industry, which continued to
primarily Tanzania, in 2024. Returnees
üourish with impunity.
constituted 7% of internally displaced people

inside Burundi. In the Kirundo and Cankuzo

BACKGROUND
border provinces, that proportion rose to 35% Hun Manet, the prime minister, leader of the

and 21%, respectively. ruling political party and the Cambodian

The Tanzanian authorities sent mixed People9s Party, continued the same policies
messages about the future of Burundian
as his predecessor and father, Hun Sen.
refugees in the country. In March, Tanzania9s

Kigoma Regional Commissioner held a mass

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
meeting with refugees, reiterating calls on People continued to live under the threat of

Burundian refugees to voluntarily register for forced evictions at the UNESCO World

repatriation, adding that refugee status would Heritage site of Angkor. Previous mass forced

be rescinded in January 2025 and that evictions had occurred in violation of

Nduta camp would be closed by 31

114 Amnesty International Report

international human rights law, and including environmental, human rights and

authorities failed to adequately inform people other activists, were unlawfully detained and

or meaningfully consult with them prior to the charged for peacefully expressing their views.

evictions. Authorities also intimidated and Authorities charged at least 21 people with

threatened many into not questioning the incitement to commit a felony, a charge often

evictions, which resulted in relocation to spuriously brought against human rights

places that did not have housing, adequate activists. The UN Special Rapporteur on the

water, sanitation facilities, or access to situation of human rights in Cambodia

livelihoods. previously expressed concern about the

UNESCO requested Cambodia submit a improper use of such incitement charges. At

report that addressed <possible forced least 33 people faced charges of plotting

population displacements= and included <a against the state, including four members

response to the Amnesty International from the Khmer Student Intelligent League

allegations=. In February, the government Association. Incitement carries a penalty of

published a State of Conservation report that up to two years in prison, while plotting

failed to provide any veriûable information on carries a punishment of up to 10 years.

how families were selected for relocation. It In a speech on 12 August, former prime

asserted, without evidence, that only minister and current senate president Hun

<squatters= were relocated. The report also Sen made public threats against CLV critics,

failed to provide accessible links to previous including Hay Vanna, an opposition activist

research, maps or land surveys to indicate living in Japan. On 16 August, Cambodian

how the government undertook its authorities arrested Hay Vannith, Vanna9s

assessment of the <illegality= of households brother, a Health Ministry civil servant. They

within Angkor. did not provide information about his

The Run Ta Ek resettlement site for evicted whereabouts until 20 August, raising

families continued to lack basic concerns that he had been forcibly

infrastructure, such as roads and drainage, disappeared. His family only learned he was

and many houses did not have access to in custody after an audio recording of a

piped water. Many residents were heavily supposed confession by Hay Vannith to

indebted to predatory microûnance overthrow the government was posted on 21

institutions and reported using their social August on the government spokesperson9s

welfare cards and land titles as collateral for Facebook page.

the loans. On 20 September, Hun Sen revealed

A decision approved by the World Heritage Cambodia would withdraw from the CLV, but

Committee fell short of calling on the charges against many of those charged with

government to make an explicit commitment crimes relating to the CLV had not been
2
not to engage in forced evictions in Angkor, dropped by the end of the year.
1
but a monitoring mission was requested. Thirty-nine political activists or members of

opposition parties remained imprisoned,

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY often on spurious charges and unfair

Arbitrary arrests and detentions convictions for crimes such as incitement to

commit a felony, plotting, and insulting the

Authorities arbitrarily arrested at least 94
king. Most had spent months in pretrial
people, including several children, between
detention. Prisoner of conscience and leader
July and October, for publicly criticizing the
of the former main opposition party, Kem
Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development
Sokha, was charged with conspiracy with a
Triangle Area (CLV). The CLV is a
foreign power and sentenced to 27 years in
development plan between the governments
prison.
of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam established

in 2004 to facilitate cooperation on trade and

migration. At least 59 of those arrested,

Cambodia 115
Environmental defenders and the right to a

healthy environment CAMEROON

On 5 June, ûve environmental activists from

the Mother Nature movement refused to Republic of Cameroon

enter the courtroom because authorities

arbitrarily prevented some media and People critical of the authorities were
supporters from monitoring their public prosecuted and threatened with restrictions
hearing. The hearing proceeded despite the on their right to freedom of movement, and
3
absence of all charged activists. journalists were intimidated by security
On 2 July, 10 activists associated with the forces. Anglophone leaders, activists and
movement were convicted of plotting and journalists as well as opposition activists
insulting the king. The charges related to were arbitrarily detained. Armed separatists
Mother Nature9s public activism since 2012. were responsible for murders and attacks

against schools in North-west and South-

Journalists west regions, and armed groups killed
Award-winning journalist Mech Dara was civilians in Far North region.
arrested by military police on 30 September.

On 1 October he was charged with BACKGROUND

incitement under articles 494 and 495 of the A year before the 2025 presidential elections,

Cambodian Criminal Code. Dara is known for political tensions mounted and armed conüict

his journalism with numerous leading and violence continued in the Far North,

Cambodian news outlets which have since North-west and South-west regions. More

been closed by the government, or its allies, than 580,000 people were displaced by

essentially silencing all domestic independent armed violence in the North-west and South-

media. He had won awards for his west regions. In September, Norwegian police

investigative reporting on corruption and arrested Lucas Cho Ayaba, one of the main

Cambodia9s scam compounds, locations Anglophone separatist leaders, on suspicion

where human trafûcking and torture were of incitement to commit crimes against
4
regularly reported. humanity in Cameroon.

Between January and October, üooding in

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND FORCED Far North region affected 356,730 people,

LABOUR killing at least 30.

Human trafûcking, forced labour, slavery,

torture and child labour continued to occur FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

across the country, particularly in In a decree issued on 16 July, the senior

compounds where online cryptocurrency, divisional ofûcer of Mfoundi division, a

5
gambling and gaming scams were run. geographical area which includes the capital,

Yaoundé, stated that <anyone who

dangerously insults the [state] institutions or

1. <Cambodia: World Heritage Committee must ensure UNESCO the person who embodies them= could be

decision addresses Angkor forced evictions=, 19 July ± banned from staying in Mfoundi. Two days

2. <Cambodia: Arrests target critics of regional development zone=, later, the communications minister issued a

28 August ± press release stating that <it is unacceptable

3. <Cambodia: Conviction of youth activists a further blow to for compatriots& to use irreverent language=

Cambodia9s environmental movement=, 2 July ± about the president, Paul Biya, <who was

4. <Cambodia: Charges against journalist highlight clampdown on freely and overwhelmingly elected by his

press freedom=, 2 October ± fellow citizens.=

5. <Cambodia: Review of the Universal Periodic Review at 57th Junior Ngombe, a hairdresser and social

session of the UN Human Rights Council=, 1 October ± media activist, was released on bail on 31

July by a military court after seven days9

116 Amnesty International Report

detention at the Secretariat of State for The UN Working Group on Arbitrary

Defence in Yaoundé, where he had been Detention considered their detention arbitrary

transferred after his arrest in Douala on 24 and urged the Cameroonian authorities to

July. He had shared videos on social media release them.

urging Cameroonian youth to register to vote Kingsley Njoka, a freelance journalist from

for the upcoming presidential election and the Anglophone North-west region who had

denouncing the control of the country by the been arrested in 2020, initially held

ruling party. incommunicado, and charged with

Cameroonian activist Yves Kibouy Bershu, secessionism and complicity in an armed

known as Ramon Cotta, was arrested on 19 group, was sentenced on 24 September by a

July in Gabon and transferred to Cameroon military tribunal to 10 years in jail.

on 23 July without any known legal or Forty-one activists and opposition leaders

diplomatic procedure. He was charged with remained arbitrarily detained after being

<apology for the crime of secession, illegal sentenced by military courts for taking part in

acquisition of weapons of war, contempt of a march on 22 September 2022, organized

constituted bodies and lack of a national by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement

identity card= and transferred on 9 October to opposition party.

pretrial detention in Kondengui central prison

in Yaoundé. Videos he had posted on social ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS

media criticized the Cameroonian authorities North-west and South-west regions

and the Cameroonian embassy in Gabon.

In the two Anglophone regions, real or
On 3 October the National Trade Union of
suspected armed separatists continued to
Journalists of Cameroon issued a declaration
carry out murders, hostage-taking for
denouncing pressure by security ofûcers on
ransoms and extortion, targeting defence and
media outlets <to silence those who express
security forces, political and administrative
criticisms against the authorities=.
authorities, civil servants and other civilians
On 9 October, following rumours about the
they accused of not complying with their
health of the president, the minister of
rules, including lockdowns and a <liberation
territorial administration banned <any media
tax=.
debate on the state of the President of the
On 11 February, during the Cameroon
Republic=, in a letter addressed to the
Youth Celebrations, a home-made bomb
country9s governors.
killed one person and injured more than 100

others in Nkambe, North-west region. On 26

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
May a grenade attack on a bar in Bamenda,
On 6 December the minister of territorial
North-west region killed two people and
administration issued a decree banning or
injured 41.
suspending for three months the activities of
On 20 May, the mayor of Belo, Boyo
several organizations, including the Central
division, North-West region, his deputy and
Africa Human Rights Defenders Network,
an inspector of basic education were shot
based on accusations including <illicit
dead. On 26 October, the second deputy
funding=.
mayor of Bamenda II was abducted and

murdered.
ARBITRARY DETENTION

Dozens of Anglophone people remained

Far North region
arbitrarily detained after being sentenced by
In Far North region, the armed conüict
military courts in the context of armed
between state forces and armed groups was
violence in the Anglophone regions. They
ongoing. Armed groups afûliated to Islamic
included journalist Thomas Awah Junior,
State9s West Africa Province and Jamatu Ahli
protest leaders Mancho Bibixy, Tsi Conrad
Al-Sunna lil Da'wa Wal Jihad, both
and Penn Terence Khan, and 10 political
descended from the Boko Haram armed
leaders including Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe.

Cameroon 117
group, continued to attack civilians in villages questioning, intersex and asexual

along the border with Nigeria and on islands (2SLGBTQQIA+) people faced

in Lake Chad, looting and killing and discrimination and violence. Indigenous

abducting civilians, according to security land defenders were criminalized for

sources. protecting their ancestral territory, violence

On the night of 1-2 January, four people against Indigenous women continued and

were killed, eight abducted, and two the fate of Indigenous children remained
properties set on ûre during an attack in unresolved. Migrants9 and refugees9 rights

Bargaram in Hile-Alifa commune. Three were violated. Canada did not meet

Cameroonian aid workers from the French emissions targets.

NGO Première Urgence Internationale, who

were abducted on 10 January in Kolofata DISCRIMINATION

district, were released on 19 April. In June, Between 29 August and 27 September, nine

13 children, women and men from the Indigenous People were killed by police in

ûshing community were abducted in separate incidents across Canada,

Mourdas. In October, around 15 ûshermen demonstrating systemic racism and

were abducted in Darak, and four civilians discrimination in police institutions.

were killed in Kalguiwa. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal heard

in September whether a constitutional

UNLAWFUL KILLINGS challenge to a discriminatory name and

In the North-west and South-west regions, pronoun law targeting transgender and

defence and security forces were accused of gender-diverse students could proceed. The

unlawful killings of people suspected of court was considering if a law could be

collaborating with armed separatist groups, declared unconstitutional even when the

according to Cameroonian NGOs. The notwithstanding clause, which prevents

government did not respond to accusations courts from striking down laws that violate

of unlawful killings, including the killing of charter provisions, is enacted.

four civilians in Mamfe in April during a Organizations expressed disappointment

military operation. with the proposed Canada Disability Beneût,

announced in June, calling on the federal

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND government to urgently address the crisis of

REPARATION disability poverty.

No information was made public regarding The Supreme Court heard a constitutional

an investigation into the murder of journalist challenge in November to the laws

Jean-Jacques Ola Bébé in Yaoundé in criminalizing sex work and associated

February 2023. On 9 September the activities.

Yaoundé military tribunal publicly announced The Federal Court heard an application in

charges against 17 defendants on trial in November to certify a class action brought by

relation to the murder of journalist Martinez current and former federal public service

Zogo in Yaoundé in January 2023. workers against the government for anti-

Black racism in recruitment.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

CANADA Anti-2SLGBTQQIA+ policies increased.

Alberta introduced measures in January

Canada limiting students9 access to gender-afûrming

healthcare and stiüing discussion around

Systemic racism and discrimination against gender identity, sexual diversity and

Black and racialized people persisted. Two- comprehensive sexuality education in

1
spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, schools.

118 Amnesty International Report

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE The Independent Special Interlocutor for

Indigenous, Black and racialized women and Missing Children and Unknown Graves and

2SLGBTQQIA+ people were Burial Sites9 ûnal report acknowledged that

disproportionately targeted through online Indian Residential Schools were <colonial

2
threats, violence and racist abuse. institutions of genocide= and called on the

Organizations called on the Ontario government to implement an independent,

government and municipalities to declare Indigenous-led investigation.

intimate partner violence an epidemic as Canada negotiated a free trade agreement

recommended in Bill 173, Intimate Partner with Ecuador without consulting with

Violence Epidemic Act 2024. Indigenous Peoples. In June, the Standing

Femicide against Black women continued Committee on International Trade

to be under-reported due to lack of recommended that no trade agreement

disaggregated data. proceed without the free, prior and informed

4
consent of affected Indigenous Peoples.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Four Wet9suwet9en and other Indigenous land REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

defenders were found guilty of criminal The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

contempt of court for protecting Wet9suwet9en (TFWP) continued to tie migrant workers to a

territory against the construction of a single employer who controlled their

pipeline, including Likhts9amisyu Clan Wing immigration status, labour conditions and

Chief Dsta9hyl, who served a 60-day house living conditions. This put them at risk of
3
arrest. labour exploitation and other abuses such as

The Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum wage theft, excessive working hours, verbal,

Anishnabek (Grassy Narrows) First Nation physical, sexual and psychological abuse and

testiûed before the Inter-American racial discrimination. Migrant workers under

Commission on Human Rights, detailing the TFWP, who are predominantly racialized,

health issues and environmental damage did not have access to adequate and

from mercury dumped in the English and effective remedies.

Wabigoon rivers 50 years ago and Canada9s The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the

ongoing failure to prevent further poisoning decision to grant asylum-seeking families

and provide adequate reparation. access to subsidized educational childcare.

The majority of the 94 calls to action listed The Quebec government appealed the

in the 2015 report of the Truth and decision, and the Supreme Court certiûed the

Reconciliation Commission had still not been appeal in October. The Court of Appeal

implemented. denied Quebec9s request for a stay, so

Canada failed to make real progress families retained access to subsidized

towards the implementation of the 231 Calls childcare, pending the Supreme Court9s

for Justice highlighted in the National Inquiry decision.

on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Concerns persisted about the complex

and Girls. application processes and effectiveness of

In August, the Kanien'kehá:ka the Temporary Residence Visa Program for

Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers), who Gazan and Sudanese people.

demanded archaeological digs at the former

Royal Victoria Hospital site in Montreal due to FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

the suspected presence of Indigenous In July, the Ontario Superior Court failed to

children9s graves, lost their case before the uphold the right to peaceful assembly by

Quebec Court of Appeal. The court granting an injunction sought by the

overturned a lower court decision requiring University of Toronto against a peaceful pro-
5
McGill University to respect an agreement on Palestinian encampment. Similar

archaeological excavations at the site. encampments at universities around the

country were cleared by police or private

Canada 119
security forces without a court order; at least

one ended after an agreement was reached 1. <Amnesty International Canada condemns 8appalling9 anti-trans

with the university. policy changes in Alberta=, 2 February ±

2. <Canada must end technology-facilitated gender-based violence=,

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS 5 July±

Canada continued to export arms and military 3. <Wet9suwet9en Chief Dsta9hyl declared first Amnesty International

equipment to countries despite lack of prisoner of conscience held in Canada=, 31 July ±

accountability for past violations and 4. <Amnesty International Canada shares concerns at parliamentary

substantial risks that they could be used in study of free trade negotiations with Ecuador=, 16 February ±

serious violations of international human 5. <U of T encampment ruling fails to uphold the right of peaceful

rights and humanitarian law. Arms worth assembly=, 2 July ±

USD 6.4 million were exported to Saudi 6. <Authorities9 response to climate activists who climbed the

Arabia, representing 42% of the total of non- Jacques-Cartier bridge raises concerns=, 30 October (French only)

US military exports. Authorization of new ±

export permits for transfers of military goods

to Israel was reportedly paused in January,

although no ofûcial <notice to exporters= was CENTRAL AFRICAN

issued and at least 180 export permits

remained active. REPUBLIC

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Central African Republic

According to government data, Canada is the

11th largest emitter of greenhouse gases

Armed groups and government forces
worldwide. Instead of implementing policies
continued to carry out unlawful attacks and
to reduce emissions, it offered a tax credit to
killings. There was a signi cant rise inû
fossil fuel companies for carbon capture, ü
cases of con ict-related sexual and gender-
utilization and storage projects. According to based violence. There was progress in
the Commissioner of the Environment and ûghting impunity, highlighted by a publicly
Sustainable Development, Canada will miss released arrest warrant against the former
its target of 40-45% reduction in emissions
president, and the arrest of two men
by 2030. A regulatory framework to cap
charged with crimes under international
greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and
law. A UN report revealed poor detention
gas sector was not introduced. On a per- conditions. More than 2.5 million people
capita basis, Canada ûnanced the fossil fuel were affected by food insecurity.
industry more than almost any other G20

country. Canada continued to grant permits BACKGROUND

for the construction of oil and gas
Clashes continued between government
infrastructure, including on unceded
forces, aided by their allies, and armed
Indigenous territories.
groups afûliated with the Coalition of Patriots
The Environmental Racism Bill became for Change, leading to numerous civilian

law, requiring the development of a national casualties. On 30 July the UN Security

strategy to address the harm caused by Council lifted the arms embargo, in place

environmental racism. since 2013. By 31 August, 455,533 people

Climate activists continued to be
were internally displaced. Meanwhile, the
criminalized. In Montreal, three activists were
country hosted 43,393 refugees, including
detained for peacefully protesting at the
29,070 from Sudan.
government9s inaction to address climate
6
change.
UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

According to a report by the UN

Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization

120 Amnesty International Report

Mission in the Central African Republic received legal or judicial assistance; and only

(MINUSCA), covering the second quarter of 6% were supported with economic

2024, armed groups and government forces, reintegration measures.

supported by their allies, continued to carry

out unlawful attacks and killings. RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

MINUSCA reported that, in the region of REPARATION

Haut-Mbomou on 19 February, the Azande On 1 May the Special Criminal Court (SCC), a

Ani Kpi Gbe armed group ambushed a UN-backed hybrid court, issued an

civilian truck in Kere, killing four of the 20 international arrest warrant for former

passengers and abducting a woman. Clashes president François Bozizé for alleged crimes

between the group and another armed group, against humanity linked to actions by his

the Unity for Peace in Central Africa (UPC) presidential guard between 2009 and 2013.

followed in Kitessa, Maboussou and Manza The court urged Guinea-Bissau, where

on 22 and 23 February, resulting in 10 François Bozizé was exiled, to cooperate in

deaths and the displacement of part of the his arrest. On 8 May the president of Guinea-

population to Zémio. On 27 February, Bissau announced his intention to disregard

national defence forces and other security the request.

personnel conducted an operation targeting On 21 June the SCC announced the arrest

Anti-Balaka armed group leaders at the Willy of Edmond Beina, a suspect in the <Guen=

mining site, 35km south-west of Bossangoa case, which involved crimes committed in

in Ouham region in the west of the country. 2014 in the Mambéré region. He was

According to local sources, four civilians were charged with several crimes against humanity

killed and several others wounded. On 29 and war crimes, including murder and

March, suspected members of the Popular extermination. Abakar Zakaria Hamid, also

Front for the Renaissance of the Central known as <SG=, was arrested on 4

African Republic and UPC combatants September and appeared before SCC

attacked the market in Ouogo, 63km north- investigating judges. He faced multiple

west of Batangafo, wounding six civilians. charges including crimes against humanity

such as murder, extermination, persecution

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE and enforced disappearance.

According to OCHA, there was a surge in On 13 December, the SCC delivered its

cases of sexual and gender-based violence, verdict in the case known as <Ndélé 1= in

exacerbated by the conüict and <by socio- which the four accused were convicted of

cultural norms that are unfavourable to crimes against humanity committed during

women and girls, despite the existence of incidents in 2020 in the town of Ndélé. On

relevant policies and legislation= that could the same day, the defence lawyer announced

offer some protection if implemented. In the his decision to appeal.

ûrst half of the year, more than 11,000 cases On 3 May the gendarmerie temporarily

of gender-based violence were reported. closed, without providing formal

More than 6,000 of the cases were reported documentation, the Truth, Justice,

in the second quarter alone, 96% of which Reparation and Reconciliation Commission. It

involved victims who were women or girls, had been established in 2020 <to investigate,

and 32% of which were rapes, the most establish the truth and assign responsibility

frequently reported crime. According to the for the serious national events that have

Gender-Based Violence Information occurred since 29 March 1959, that is 60

Management System, between January and years of the tumultuous history of the Central

September all identiûed survivors of gender- African Republic=. The staff were instructed

based violence beneûted from psycho-social to leave the premises, and on 7 May a

support, while 82% received medical government decree dismissed the

assistance 3 only 28% of which occurred commission members, citing internal

within the critical 72-hour window; 11%

Central African Republic 121

conüicts and poor management. A committee standards. Gender-based violence remained

was established to appoint new members. widespread.

INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS BACKGROUND

In July a MINUSCA report revealed alarming On 6 May, Mahamat <Kaka= Déby was

detention conditions, emphasizing poor ofûcially declared the winner of the

healthcare and hygiene and severe presidential elections, bringing an end to the

malnutrition among detainees, a situation transitional period that began in April 2021

that was aggravated by insufûcient food following the death of President Idriss Déby.

budgets and prolonged detention. The report Floods affected several cities across the

also highlighted the ill-treatment experienced country, leading to the deaths of several

by several detainees and noted the lack of a hundred people and the displacement of

government response regarding these issues. thousands.

It listed numerous other shortcomings, Conüicts between herders and farmers

including non-compliance with legal custody continued, in a context of increased pressure

time limits and the excessive use of pretrial on natural resources aggravated by lack of

detention. grazing land in the north and population

growth in the south.

RIGHT TO FOOD

According to the Food Security Cluster, a UN- FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY

led organization, more than 2.5 million The government repeatedly banned

people experienced severe food insecurity, demonstrations, citing that protest against the

with 307,000 in emergency conditions by rising cost of living was prohibited. In June, a

November. In regions including Mbomou and ban was placed on a demonstration by

Haute-Kotto, more than 50% of the graduates protesting that promises made to

population were living in a situation of them of public sector jobs had not been

emergency or crisis food insecurity. This honoured.

primarily affected internally displaced people, In March, the Union of Journalists of Chad

those in remote areas and poor urban released a statement to highlight increasing

households, whose access to food was threats against journalists and urged the

challenged due to rising prices, conüict and authorities to take action to ensure the safety

poor infrastructure. of journalists and their families. This followed

the murders on 1 March of journalist Idriss

Yaya, his wife and his four-year-old son in the

CHAD village of Djondjol, near Mangalmé. Idriss

Yaya, who worked for a radio station in

Republic of Chad Mongo, had received multiple threats prior to

his murder, likely linked to his reporting of

The rights to freedom of expression and escalating communal conüicts in the region.

peaceful assembly remained restricted, with On 2 March, nine people were arrested in

authorities banning several protests under connection with the murders.

the pretext of maintaining public order. One On 7 August, Badour Oumar Ali, editor-in-

journalist was killed, while others faced chief of Chad9s leading news website

threats. No investigation was initiated after Tchadinfos.com, was arrested by armed and

the death of an opposition leader during an masked men and taken to the headquarters

assault by security forces on his party9s of the National Security Agency. He was

headquarters; 25 of his relatives were released without charge after 24 hours in

subsequently detained without access to a detention. The incident was part of a broader

lawyer. Detention conditions remained in trend of harassment and intimidation of the

breach of international human rights media, and followed a temporary suspension

of the website at the end of July.

122 Amnesty International Report

In September, Reed Brody, a Hungarian- DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

American human rights lawyer renowned for In August, Human Rights Watch released a

his work in support of victims of repression report highlighting severe human rights

during Hissène Habré9s presidency, was violations arising from the detention of

arrested and expelled from Chad. He was individuals arrested during protests in

expelled just before attending a conference N9Djamena in October 2022. Former

calling for payment by the state of full detainees described their harrowing journey

damages to victims of the former regime, to Koro Toro prison, experiencing

where he was to launch his book on bringing overcrowded transport conditions and severe

Hissène Habré to justice. dehydration as well as inhumane treatment,

including beatings and lack of medical care

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND once at the prison.

REPARATIONS

In February, opposition leader Yaya Dillo was WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

shot dead during an assault by security According to the World Economic Forum9s

forces on the headquarters of his party, the Global Gender Gap Report for 2024, Chad

Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF). The ranked 144th out of 146 countries on gender

shooting followed accusations that his equality. The Women9s Associations9 Liaison

supporters had attacked the National and Information Unit reported in June that

Security Agency and attempted to the difûculty women faced in accessing land,

assassinate the president of the Supreme particularly in the context of inheritance,

Court. Transitional prime minister Succès contributed to entrenching inequalities.

Masra announced the launch of an The United Nations Population Fund

international commission of inquiry to recorded 1,310 cases of gender-based

determine responsibility for Dillo9s death. violence (GBV) in Chad between January and

However, the investigation had made no June, and 794 between July and September.

progress by year's end. The cases mostly involved physical and

psychological violence, but there were also

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL signiûcant numbers involving denial of

Following the death of Yaya Dillo (see above), resources, sexual assault, rape and forced

25 of his relatives, also PSF activists, marriage. Organizations working in the ûeld

including three under the age of 18, were emphasized that the actual numbers were

detained for ûve months without being likely to be higher due to unreported cases.

brought before a judge. They were held in the

high-security prison of Koro Toro, 600km ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

from N'Djamena where they had been based, The rising cost of living stoked widespread

with no access to legal representation or discontent. In response, the authorities

1
medical care. implemented measures to support the most

During mobile court hearings in Koro Toro vulnerable. On 11 March, two months before

prison from 2 to 4 July, 10 were acquitted the presidential elections and coinciding with

due to lack of evidence but not released, the start of Ramadan, the government

while 14 were sentenced to 10 years in announced free water and electricity until the

prison. One remained in detention in end of the year, covering up to 300 kilowatt

N9Djamena without being charged. On 23 hours per household per month. The

September, the party9s secretary-general was announcement, which came amid ongoing

also arrested in N'Djamena. In November power shortages in many neighbourhoods,

and December, all the detainees except for was matched by 50% reductions in

the secretary-general were released, with no transportation taxes.

explanations given. In September, Action Against Hunger

reported that at least 3.4 million people in

Chad were experiencing critical food

Chad 123
insecurity. These included some 620,000 of the Carabineros for their failure to prevent

refugees from the conüict in Sudan. OCHA human rights violations committed by their

found that only 50% of the USD 1.12 billion subordinates during the protests. Despite

funding requirement for humanitarian relief these developments, impunity remained for

was being met. human rights violations and crimes under

international law perpetrated during that

period, and several political authorities

1. <Chad: Authorities must ensure fair trial rights of detained unduly questioned the actions of the

relatives of killed opposition leader=, 28 May ± prosecution, particularly in relation to the

investigation of the Carabineros9 former high

command.

CHILE The government rescinded grace pensions

granted to victims of human rights violations

Republic of Chile committed during the protests in cases where

the beneûciaries had been convicted of

crimes prior to that period. No bill was

Despite the unprecedented conviction of

two members of the Carabineros for human forthcoming regarding reparations to victims

rights violations committed during the of violations committed during the protests,

2019 protests, impunity prevailed and no despite the extensive conclusions of the

bill regarding reparations was presented. Roundtable for Comprehensive Reparations

Barriers in accessing abortion persisted. delivered to the government.

Conditions for pregnant detainees remained Complaints arose in August about possible

serious irregularities in the implementation of

poor. Changes were made to the regulatory
the National Search Plan for people forcibly
framework on the use of force. Congress
continued to discuss bills proposing the disappeared during the regime of Augusto

criminalization of refugees and migrants. Pinochet (1973-1990). The irregularities

The detention of Indigenous women for related to the software used for the search of

selling products in public spaces persisted. detained disappeared people. As a result,

Facial recognition technology was one of the main experts resigned and family

members of the disappeared expressed their

implemented without a clear legislative
concerns about the situation. Meanwhile,
framework.
measures ensuring the plan9s permanent

operation were not approved. The

BACKGROUND

In February, Chile signed the 2023 Ljubljana government9s limited support for memorial

3 The Hague Convention on International sites relating to this period remained a source

Cooperation in the Investigation and of concern and its continuity was at risk.

Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes

against Humanity, War Crimes and Other SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Barriers in accessing abortion services

International Crimes.
persisted in government healthcare facilities,

even when lawful abortion was allowed.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND
Healthcare institutions and professionals
REPARATION

In August, for the ûrst time, two members of refused to perform abortion services because

of their moral or religious views, undermining

the Carabineros (police force) were convicted
pregnant people9s right to access abortion
for acts of torture committed against a
services. In ûve public hospitals all
protester during the 2019 protests. Criminal

proceedings regarding eye injuries sustained obstetricians refused to provide abortions in

by Gustavo Gatica continued. Criminal cases of pregnancies resulting from rape,

charges were brought in October against which could amount to torture or other ill-

three members of the former high command treatment.

124 Amnesty International Report

In May, the government presented changes Despite the procurement of projectile

to regulations governing abortion services. electric-shock weapons for the Carabineros

The proposed amendments aimed to require since 2019, and in 2024 for the Gendarmería

healthcare institutions to maintain lists of (penitentiary police), the Ministry of the

professionals who refused to perform lawful Interior and Public Safety had not issued a

abortion services because of their moral or protocol for their correct use. No authorized

religious views and to specify the use of this weapon had been recorded, but a

circumstances under which they refused to pilot project was announced to be

participate in abortion procedures. The implemented near the end of the ûrst quarter

proposals further mandated that patients be of 2025.

informed of a healthcare professional9s

refusal to provide lawful abortion services for REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

moral or religious reasons, where applicable. Throughout the year, Congress continued to

As of December, the Controller General had discuss bills proposing the criminalization of

not approved the amended regulations. refugees and migrants. Of particular concern

In June, the president committed to was the proposal to impose prison sentences

presenting a bill on lawful abortion to on people found guilty of irregular entry or

Congress before the end of the year, but he stay in the country.

failed to fulûl this commitment. In September, the Pensions

In January, a woman at the Iquique Superintendency asserted that Venezuelan

Penitentiary Centre gave birth in one of the workers in Chile could not withdraw their

facility9s cells. The Chilean Committee for the pension funds because it was not possible to

Prevention of Torture stated that this event verify the validity of their required

highlighted signiûcant and urgent issues documentation. Meanwhile, xenophobic

requiring immediate attention, including the rhetoric and attacks continued against

need to improve prenatal care to pregnant Venezuelan refugees by some of the general

detainees, and ensure access to adequate public and some public ûgures.

nutrition and the constant presence of

qualiûed personnel to attend childbirth. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Carabineros and other enforcement agencies

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY continued to detain Indigenous women for

Authorities continued to require prior selling their products in public spaces,

authorization for public gatherings in public creating signiûcant barriers to the exercise of

spaces, forcing protesters to notify them and their ancestral traditions and cultural rights. A

be subjected to barriers to exercise their right particularly troubling case involved the

of freedom of assembly. Throughout the year, detention and handcufûng of an Aymara

Congress failed to discuss the elimination of woman in Pica, a commune in Tarapacá

the prior authorization requirement. region in northern Chile, for selling coca

leaves. She was subsequently released after

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF her defence argued that this activity was a

FORCE cultural and traditional practice of the Aymara

Congress continued discussing a bill to People.

regulate the use of force by security ofûcials,

enshrining in legislation current protocols and MASS SURVEILLANCE

regulations issued by the Ministry of the Facial recognition technology was

Interior and Public Safety and the Ministry of implemented for policing purposes without

National Defence. There were concerns over the establishment of clear and explicit

the lack of clarity in the proposals for the regulatory frameworks deûning its limitations.

regulation of the use of force and its A bill aimed at regulating personal data
1
imminent approval. collection was approved and its

implementation pending.

Chile 125
In December, amendments to anti-terrorist Despite government denials, weapons and

legislation were approved that would allow for other military equipment manufactured in

the deployment of technology for intercepting China were used by parties to the armed

messages, calls, metadata and mass geo- conüict in Sudan. In the conüict in Myanmar,

referencing without establishing appropriate evidence continued to implicate Chinese

safeguards on its use and access to it. state and non-state actors in supplying

aviation fuel to the military, enabling air

strikes against civilian targets and other war

1. Bill for the Regulation of the Use of Force, 4 June (Spanish only) ± crimes.

Hong Kong9s economy remained slow with

many stores and restaurants closing down.

CHINA The ûscal deûcit persisted and the ûscal

reserves fell to their lowest level since 2010.

The People9s Republic of China Efforts by the authorities to rebuild the

territory9s image as an international hub for

foreign investment and tourism were

The government continued to enforce
hindered by the ongoing crackdown against
repressive laws and policies that restricted
the right to freedom of expression and other political opponents.

human rights. Human rights defenders were

arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to long FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

prison terms. Activists living overseas faced AND ASSEMBLY

threats and intimidation. New restrictions Artists and others were among those

prosecuted under restrictive laws. On 5

on religious freedom were introduced in the
January, authorities arrested Chen Pinlin, the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and
prosecutions of intellectuals, artists and director of a documentary about the 2022

other Uyghur cultural ûgures continued. White Paper Movement, a peaceful protest

Chinese authorities9 repression of Tibetan movement against highly restrictive Covid-19

culture and language intensi ed. û policies and pervasive censorship and

Renewable energy generation capacity was surveillance. He was charged with <picking

quarrels and provoking trouble= and

expanded but China remained heavily
remained in detention awaiting trial at year9s
reliant on coal. A new national security law
1
end. In September, Gao Zhen, a renowned
further restricted civic space in Hong Kong
where dozens of pro-democracy activists artist whose work includes critical depictions

were sentenced to long prison terms. of social issues, was detained on suspicion of

<insulting revolutionary heroes and martyrs=.

BACKGROUND Gao Zhen, who lived in the USA, was visiting

relatives in China at the time of his arrest. He

Amid growing concerns about economic
2
was awaiting trial at year9s end.
slowdown, falling birthrates and an ageing
In April the Ministry of State Security
population, the government intensiûed its

focus on ensuring <stability=, resulting in issued new regulations granting additional

increased restrictions on human rights. The powers to law enforcement ofûcers to inspect

tightening grip of the Chinese authorities and electronic devices including those of overseas

the continued lack of transparency were visitors to China. The new regulations, which

came into force in July, expanded the scope

demonstrated by the expulsions from the
of existing counter-espionage laws to
Chinese Communist Party of ofûcials for
encompass <national security= matters while
accessing <forbidden= publications, the

imposition of restrictions on civil servant also weakening their procedural safeguards.

travel and censorship of consumer rights In June, in a rare response to public

scandals. pressure, the central government withdrew a

draft amendment to the Law on

Administrative Penalties for Public Security.

126 Amnesty International Report

The amendment included vaguely worded was convicted in February of <inciting

offences against conduct <undermining the subversion of state power=. She was

spirit= and <hurting the feelings= of the sentenced to three years and eight months in
4
nation. However, other steps were taken to prison. She was released in August because

further expand the legal and regulatory of time already served.

framework restricting the right to freedom of Three other human rights defenders,

expression. lawyers Li Yuhan and Chang Weiping and

On 11 October the Cyberspace anti-discrimination activist Cheng Yuan, were

Administration of China announced new released from prison. All three continued to

measures to restrict the use of <obscure face restrictions on their freedom of

expressions= online, targeting slang adopted movement and were deprived of <political

by internet users to circumvent online rights= following their release.

censorship. In June, Guangzhou Intermediate Court

Also in October, local authorities in sentenced Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang

Shanghai reportedly detained at least six Jianbing to ûve years9 and three-and-a-half

people wearing Halloween costumes. years9 imprisonment, respectively, for

The government continued its campaign to <inciting subversion of state power=. The two

silence dissent by citizens living abroad. prominent #MeToo and labour rights activists

Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students had been detained since they were arrested

studying at universities in western Europe in September 2021 due to their involvement

and North America faced surveillance and in trainings for non-violent protest and

on- and ofüine censorship, including by state participation in discussions on shrinking civil
5
actors. They, and some of their family society space.

members in mainland China, were subjected In August, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan

to harassment and intimidation to prevent was detained after engaging in human rights

them from engaging in activities relating to advocacy. She had been subjected to
3
political or other <sensitive= issues. surveillance since her release from prison in

May 2024.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS In October, detained women9s and health

Human rights defenders, including activists, rights defender He Fangmei was sentenced

lawyers and citizen journalists, continued to to ûve years and six months9 imprisonment in

face intimidation, harassment, arbitrary connection with her campaigning for safe

detention, and torture and other ill-treatment vaccines. He Fangmei had given birth to a

for defending human rights and exercising second daughter while in detention; at some

their freedoms of expression and association. point, both children were taken by local

Their repression was often enabled by ofûcials and placed in a psychiatric hospital.

recourse to overly-broad and vague national In April the girls, aged three and eight, were

security laws. In some cases, harassment reportedly moved but their whereabouts were

and intimidation extended to their family unknown.

members. In October, Lu Siwei, a human rights

On 14 February, the UN Special lawyer known for defending politically

Rapporteur on the independence of judges sensitive cases, was arrested and charged

and lawyers wrote to the government to raise with <crossing the border illegally=. Lu Siwei

concerns about administrative restrictions on, had previously been detained by police in

the criminalization of, and other patterns of Laos in July 2023 and forcibly returned to

interference in the work of lawyers. According China.

to the Special Rapporteur, human rights Concerns about conditions of detention

lawyers working on sensitive cases were and torture and other ill-treatment of human

particularly targeted. rights defenders persisted. In October, legal

Following her trial in December 2023, scholar and activist Xu Zhiyong, who was

labour and women9s rights activist Li Qiaochu serving a 14-year prison sentence for

China 127
<subversion of state power=, reportedly went strengthen the protection of minorities

on hunger strike to protest his mistreatment against discrimination.

by prison guards. Revisions to religious regulations took

The health of Xu Yan, arrested in April effect in February, further limiting freedom of

2023 with her husband Yu Wensheng, religion and belief. The amendments to the

reportedly deteriorated in detention due to Xinjiang Religious Affairs Regulations and

poor nutrition. The two activists were statements by the Xinjiang Party Secretary

sentenced on 29 October to one year and emphasized the need for Islam to be

nine months9 and three years9 imprisonment <Sinicised=. This echoed previous statements

respectively for <inciting subversion of state by Chinese leaders, stressing <loyalty... above
6
power=. all else= to the Chinese Communist Party.

In March, 14 UN experts condemned the The detention of Uyghur cultural ûgures

continued failure of the Chinese authorities to continued. Among those prosecuted during

investigate the circumstances surrounding the year was ûlm-maker Ikram Nurmehmet.

the death in custody in 2014 of human rights He was found guilty in January of <taking part

defender Cao Shunli. She was detained in in terrorist activities= because he had

2013 as she was preparing to participate in travelled to Türkiye. According to media

China9s UPR process but her health reports, Ikram Nurmehmet was subjected to

deteriorated, allegedly due to torture and torture and other ill-treatment to coerce him

other ill-treatment including denial of access into <confessing= crimes he had not

to medical care. committed. In June, songwriter Yashar

Shohret was sentenced to three years9

ETHNIC AUTONOMOUS REGIONS imprisonment for <promoting extremism= and

The government continued to enforce <illegally possessing extremist materials=. The

repressive policies in ethnic autonomous sentence was in connection with his

regions, especially the Xinjiang Uyghur expression of cultural identity through music

Autonomous Region and Tibet, denying rights and his possession of Uyghur literature.

including to cultural expression and to Other prominent Uyghur scholars and

freedom of religion and belief. Repression of artists continued to serve long prison terms

ethnic and minority populations was carried and were deprived of communication with

out under the guise of counterterrorism and family members. They included well-known

national security. Uyghur intellectual Ilham Tohti who had been

sentenced to life imprisonment for

7
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region <separatism= in 2014. There was no

In January the government published a white information about the status or whereabouts

paper entitled Legal Framework and of ethnographer Rahile Dawut, who was

Measures for Counterterrorism that described reportedly sentenced to life imprisonment in

efforts to ostensibly <protect= human rights in 2023 for <endangering state security=.

the context of counterterrorism. However,

repressive laws 3 including the 2015 Counter Tibet

Terrorism Law and the 2017 Xinjiang Tibetan monk Rinchen Tsultrim was released

Regulation on De-extremiûcation 3 continued on 1 February after serving a four-year

to be used to arbitrarily detain members of sentence. He was imprisoned for <inciting

Uyghur, Kazakh and other predominantly secession= in relation to his social media

Muslim ethnic groups and to restrict cultural posts. In July, 13 UN experts wrote to the

and religious practices. In August the UN Chinese government raising concerns about

human rights ofûce, OHCHR, repeated its reports of beatings and arbitrary arrest of

call to the Chinese authorities to review and hundreds of Tibetan civilians and monks

revise the legal framework governing national during protests against the construction of a

security and counterterrorism and to hydropower plant on the Drichu river in

Sichuan province. According to the letter, the

128 Amnesty International Report

plant, which is being built by a state-owned reported the case of a civil servant who was

company, could result in the forced sentenced to death for violating the State

displacement and relocation of local Secrets Protection Law.

residents, destruction of important cultural On 21 June the Supreme People9s Court of

and religious sites and environmental China, the Supreme People9s Procuratorate

damage. and the Ministries of Public Security, State

Closure of schools providing instruction in Security and Justice jointly issued the

Tibetan and other non-Mandarin languages <Opinions on Punishing 8Taiwan

continued as part of the authorities9 Independence9 Diehards for Conducting or

campaign to curtail Tibetan culture and Inciting Separatism in Accordance with Law=.

languages. In July, authorities closed the The Opinions included directives to

Jigme Gyaltsen Vocational School, a private prosecute and harshly punish, including with

school in Gansu province teaching courses in death, individuals advocating for or taking

Tibetan languages, whose pupils were mainly action in support of Taiwan9s independence.

Tibetan boys. Concerns also persisted about

the coercive residential school system RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

imposed on Tibetan children. In October, Substantial progress was made towards

Tibetan language education activist Tashi expanding renewable energy, with the

Wangchuk was reportedly detained for 15 government9s 2030 target for wind and solar

days on charges of <disturbing social order=. power generation achieved six years early. As

He had previously served a ûve-year prison a result, China9s capacity for non-fossil fuel

term for <inciting separatism=. energy generation exceeded that from fossil

fuels for the ûrst time.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS Nevertheless, energy consumption relied

In May a Beijing Fengtai District People9s mainly on fossil fuels, which remained the

Court ruling in a child custody dispute largest contributor to China9s greenhouse gas

recognized the rights of a same-sex partner emissions. According to a report by the NGO

to monthly visits with her daughter. The ruling Greenpeace, the number of new permits

marked an important development in a issued by the government for domestic coal-

system that does not recognize and lacks ûred power plant construction decreased by

protections for same-sex relationships. 79.5% during the ûrst half of the year.

However, repression of LGBTI activism However, the pace of coal plant construction

continued, with activists facing risks remained high, driven by projects approved

including arbitrary detention and in previous years.

interrogation, and censorship of LGBTI- Despite previous pledges by the

related topics. government, the building of new coal-ûred

power plants abroad continued, and fewer

DEATH PENALTY existing projects were halted in 2024 than in

The death penalty was believed to be the previous two years.

extensively used but the number of In March, IQAir reported that, in 2023,

executions was not known because such China9s ûve-year trend of improving air

data remained classiûed as a state secret. quality was reversed, with thick smog

Access to information about state secrets, returning to several cities and provinces,

including the use of the death penalty, was largely the result of burning coal.

further restricted by revisions to the State

Secrets Protection Law, enacted in February, HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE

and to its implementation measures in July. REGION

The amendments broadened the scope of Freedom of expression

classiûed information and tightened

The space for free speech, already highly
government control over its disclosure. In
restricted under the National Security Law
November, national and international media

China 129
(NSL) and other repressive laws, diminished such as intention of sedition or to incite

further. secession. Anyone breaching the injunction

In March, following inadequate public could be held liable for contempt of court

consultations, the Hong Kong Legislative and jailed. Following the decision, YouTube

Council unanimously passed the blocked users in Hong Kong from accessing

Safeguarding National Security Ordinance 32 videos featuring the song.

(SNSO). This local law created new national Also in May, in a major case against 47

security offences and increased penalties for pro-democracy activists, the High Court

existing offences. It also entrenched the local found 14 people guilty of <conspiracy to

government9s sweeping powers of commit subversion= under the NSL for

enforcement. The ordinance introduced organizing unofûcial primaries for the 2020

mainland China9s broad and vague Legislative Council elections that were

deûnitions of <national security= and <state ultimately postponed. Another 31 defendants

secrets= which could potentially cover almost had previously pleaded guilty to the same

any conduct or information. The SNSO charges. In November the court handed

replaced a widely-used colonial-era sedition down sentences to the 45 ranging from four

law, but expanded provisions that punish years and three months to 10 years in prison.

intention to cause <hatred or enmity amongst Two other defendants were acquitted, but the

residents of different regions of China=, and Department of Justice appealed against one

that expressly cover acts or speech which do of the acquittals.

8
not incite violence. The maximum prison The trial of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old

sentence for sedition was increased from two founder of the pro-democracy newspaper

to seven years, or up to 10 years if involving Apple Daily, on charges under the NSL of

collusion with external force. <colluding with foreign forces= continued and

Following the adoption of the SNSO, 15 was still ongoing at years9 end. There were

people were arrested under its sedition concerns about Jimmy Lai9s declining health

provisions. Four were subsequently charged. after he was absent from a hearing in June. A

In September, three were convicted in trial monitor from Reporters Without Borders

separate trials for wearing a T-shirt and a was barred from entering Hong Kong in June.

mask printed with protest slogans; expressing In August the Court of Final Appeal

political comments against the government dismissed appeals by Jimmy Lai and six

on online platforms; and writing protest other activists against a previous conviction

slogans on bus seats. They were sentenced for taking part in an unauthorized assembly

to prison terms of between 10 and 14 during the 2019 protests, for which Lai was

months. sentenced to nine months9 imprisonment.

In June and December the authorities Several people were charged with

used new powers under the SNSO to cancel <insulting= the Chinese national anthem. In

the passports of ûrst six and then seven Hong June, three people were arrested under the

Kong activists living overseas for whom arrest National Anthem Ordinance for turning their

warrants had been issued in 2023. Another backs while the anthem was played at a
10
six activists living overseas were placed on a football match. In August, another person

wanted list with a bounty of 1 million Hong was sentenced to eight weeks9 imprisonment

Kong dollars (USD 128,500) each. for covering his ears and singing a song

In May the Court of Appeal granted the associated with the pro-democracy

government an interim injunction to ban the movement while the anthem was played at a

pro-democracy protest song <Glory to Hong volleyball match in 2023.

9
Kong=. The decision, which overturned a In August, two former editors of the closed

lower court ruling, prohibits individuals from media outlet Stand News, Chung Pui-kuen

broadcasting, performing, distributing, and Patrick Lam, were convicted for

disseminating, displaying or reproducing the <conspiring to publish seditious

song with an intent against national security, publications=. In September they were

130 Amnesty International Report

sentenced to 21 and 11 months9 that would have allowed extraditions to

imprisonment, respectively. Patrick Lam ûled mainland China.

an appeal against his conviction in October. In September the High Court ruled in

favour of the government9s claim that the

Freedom of assembly General Union of Hong Kong Speech

The authorities continued to prevent Therapists, whose registration was revoked in

commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen 2021, had used funds to endanger national

crackdown. On 4 June the 35th anniversary security. The court granted the government a

of the crackdown, a heavy police presence conûscation order to seize HKD 116,000

was reported in and around Victoria Park (approximately USD 14,900) from the pro-

where vigils had been held for 30 years democracy union.

before they were banned in 2020. Four

people were formally arrested while another LGBTI people9s rights

ûve were <brought to police stations=. The Hong Kong government failed to provide

Bringing people to police stations is an any meaningful updates on progress towards

intimidatory tactic that allows the police to the implementation of a 2023 ruling by the

remove a person from the scene without a Court of Final Appeal requiring it to provide

formal arrest. an alternative legal framework for the

In January the Court of Final Appeal recognition of same-sex partnerships.

reinstated the conviction of Chow Hang-tung In November the Court of Final Appeal

for <inciting others to take part in an dismissed the government9s appeal against a

unauthorized assembly= in 2021 on the lower court decision which gave same-sex

anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. couples who married overseas the same

Chow Hang-tung9s trial on a separate charge inheritance and public housing rights as

under the NSL of <inciting subversion= was heterosexual married couples.

repeatedly delayed. She remained in pretrial According to media reports, the Hong

detention for her role in a group which held Kong government cut funding to at least

annual Tiananmen candlelight vigils in three LGBTI groups, and enforced

Victoria Park. administrative measures to obstruct

In late May the police initiated additional fundraising and promotion activities of one of

proceedings, under the SNSO, against Chow the groups.

Hang-tung, and arrested her mother and six

of her friends for <exploit[ing] an upcoming

sensitive date to repeatedly publish posts 1. <China: Chinese director arrested for protest film: Chen Pinlin=,

with seditious intention on a social platform=. 30 April ±

2. <China: Prominent artist arrested for his work: Gao Zhen=, 5

Freedom of association December ±

In July the Legislative Council passed a law to 3. China: <On my campus, I am afraid=: China9s Targeting of

give government appointees a majority on the Overseas Students Stifles Rights, 13 May ±

Social Workers Registration Board, the 4. <China: Activist Li Qiaochu unjustly convicted 8for speaking out

licensing body for social workers. The move about torture9=, 5 February ±

followed criticism of the Board by a 5. <China: 8Malicious9 conviction of #MeToo and labour activists

government ofûcial for its refusal to ban shows Beijing9s growing fear of dissent=, 14 June ±
people convicted of national security offences 6. <China: Activists approaching one year in detention: Yu Wensheng

from becoming social workers. and Xu Yan=, 22 March ±

Also in July the Hong Kong Christian 7. <China must end decade of injustice=, 18 September ±

Institute announced that it was disbanding 8. <What is Hong Kong9s Article 23 law? 10 things you need to

because of the <social environment= and know=, 22 March ±

inability to freely fulûl its mission. The 9. <Hong Kong: Protest song ban a 8worrying sign9 of shrinking

Institute supported the 2014 pro-democracy freedoms=, 8 May ±

movement and protests in 2019 against a bill

China 131
10. <Hong Kong: National anthem football arrests are an attack on agreement was announced for negotiations

freedom of expression=, 7 June ± between the government and an armed

group separate from the ELN, Southern

Commoners. Meanwhile, in March, a

COLOMBIA ceaseûre between the government and the

Central General Staff (EMC) was suspended

Republic of Colombia in Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Nariño

departments, and negotiations fractured.

Despite peace talks and cease res, civilians û Some factions of the EMC, under the name of

continued to be affected by human rights General Staff of the Blocks and Fronts

violations and breaches of international (EMBF), continued talks with the government

humanitarian law caused by armed con ict, ü and agreed a ceaseûre in October. The

with Indigenous Peoples and Afro- Second Marquetalia also split up, with a

descendant and peasant communities faction now called the Bolivarian Army

disproportionately affected. Enforced National Coordinator publicly expressing in

disappearances continued and searches November its willingness to continue

remained challenging. Violence against negotiations with the government.

human rights defenders was pervasive, During the year, the government

despite measures by the government to announced the start of negotiations with

improve protection. Comprehensive police armed groups such as the Gaitanist Self-

reform remained pending. Violence against Defence Army (EGC) and the Sierra Nevada

journalists, women and girls and LGBTI Conqueror Self-Defence Forces. Talks with

people was ongoing. There was controversy other urban armed groups continued in the

over the alleged use of spyware by security cities of Medellín, Quibdó and Buenaventura.

forces. Some progress was made in In March the UN International Expert on

reparations and justice for violence at the human rights called for the implementation of

hands of the armed forces, but impunity the 2016 Peace Agreement and for all

continued. There were concerns about the negotiations and dialogues with armed

rights of Venezuelan refugees, despite some groups to focus on human rights.

progress. The Escazú Agreement was

deemed constitutional. The pension reform VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

bill was enacted. HUMANITARIAN LAW

Violations of international humanitarian law

BACKGROUND were documented throughout the year,

According to the ICRC, eight non- particularly impacting regions and

international armed conüicts persisted in departments such as Arauca, Caquetá,

Colombia. Several armed groups expanded Cauca, Chocó, Magdalena Medio, Nariño,

their presence in different regions of the Putumayo and Valle del Cauca.

country and armed confrontations escalated. The Human Rights and Displacement

The government9s <Total Peace= policy Consulting Group (CODHES) documented

remained in effect, facilitating ongoing 121 large-scale group forced displacements

negotiations between the government and up to December, affecting at least 49,002

various armed groups. people. OCHA reported that at least 176,500

Negotiations between the government and individuals had been forcibly displaced up to

the National Liberation Army (ELN) stalled in November.

September, after the expiration of a ceaseûre CODHES also reported 90 instances of

in August and an attack on a military base in forced conûnement up to December,

Arauca department. Both parties met in affecting at least 195,447 people. OCHA

November to discuss the resumption of claimed that forced conûnement tactics were

negotiations. In September a formal used by armed groups as social and territorial

control mechanisms that negatively impacted

132 Amnesty International Report

affected communities9 access to rights and the capacity of communities and

services. organizations, with a speciûc focus on

The Ombudsperson9s Ofûce reported 282 safeguarding human rights defenders.

cases of child recruitment by armed groups In July the government and human rights

up to early November. Meanwhile, Mine organizations reactivated the Guarantees9

Action Area of Responsibility estimated that National Roundtable, designed to facilitate

approximately 607,910 individuals could be dialogue between state institutions and civil

at risk due to the presence of landmines or society regarding the protection and

unexploded devices, or subject to promotion of the defence of human rights. In

conûnement as a result. November, human rights organizations

Between January and 22 December, the announced that the Roundtable had not met

Institute for Development and Peace Studies again because of postponements by some

reported the killing of 31 former combatants high-ranking ofûcers who should have

who had signed the 2016 Peace Agreement. participated in the meetings.

Nevertheless, violence against human

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES rights defenders remained widespread. The

Between December 2016 and July 2024, the situation in departments and regions such as

ICRC documented 1,730 new enforced Antioquia, Arauca, Cauca, Magdalena Medio,

disappearances and warned that, even Norte de Santander and Valle del Cauca was
2
though Colombia had strong institutions to particularly concerning.

deal with this issue, searches were still The We Are Defenders Programme

challenging. recorded 355 attacks against 318 human

Since its creation in 2017, the Search Unit rights defenders between January and June,

for Missing Persons had found alive and including killings, threats, arbitrary detention,

identiûed 23 people up to June and, jointly torture, enforced disappearance, abduction

with other institutions, had recovered 1,626 and forced displacement 3 a 24% decrease

bodies, of which 375 were between January in aggressions compared with the same

and June 2024. period in 2023. Between July and September

A National Search System was launched in the programme recorded 205 attacks against

May, with the aim of coordinating the 190 human rights defenders, a 23% increase

different institutions in charge of the search compared with the same period in 2023.

for missing people, including enforced Between January and November the OHCHR

disappearances. reported 186 allegations of killings of human

In June, Congress passed a bill rights defenders in Colombia, of which 80

recognizing the work of women searching for cases had been veriûed, 11 were still under

forcibly disappeared people and establishing veriûcation and 95 were inconclusive.

a set of measures to guarantee these In March the Inter-American Court of

women9s rights, including to safety, a life free Human Rights found Colombia responsible

of violence, education, health, housing, for a campaign of persecution against the

justice, and others. At the end of the year, Lawyers Collective <José Alvear Restrepo=.

these women were still claiming their rights The court determined that from 1990 to at

and demanding for the law to be fully least 2005 various Colombian institutions
1
implemented. conducted arbitrary intelligence activities

targeting the collective and its members,

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS violating their right to defend human rights,

In June the Ministry of Interior issued a call among others.

for applications to the restructured

Comprehensive Programme on Security and DISCRIMINATION

Protection for Communities and According to OCHA, as of March, 23% of the

Organizations in the Territories. This collective 8.3 million people with humanitarian needs

protection initiative was aimed at enhancing resulting from the combined negative effects

Colombia 133
of the actions of armed actors, the loss of use of force, but it called for deeper reform

ancestral territories and climate change were within the police. The coalition presented a

Indigenous and Afro-descendant. report on these issues to the Ministry of

Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant Defence and the police in November.

communities continued to disproportionately In September, several UN human rights

suffer human rights violations and breaches experts expressed concern about the lack of

of international humanitarian law. As of truth, justice and accountability over the

December, CODHES reported that at least killings and other human rights violations

2,446 victims of large-scale group forced committed during the 2021 National Strike.

displacements were Afro-descendants living Also in September, the Attorney General

in collective territories under the authority of issued a directive with guidance on the

community councils. At least 8,336 prosecution of possible crimes committed

Indigenous People who lived in reservations during protests, outlining the applicable

were also victims. As of 5 November, the human rights standards. Meanwhile, police

Ombudsperson9s Ofûce reported that 50% of and military judges continued requesting

the children recruited by armed groups were cases of human rights violations against

from Indigenous communities. protesters to be handed over to the military

Violence against human rights defenders justice system. In September, the

was predominantly concentrated in rural Constitutional Court ruled that the case

communities and disproportionately affected regarding the attack on Leidy Cadena had to

peasant, Indigenous and Afro-descendant remain within the ordinary criminal justice

defenders. The We Are Defenders system.

Programme reported that of the 355

aggressions against human rights defenders FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

recorded up to June, 111 had targeted In September, in compliance with an order

Indigenous leaders, four had targeted Afro- issued by the Inter-American Court of Human

descendant leaders, and 39 had targeted Rights in the Bedoya Lima v. Colombia case,

peasant leaders. the government established the <It9s Not a

Civil society organization ILEX Legal Action Time to be Silent= Fund, intended to support

and the UN Working Group of Experts on prevention, protection and assistance

People of African Descent insisted that the programmes for women journalists who were

methods of data collection on Afro- victims of gender-based violence.

descendant people continued to marginalize In the same month, President Gustavo

those communities and hindered the Petro signed an executive order on the duties

development of more targeted policies to of authorities regarding freedom of

address inequalities, discrimination and expression including that of the press, aimed

racism. at enabling public debate and plurality of

information. Despite this, throughout the year

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY the Foundation for Freedom of the Press

The NGO Temblores registered 78 cases of (FLIP) urged the president to de-escalate

police violence in Colombia between January tensions with the media. In July, following

and June. Of those cases 19 involved action confrontations between the president and a

by the police during protests, the context in journalist, the Inter-American Commission on

which police violence was most documented. Human Rights called on the authorities to

In August the Coalition for Police Reform take appropriate measures to prevent violent

called for the government to move forward discourse against the press and to ensure the

with the comprehensive police reform protection of journalists from threats. In

promised since 2022. The coalition September, FLIP, along with the NGO El

recognized that the government had opened Veinte and a group of women journalists, ûled

dialogues several times and that steps had for legal protection against stigmatizing

been taken to modify the regulations on the statements by the president.

134 Amnesty International Report

In February the Ombudsperson9s Ofûce In September the president reported having

released the results of a survey of journalists proof of the purchase. In November the

indicating that 37% of respondents reported Colombian ambassador in the USA reported

having been subjected to actions that posed that the US government had conûrmed

a serious threat to their safety while having purchased Pegasus for use in anti-

performing their journalistic duties. FLIP drugs operations in Colombia and that its use

recorded 524 attacks against journalists, had been suspended in 2022. Authorities

including two killings, 213 threats and 72 including the Ministry of Defence stated that

cases of stigmatization. they had not had access to the software. On

several occasions members of the 2021

WOMEN9S RIGHTS government denied the purchase.

The Ombudsperson9s Ofûce recorded 1,310

cases of violence against women in January RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

and February. The Colombian Observatory on REPARATION

Feminicides reported 815 cases from the Throughout the year, various stakeholders

beginning of the year up to November. called upon the Special Jurisdiction for Peace

In September, the Peace and (JEP) to deliver its ûrst rulings. They put

Reconciliation Foundation reported threats particular emphasis on the rulings

and increased violence by the armed group concerning the former Revolutionary Armed

EGC against women in Chocó department, Forces of Colombia and its abduction policy,

especially in the department9s capital Quibdó. as well as the extrajudicial executions carried

out by military personnel to falsely claim

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS fulûlment of combat objectives. The president

LGBTI activists and human rights defenders of the JEP and some victims9 organizations

continued to face threats and attacks called for the independence of the

because of their work. Violence against jurisdiction to be respected.

LGBTI people in general also continued. In The JEP started implementing restorative,

December, the NGO Afûrmative Caribbean justice-based, early <proper sanctions=,

reported that throughout the year a including those applicable to members of the

provisional ûgure of 44 LGBTI people had military involved in extrajudicial executions.

been killed, including 21 transgender women The State Crimes Victims9 Movement and

killed up to October. several human rights organizations called for

greater, binding and more meaningful

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS participation in their design and

In August, the health authorities published implementation.

regulations granting access to abortion In January, the government revoked the

services until 24 weeks of pregnancy, as decorations of a former major general who

mandated by a 2022 Constitutional Court was convicted for his involvement in the

ruling. Nevertheless, in September enforced disappearance of ûve individuals

organizations including Profamilia and Ríos during the 1985 retaking of the Palace of

Rivers reported the persistence of obstacles Justice, an operation under his command.

preventing access to abortion services, In May, Congress passed a bill reforming

especially in rural municipalities and where the Victims9 Reparation Law proposed by the

people had fewer ûnancial resources. Ombudsperson9s Ofûce.

In September the Kroc Institute for

UNLAWFUL TARGETED SURVEILLANCE International Peace Studies reported that

A report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz Colombia was probably not going to fulûl the

initiated controversy around the alleged commitments of the ethnic chapter or those

purchase in 2021 of Pegasus, highly invasive relating to the ethnic approach in the 2016

spyware that enables full and unrestricted Peace Agreement, given the rate of progress

access to a device, and its use in Colombia. so far. The report also noted that less

Colombia 135
progress had been made on the ethnic- The Inter-American Commission on

related commitments than the general ones. Human Rights also expressed concerns

In September, the president of the JEP regarding the absence of migratory and

reiterated concerns regarding the insufûcient health authorities in municipalities near the

ûnancial resources available for the Darién Gap, the border region between

implementation of <proper sanctions= against Panama and Colombia, which serves as a

perpetrators who accepted early migratory route for individuals travelling

responsibility for crimes committed during northward through the Americas.

the armed conüict.

Also in September, the ûrst adversarial RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

proceedings in the JEP started. The case In April the Constitutional Court reviewed an

involved a former colonel allegedly application for legal protection ûled by a

responsible for more than 70 extrajudicial peasant couple seeking recognition as

executions carried out between 2002 and victims of forced displacement due to a river

2004 during his command of a battalion in üood. The court issued an order directing

Valledupar city, Cesar department. Congress to enact a legislative framework

addressing displacement caused by

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS environmental events, including those linked

As of November, Migration Colombia reported to climate change.

the presence of 2.8 million Venezuelan In August, the Constitutional Court ruled

nationals in the country. Among these, that the Escazú Agreement was in line with

2,086,436 individuals held regularized the Colombian constitution, paving the way

migratory status, 336,786 were awaiting the for its ratiûcation.

completion of the regularization process, and

384,943 had irregular migratory status. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

In April the Constitutional Court reiterated Congress rejected the health and education

that requiring Venezuelan nationals seeking reform bills presented by the government in

recognition of refugee status to relinquish the ûrst half of the year, while the pensions

temporary regularization measures was reform was enacted into law in July.

unconstitutional. Discussions on labour reform persisted

In July, NGO Diverse Colombia insisted on throughout the year, with new bills on health

the need to gather statistical information and education announced during the second

about LGBTI migrants in the country. The half of the year.

NGO reported that transgender Venezuelan

people in Colombia faced signiûcant

obstacles to access regularization 1. Transforming Pain Into Rights: Risks, Threats and Attacks on

programmes using their chosen identity Women Searchers in Colombia, 3 December ±

names and gender. 2. <Colombia: Investigate threats and attacks against defenders=,

In September, many Venezuelan human 23 February ±

rights defenders reported that they had

received threats from armed groups while in

Colombia. CONGO
Following a visit to the country in April, the

Inter-American Commission on Human Republic of the Congo

Rights, in its preliminary ûndings,

acknowledged that Colombia had progressed

Hundreds of people were arbitrarily arrested
in implementing certain integration and during a police operation. Opposition
temporary protection policies for ûgures were arbitrarily detained. NGOs
Venezuelans. However, the commission denounced the absence of public data on
emphasized the urgent need to strengthen gender-based violence and impunity for
these measures.

136 Amnesty International Report

incidents of sexual violence. The authorities munitions of war=. The UN Working Group on

granted an oil exploration permit within a Arbitrary Detention declared that their

protected natural park. The Ministry for the detention was arbitrary.

Environment suspended the activities of a

lead recycling company in Vindoulou due to WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

health risks and ordered its dismantling. A report submitted by several NGOs to the

The right to health was undermined by lack UN Human Rights Council9s January UPR

of progress on health projects. The session highlighted that, despite progress

authorities forcibly relocated residents of with the 2022 Mouebara Law to combat

Mpili village to make way for potash violence against women, signiûcant barriers

extraction. remained, particularly in victims9 access to

justice. The NGOs highlighted the absence of

BACKGROUND ofûcial, consolidated public statistics on

In September, opposition parties requested gender-based violence disaggregated by

that President Sassou Nguesso set up a gender, age or type of violence, and reported

national political dialogue before the 2026 that the number of prosecutions for gender-

presidential election. based violence remained very low. According

The same month, the International to data collected by International Solidarity

Monetary Fund approved a USD 43 million Actions in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire from

loan to support the Congolese economy but 2020 to 2022, out of 332 victims of gender-

requested more efforts to improve the based violence whose cases were monitored

transparency of public ûnances and the by the organization, only 130 ûled complaints

hydrocarbon sector, and a continuation of with police or gendarmerie services. Of these,

work to ûght corruption. In March, US federal 46 reached the courts, resulting in only seven

prosecutors alleged that <funds embezzled convictions (2%). Additionally, 60 cases

from the state coffers= were used to purchase (18%) were resolved through out-of-court

a luxury apartment at Trump International settlements. The organization also

Hotel and Tower for the use of Sassou denounced the lack of training for judicial

Nguesso9s daughter. personnel and hospital staff in dealing with

Congo experienced numerous power cuts, victims, particularly children.

often leaving districts in the capital,

Brazzaville and in Pointe-Noire in darkness. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In January, dozens of Congolese and

ARBITRARY DETENTION international organizations denounced the

In May, the Brazzaville authorities launched granting by the state authorities of an oil

Opération Coup de Poing to combat crime. In exploration permit to China Oil Natural Gas

June, the public prosecutor announced in a Overseas Holding United in Conkouati-Douli

public statement that 580 individuals had National Park. The deal was made despite a

been arrested, of whom 247 were later recent USD 50 million agreement with

released. The Action Development Centre 3 a international donors for forest protection. The

Congolese NGO 3 described the arrests as park, known for its rich biodiversity and

arbitrary and criticized the lack of access to traditional ûshing communities, is protected

legal representation and the ill-treatment of by a 1999 decree that prohibits oil extraction.

detainees. In June, the Ministry for the Environment

André Okombi Salissa and Jean-Marie ordered the suspension of operations by the

Michel Mokoko remained in prison. The two Metssa Congo recycling company in

men had been candidates in the 2016 Vindoulou, Pointe Noire department, due to

presidential election and were sentenced in potential risks to the health of the
1
2019 and 2018 respectively to 20 years9 surrounding populations and environment.

imprisonment for <undermining state The Ministry initiated a <technical

security= and <illegal possession of arms and investigation= in August on air pollution

Congo 137
caused by the company, in which blood tests 2. <Republic of Congo: Authorities failing to ensure respect of

were conducted on employees and residents. human rights by big industry=, 4 June ±

In December, following the technical

investigation, the company began its

dismantling operations, and the authorities CÔTE D9IVOIRE

announced their intention to establish a

commission tasked with identifying victims Republic of Côte d9Ivoire

and facilitating compensation.

The company, which manufactures lead Rights to freedom of expression and

ingots, had not conducted an environmental peaceful assembly were curtailed in law and
impact assessment before beginning practice. New ordinance threatened the
operations in 2013, in violation of Congolese right to freedom of association and
law, and blood tests undertaken at the undermined civil society organizations. An
initiative of residents revealed lead levels far act amending the Criminal Code increased
2
exceeding WHO recommended limits. the penalties for acts of torture. Thousands

of families were affected by forced evictions

RIGHT TO HEALTH in Abidjan. Legal provisions contravened
On 24 April the Congolese coalition Publish women9s rights. There were concerns about
What You Pay published a report revealing the persistent use of child labour. The
that only 2% of the 55 health projects they government received an International
monitored between 2020 and 2022, totalling Monetary Fund loan to prepare for its
CFA 160 billion (around USD 268 million), energy transition.
were completed. The report highlighted that

51% of these projects had not even been BACKGROUND

started. Only 17% of pregnant women with Political tensions rose ahead of the 2025

mild cases of malaria received free treatment, presidential election. In August, Kando

and only 6% of women needing caesarean Soumahoro, a leader of the Generations and

sections received the procedure for free, Peoples Solidarity (GPS) movement, received

despite free caesarean sections being a three-year prison sentence including one

introduced by presidential decree in 2021. year suspended. The conviction related to his

membership of GPS, which had been

FORCED EVICTIONS established by the exiled former prime

In July, several residents of Mpili, Kouilou minister Guillaume Soro and suspended in

department, denounced their forced 2021.

relocation to make way for the extraction of Intense rainfall in June led to üooding and

potash by the Chinese company Luyuan des landslides. At least 24 people died in Abidjan

Mines Congo. The residents were relocated to according to the National Ofûce of Civil

smaller plots, where the houses lacked an Protection.

electricity supply. Those who had had larger By August, there were over 56,000

plots used for farming and forest exploitation registered asylum seekers who had üed

lost access to their livelihoods. The conüict in Burkina Faso.

authorities claimed that the expropriation and

resettlement were conducted in consultation FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PEACEFUL

with Mpili residents and in compliance with
ASSEMBLY
domestic law. However, the Congolese Justice Legal provisions continued to contravene

and Peace Commission expressed concerns international human rights standards by

that they amounted to forced evictions. imposing prison sentences for acts which

1. <Republic of Congo: Suspension of Metssa Congo9s activities must

be followed by urgent investigation=, 19 June ±

138 Amnesty International Report

should be decriminalized. The Criminal RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

Code9s Article 183 imposed <a one to three- REPARATION

year prison sentence= for publishing, In March, the Council of State declared that it

disseminating, divulging or reproducing <by lacked the jurisdiction to rule on a 2019

any means whatsoever fake news& when application from human rights organizations

doing so results in or could result in a failure requesting the repeal of a 2018 amnesty law.

to abide by laws, damage to public morale, or The law beneûted hundreds of people

disrepute for the institutions or their accused or convicted of offences committed

operation.= Articles 197 to 199 carried a during the 2011 post-electoral violence.

prison sentence for anyone participating in,

or organizing, an undeclared demonstration. FORCED EVICTIONS

In September, the police violently Large-scale operations to demolish

repressed a march 3 previously banned by neighbourhoods in Abidjan and evict their

the authorities 3 in Abidjan, arresting around inhabitants were launched in January on

20 people. The Acting for the People sites considered to be at risk of üooding. The

movement had organized the protest against Boribana neighbourhood was demolished in

the high cost of living and forced evictions. January, followed by Gesco and Banco 1 in

February and Abattoir in June as part of a

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION plan by the Autonomous District of Abidjan to

On 12 June, the government adopted an demolish 176 sites. Thousands of affected

ordinance regulating civil society families were not meaningfully consulted on

organizations9 activities with the stated aim of the conditions of their eviction, or given

ensuring that they complied with adequate notiûcation in advance of the

requirements to ûght transnational organized demolitions. Most households and owners

crime. Organizations were required to submit were not given prior compensation or
1
activity reports annually and reports on rehoused. On 21 November, the authorities

ongoing projects upon request. The decided to suspend the eviction operations

ordinance also allowed the authorities to and committed to take measures for

dissolve an organization by decree, with no rehousing and compensating those affected.

mechanism for appeal. The move was

denounced by some Ivoirian NGOs who WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

feared that the authorities would use the law Legal provisions continued to contravene

to interfere in their ûnances and control their women9s rights, including Article 403 of the

activities. Criminal Code, which allowed impunity for

men who rape their wives by stating that

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT consent can be presumed, unless <proved

In its concluding observations, published in otherwise=.

August, the UN Committee against Torture In June, the National Assembly adopted a

welcomed the adoption of Act No. 2024-358 legislative amendment to the Criminal Code

of 11 June 2024 of the Criminal Code, which to allow abortion in cases of incest, formerly

strengthened penalties for acts of torture available only in cases of rape or where the

committed by public ofûcials or anyone mother9s life was threatened.

acting at their instigation or with their

consent. However, the committee was CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

concerned about a Code of Criminal In his July report, the UN Special Rapporteur

Procedure provision which might give judges on contemporary forms of slavery expressed

scope to admit evidence obtained by his concern about the persistent use of child

coercion or torture. labour, particularly in the artisanal gold

mining sector, and in agriculture and

domestic work.

Côte d9Ivoire 139

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT organizations described it as violating

In February, the International Monetary Fund international standards on freedom of

agreed a USD 1.3 billion loan to help Côte expression.

d9Ivoire improve climate resilience and In September the NGO Media Freedom

transition to renewable energy. The funding Rapid Response called the state of media

aimed to improve governance of climate freedom <alarming=.

policies, create a framework for green and

sustainable ûnance, and reduce greenhouse SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

gas emissions. It did, however, increase the Women and pregnant people continued to

country9s debt burden. face barriers to abortion services due to

widespread refusal by doctors and clinics to

perform abortions on grounds of conscience.

1. <Côte d9Ivoire: Thousands of families still awaiting support Abortion remained particularly inaccessible in

measures after forced evictions in Abidjan=, 14 August ± rural and economically deprived areas.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

CROATIA In March, parliament introduced femicide as

a separate criminal offence and imposed

Republic of Croatia longer sentences for rape, among other

measures aimed at strengthening victims9

Strategic lawsuits against public rights.

participation threatened media freedom. Civil society groups noted that, despite the

legislative changes, conviction for femicide

Access to abortion remained restricted.
was rare and urged the government to
Femicide became a criminal offence.
Victims of wartime rape faced obstacles in strengthen education and prevention

accessing rights. Roma continued to programmes.

experience discrimination in housing and The authorities registered 17 cases of

education. femicide in 2024. Domestic violence offences

increased by 9% in comparison with 2023.

The Gender Equality Ombudsperson said that

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
the length of criminal proceedings and
Strategic lawsuits against public participation
lenient penalties were causing many women
(SLAPPs) remained a serious threat to media

freedom. According to a study by the to refrain from reporting violence.

Croatian Journalists9 Association, 40% of over A gynaecologist at Osjek hospital

1,300 lawsuits brought against media outlets continued to work for six months after

and journalists in the preceding eight years, receiving a ûrst-instance verdict of raping a

patient, causing a public outcry. He was

including by senior public ofûcials,
ûnally removed in September. The
demonstrated elements of a SLAPP.
ombudsperson urged the government to
Despite repeated calls to decriminalize

defamation, it remained a criminal offence adopt urgent legislative changes to ensure

and was used to bring both criminal and civil that individuals charged with or convicted of

charges against journalists. The human rights certain criminal offences, including rape,

organization Article 19 warned that this could not be employed in health institutions.

practice <suffocates journalism=.

In March, parliament adopted a new RIGHT TO PRIVACY

The ombudsperson asked the authorities to

criminal offence of <unauthorized disclosure

of information from ongoing criminal ensure that the new Law on the Central

investigations=. Although the legislation Register of the Population, which was

expressly exempted journalists and pending adoption by parliament, included

disclosures of <public interest=, media robust safeguards for data protection and

protection against discrimination.

140 Amnesty International Report

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS repeal these conditions, saying that they

In September the Administrative Court in the perpetuate the <pathologization of trans

capital Zagreb upheld the detention of people=.

Vladislav Arinichev, a Russian anti-war

activist who applied for asylum in Croatia. In Roma

July the authorities rejected his application Roma continued to live in segregated

after the State Intelligence Agency declared neighbourhoods and informal settlements

him a threat to national security following his without adequate infrastructure and with

public criticism of the conditions in a limited access to basic services.

reception centre for asylum seekers. Vladislav Roma children had low rates of enrolment

Arinichev was ûnally released in October after in preschool education and tended to be in

106 days in detention. ethnically segregated classes or special

education programmes, leading to high

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND dropout rates.

REPARATION In July the UN Human Rights Committee

Most victims of wartime sexual violence called on Croatia to intensify efforts to

remained unregistered for a special status address the de facto segregation of Roma

guaranteeing certain welfare beneûts and and guarantee non-discriminatory access to

support, due to barriers in the application adequate housing, education and basic

process, including onerous documentation. services.

According to civil rights organizations, less

than 15% of those eligible applied. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In August the NGO Youth Initiative for In June the government announced that

Human Rights called on the authorities of more than 75% of total electricity production

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia capacity would come from renewable sources

to work together to ensure access to justice by 2030 and that the country9s updated

and reparations for the victims of a refugee National Energy and Climate Plan would be

massacre in 1995 in which the Croatian Air more ambitious.

Force killed 14 Serb refugees near the

Bosnian town of Petrovac.

The UN Human Rights Committee urged CUBA

Croatia to strengthen cooperation with

neighbouring countries to locate and try Republic of Cuba

suspected perpetrators of crimes under

international humanitarian law and to ensure Social services were reduced and people
that victims and their families receive full struggled to access food and medicine.
reparation for human rights violations. Freedom of expression was further
In February, Croatia signed the 2023 restricted. Arbitrary arrests and the
Ljubljana 3 The Hague Convention on criminalization of activists, human rights
International Cooperation in the Investigation defenders, journalists and protesters
and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, persisted. Detainees experienced
Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and harassment and ill-treatment.
Other International Crimes. Discrimination continued against women,

Afro-descendants and LGBTI people.

DISCRIMINATION

LGBTI people BACKGROUND

In July, an independent study revealed that

Legal gender recognition continued to require
the population had declined by 18% over the
a mental health diagnosis or psychological
previous two years, largely due to people
evaluation. The Council of Europe Human

Rights Commissioner urged the authorities to

Cuba 141
leaving the country, often taking dangerous had been threatened with criminal

routes to do so. prosecutions.

Several legal amendments were approved

that impacted the existence and operation of ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

the so-called <new private forms of The authorities subjected artists, intellectuals

economy=, limiting the growth of the sector and other critical voices to arbitrary detention

and economic and employment including in their homes, with serious

opportunities, and affecting access to basic implications for their privacy and right to

goods and services provided by them. freedom of movement.

In June, academic Alina Bárbara López

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS was arbitrarily and violently detained while on

Changes to economic policy and a reduction her way to the capital city, Havana.

in social services affected vulnerable people, Berta Soler, the leader of activist group

especially those over 65 years. According to Ladies in White was arbitrarily detained on

media reports, the supply of subsidized several occasions, including a three-day

<basic food baskets= by the government was enforced disappearance in September.

signiûcantly reduced and people had to stand

in long queues to access groceries. In FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

September, the government decreased the The authorities regularly deployed police in

subsidized bread ration due to a shortage of areas where protests had taken place and

ingredients. other key areas such as Havana.

Health services and access to medicines According to human rights organizations,

were severely limited. In July, ofûcial media at least 109 people were detained for
1
such as Granma reported that the authorities participating in protests in 2024. In

acknowledged a signiûcant shortage of November, the authorities reported the arrest

supplies in pharmacies. and prosecution of several people for their

Access to electricity and fuel was restricted participation in protests following Hurricane

leading to difûculties in food preservation, Rafael, on charges of contempt, public

suspension of education and health services. disorder and damage.

In October and November, there were three In April, 14 people were convicted for

total failures in the national electricity supply, participating in peaceful protests in August

according to government communications. 2022 in the municipality of Nuevitas. The

Signiûcant parts of the country remained charges included sedition, <continued enemy

without power for up to 96 hours, severely propaganda=, and acts against state security.

affecting millions of people. According to available information, the

harshest sentence of 15 years9 imprisonment

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION was handed down to a young woman,

In October the Social Communication Law Mayelín Rodríguez Prado, who was charged

came into force, further restricting freedom of with sedition and enemy propaganda for

expression. streaming the protests on Facebook.

The authorities continued labelling activists

and journalists as <common criminals, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

mercenaries and foreign agents= and called Repressive tactics against dissent included

independent media outlets, journalists and the criminalization and harassment of

inüuential individuals that criticize state activists, journalists and human rights

policies <ûnancial and media terrorists=. defenders, internet shutdowns, and ûnes

2
In October a new wave of state repression under cybersecurity legislation.

affected independent media. At least 20 The authorities subjected human rights

journalists and activists reported that their activists and defenders, including relatives of

mobile phones and laptops had been prisoners, to alarming harassment and

conûscated by state ofûcials, and that they surveillance.

142 Amnesty International Report

Persistent patterns of repression targeting organizations reported 55 femicides up to 25

activists, human rights defenders, artists and December.

journalists included bans on leaving the

country and forced exile.

In June, Yuri Valle Roca, who was serving 1. <Cuba: Three years after the protests of 11-12 July 2021:

a sentence of ûve years9 imprisonment for authorities must release those unjustly imprisoned and repeal

<continued enemy propaganda= because of repressive laws=, 7 July ±

his work as an independent journalist, was 2. <Cuba: Amnesty International names four people as prisoners of

released and forced to leave the country. conscience amid new wave of state repression=, 23 October

(Spanish only) ±

INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS 3. <Cuba: Teacher in need of medical attention=, 7 July (Spanish

There were alarming patterns of human only) ±

rights violations against people detained for

dissent against the government, including

some practices that could amount to torture.

CYPRUS
Human rights organizations reported

harassment and ill-treatment by prison Republic of Cyprus

ofûcials of people detained for political

reasons, including the denial of adequate The premises of an anti-racist NGO were
medical care resulting in the deterioration of attacked with an explosive device. Unlawful
their health. forced returns to Lebanon reportedly
The health of prisoners of conscience continued. The processing of asylum
Loreto Hernández and Pedro Albert
applications of Syrian nationals was
deteriorated and their families reported
suspended. An inquest into the death of
serious difûculties providing them with the army conscript Athanasios Nicolaou
3
food and medicines they needed. In concluded that he had been strangled.
November, Pedro Albert was released on a

one-year <extra-penal= leave of absence for REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

health reasons. In January, the premises of anti-racist NGO
Prisoner of conscience and opposition
KISA were severely damaged by an attack
leader José Daniel Ferrer was held for
with an explosive device, following reports of
months in solitary conûnement and isolated
threats and harassment against KISA and its
from other prisoners, and his family was associates by anti-migrant and nationalist

systematically denied the right to visit him. In groups. Concerns were raised about the

November, his family reported that he had criminal prosecution of KISA9s former

been the victim of a brutal beating. In executive director Doros Polykarpou, which
December, following a hunger strike, the
appeared to be motivated by his human
authorities allowed his family visiting rights
rights work.
and telephone calls, and he was moved to an
In April, the authorities suspended the
area with other prisoners. processing of applications for international

protection by Syrian nationals, <pending

DISCRIMINATION developments= on the assessment of the

Women, LGBTI people and Afro-descendants situation in Syria, which the authorities called
continued to experience discrimination, as
for at EU level.
did others on political and religious grounds.
In June, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency,
Femicide continued without recognition as
expressed concerns about the summary
a speciûc crime in law. In July, the return of asylum seekers to the UN buffer

government approved a national system of zone. In November, following an interim

<registration, attention, follow-up and measures request by two NGOs to the

monitoring= of gender- based violence in the European Court of Human Rights, asylum
country. Activists and independent

Cyprus 143
seekers who had been stranded for many Cypriots and 295 Turkish Cypriots 3 were

months in the buffer zone were transferred to identiûed by the Committee on Missing

the Limnes pre-departure centre in Koûnou Persons in Cyprus.

and given access to asylum procedures. In

the context of increased numbers of asylum

seekers arriving by sea, reports emerged CZECH REPUBLIC

during the year of summary and therefore

unlawful returns by sea to Lebanon, including Czech Republic

incidents in 2023 in which Syrians were

subsequently returned to Syria. In October, Hundreds of women subjected to forced

the European Court of Human Rights sterilization remained without full
condemned Cyprus for summarily returning a compensation. A consent-based de nitionû
group of Syrians to Lebanon in 2020, in of rape was introduced into law. The
violation of the prohibition of collective Constitutional Court abolished sterilization
expulsion, and for failing to assess the risks as a requirement for legal gender
upon return. recognition. Parliament failed to ûnish
adopting a law that would have created a
EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE new children9s ombudsperson. Irresponsible
In April, there were reports of excessive use arms transfers continued. Most employed
of force during the arrest, and ill-treatment in Ukrainian refugees worked below their
detention, of people protesting at the death of û
quali cations. Climate action policies
a Bangladeshi man after he jumped from his remained inadequate.
bedroom window during a police raid in

Limassol. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

The law regulating abortion access remained

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY outdated. Many medical facilities refused to

In June, concerns were raised by civil society provide abortions to non-Czech EU citizens

about a draft bill seeking to regulate protests, due to incorrect claims by the Czech Medical

including provisions criminalizing organizers Chamber 3 refuted repeatedly by the Ministry

of and participants in a banned gathering, as of Health and the ombudsperson9s ofûce 3

well as protesters wearing face coverings. that the law did not allow it.

By year9s end the Ministry of Health had

IMPUNITY compensated 720, mainly Roma, women,

In May, a new inquest into the 2005 death of who were subjected to forced sterilizations

army conscript Athanasios Nicolaou ruled between 1 July 1966 and 31 March 2012.

that his death was murder by strangulation. The deadline for applying for compensation

The Council of Ministers appointed two expired at the end of the year. The

independent criminal investigators to reopen government9s Committee against Torture and

the case. Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading

Treatment or Punishment called for an

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT extension to the deadline, but the

Cyprus fell seven places in the Climate government did not act. In September, the

Change Performance Index. The index noted ombudsperson reprimanded the government

that Cyprus9s share of renewable energy for illegally delaying compensation. Hundreds

sources was low and that so-called <natural= of women were still waiting for compensation

gas was being promoted as a transition fuel payments of CZK 300,000 (around EUR

for domestic energy production. 12,000).

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

Between 2006 and December, the remains of

1,051 missing individuals 3 756 Greek

144 Amnesty International Report

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RIGHT TO LIFE

The Senate refused to ratify the Council of The Czech Republic had some of the laxest

Europe Convention on preventing and gun laws in Europe. Following a mass

combating violence against women and shooting at a university in 2023 during which

domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). 17 people were killed, in June, the minister of

A new deûnition of rape in the Criminal the interior created a working group to

Code became law. From 2025, rape will be examine tightening gun laws.

deûned as <any sexual intercourse

committed against the victim9s will= or where CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

they were unable to give consent due to The government proposed a law in June to

factors such as fear or intoxication. ban corporal punishment of children. The law

A Court of Appeal judge gave a suspended was awaiting approval by parliament.

sentence to a man who had repeatedly raped Parliament failed to ûnish adopting a law that

his stepdaughter for more than two years, would have created a new children9s

sparking mass demonstrations. The Ministry ombudsperson.

of Justice introduced a bill that would require

judges to undertake additional training IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

courses to further their professional The Czech Republic continued to export

development. However, it did not make arms to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United

training on topics including sexual violence Arab Emirates, despite lack of accountability

and domestic violence mandatory. for past violations and substantial risks that

they could be used in serious violations of

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS international human rights and humanitarian

After many years of campaigning, parliament law.

passed a new law granting additional rights to

same-sex couples but falling short of full REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

marriage equality. From 2025, same-sex As of 4 August, there were over 370,000

couples can enter into a civil partnership that Ukrainian refugees in the country, according

is supposed to give them the same rights as to data from UNHCR, the UN refugee

married heterosexual couples. However, it will agency. According to the government9s

not include full parental rights. Commissioner for Human Rights,

The Czech Republic was among the few approximately three-ûfths of them were

countries in Europe where sterilization working below the level of their qualiûcations.

remained a requirement for legal gender

recognition. The Constitutional Court issued a RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

decision in May which would abolish this The government again failed to adopt a

requirement but gave legislators until the end legally binding climate law aimed at setting

of June 2025 to amend the law. speciûc targets and enacting concrete

measures to tackle climate change.

DISCRIMINATION

A holocaust memorial to the Roma and Sinti

in Bohemia was ûnally opened on the site of

a former concentration camp.

The Czech nationalist Freedom and

Democracy movement used racist and

xenophobic rhetoric and posters in an anti-

immigration campaign. The party leader also

faced criminal complaints brought by

representatives of the Roma people.

Czech Republic 145

 BACKGROUND

DEMOCRATIC In January, President Tshisekedi was sworn

in for a second term following December

REPUBLIC OF THE 2023 presidential and parliamentary

elections. The new government was sworn in

CONGO six months after the elections, headed for the

ûrst time by a woman as prime minister.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Armed conüict in the east persisted as

political processes stalled. In September,

Attacks against civilians continued as the government forces fought against the

ü
con ict between armed groups and Democratic Forces for the Liberation of

government forces escalated. At least 100 Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group, in Nord-

civilians were killed as a result of Kivu province. Meanwhile, Ugandan and

indiscriminate shelling by government government forces continued their military

forces and armed groups. Government operations in Nord-Kivu and Ituri provinces

forces extrajudicially executed 250 people. against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a

There was an alarming increase in reported Ugandan armed group, and liberated at least

cases of sexual and gender-based violence, 500 people who had been abducted by the

ü
including con ict-related sexual violence. ADF. These military operations resulted in

More than 7 million people were internally further displacement of the population and a

displaced 3 80% of whom had üed armed worsening humanitarian crisis.

ü
con ict 3 and lived in dire conditions. The Protests were held nationwide, including in

expansion of mining projects led to mass the capital, Kinshasa, in relation to the armed

forced evictions and the denial of rights, conüict between the March 23 Movement

including to housing, health, water and (M23), an armed group allegedly supported

other essential services. The rights to by Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of the

freedom of expression, peaceful assembly Congo (DRC) government forces and their

and association were restricted, particularly allies. Protests were also about the alleged

in the Ituri and Nord-Kivu provinces where support of Western countries, including

a form of martial law was imposed. France, the UK and the USA, for Rwanda.

Activists, opposition members, journalists Inter-communal violence expanded in

and others were subjected to arbitrary Kasai, Kwango, Kwilu, Mai-Ndombe and

arrests and detentions and denied the right Tshopo provinces and resulted in further

to a fair trial. An opposition party member grave human rights violations.

was given a prison sentence after he said he In October, President Tshisekedi

had been raped during his arbitrary announced his intention to revise the 2006

detention. More than 120 prisoners died, constitution. The Catholic Church and other

and hundreds of women prisoners were civil society actors warned that the move

raped at Makala Prison when, according to would further destabilize the country.

authorities, some inmates made an escape In August, the WHO declared a surge in

attempt. There was a spike in death Mpox cases <a public health emergency of

sentences after the government said it international concern=.

would resume executions. The justice Teachers in several provinces organized

minister instructed the prosecutor general strikes demanding salary increases.

to initiate legal proceedings against those

who advocated for LGBTI people9s rights. UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

The ICC prosecutor announced the renewal Attacks against civilians continued as the

of investigations into crimes under the conüict between armed groups and

Rome Statute committed in Nord-Kivu government forces escalated, leading to

province since January 2022. hundreds of deaths and many more injuries.

Clashes between government forces on the

146 Amnesty International Report

one hand and armed groups M23, the EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS

Cooperative for Development of the Congo At least 250 people were extrajudicially

(CODECO) and ADF on the other, were executed by government forces, according to

responsible for most of the civilian killings. the UN Joint Human Rights Ofûce.

At least 100 civilians were killed and many On 19 May, government forces executed

more injured as a result of the use by all two people, who had been held in their

parties of indiscriminate shelling in populated custody and suspected of being involved in a

areas in Nord-Kivu. Government forces and coup attempt to overthrow President

M23 used explosive weapons in populated Tshisekedi9s government in May.

areas to attack and defend their positions.

Nineteen people were killed and at least SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

25 injured on 25 January after a rocket, Local and international organizations noted

believed to be ûred by DRC forces, struck a an alarming number of reported sexual

house in Mweso, a town in Nord-Kivu violence cases, including conüict-related

province. sexual violence. According to a UN report

On 4 March, at least 17 civilians were published in April 2024, 133,000 cases of

killed and 12 injured after a shell struck a sexual violence were registered in 2023, and

group of civilians üeeing combat in Nyanzale the number of cases of conüict-related sexual

town in Nord-Kivu. Witnesses said that the violence doubled in the ûrst quarter of 2024,

shell was launched from a hill controlled by in comparison to the same quarter in 2023.

M23. In September, Médecins Sans Frontières

The ADF was responsible for some of the said it had treated more than 25,000

deadliest attacks against civilians. In April, at survivors of sexual violence in 2023, and that

least 28 civilians were killed in ADF attacks this numerical trend continued in the ûrst

carried out following reports of the killing of months of 2024. Most cases were treated in

two of its leaders, according to the Armed and around internally displaced people9s

Conüict Location & Event Data Project, an camps in the city of Goma, Nord-Kivu

NGO. In June, the group targeted and killed province. Around 40% of sexual violence

more than 200 civilians in two separate survivors were girls, according to UNICEF.

attacks in the territories of Beni and Lubero, Physicians for Human Rights, which spoke

prompting condemnation and calls by to 16 organizations providing services to

national, regional and international survivors of sexual violence, noted that the

institutions, including the AU Commission, increase in such violence was linked to

for the effective protection of civilians. various conüicts, particularly in connection

In August, nine civilians were killed in with M239s resurgence and the intensiûed

Bwito chiefdom, in Nord-Kivu, by M23 rebels ûghting between M23 and government

who were allegedly pursuing FDLR members. forces.

Between October and November, M23 killed

15 civilians in Binza village, Rutshuru INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

territory in Nord-Kivu, according to media Around 7.3 million people were internally

reports citing civil society organizations and displaced, according to OCHA, 80% of whom

local leaders. had üed due to clashes between various

In August, government forces killed at least armed groups. More than half of those

nine peaceful protesters in the town of Kilwa, displaced were women. Most internally

Pweto territory in Haut-Katanga province, displaced people lived in dire conditions, with

according to a civil society organization limited access to education, health, and

representative and several media reports. sexual and reproductive services. The

The victims were suspected of belonging to conditions were partly due to lack of funding

the Bakata Katanga, a political-religious from the international community to address

group that has sporadically fought against the humanitarian crisis and the continuous

government forces.

Democratic Republic of the Congo 147

attacks by armed groups against internally subjected to inhumane detention conditions.

displaced people9s camps. A ruling party member stated on social media

in September that she had instructed ANR

FORCED EVICTIONS ofûcers to rape him. Authorities launched an

In the city of Kolwezi in Lualaba province investigation into his allegations, which were

companies continued their expansion of made in the context of widespread claims by

industrial-scale mining for cobalt and copper, activists about the use of torture and other ill-

materials which are critical for the transition treatment in detention centres run by the

from fossil fuels to renewable energy. These ANR. On 18 December, Jacky Ndala was

operations, as in previous years, led to forced sentenced to two-and-a-half years9

evictions and other human rights violations. imprisonment for <spreading rumours= in

Affected individuals and communities said connection with his allegations.

they were frustrated at the continuous forced

evictions and lack of fair compensation for ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR
their losses. Community representatives told TRIALS

Amnesty International that those affected also Youth activists remained unlawfully detained

faced other human rights violations and scores of opposition members,

associated with displacement, including the journalists and others were arbitrarily arrested

denial of access to education, health and for criticizing the government or simply doing

water, and other essential services. their legitimate work.

Opposition leader and businessman Seth

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION Kikuni was arrested on 2 September and

AND ASSEMBLY held incommunicado for several days before

Authorities continued to restrict the rights to being presented to a public prosecutor. He

freedom of expression, association and was transferred to Makala Prison in Kinshasa

peaceful assembly. The <state of siege= (a on 28 September and charged with <inciting

form of martial law), imposed since May civil disobedience and spreading false

2021, further restricted these rights for information=.

people in the Ituri and Nord-Kivu provinces. On 19 March, journalist Stanis Bujakera

Its enforcement and continued renewal was released from prison having served a six-

violated the constitution, and regional and month sentence after he was convicted on

international human rights obligations. false charges of <spreading false

Pro-democracy activists, opposition information=. He had been arrested in

members, human rights and environmental September 2023.

defenders, and journalists were subjected to King Mwamisyo, a member of civil society

arbitrary arrests and detentions (see below), movement Fight for Change (Lutte pour le

judicial harassment and exile. Changement), remained in detention after

In February, security forces used tear gas being convicted and sentenced to ûve years9

to disperse peaceful demonstrations against imprisonment in June 2023 on a trumped-up

the alleged support by some Western charge of <contempt of the army=, for

countries of the Rwandan government9s criticizing the state of siege.

military operations in the DRC and its

backing of M23. INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS

In September, at least 129 prisoners were

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT killed during what authorities described as an

In September, Jacky Ndala, a member of the attempt by some inmates to escape from

opposition party Together for the Republic, Makala Prison. According to the interior

publicly recounted for the ûrst time his minister, 24 prisoners were shot dead by

experiences during his arbitrary detention at security forces while the rest died of

the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) in suffocation in the overcrowded prison. The

2022. He claimed that he was raped and prison was built to hold 1,500 prisoners but,

148 Amnesty International Report

at the time, housed between 14,000 and province. The ICC Trial Chamber II delivered

15,000. More than 250 women prisoners the reparations order in 2017 which was

were raped during the incident, according to conûrmed on appeal in 2018, and

the UN. reparations were implemented between 2017

and October 2023.

DEATH PENALTY In September, President Tshisekedi named

The last known execution took place in 2003. the new director general of the National

However, in March the then minister of Reparation Fund for Victims of Sexual

justice announced that executions would Violence (FONAREV). Critics, including Nobel

resume to address <treason= in the army Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, raised

amid increasing armed conüicts, mainly due concerns about FONAREV9s ineffectiveness.

to the resurgence of M23; and to curb The fund was created in 2022 and placed

violence in urban areas, including Kinshasa. under the ofûce of the First Lady. In June,

International and national organizations FONAREV had announced the launch of a

opposed the decision as a violation of the process to identify victims of sexual violence

fundamental right to life and on grounds that linked to conüicts in Beni territory with a view

the judicial system had demonstrated its to awarding compensation.

limitations in ensuring that regional and On 14 October, the Ofûce of the

international standards for fair trial were Prosecutor of the ICC announced it would

applied. Prior to the minister9s <renew its investigative efforts= in the DRC.

announcement, the president had described This announcement came in response to the

the justice system as <sick=. In October, referral made by the government to the ICC

OHCHR expressed concerns over the in May 2023. In the statement, the ICC

minister9s decision and noted a signiûcant prosecutor stressed that the investigation

increase in death sentences passed by would give <priority focus= to crimes

military courts since March. committed in Nord-Kivu province since

In September, a military court passed January 2022, including crimes committed

death sentences against people convicted in by all actors and not only crimes by particular

relation to the May coup attempt. In October, armed groups.

a military court in Kinshasa sentenced to In November, the Ministry of Justice

death a policeman involved in the killing in organized a conference to discuss the future

September of Gires Mukungi Manzanza, a of the judicial system. Authorities were also

member of the Commitment for Citizenship involved in ongoing discussions about new

and Development political party. initiatives to address conüict-related crimes,

including the possible establishment of a

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS special court that would look into crimes

Weeks after taking ofûce in June, the justice under international law.

minister instructed the prosecutor general to In July, members of the steering

initiate legal proceedings against those who committee in charge of the Special Fund for

advocated for LGBTI people9s rights. Earlier, the Distribution of Compensation to Victims of

in April, as a member of parliament he Uganda9s Illegal Activities in the Democratic

claimed to have introduced a bill to Republic of the Congo were dismissed and

criminalize consensual same-sex sexual replaced following allegations of

relations. embezzlement of funds. Legal proceedings

were launched against the former members.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

REPARATION

In April, the ICC's Trust Fund for Victims

ended the Katanga Reparation Programme

that had beneûted victims of an armed attack

on 24 February 2003 in Bogoro village, Ituri

Democratic Republic of the Congo 149

 mother from al-Roj prison camp in Syria. The

DENMARK Supreme Court stated that sufûcient

consideration had not been given to the best

Kingdom of Denmark interests of the child, including his particular

vulnerability and speciûc needs. The boy and

Surveillance in social security led to his mother were returned to Denmark in

discrimination against marginalized groups. October. This was the ûrst time that the

Parliament incorporated into the Penal Supreme Court had ruled on whether the

Code crimes covered by the statute of the authorities were obliged to ensure children

ICC. Civil society organizations started legal with Danish nationality detained with their

proceedings to halt arms exports to Israel. mothers can return to Denmark.

The Supreme Court ruled that Denmark

must assist in the return of a Danish child IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

and his mother from a prison camp in Syria. In March, civil society organizations initiated

legal proceedings against the Danish state,

DISCRIMINATION seeking an end to arms exports to Israel.

In November, Amnesty International issued a They claimed there was a clear risk such

report about surveillance and discrimination exports would be used to commit serious

in social security, examining the violations of international humanitarian law

consequences of the new automated and against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The

1 organizations requested that the court assess

digital system. The report highlighted

potential violations of the right to privacy, whether the exports violate the rules on the

equality and non-discrimination, as well as arms trade to which Denmark has committed

the right to social security. The move towards itself. The hearings were due to begin in

digitization and the introduction of algorithms 2025.

created a system of surveillance, leading to

direct discrimination against marginalized REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

groups, including those with disabilities, In May, the Kosovan parliament approved an

racialized people, migrants and refugees. agreement with Denmark to rent out 300

prison cells in Kosovo for foreign nationals

convicted of crimes in Denmark who were

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND
due to be deported at the end of their
REPARATION
In June, a preparatory law committee sentence. This raised concerns for the

submitted to the minister of justice human rights of people detained under the

recommendations on the incorporation of scheme.

certain crimes under international law into

the Danish Penal Code.

In December, parliament approved a new 1. Denmark: Coded Injustice: Surveillance and Discrimination in

chapter in the Penal Code that would allow Denmark9s Automated Welfare State, 12 November ±

for the prosecution in national courts of

crimes of aggression, genocide, crimes

against humanity, war crimes and torture 3 DOMINICAN

crimes covered by the statute of the ICC. Civil

society groups welcomed these reforms as an REPUBLIC

important tool to ûght impunity and promote

the protection of human rights. Dominican Republic

In August, the Supreme Court overturned

rulings by the High Court and the District Discrimination was pervasive, including
Court that Denmark was not obligated to help û
racial pro ling. Harassment against human
with the evacuation of a Danish boy and his rights defenders continued unabated.

150 Amnesty International Report

Excessive use of force was reported in raids REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

against migrants and asylum seekers. Civil society organizations and victims of

Women9s and girls9 rights were severely migration raids reported that violence and

infringed, including gender-based violence excessive use of force were recurrent during

and discrimination. raids. There were reports of warrantless raids

carried out by non-uniformed agents using

BACKGROUND violence and stealing belongings, some

2
In May, Luis Abinader was re-elected as during the night.

president. People in need of international protection

faced barriers to seeking asylum. The state

DISCRIMINATION failed to inform new arrivals about the asylum

Racial discrimination remained widespread process and imposed barriers to applying for

and structural, particularly towards visas and renewing residence permits. In

Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian April, residence permit renewals resumed.

asylum seekers seeking protection, impacting In October, the president announced a

their rights to access healthcare and plan to deport up to 10,000 Haitians weekly,
3
education. Racial proûling was common in risking violations of international law.

immigration operations. According to the International Organization

The president made no commitment to for Migration, the Dominican Republic

promote or develop comprehensive anti- deported 193,508 Haitians during the year,

discrimination legislation, and there were no despite the crisis and violence in that

reforms to strengthen investigations into country.

torture and other ill-treatment, despite

evidence that discriminated groups were at SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED

heightened risk. DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE

Abortion remained prohibited. In July, the

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS approval of a new Penal Code that would

Human rights defenders were threatened and have maintained the total prohibition of

harassed, especially those working on abortion and further jeopardized women9s

racism, gender or LGBTI issues. Activists and reproductive autonomy and the rights of

lawyers reported receiving death threats and LGBTI people failed.

experiencing harassment on social media. Femicide and hate crimes remained

Anti-rights groups harassed and unrecognized as speciûc criminal offences.

threatened with impunity, while authorities According to ofûcial ûgures, 94 women were

failed to protect defenders and organizations. murdered up to September.

Sexual and gender-based violence during

ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF NATIONALITY immigration operations was reported by

Eleven years since the Constitutional Court media outlets. In April, the media reported

ruling that retroactively deprived thousands of the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old

Dominicans of Haitian descent of their Haitian girl by a member of the military

nationality, the government had still not taken during an immigration raid. Deportation

sufûcient measures to mitigate and repair the continued of pregnant people, especially

human rights violations caused, despite an Haitian asylum seekers and Dominicans of

order by the Inter-American Court of Human Haitian descent. Stigmatization and fear of
1
Rights. detention or deportation discouraged them

In September, members of the from seeking medical attention, putting their

Reconoci.do movement protested against the rights to life and health at serious risk.

racism and institutional barriers faced by

thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent

and demanded the restoration of their

nationality.

Dominican Republic 151

1. <Over a decade of enduring and resisting statelessness in the environment and people9s health, must be
1
Dominican Republic=, 23 September ± extinguished.

2. <President Luis Abinader9s second mandate must prioritize At the end of the year, the authorities had

respect for human rights and put an end to racist migration failed to halt oil drilling in the Amazon9s

policies=, 28 August ± Yasuni National Park, missing the deadline

3. <Dominican Republic: End racist deportations of Haitians=, 8 imposed by a 2023 referendum.

October ± Executive Decree 754 remained in force,

even though human rights organizations

continued to express concern that it was not

ECUADOR in line with international standards on the

right to participation in environmental

Republic of Ecuador decision-making processes.

Gas üaring and oil drilling in the Amazon DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

continued. Conditions in prisons remained Prisons remained chronically overcrowded

extremely poor. There were reports of and reports of torture and other ill-treatment

possible extrajudicial executions and increased after the military was given control

enforced disappearances. Human rights of prisons in January. Access to food and

defenders continued to face security risks medical services was inadequate. At least

and the government failed to protect them. three prison directors were killed during the

Arbitrary arrests were prevalent. Mining year.

went ahead without the consent of The UN Committee against Torture called

Indigenous Peoples. Access to abortion on Ecuador to address the prison crisis and

remained severely restricted. Impunity its systemic causes, <prioritizing policies of

prevailed for human rights violations rehabilitation, re-education and social

committed by security forces in 2019 and reintegration, [and] the demilitarization of

2022. control of prisons.=

BACKGROUND EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS

In January, President Daniel Noboa declared The Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce noted a spike

an <internal armed conüict= and state of in reports of possible extrajudicial executions,

emergency in response to actions by with 27 reported in the ûrst half of 2024, an

organized crime groups. Authorities increase on previous years.

maintained states of emergency throughout

the year, deploying the military to patrol the ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

streets. In April, voters in a national Human rights organizations and residents in

referendum approved further powers for the coastal regions reported several arbitrary

military in public security tasks. detentions by security forces during their

In May, the UN Special Rapporteur on operations, some of which could constitute

extreme poverty and human rights reported enforced disappearances, according to the

on <a vicious cycle of poverty and insecurity=, Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce.

predominantly affecting racialized sectors of In December, the Public Prosecutor9s

the population who continued to experience Ofûce pressed charges against 16 members

discrimination based on intersecting markers of the military for the alleged enforced

of identity. disappearance of four children in Guayaquil,

who were later found dead.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

The government continued to allow gas HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

üaring in the Amazon, despite a 2021 court Human rights defenders continued to face

ruling that üares, which can be harmful to the hostility and security risks, particularly land,

territory and environmental defenders.

152 Amnesty International Report

Incidents included threats, intimidation, RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

online violence and killings. REPARATION

Numerous human rights defenders from Several UN experts highlighted the

Las Naves, Bolívar province, faced criminal importance of the Constitutional Court

proceedings in relation to their work on the hearing in April relating to grave human

right to water in the context of mining rights violations, including forced labour and

operations. At least six of these defenders servitude, suffered by hundreds of

were sentenced to prison. agricultural workers in Ecuador9s abaca

President Noboa repeatedly stigmatized plantations over decades. Many of the

human rights defenders working for the rights workers were Afro-descendants. At the end of

of detainees. The government failed to carry the year, the Constitutional Court ruled that a

out meetings with civil society to ensure a foreign company had maintained <a practice

participative approach in designing its of servitude akin to slavery= and ordered the

security policy. company to pay individual reparations to the

In November, at least two human rights victims as well as ordering a public policy to

defenders were arrested while observing combat servitude.

protests against power shortages in the

capital, Quito. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Despite legal advances in recent years,

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS access to abortion remained severely

Security forces carried out thousands of restricted even in circumstances allowed by

possible arbitrary arrests, resorting to the law. The lack of information about legal

pretext of on-the-spot arrests of people protections, social stigma and denial of lawful

caught committing a crime, apparently with services for reasons of conscience, among

little justiûcation. Civil society organizations other barriers, impeded pregnant people

and media sources suggested that these from exercising their reproductive rights.

arrests were disproportionately directed at

groups historically subject to discrimination, IMPUNITY

including Afro-descendants, Indigenous Human rights violations committed by

Peoples, people of lower socio-economic security forces during protests in 2019 and

status and young people. Authorities failed to 2022 remained unpunished.

maintain fully transparent records of these

arrests.

1. Ecuador: The Amazon is Burning, the Future is Burning!, 12

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS August ±

In March, in Cotopaxi province, more than 70

individuals, including Indigenous leaders and

human rights defenders, faced criminal EGYPT

investigations following protests against

mining activities and a consultation process Arab Republic of Egypt

they deemed illegitimate.

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme The authorities continued to crack down on

poverty recommended strengthening the ü
criticism, sti e civil society and restrict
anti-discrimination framework by
street protests. Authorities carried out mass
<guaranteeing legal security of tenure
arrests to prevent planned anti-government
concerning Afro-descendants9 and
protests and forcibly dispersed the few
Indigenous peoples9 traditional land, small peaceful protests that took place.
territories and natural resources and by Authorities released 934 prisoners held for
ensuring free, prior and informed political reasons but arrested another
consultation and consent for establishing and 1,594. Those targeted included journalists,
managing protected areas.=

Egypt 153
lawyers, protesters, dissidents, opposition human rights requirements. The cost-of-living

politicians and those critical of the crisis persisted with annual inüation

government9s human rights record and measuring 24.9% in September.

handling of the economic crisis. Dozens of The Rafah border crossing with Gaza

individuals were subjected to enforced remained closed since May after Israeli

disappearance. Torture and other ill- forces took control of the Palestinian side of

treatment remained routine. Death the border and an Egyptian soldier was killed

sentences were imposed, including for in a cross-border shooting.

crimes other than <intentional killing=, after

grossly unfair trials. Executions were carried FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

out. Impunity prevailed for grave human AND ASSEMBLY

rights violations committed in 2024 and Authorities continued to criminalize

previous years. Women and girls, religious dissenting forms of expression and peaceful

minorities and LGBTI individuals assembly, targeting journalists, lawyers,

experienced discrimination, violence and protesters, dissidents, opposition politicians

prosecution for exercising their human and those critical of the government9s human

rights. Authorities failed to protect rights record and handling of the economic

economic and social rights in the economic crisis.

crisis, adequately adjust social security Between January and March, security

measures or ensure private companies forces arbitrarily arrested at least four

complied with the minimum wage individuals who complained about price
1
requirement. The government introduced increases in comments on social media.

new legislation jeopardizing the On 31 July, authorities arbitrarily arrested

accessibility and affordability of healthcare. opposition politician Yehia Hussein

Forced evictions from informal settlements Abdelhady after he published a Facebook

continued. Thousands of refugees and post criticizing the president and the army
2
asylum seekers, most from Sudan, were and calling for regime change. He remained

arbitrarily detained and expelled. arbitrarily detained at the end of the year over

trumped-up charges of terrorism and

BACKGROUND publishing <false news=.

In April, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as Women9s rights defender and journalist

president for a third term after winning Rasha Azab, a vocal critic of the Egyptian

elections from which genuine opponents government9s response to Israel9s offensive

were barred. on Gaza, was subjected to repeated threats

The National Dialogue between the and harassment after hostilities erupted on 7

government and the opposition resumed in October 2023. This included being followed

February after being suspended in on several occasions by a group of three

September 2023, with critics lamenting the unidentiûed men and receiving warnings via

lack of tangible results and failure to intermediaries that security agencies would

implement any of the recommended political arrest her.

and human rights reforms. At least 14 media workers remained

Amid Egypt9s deepening economic and imprisoned in relation to their work, including

ûnancial crisis, the International Monetary for publishing content criticizing the

Fund, the EU, Saudi Arabia and the United government. Among them were Ashraf Omar,

Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged around USD arrested in July after he published a cartoon

57 billion in investment, loans and ûnancial criticizing the government9s plan to sell state

assistance. In March the EU announced a assets, and Khaled Mamdouh, a journalist at

EUR 7.4 billion (USD 8 billion) funding the news website Arabic Post. Both remained

package to Egypt, without human rights arbitrarily detained on trumped-up charges of

benchmarks. In September the USA terrorism and spreading <false news=.

delivered USD 1.3 billion in aid, waiving

154 Amnesty International Report

At least 562 human rights, news and other In February a court sentenced the

websites remained blocked by the politician Ahmed Al Tantawy, his campaign

authorities, according to the Association for director and 21 of his supporters to one

Freedom of Thought and Expression, an year9s imprisonment in relation to his

independent rights group. unsuccessful bid to run in the 2023

Authorities carried out arrests prior to presidential election. In May the verdict was

planned anti-government protests to prevent upheld on appeal and in December it was

them from materializing and forcibly conûrmed by the Court of Cassation.

dispersed the few small peaceful protests On 26 June the Emergency State Security

that took place. In March, security forces Criminal Court sentenced protester

forcibly dispersed a small demonstration in Mahmoud Hussein to three years in prison

3
Alexandria and arbitrarily arrested protesters for wearing an anti-torture T-shirt. He was

who raised signs blaming President al-Sisi for released in October having already spent two

<starving= the poor. years and 10 months in pretrial detention.

In July the authorities arbitrarily arrested In August, parliamentary discussions

dozens of men, at least seven women and started on a draft Code of Criminal

one child in connection with online calls for Procedures that would provide no safeguards

protests and for the ousting of President al- against the misuse of prolonged pretrial

Sisi9s government due to price increases. detention and would enable severe violations

Dozens remained in detention for expressing of the right to a fair trial, including adequate
4
solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza by defence.

peacefully protesting, posting comments In September, prominent activist Alaa

online, hanging signs or writing slogans on Abdel Fattah completed his unjust ûve-year

walls. prison sentence but the authorities failed to

5
On 20 March, after 13 years of release him.

investigations, authorities announced the In December a military court sentenced 62

closure of Case 173/2011, widely known as residents of North Sinai governorate to prison

the <foreign funding= case, which had terms ranging from three to 10 years on

involved asset freezes and travel bans for charges of damaging military vehicles and

NGO staff. However, a travel ban against using force against public servants. The trial

human rights lawyer Hoda Abdelwahab followed a sit-in in October 2023 by residents

remained in place. of Sheikh Zuwayed city, which was dispersed

forcibly by the military. The residents were

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR demanding to return to their homes, from

TRIALS which authorities had forcibly evicted them.

Between January and October the authorities On 24 December, President El-Sisi issued a

released at least 934 people detained for presidential pardon for 54 of them.

political reasons, mostly after they exceeded

the two-year maximum limit for pretrial ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES AND

detention. During the same period, TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

authorities arrested 1,594 people, including Security forces, including the National

ûve children, on political grounds, according Security Agency (NSA), subjected dozens of

to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and individuals held for political reasons to

Freedoms, an independent NGO. Supreme enforced disappearance for periods ranging

State Security Prosecution (SSSP) from a few days to several weeks.

prosecutors and judges routinely renewed Torture and other ill-treatment remained

pretrial detention orders for thousands of routine in prisons, police stations and NSA-

detainees without allowing them to run facilities. In February, NSA ofûcials beat

meaningfully challenge the legality of their a man and gave him electric shocks while

detention. subjecting him to enforced disappearance for

Egypt 155
eight days after he was arrested for prosecutor opened an investigation into a

publishing videos criticizing the government. complaint made by a protester who said that

Prisoners continued to be held in a police ofûcer beat her, but no information

conditions violating the absolute prohibition was made available on the progress of the

of torture and other ill-treatment, including investigation by the end of the year.

through deliberate denial of healthcare and On 23 May a group of women who were

prolonged solitary conûnement. In Badr 1 arrested at a pro-Palestine protest reported

prison and 10th of Ramadan prison, dozens that they had ûled a complaint with the

of prisoners began a hunger strike in early public prosecutor that some of them had

June to protest their cruel and inhuman been subjected to sexual assault during body

detention conditions, lack of access to searches and harassment during detention.

adequate healthcare, reduction in the time The public prosecutor referred the complaint

allowed for exercising outside their cell, and to the SSSP, which failed to investigate.

restrictions on family visits. The prison

authorities forced many to end the strike by ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

transferring striking prisoners to other Economic and social rights, including the

facilities and placed others in solitary rights to an adequate standard of living and

conûnement. to health, were severely undermined by the

economic crisis. The government failed to

DEATH PENALTY meet the constitutionally mandated allocation

Criminal courts, including those handling of at least 3% of GDP to health and 6% of

terrorism-related cases, imposed death GDP to education.

sentences following unfair trials. Offences Repeated rises in fuel prices affected the

punishable by death included crimes that did price of food and essential services. In June

not amount to <intentional killing=, such as the authorities quadrupled the subsidized

drug trafûcking and rape, in violation of price of bread. The government failed to

international law and standards. Executions adequately mitigate the effects of inüation on

were carried out. people living in poverty, with spending on

social protection representing only 0.2% of

IMPUNITY GDP.

Impunity prevailed for unlawful killings, In September the government announced

torture, enforced disappearance and other the end of daily power cuts in place since

grave human rights violations committed in July 2023.

2024 and previous years, including the In June, President al-Sisi ratiûed a new law

unlawful killings of at least 900 people when privatizing healthcare, jeopardizing the

sit-ins by supporters of the ousted president, accessibility and availability of health

Mohamed Morsi, were violently dispersed on services, particularly for those lacking health
6
14 August 2013. insurance and/or living in poverty.

Authorities failed to investigate adequately

the causes and circumstances of at least 43 WORKERS9 RIGHTS

deaths in custody following reports of In February, President al-Sisi raised the

physical torture and other ill-treatment or minimum monthly wage for public sector

denial of healthcare. No investigations were workers from EGP 4,000 (around USD

opened into the death of Ibrahim al-Ajeery on 82.50) to EGP 6,000 (around USD 125). In

1 January at Badr 3 prison after years of April, the government also raised the

medical negligence, including denying him minimum wage for private sector workers to

adequate diabetes medication. EGP 6,000 but took no measures against

Prosecutors, particularly SSSP companies paying below the minimum wage.

prosecutors, dismissed or ignored most In February, NSA agents arrested two

complaints of police torture. In a rare case workers from Ghazl al-Mahalla, a public

known to Amnesty International, a regular sector company, after questioning dozens of

156 Amnesty International Report

workers for striking to demand the minimum October, residents of the island publicly

wage. They were provisionally released in demanded adequate compensation. Security

May pending investigations by the SSSP into forces cordoned off the island, preventing

charges of <joining a terrorist group= and residents from bringing in construction

publishing <false news=. materials to build new homes or extend

On 17 August, workers at another public existing homes. Authorities had kept the

sector company, Samanoud Weaving and island9s only health facility closed since 2021,

Textile, organized a strike demanding the restricting residents9 access to healthcare.

minimum wage. On 25 August, authorities In February the UAE and Egypt signed a

arrested ûve men and four women and USD 35 billion agreement to develop the

investigated them over charges including approximately 16,430 hectares of Ras al-

<inciting the intentional obstruction of a Hekma, a village located on Egypt9s

means of production=. They were released Mediterranean coast. Residents ignored

within two weeks, according to the Egyptian government orders to vacate their houses as

Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an they considered the compensation offered by

independent NGO. the government to be inadequate. Authorities

In September, to address the ongoing imposed a media blackout on the issue. On

teacher shortage, the Ministry of Education 10 March, authorities arrested Mada Masr

announced it would hire 50,000 teachers on journalist Rana Mamdouh while she was

limited hourly contracts under which their travelling to report on the situation in Ras al-

monthly earnings would fall signiûcantly Hekma. She was released on bail later that

below the minimum wage. day after the SSSP questioned her about

In April the State Council, Egypt9s complaints that she had incited residents to

administrative court, began reviewing appeals terrorism. In April, videos circulated on social

submitted by the EIPR on behalf of teachers media showing skirmishes between residents

who were excluded from appointments in and members of the security forces who had

public schools on discriminatory grounds attempted to enter houses to take inventories

such as being pregnant or <overweight=. of residents9 belongings. On 16 December,

prime minister Moustafa Madbouly

RIGHT TO HOUSING announced that the government had paid

In February, without prior consultations with EGP 5.5 billion (around USD 108,154

residents or offers of compensation, million) to residents who were required to

authorities began to carry out forced evictions vacate their homes. He did not specify

and house demolitions in El-Gameel whether this amount covered all those

neighbourhood, Port Said, which was home affected.

to around 2,500 households. The

government justiûed the demolitions by citing DISCRIMINATION

plans to develop the region. One man died Women

during the demolitions, but the authorities

Women continued to face discrimination in
failed to carry out an impartial and
law and practice, including in matters of
independent investigation into the causes
marriage, divorce, child custody and political
and circumstances of his death.
ofûce. Long-promised amendments to the
In July the government announced a
Personal Status Law stalled amid concerns
partnership between Emirati and local
over lack of meaningful consultation with
investors to develop a real estate project on
women human rights defenders.
Warraq Nile Island. On 26 September, police
In October the General Authority for
ûred rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a
Passports, Immigration and Nationality
protest organized by residents in response to
issued discriminatory directives requiring
reports of police abuse. At least seven
women from <lower classes= to obtain
residents were injured according to Mada
permission from the authority if they wished
Masr, an independent media outlet. In

Egypt 157
to travel to Saudi Arabia. According to the REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

EIPR, communications sent by the Ministry of Egyptian security forces, including EU-

the Interior to travel agencies speciûed that funded border guards, carried out mass

women from <lower classes= included arrests of thousands of Sudanese refugees

housewives, unemployed women and those for irregularly entering or staying in Egypt.

in low-skilled jobs. The security forces kept the refugees in

At least four women were arbitrarily squalid detention conditions before forcibly

arrested and prosecuted on vague morality returning them to Sudan without allowing

charges in relation to publishing content on them to access asylum procedures (see

TikTok. Sudan entry). Authorities also continued to

arrest asylum seekers and refugees from

LGBTI people other countries, including Eritrea, over their

The authorities continued to harass and migration status.

prosecute individuals for their actual or In September the government extended by

perceived sexual orientation or gender one year the deadline requiring all foreign

identity. nationals to regularize their status through an

Egyptian sponsor and the payment of USD

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT 1,000.

In its second NDC, issued in June 2023, On 16 December, President al-Sisi ratiûed

Egypt pledged to reduce carbon emissions by Egypt9s ûrst asylum law, which failed to

ensuring that 42% of its electricity would prohibit refoulement, lacked due process

come from renewable energy sources by safeguards and allowed for the arbitrary

2030. However, the government continued to detention of refugees and asylum seekers.

issue new gas exploration licences,

potentially jeopardizing its decarbonization

efforts. 1. <Egypt: Halt crackdown on people voicing concerns over economic

crisis=, 13 May ±

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF 2. <Egypt: Politician detained over social media posts: Yehia Hussein

The right to build or repair churches Abdelhady=, 9 August ±

remained restricted by a 2016 law requiring 3. <Egypt: Three-year prison sentence for anti-torture protester a

approval from security agencies and other 8travesty of justice9=, 27 June ±

state bodies. In October a government 4. <Egypt: Reject draft Criminal Procedure Code=, 2 October ±

spokesperson said that the government had 5. <Egypt: Ensure Alaa Abdel Fattah is not detained after completing

approved the legalization of 3,453 churches length of unjust prison term=, 26 September ±

out of the 5,540 requests that had been 6. <Egypt: New law threatens to reduce access to healthcare for

submitted since the law was enacted. millions=, 30 July ±

In April, security forces failed to protect

Coptic Christian residents in two villages in al-

Minya governorate from sectarian attacks. EL SALVADOR

The attacks followed reports of the

establishment of Christian places of worship Republic of El Salvador

in the two villages, and involved Muslim

residents marching, chanting anti-Christian Poverty increased and the government cut
slogans and damaging the homes of Coptic
spending on health and education. Arbitrary
Christians.
detentions and human rights violations
In July a military court sentenced a Coptic
continued to arise due to the state of
Christian conscript to three years in prison for emergency. There were serious failings in
electronic messages he sent to a Muslim the judicial system. Prison overcrowding
man which were deemed to be <offensive to persisted, with incarceration rates among
Islam=, according to the EIPR. the highest globally. Detention conditions

158 Amnesty International Report

were inhumane, with reports of torture and 3 55,097 more than in 2022 3 with a poverty

other ill-treatment, and the government rate of 30.3%, compared with 26.8% in

failed to act to address the situation. 2019.

Freedom of expression and the public9s

right to information were eroded, and ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR

journalists were at risk of harassment and TRIALS

violence. Security forces restricted the Since the state of emergency began in 2022

freedom of movement of protesters up to the end of 2024, according to the

challenging budget cuts, and public sector authorities there had been 83,900

workers were dismissed for participating. detentions. Most detainees had been

Human rights defenders were at increased charged with <illicit associations= and other

risk of attacks and harassment under the gang-related crimes. According to local

state of emergency. human rights organizations, one third of

people detained under the state of

BACKGROUND emergency had no gang afûliations or

The state of emergency that began in March criminal records of any kind, reüecting the

2022 was ongoing. Regional and indiscriminate application of these measures

international human rights mechanisms across the population.

continued to raise concerns over human A special report by the Inter-American

rights violations committed during the state of Commission on Human Rights conûrmed

emergency, as documented by various local that the state of emergency had led to mass
1
and international organizations. arbitrary detentions and systematic human

In February, Nayib Bukele was re-elected rights violations, including the lack of

as president following a controversial effective judicial oversight of these detentions

interpretation of the constitution by the and the imposition of preventive detention

Supreme Court that allowed him to stand without sufûcient evidence. The commission

again despite a prohibition on immediate re- also expressed concern over mass judicial

election. hearings and restrictions on the right to

Recent constitutional reforms raised defence, which severely undermined due

concerns over the restriction of public process and fundamental judicial guarantees.

participation in the reform process, narrowing Civil society organizations continued to

the space for debate and discussion on denounce the inefûcacy of the judicial

matters of public interest. The concentration system, particularly the Supreme Court9s

of power within the ruling party and the failure to process habeas corpus petitions,

absence of institutional checks and balances increasing detainees9 vulnerability. A recent

allowed these reforms to pass without civil study from the Due Process of Law

society consultation, exacerbating the human Foundation, published in May, found that

rights crisis and further weakening the rule of between March 2022 and March 2023 the
2
law. Constitutional Chamber admitted only 1.6%

of habeas corpus petitions ûled in the context

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS of the state of emergency, with favourable

The Legislative Assembly approved the rulings in just 0.4% of cases. According to

government9s 2025 budget proposal that the ûndings of this study, excessive delays

prioritized spending on security and defence, and unnecessary formalities in processing

while key sectors such as health and these petitions effectively amounted to a

education faced signiûcant cuts, impacting denial of justice, further entrenching

the population9s access to these rights, in detainees9 defencelessness.

turn deepening social inequalities. According

to a 2024 World Bank report, extreme poverty INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS

rose between 2019 and 2023. In 2023, more The prison system continued to be critically

than 1.9 million people were living in poverty overcrowded, with an occupancy rate of

El Salvador 159
350%, according to local NGOs, making it Journalists were frequently subjected to

one of the highest incarceration rates social media attacks and digital monitoring.

globally. According to the Inter-American Female journalists were particularly at risk,

Commission on Human Rights, detention facing not only harassment but also digital

conditions were inhumane, with reports of violence and sexual harassment, according to

torture and other ill-treatment, lack of access APES.

to medical services, and excessive use of The Inter-American Press Association and

force by prison guards. the Committee to Protect Journalists raised

Detained women continued to be denied alarms over the escalating repression against

speciûc care to meet their needs, including the independent press. On 20 November

reproductive health services and protection 2022, digital media outlet El Faro ûled a

against gender-based violence by prison lawsuit in a US federal court against NSO

guards. Group, the Israeli company behind the

According to reports from Salvadoran Pegasus spyware, alleging surveillance of

organizations, more than 300 deaths in state more than 20 of its journalists. In July,

custody were recorded between March 2022, technology companies including Google,

when the state of emergency was declared, Microsoft and LinkedIn supported El Faro9s

and 15 December 2024. These deaths were appeal by submitting briefs in favour of the

attributed to torture and other ill-treatment as case.

well as inadequate medical care. In the context of the electoral process, the

Human rights organizations denounced OAS electoral observation mission reported

the state9s failure to effectively address these inequalities and challenges. These were the

conditions, calling for an urgent review of result of a series of legal reforms and

sanitary conditions in prisons and immediate restrictions on fundamental freedoms

measures to ensure access to medical care. imposed by the state of emergency, which

Despite repeated requests for intervention, created an atmosphere of self-censorship

3
the government9s response was inadequate, that hindered open political participation.

with reports of deaths in custody continuing The authorities severely restricted the

throughout the year. Local human rights public9s access to accurate and timely

victims9 movements voiced grave concerns, information, also hindering access to public

prompting heightened scrutiny from information held by the state.

international and regional human rights In October, media sources reported that

mechanisms over the inhumane treatment of security forces had imposed restrictions on

detainees. the free movement of demonstrators, limiting

The lack of state transparency in their rights to peaceful assembly and

investigations and reporting on alleged ill- expression during protests by the public

treatment and medical neglect in speciûc education and healthcare sectors against the

cases was üagged by UN human rights proposed budget cuts in 2025. Local

mechanisms; these requested further organizations documented multiple

information from the Salvadoran government dismissals of public sector employees,

regarding these abuses and the dire primarily those who had actively organized

detention conditions. and participated in the protests. At least 66

dismissals of people who had protested were

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION reported across the education and healthcare

AND ASSEMBLY sectors. Labour unions denounced these

The prolonged state of emergency continued actions as reprisals for participation in

to erode freedom of expression. Attacks on protests. By the end of the year, local media

journalists and media outlets increased by had reported more than 3,000 dismissals in

66% in 2024 compared with 2023, the public sector, many of whom were

according to the Salvadoran Journalists9 believed to have been involved in the

Association (APES). protests. The government presented these

160 Amnesty International Report

dismissals as part of a general budget-cutting endangered her health and whose fetus was

policy affecting various government incompatible with life. Against her explicit

institutions. will, the Salvadoran authorities denied her

timely access to terminate her pregnancy in

4
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS 2013.

The situation for human rights defenders

worsened signiûcantly under the prolonged

state of emergency. A collective of local 1. <El Salvador: The institutionalization of human rights violations

human rights organizations reported a 24.2% after two years of emergency rule=, 27 March ±

increase in attacks on human rights 2. <El Salvador: Constitution 8à la carte9 could deepen human rights

defenders in 2023 compared with 2022. crisis in coming years=, 3 May ±

These attacks, mostly perpetrated by state 3. <El Salvador: Human rights crisis could deepen during Bukele9s

agents, targeted women defenders, second term=, 6 February ±

journalists, and organizations advocating for 4. <El Salvador: IACtHR advances reproductive justice with ruling in

freedom of expression, women9s rights and favor of Beatriz and her family=, 23 December ±

environmental protection. LGBTI and

Indigenous rights defenders were also

subjected to violations. EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Harassment against human rights

defenders included police surveillance, Republic of Equatorial Guinea

threats and arbitrary detentions. Human

rights organizations reported the use of A cybercrime bill raised new concerns over
undercover agents and defamatory social
the right to freedom of expression. Arbitrary
media campaigns against people defending
arrests and detentions of human rights
victims of human rights violations committed defenders continued. The residents of
during the state of emergency. Annobón island were persecuted for
The government continued its attempts to protesting about damage to their lands
silence critical voices by criminalizing and allegedly caused by mining operations. The
repressing human rights defenders, Spanish High Court ordered that an arrest
especially those seeking justice for arbitrarily
warrant be issued for the president9s son
detained individuals, environmental
over abduction and torture charges. Plans to
defenders, and those advocating for land and
increase mass surveillance of citizens
territory rights. intensi ed. û

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS BACKGROUND

Abortion remained prohibited under all In July, Prime Minister Manuela Roka Botey
circumstances. In January, the last woman
and her government resigned at the request
convicted of aggravated homicide after an
of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who
obstetric emergency and part of the global
cited the government9s failure to resolve the
campaign <Las 17 y más= was released after economic crisis. In June, representatives of

serving eight years of a 30-year prison the International Monetary Fund visited to

sentence. According to the Citizens9 Group support the implementation of key policies for

for the Decriminalization of Abortion, seven improving living conditions.

women were facing legal proceedings relating

to obstetric emergencies, although they had

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
not been incarcerated, at the end of the year.
In March, parliament began debating a
On 20 December, the Inter-American Court cybercrime bill that would introduce new

of Human Rights condemned the Salvadoran restrictions on the use of social media, raising

state in the case of Beatriz and others. concerns that these could threaten people9s

Beatriz was a young Salvadoran mother who

experienced a pregnancy that gravely

Equatorial Guinea 161

right to express views opposing ofûcial Ansem prison where he remained in

positions. detention.

On 10 July the Bar Association conûrmed Joaquín Elo Ayeto9s lawyer, Angel Obama

the suspension of human rights lawyer Obiang Eseng, was detained for more than

Gemma Jones for two years for alleged 48 hours when he went to the police station

serious infringements of the institution9s in Malabo to assist his client. On 14 August,

statutes. She had been under initial he was suspended by the Bar Association for

suspension since December 2023, after representing an illegal organization. On 24

posting a video on TikTok calling for an December the Bar Association issued a

independent judiciary. resolution revoking the suspension.

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

On 26 January, human rights activist In July, residents of Annobón, an island of

Anacleto Micha Ndong was arrested by four Equatorial Guinea situated some 500km from
1
men at his home in the capital, Malabo. He the mainland, protested against damage to

was later accused of slander by a police their houses, farmlands and island

ofûcer who, he alleged, had tortured him ecosystem, allegedly due to constant

during a previous detention in the city9s Black dynamite explosions linked to mining

Beach prison in 2023. He was then detained operations. Following the protests, more than

without charge for over a month in the 30 people from Annobón were arrested and

gendarmerie in Malabo. On 1 March, he was detained. Mobile phone and internet services

sent to Black Beach, before being transferred were shut down for several weeks.

in April to Oveng Ansem prison, Mongomo.

In March, during its 99th session, the UN TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention On 22 February, the Criminal Chamber of

adopted an Opinion calling for the immediate Spain9s National High Court ordered that

release of two South African citizens, Peter arrest warrants be issued against Carmelo

Shane Huxham and Frederik Johannes Ovono Obiang, son of the Equatorial Guinean

Potgieter. It found that the two men had been president, and two other high-ranking

arbitrarily detained on drug trafûcking government ofûcials. This related to the

charges since February 2023. alleged abduction, torture and enforced

On 5 July, former justice minister Rubén disappearance in 2019 of four opposition

Maye Nsue Mangue, who had been arbitrarily activists legally resident in Spain, including

arrested in August 2022 after criticizing the two Spanish citizens. One activist, Julio

president on social media, was granted a Obama Mefuman, a dual Spanish and

presidential pardon and released. Equatorial Guinean citizen, died in custody in

On 1 August, human rights defender 2023, having accused authorities of torturing

Joaquín Elo Ayeto was arrested in his house him multiple times.
2
in Malabo, accused of carrying out illegal

activities through the civil society platform MASS SURVEILLANCE

Somos+, which the authorities claimed was Vice-president Teodoro Nguema Obiang

not legally registered. In June 2020, he had Mangue pressed ahead with plans to

applied to the Ministry of Interior and Local strengthen surveillance systems in the

Corporations for legal registration of the country, citing the ongoing need to ûght

platform. He was notiûed that the application criminality. The plans, announced in May,

should be validated by the General included installing and monitoring some

Directorate of Human Rights, although such 6,500 cameras with the capacity for live

validation was not required by the law. He monitoring and facial recognition, linked to

was sent to Black Beach prison on 9 August command centres nationwide. There were

then transferred on 13 August to Oveng concerns that the additional surveillance

could be used to repress dissenting voices.

162 Amnesty International Report

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS sometimes amounting to slavery, was

In May, the government adopted the Djibloho documented (see below right to education).

Declaration, which outlined concrete actions

to address gender disparities and promote REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

women9s empowerment, reafûrming Eritrean refugees faced human rights abuses

Equatorial Guinea9s commitment to in countries to which they üed for safety. The

international instruments protecting women9s government regarded claiming asylum

rights. abroad as evidence of treason, and anyone

In June, a report of the National Institute of forcibly returned to Eritrea could be detained.

Statistics analysing women9s participation in According to UNHCR, the UN refugee

decision-making processes in state agency, returnees also faced torture and

institutions concluded that, in 2023, women sometimes death. In May, the UN Special

occupied just 29.5% of decision-making Rapporteur on the situation of human rights

positions. in Eritrea (Special Rapporteur on Eritrea) said

that the authorities <reached across

borders& to control Eritrean diaspora politics

1. <Equatorial Guinea: Human rights defender9s whereabouts and silence pro-democracy activists,

unknown=, 29 May ± journalists, political opponents and human

2. <Equatorial Guinea: Human rights defender arrested once again=, rights defenders.= Eritrean refugees in

29 August ± Ethiopia were rounded-up, detained and

summarily expelled to Eritrea. Women and

girls in particular suffered violations by the

ERITREA Rapid Support Forces and others in Sudan,

including sexual violence and domestic

State of Eritrea servitude. In August, Türkiye forcibly returned

around 180 Eritreans to Eritrea, in

The use of mandatory inde nite militaryû contravention of their legal rights to
1
service, sometimes amounting to forced protection.

labour and slavery, persisted. Returning

refugees faced human rights abuses. The RIGHT TO EDUCATION

Eritrea had a debt-to-GDP ratio of 211%, one

right to education was violated. The right to

freedom of expression was sti ed and the ü of the highest globally. In 2022, it spent

fate of government critics forcibly 33.4% of the national budget on debt

disappeared in 2001 remained unknown. servicing. This high expenditure on debt

The government continued in its failure to servicing threatened the ûnancing of

implement the UN Commission of Inquiry9s education and other public services. Low

spending on education, according to most

recommendations to investigate crimes
recent reports, appeared to have stagnated at
under international law; and denied access
under 2% since 2020, below the average
to the UN Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Eritrea. spending levels in Africa of 3% to 4% of GDP.

This was compounded by factors including

FORCED LABOUR corruption and a lack of ûnancial

The decades-long use of mandatory transparency.

According to the UN, 48% of primary

indeûnite military service for those aged
school-age children were out of school, while
between 18 and 40 continued, as well as the
only 4% of males and 3% of females of
forced labour and other gross human rights

violations associated with it. The policy university age were enrolled in tertiary

requires conscripts to complete their ûnal education. There was a shortage of properly

secondary school year at the notorious Sawa trained teachers. Meanwhile, the forced

military training camp, where forced labour, conscription policy that could compel

teachers into military service undermined

Eritrea 163
educational standards and increased the

already high student-to-teacher ratio. Many 1. <Türkiye: Eritreans at imminent risk of forced return=, 6

young people were forced out of education September ±

into military service or exile. There were also 2. <Eritrea: At the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Councils

reports of the conscription of children, states should extend the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur

effectively denying them their right to on Eritrea and step-up efforts towards accountability in the

education. country=, 19 June ±

According to UNESCO, the high rate of

early and child marriage was a key reason for

many students9 failure to complete their ESWATINI

schooling.

Kingdom of Eswatini

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ENFORCED

DISAPPEARANCES The government failed to investigate

Eritrea continued to be one of the few
extrajudicial killings, including of the
countries without any form of registered,
human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.
privately owned media. The free press was
Journalists and other government critics
dismantled in 2001, when the government continued to face widespread political
arrested 15 politicians known as the G-15 - repression, including arbitrary arrests and
along with 16 supporting journalists, after detentions. Detainees were subjected to
they demanded that President Afwerki torture and other ill-treatment. The
implement the draft constitution and hold economic crisis deepened, creating
open elections. The fate and whereabouts of
conditions that exacerbated inequality.
11 of the politicians, as well as the 16
Gender-based violence was widespread and
journalists accused of links to the G-15, the rights of LGBTI people were severely
remained unknown. undermined.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND BACKGROUND

REPARATION Social unrest increased and there were

The government continued in its failure to
ongoing demands for democratic reforms
implement recommendations of the UN
under the absolute monarchy of King Mswati
Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Eritrea,
III. The government acknowledged the high
established in 2014 by the UN Human levels of poverty and unemployment as a

Rights Council. The COI concluded in 2016 national emergency. Unemployment reached

that crimes under international law had been 35.4% overall and 48.7% among young

committed in Eritrea since 1991, including people.

crimes against humanity and other inhumane

acts. In July the Special Rapporteur on

EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS
Eritrea reiterated that most recommendations
The government failed to conduct
made by international and regional human transparent, independent and impartial

rights mechanisms, including the COI, investigations into extrajudicial killings carried

remained unimplemented. Meanwhile, the out between 2021 and 2024. The lack of a

authorities continued to deny him access to transparent judicial process and the
Eritrea. Also in July, Amnesty International
government9s failure to heed calls for
urged the Human Rights Council to intensify
accountability effectively denied the rights of
its efforts to assess the human rights situation
victims of government violence, or their
in Eritrea and to reüect on ways to collect and family members, to justice, compensation

preserve evidence for future criminal judicial and reparations. Such cases included that of
2
proceedings. Thulani Maseko, who was killed by

164 Amnesty International Report

unidentiûed gunmen in his home in 2023, crisis-level food insecurity by March 2025

amid an escalation in attacks on state critics. according to the Integrated Food

Classiûcation Index. This was driven by the

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION soaring prices of food and other essential

The authorities used the 2008 Suppression of commodities resulting from inüation and

Terrorism Act (STA) to target activists, disruption to imports. Rural and low-income

journalists and pro-democracy advocates. Its urban households were particularly

vaguely worded provisions allowed the vulnerable to food insecurity.

government to justify arbitrary arrests and

detentions of its critics. Right to health

Journalists increasingly faced harassment The government9s austerity measures further

and intimidation, particularly when covering reduced public healthcare spending, leading

human rights abuses and government to a maternal healthcare crisis in rural areas.

corruption. Intimidation could extend to legal Women struggled to access basic services.

threats, as in the case of Swazi journalist The Health Labour Market Analysis Report

Zweli Martin Dlamini, editor of the Swaziland projected that, without urgent government

News newspaper, who had been living in intervention, there would be a shortage of

exile in South Africa for several years. In 26,563 health workers by 2032, which would

February the government ûled a case against further threaten essential services.

him and Swaziland News to the Mpumalanga

High Court in South Africa for articles which it WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

claimed defamed King Mswati III and various High rates of gender-based violence

government ministers and public ofûcials, persisted, with the government failing to

and proved a threat to national security. protect women and girls from, or enforce

laws against, such abuses, leaving

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY perpetrators largely unpunished. A national

On 15 July, MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza NGO, Swatini Action Group Against Abuse,

and Mthandeni Dube were sentenced to 25 said in April that rape continued to be a

and 18 years in prison respectively under the major problem. The number of women and

STA for their involvement in protests in 2021 girls affected remained unknown because

calling for political reform. Their cases most survivors did not report abuse or

became symbolic of the government9s withdrew their testimonies following coercion

crackdown on political dissent. to do so, among other factors.

Discriminatory and weak legal protections

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT for rural women, including those relating to

Detainees, especially those imprisoned for land inheritance, exacerbated the economic

expressing political opinions, were subjected marginalization of rural women in particular

to torture and other ill-treatment in custody. and left them with limited access to land,

Following Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza9s healthcare and education.

sentencing (see above), prison guards at the

Matsapha Correctional Complex denied him LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

food, including food brought to him from The government continued to deny the

outside the prison that he required as part of Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities its

his dietary requirements for hypertension, for right to register as a non-proût organization,

at least four days. despite a 2023 Supreme Court decision

ordering the minister of commerce, industry

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS and trade to reconsider the application.

Right to food

About 22% of the population (almost

270,000 people) were projected to face

Eswatini 165
 suspended ûve prominent human rights

ETHIOPIA organizations. The Center for Advancement

of Rights and Democracy, Lawyers for

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Human Rights and Association for Human

Rights in Ethiopia's (AHRE) were suspended

Authorities suppressed the rights to in November, the Ethiopian Human Rights

freedom of expression and peaceful Council, and the Ethiopian Human Rights

assembly, including by intimidating human Defenders Center the following month. In

rights defenders and others, and blocking December, the AHRE suspension was lifted.

internet access in Amhara region. Activists, Suspensions of this kind demonstrate further

human rights defenders, journalists and crackdown of the civic space amid ongoing

artists were arbitrarily arrested and detained armed conüicts in the country.

and some people üed the country during the Human rights defenders who travelled

imposition of state of emergency laws that abroad to engage with international human

were used to target peaceful dissenters. rights bodies said they were harassed and

Reports of crimes under international law, intimidated by the authorities on their return.

including war crimes, were documented in Some also reported that Ethiopian

ü
the armed con ict in Amhara region; the government ofûcials, including diplomats,

Ethiopian National Defence Force carried intimidated and harassed them in the

out unlawful killings, including extrajudicial countries to which they had travelled.

executions. The prime minister and his The authorities blocked internet access in

government continued to deny such acts Amhara region, lifting the restrictions in July

û
and no signi cant steps towards justice almost one year after they were imposed.

were taken. There was an increase in cases Telephone communication was also

of sexual violence against women and girls; frequently restricted.

ü
incidents of con ict-related sexual violence In August the police banned women9s

continued. rights defenders from carrying out a candlelit

vigil in the capital, Addis Ababa, in honour of

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSEMBLY AND Heaven Awot, a victim of sexual violence (see

below, Gender-based violence).

ASSOCIATION

Activists, human rights defenders, journalists

and artists reported increased harassment ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

and intimidation by the authorities. A Authorities arrested hundreds of people

nationwide state of emergency, declared in nationwide under the state of emergency

August 2023 during the outbreak of armed which had granted them excessive powers of

conüict in Amhara region between Fano arrest. They üouted constitutional provisions,

militias and members of the Ethiopian including the requirement to publicize, via

National Defence Force (ENDF), was the State of Emergency Inquiry Board (an

renewed for four months in February. It oversight committee), the names of anyone

expired on 2 June. It granted sweeping arrested and the reasons for their arrest

powers to the security forces and was used within one month. People were repeatedly

by authorities to crack down on dissent and arrested without warrants and detainees were

suppress the media. denied their rights, including legal counsel

During this period, people involved in and access to courts.

peaceful dissent nationwide were arbitrarily In September, Belay Manay, chief editor of

arrested, often without due process (see the online publication Ethio News, üed the

below, Arbitrary arrests and detentions). This country three months after being released

forced scores of human rights defenders and from the notorious Awash Arba military camp

journalists to üee the country. In November where he was held in harsh conditions.

and December, authorities arbitrarily Arrested in November 2023, he was never

brought before a court, nor given access to

166 Amnesty International Report

healthcare or legal representation, and was army9s actions, which included potential war

frequently denied family visits in detention. crimes.

In Amhara region, the federal army and

security forces launched a new mass arrest IMPUNITY

campaign on 28 September. Within four The authorities made no signiûcant efforts to

days, thousands of civilians, including investigate and hold accountable perpetrators

academics, were rounded up without search of crimes under international law, denying

and arrest warrants. Authorities largely failed victims their rights to truth and justice. They

to bring those detained before a court within continued to dismiss crimes documented by

the 48-hour period required by Ethiopian law. human rights bodies, including the killings in

Merawi (see above). Prime Minister Abiy

UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS Ahmed said in a televised speech to

There were continued reports of violations of parliament that the army does not <commit

international humanitarian and human rights massacres=. His speech coincided with the

law in the ongoing armed conüict in Amhara federal government9s implementation of the

region. The extent of such violations, which transitional justice process, which focuses on

included crimes under international law, was reconciliation rather than justice and

likely to be far greater than indicated by the accountability. Nearly two years after

numbers that were publicly documented discussions on the process began, the

during the year. The prolonged restrictions on government9s claims that it would deliver

the internet and telephone communications, justice and accountability remained

coupled with the government9s denial of unrealized. It was largely a paper exercise,

access to the country for human rights marked by signiûcant shortcomings including

organizations, limited the ability to report on the lack of inclusive pre-policy consultation

crimes and other violations. In addition, the processes, non-compliance with key

threat of reprisals for speaking out was likely international accountability guidelines, and

to deter civilians from sharing their disregard for input from a limited number of

testimonies, or human rights defenders and consulted victims and survivors on the draft

journalists from reporting on the issues. policy options on crucial accountability

Unlawful killings, including extrajudicial measures.

executions, of civilians were documented in

the region. Witnesses said that, following GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

armed clashes between the ENDF and FANO There was a surge in reports of sexual

militias in Merawi town on 29 January, ENDF violence against women and girls. The rape

ofûcers rounded up civilian men from their and murder of seven-year-old Heaven Awot,

homes, shops and the streets, and shot and whose body was also mutilated by her

killed scores. Residents said the killings attacker, in the city of Bahir Dar, Amhara

began after Fano ûghters withdrew from region, sparked national outrage and became

Merawi. Eyewitnesses described ûnding the emblematic of the prevalence of sexual

bodies of their loved ones on the street the violence against women and girls nationwide.

following day. Three people said that ENDF In Tigray region, high levels of sexual

soldiers burned 11 three-wheel vehicles, violence, including conüict-related sexual

known as Bajajs, and a motorbike. violence, were documented, leading to

The State of Emergency Inquiry Board protests across the region.

announced in February its intention to A June report by the Center for the

investigate the killings but, despite continued Advancement of Rights and Democracy

alarming reports of human rights violations, revealed that women and girls in the Guji

had communicated no further public updates zone of Oromia region were subjected to

by the end of the year. Neither did the sexual violence perpetrated by government

authorities announce investigations into the forces and members of the Oromo Liberation

Army.

Ethiopia 167
 TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

FIJI In February, a Fijian military ofûcer, Colonel

Ben Naliva, was appointed as a deputy

Republic of Fiji commander in the Australian Defence Force,

but was removed in April after Australian

The government supported a proposal to media reports about allegations of torture

introduce the crime of <ecocide= in the committed by him in Fiji. The Fijian

Rome Statute of the ICC. Policing of government had not investigated reports that

peaceful protests remained restrictive. The he was responsible for the torture of

authorities failed to investigate allegations government opponents after the 2006 coup,

of torture against a Fijian senior military or concerns documented by the UN Special

û
of cer who was appointed as a deputy Rapporteur on torture that he participated in

commander in the Australian Defence the assault of a Fijian businessman in 2011.

Forces. Levels of sexual violence against

women remained high, and LGBTI people GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

were at risk of violence. LGBTI people faced various forms of

violence. Human rights groups criticized the

BACKGROUND police for failing to adequately investigate the

In August, the attorney general launched the murder in April of a 19-year-old transgender

National Mechanism for Implementation, sex worker Setariki Ravato, known as

Reporting and Follow-Up to support Fiji9s <Esther=, who died a few weeks after she was

reporting to UN human rights bodies. kidnapped and assaulted. Despite her

serious injuries, the police initially claimed

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT that she had died of a pre-existing medical

In September, Fiji, together with Samoa and condition. Police investigations were ongoing

Vanuatu, proposed an amendment to the at year9s end. The minister for women,

Rome Statute of the ICC to recognize the children and social protection, Lynda Tabuya,

international crime of <ecocide=. If adopted, it was dismissed in late December after an

would enable the prosecution by the ICC of explicit video of her was leaked online in an

individuals responsible for severe alleged act of technology facilitated gender-

environmental damage. based violence.

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Provisions under the Public Order Act Six South Korean nationals accused of

requiring permits to convene a meeting in a mistreatment and other abuses of migrants

public park or road remained in place and employed by the Grace Road company

the police continued to take an overly challenged proceedings 3 ûrst initiated in

restrictive approach against protests.

1
In 2023 3 to deport them to South Korea. The

May, at a vigil at the premises of the Fiji leadership of the company, which operates a

Women9s Crisis Center (FWCC) to protest church and owns restaurants and other

against the human rights situation in Gaza businesses in Fiji, faced charges of

and Papua, Indonesia, police intimidated exploitation and physical abuse of its

demonstrators including by photographing employees and supporters in both Fiji and

and videoing participants. In July, police South Korea.

banned demonstrators from carrying either

the Israeli or Palestinian üags at a rally for

justice and <decolonization= of New 1. <Fiji, Joint Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 48th

Caledonia and Papua. Session of the UPR Working Group=, 18 July ±

168 Amnesty International Report

 impact on the rights of asylum seekers,

FINLAND refugees and migrants.

Claiming to act in response to an alleged

Republic of Finland attempt by Russia to <instrumentalize=

asylum seekers and migrants, the

Cuts to social security and healthcare government kept all crossing points at the

disproportionately affected marginalized Russian border closed. Construction

groups. Legislative amendments weakened continued of a barrier fence at the eastern

protections in immigration and asylum border to prevent migrants crossing into

policies. Police used unnecessary force to Finland in situations of <instrumentalized

disperse a climate protest. Six NGOs took migration=.

the government to court for lack of climate In July, parliament adopted an emergency

action. A new action plan against racism law allowing the government to limit the

failed to include legislative measures reception of asylum applications at the

against hate speech and hate crime. New border, grant border guards additional powers

legislation criminalized forced marriage and to prevent entry, including by force, and deny

female genital mutilation. any genuine possibility of appeal.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

The government continued to impose In June and September, in the capital,

austerity measures in the form of cuts to the Helsinki, police broke up peaceful climate

social security and healthcare systems. protests that disrupted trafûc and arrested

These disproportionately affected people dozens of peaceful protesters after they failed

experiencing unemployment, those with to comply with a dispersal order. In June,

limited capacity to work due to health police used unnecessary physical force

problems, single-parent families, persons against peaceful climate protesters while

with disabilities, older people, and young dispersing a roadblock in Helsinki.

adults. Signiûcant cuts to social security A peaceful protest camp at Helsinki

risked the right to an adequate standard of university campus expressing solidarity with

living for those already on low incomes and Palestinians was dispersed by the police in

increased the need for last resort social June after the university administration

assistance. Cuts to healthcare decreased the decided to ban the camp.

accessibility and affordability of services for Police did not always recognize the role of

those who were dependent on public independent protest observers or

healthcare. acknowledge their responsibility to protect

and facilitate independent monitoring.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS Police were inconsistent in their

Throughout the year, the government interpretation of which obligations of the

introduced several legislative amendments Assembly Act were considered to be

rolling back existing protections in migration incumbent on the organizers of a

and asylum policies. These included changes demonstration, with requirements varying

to make international protection temporary; from region to region.

prevent asylum seekers from applying for

residence permits on grounds other than RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

asylum, such as a work or a study based In August, Amnesty International and ûve

permit; expand the use of migration other NGOs ûled an appeal to the Supreme

detention, and increase the requirements for Administrative Court regarding the

family reuniûcation and citizenship. The government9s lack of adequate climate

amendments were introduced hastily and action, arguing this risked Finland9s target of
1
there was no assessment of their combined net zero by 2035.

Finland 169
The government signiûcantly reduced its continued with impunity. Excessive

climate funding to lower income countries. restrictions on peaceful protests and

excessive use of force by police persisted.

DISCRIMINATION France continued to supply weapons to

In March, 33 NGOs including Amnesty Israel. Safeguards governing video

International criticized the government for surveillance by law enforcement were

taking numerous measures, including in its û

insuf cient. Discriminatory restrictions in
migration, social and health policies, which relation to immigration, nationality and

deepened structural racism and asylum continued. France became the ûrst
discrimination. The government9s action plan country in the world to explicitly include

to combat racism and promote equality, abortion as a guaranteed freedom in its

published in September, did not include constitution. Survivors of sexual violence

legislative measures to combat racism, hate from marginalized groups, particularly

speech and hate crimes. migrant women, transgender women and

sex workers, faced systemic barriers to ûling
LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS a complaint.

A national citizen9s initiative that proposed

banning conversion practices remained DISCRIMINATION

pending in the Law Committee of the French women athletes at the 2024 Paris

parliament. Olympic and Paralympic Games were

banned from wearing sports hijabs. Similar

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE discriminatory bans continued to apply to

In November, parliament adopted two bills to sports in general at both professional and

criminalize forced marriage and female amateur levels, effectively ruling out the

genital mutilation of girls under 18. participation of Muslim women and girls who

In December, parliament adopted wore head coverings.

legislation to ban mediation in cases of In September the Council of State afûrmed

intimate partner violence and sexual violence, the ban on students wearing the abaya or

aiming to ensure that cases of violence lead qamis, in accordance with the discriminatory

to appropriate criminal sanctions. 2004 law restricting <signs or clothing

showing religious afûliation in public schools,

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS colleges and high schools=.

A bill to reform the Act on the Sámi In December the UN Human Rights

Parliament to enhance protection of the Committee expressed regret that France had

rights of Sámi people was pending at the end failed to reconsider its restrictions on the

of the year in the Constitutional Law wearing of religious symbols and clothing in

Committee of the Parliament. public places, and indeed had extended

them into the domain of sports. It noted the

likely discriminatory impact of such

1. <Finland9s famous climate target under threat 3 NGOs take the measures, especially on Muslim women and

state to court=, 29 August ± girls.

In February, during a visit to the island of

Mayotte, the then interior minister

FRANCE announced plans for a constitutional change

withdrawing the right to French citizenship by

French Republic birth for children born to foreign parents on

the overseas territory. A draft bill to introduce

Systemic racism and religious the change was suspended but not repealed

discrimination persisted, including against by year9s end.

Muslim women and girls. Racial pro ling û Serious concerns were raised by reports of

increased antisemitic, Islamophobic and

170 Amnesty International Report

racist hate crimes. The government9s discriminatory bans on sports hijabs were

approach to tackling racism continued to be subjected to arbitrary identity checks and

undermined by its refusal to address arrests while watching a friend run in the

systemic racism alongside its failure to collect marathon as part of the Paris Olympic

reliable data. The Human Rights Committee Games. Police accused them of participating

again called on the French government to in an unlawful protest as they were displaying

develop policies to combat racial banners that referred to <hijabis=. The

discrimination based on statistics gleaned women were questioned, detained overnight

from more effective data collection tools, and arbitrarily required to remove their hijabs

relying on the principles of self-identiûcation while in custody before being eventually

and anonymity. released without charge.

Other groups also faced excessive

Racial profiling restrictions. In July, climate change protests

Despite concerns and questions raised by were banned by local prefects in Vienne and

expert UN bodies throughout the year, Deux-Sèvres departments. Following a visit to

authorities continued to deny the existence of the Tarn region in February, the UN Special

systemic racism in policing. Meanwhile the Rapporteur for environmental defenders

widespread use of discriminatory identity under the Aarhus Convention expressed

checks persisted. In April, ûve French and concern at policing methods he had

international NGOs complained to the CERD witnessed being used against environmental

Committee that, despite having activists engaging in civil disobedience to

acknowledged the existence of racial proûling protest at the construction of the A69

in 2023, the Council of State had failed to motorway.

compel the government to implement

reforms. EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF

In November the Defender of Rights said FORCE

in an interview that she was <appalled= at the Law enforcement ofûcers were alleged to

government9s failure to make progress have used excessive and deadly force in the

towards eliminating discriminatory identity overseas territory of Kanaky New Caledonia

checks. during unrest, which erupted after parliament

adopted a bill in May changing the territory9s

1
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY voting rules. In August, UN experts

People expressing solidarity with Palestinians expressed concern at the allegations as well

faced excessive and disproportionate as at reports of widespread arbitrary arrests,

restrictions. In response to spontaneous detentions and enforced disappearances.

demonstrations against Israel9s assault on In December the UN Human Rights

Rafah in June, authorities in Paris, Lyon, Committee expressed grave concern at

Alençon and other cities across France reports of excessive use of force during road

enforced pre-emptive protest bans. Peaceful trafûc checks, arrests, forced evacuations

protesters and bystanders were also ûned for and demonstrations. It noted that such cases

<participation in an undeclared or banned disproportionately affected members of

protest=. certain minority groups, in particular people

Scores of human rights defenders, trade of African descent or of Arab origin,

union representatives, politicians, journalists, Indigenous Peoples and migrants.

academics and medical practitioners The committee also pointed to lack of

expressing solidarity with Palestinians were sanctions and apparent impunity for police,

investigated for <apology for terrorism= 3 an noting that no one had yet been found

overly-broad and vaguely deûned offence that responsible for the killing of Adama Traoré, a

threatened free expression. young man of African descent, during a stop-

On 11 August, eight members of the Les and-search operation by police in 2016. In

Hijabeuses campaign collective against May a higher court upheld a 2023 judicial

France 171
decision dismissing prosecutions against the MASS SURVEILLANCE

three gendarmes involved, prompting the In June the National Commission for Human

victim9s family to ûle a second appeal. Rights concluded that there were insufûcient

In November the government put out a safeguards in place to ensure that video

new tender worth EUR 27 million for sting- surveillance by law enforcement was

ball grenades, an inherently dangerous necessary and proportionate.

military-grade weapon used by police and In July the Orléans administrative court

known to have caused serious injuries among declared that the city9s installation of an

protesters. artiûcial intelligence-powered audio

surveillance system linking microphones to

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS CCTV cameras was a disproportionate

A lack of transparency continued to shroud interference with privacy rights and illegal as

arms transfers, with the government failing in it had no basis in law.

its legal requirement to submit a report on In December the UN Human Rights

the previous year9s transfers by 1 June. Committee expressed concern that the use

France continued to license arms exports by law enforcement of mass video

to Israel despite calls by UN experts for the surveillance technology powered by artiûcial

immediate cessation of such transfers, which intelligence during the Olympic Games was a

were likely to violate international disproportionate interference with the right to

humanitarian law, and despite President privacy.

Emmanuel Macron9s call in October for an A coalition of rights groups brought a

embargo on arms for use in Gaza. complaint before the Council of State in

French-manufactured weapons systems October, calling for the Social Security

supplied to the United Arab Emirates Agency9s National Family Allowance Fund to

continued to be used on the battleûeld in stop using a discriminatory risk-scoring

Sudan, likely in violation of the EU and UN algorithm to detect potentially fraudulent

2
arms embargoes on Darfur. receipt of beneût payments. The algorithm

discriminated against low-income

IMPUNITY households, people living in disadvantaged

In June the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the neighbourhoods, those spending a signiûcant

validity of an arrest warrant issued in 2023 portion of income on rent, and working

against the then-Syrian president Bashar al- people in receipt of a disability allowance.

Assad for chemical attacks against civilians in

Eastern Ghouta and Douma. In July, however, REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

the French public prosecutor subsequently In January the Constitutional Council

challenged this decision before the Court of removed many measures from the

Cassation. discriminatory, xenophobic Immigration

Following the ICC9s decision to issue arrest Control and Integration Act of November

warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 2023. However, the ûnal version retained

Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav provisions including increased administrative

Gallant, as well as senior Hamas leader powers to detain and expel foreign nationals

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, in deemed a <threat to public order= regardless

3
connection with alleged war crimes and of their link to France. In December the UN

crimes against humanity, France initially Human Rights Committee expressed concern

signalled that it would fulûl its obligations to that the law weakened procedural safeguards

make arrests should any of the men visit the for asylum seekers, including safeguards

country. However, the Ministry of Foreign against the risk of expulsion when appeals

Affairs later claimed that the Israeli ministers were pending.

had immunity as Israel was not a member of Ten decrees linked to the Immigration

the ICC. Control and Integration Law were issued in

July. One made the issuing of residency

172 Amnesty International Report

documents for foreign nationals conditional had examined the human rights impact of

upon <respect for Republican values=, an the so-called <Nordic model= 3 a legal

overly broad condition that risked arbitrary framework adopted by France in 2016

and discriminatory interpretation. making it illegal to buy sex and criminalizing

4
The demonizing, xenophobic rhetoric that organizational aspects of sex work.

marred debates over this legislation

continued to be encouraged by many GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

politicians. In September the interior minister Migrant women, sex workers and transgender

promised increased powers for local and women faced systemic barriers when trying

regional authorities to deport irregular to ûle complaints of sexual violence. Barriers

migrants and prevent them from regularizing included denial of their right to register a

their status. He also renewed calls to further complaint and threats of expulsion, as well as

restrict their access to state medical aid. being subjected to prejudiced attitudes and

French and British authorities continued to stereotyped assumptions from law

5
neglect their human rights responsibilities as enforcement ofûcials.

2024 became the deadliest year on record

for migrants attempting to cross the English RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Channel irregularly by boat. More than 70 According to ûgures for January to

people died trying to reach the UK from September, France slowed its progress in

France. In October the French interior reducing fossil fuel emissions, compared to

minister noted that deaths during crossings 2023. Expansion of the renewable energy

were <harmful consequences= of <efûcient= sector remained insufûcient to meet long-

law enforcement. term targets, with gaps in both policy and

France continued to issue expulsion orders implementation. Climate and the

to, and detain citizens from, countries environment were deprioritized, with delays

including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Syria and in the adoption of energy and adaptation

Sudan, where a forced return would amount policies.

to refoulement. In July the National Asylum In June the Paris Court of Appeal deemed

Court recognized Afghan women as a social two separate cases against energy companies

group warranting refugee protection on the to be admissible. The cases were brought

grounds of their gender. However, France under the Duty of Vigilance law which

made no progress towards ensuring access requires companies to set out how they will

to visas for Afghan women in Afghanistan, prevent human rights abuses and

Pakistan or Iran. As a result, there continued environmental damage arising from their

to be almost no regular and safe pathways for activities.

them to ûnd sanctuary in France.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 1. <Kanaky New Caledonia: French authorities must uphold rights of

In March, France became the ûrst country in the Indigenous Kanak people amid unrest=, 17 May ±

the world to explicitly include abortion as a 2. <Sudan: French-manufactured weapons system identified in

guaranteed freedom in its constitution. conflict 3 new investigation=, 14 November ±

However, this precedent-setting legislative 3. <Asylum and immigration" law: France's historic setback=, 25

development failed to guarantee the right to January (French only) ±

abortion for all who could become pregnant 4. <Europe: Failure to recognise harm caused by criminalization of

including transgender men and non-binary sex work is a 8missed opportunity9=, 25 July ±

people. 5. <Sexual violence: The ordeal of migrant, transgender and sex

In July the European Court of Human worker women who file complaints in France=, 17 September

Rights ruled against sex workers seeking (French only) ±

redress for the infringement of their rights

resulting from the criminalization of their

work. In MA and others v. France, the court

France 173
 Hospital in the Central River Division

GAMBIA announced that 146 pregnant women died

between 2016 and 2020 due to health

Republic of the Gambia complications linked to their pregnancies.

The World Economic Forum9s Global

Parliament maintained a ban on female Gender Gap 2024 report revealed slow

genital mutilation, but the practice was still progress towards gender parity in the

û
prevalent. Child traf cking for sexual country. Gambia rose to 110th place out of

exploitation and children working in the 146 countries, compared to 119th the year

streets remained a concern. Rights to before. However, gender parity in education,

freedom of expression and peaceful political participation and health remained

assembly continued to be severely poor. In November the president expressed

restricted. More than a quarter of the his government9s commitment to gender

population were food insecure. Progress was equality while introducing Gambia9s National

made on accountability for crimes 10-Year Gender Policy (2025-2034).

committed under former president Yahya

Jammeh. CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

In January the minister of gender, children

BACKGROUND and social welfare reiterated the

In August the government published a draft government9s commitment to promoting

of a new constitution, amid criticism for lack children9s rights and announced the second

of transparency and consultation. In phase of the Project to Support the Protection

December the draft was tabled at the of Children Victims of Rights Violations, which

National Assembly. includes a plan to support children with

Migrants at sea continued to die in large disabilities and strengthen regional child

numbers. In the ûrst ûve months of the year, protection mechanisms. However, children

nearly 5,000 migrants 3 including Gambians working in the streets continued to face the

3 died while trying to reach the Canary risk of abuse and were deprived of education.

Islands. In September the director of Samaritana

Gambia, an NGO working with victims of

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS human trafûcking, also warned of a

The Sexual Offences Act continued to resurgence in child trafûcking for sexual

exclude marital rape as an offence, despite exploitation in the country.

calls by human rights activists to criminalize

it. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, INFORMATION

In March a bill was tabled in the AND PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

parliament to overturn the ban on female According to the Reporters Without Borders

1
genital mutilation. On 15 July, parliament World Press Freedom index, Gambia dropped

rejected the bill after efforts by activists and to 10th place in Africa, compared to ûfth the

survivors to highlight the negative health year before, and from 46th to 58th

2 worldwide. Draconian media laws restricting

consequences of the practice. UNICEF

reported that an estimated 73% of Gambian the right to freedom of expression 3 such as

girls and women between the ages of 15 and the law on sedition 3 remained in force.

49 had been subjected to female genital In March the Gambia Press Union

mutilation. expressed concerns about the CyberCrime

Maternal mortality remained high, with 289 Bill 2023 3 which at year9s end was pending

deaths per 100,000 live births, according to at the National Assembly 3 due to vague

the latest statistics in 2019-2020 from the sections that could lead to abuses and

Demographic and Health Surveys Program. restrictions to the right to freedom of

In February the board of Bansang General expression online. In April the government

174 Amnesty International Report

established the Access to Information Agriculture Organization and created a

Commission and in September the Technical Working Group to facilitate

commissioners were sworn in. communication between agencies to address

In April, eight activists were arrested and the issue.

detained for seven hours and subsequently

charged with <common nuisance=, <unlawful RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

assembly= and <disobeying lawful order= REPARATION

after they planned a sit-down protest against There was progress towards accountability for

the disruption of ferry services and alleged crimes committed under former president

corruption. Yahya Jammeh.

In September, two journalists of the In April the National Assembly passed the

newspaper The Voice were charged with false Special Accountability Mechanism Truth

publication and broadcasting after the Reconciliation and Reparation Commission

newspaper published an article alleging that (TRRC) Bill and the Special Prosecutor9s

the president had picked his successor for Ofûce Bill, establishing the ofûce of the

the next presidential elections. In November special prosecutor. Both bills laid the

the president dropped the civil suit he had groundwork for the prosecution of cases of

ûled against one of the journalists and The serious human rights violations identiûed in

Voice for defamation. In December the the TRRC Report. On 15 December the

criminal case was withdrawn. Authority of Heads of State and Government

Human rights defender Madi Jobarteh was of ECOWAS approved the statute of the

still facing criminal charges at the end of the <Special Tribunal for The Gambia=, a hybrid

year, including <false publication and court with Gambian and international

broadcasting= for 2023 Facebook posts personnel, and a mandate to prosecute

criticizing the government. crimes against humanity, torture and other

serious crimes committed during the

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Jammeh regime. In May the Federal Criminal

A shortage of affordable housing affected Court in Switzerland sentenced Ousman

mainly vulnerable people. In July the minister Sonko, former minister of interior, to 20 years

for lands, regional government and religious in prison for crimes against humanity.

affairs announced plans to build 10,000 In August the ECOWAS Court of Justice

affordable homes by December 2025, and issued a ruling requiring the Ghanaian

200,000 in the next 10 years to address the government to release critical information

crisis. relating to the torture and killing of West

Activists and parliamentarians expressed African nationals in Gambia in 2005.

concerns over the increasing impact of Kush, The Gambia Center for Victims of Human

a cheap synthetic drug, on the health of Rights Violations expressed frustration at the

young people and the need for government lack of forensic experts to identify the bodies

intervention. exhumed in 2019 of the victims of the 11

Food security continued to be a concern. November 1994 coup, among other victims.

According to the 2023 National Food Security In August a former general and alleged

Survey Report, 29% of people in Gambia member of the <junglers=, a paramilitary unit

were food insecure in 2023, a 3% increase suspected of extrajudicial killings under

from 2022. In addition, illegal, unreported Yahya Jammeh9s government, was arrested.

and unregulated ûshing by foreign trawlers

affected the livelihoods of local ûshermen

and resulted in a shortage of ûsh for local 1. <Gambia: Parliament must not lift the ban against female genital

consumption. In March, eight industrial mutilation=, 15 March ±

trawlers were apprehended for violating 2. <Gambia: Continued ban on FGM is good news but authorities

ûsheries laws. In August the government held must urgently address its root causes=, 15 July ±
a workshop with the UN Food and

Gambia 175
 association and privacy, and the principles of

GEORGIA proportionality and non-discrimination.

On 9 October, the Constitutional Court

Georgia accepted a submission to review the law but

refused to suspend it pending its decision.

The ruling party continued to usurp power

and suppress dissent. New legislative FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

amendments expanded state and police Dissenting voices, including opponents of the

powers while unduly restricting peaceful Transparency of Foreign Inüuence law and

protests and undermining civil society. pro-EU protesters, faced harassment, smear

Police repeatedly used unlawful force to campaigns and violence. Over a dozen

disperse peaceful protesters, arresting and activists, many of whom participated in

ill-treating hundreds. Parliament adopted protests, were violently attacked, ambushed

new discriminatory legislation. Reports of and injured by unidentiûed assailants, often

civilians subjected to inhumane detention resulting in serious injuries requiring

conditions in the breakaway territories hospitalization. Some of these assaults

persisted. appeared to be coordinated, condoned and

encouraged or instigated by authorities.

BACKGROUND On 11 June, activist Zuka Berdzenishvili

Against a background of intense public was severely beaten near his home hours

protests, the ruling Georgian Dream party after the parliamentary speaker publicly

pushed through a number of legislative accused him of participating in a politically

initiatives that restricted human rights and motivated campaign against the ruling party.

undermined both civil society and the By the end of the year none of these

independence of the judiciary and state incidents had been effectively investigated.

institutions. This led the EU in May to Legislation adopted in December enabled

suspend Georgia9s accession process. the government to restructure public

Georgian Dream9s victory in the October institutions and dismiss public servants for

parliamentary elections 3 accompanied by arbitrary and political motives. By year9s end,

widespread reports of voter fraud and over 100 public servants who had publicly

intimidation 3 was widely disputed and expressed solidarity with the protests were

provoked ongoing protests and international reportedly arbitrarily dismissed from their

criticism. Further protests erupted in jobs.

November and December after the

government announced that it in turn would FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

suspend EU membership negotiations. Protests were widespread, particularly against

the Transparency of Foreign Inüuence Bill in

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION April and May, the disputed election results

In May, parliament enacted the Transparency in October and the suspension of the EU

of Foreign Inüuence law, which obliged accession process in November.

organizations receiving over 20% foreign Police used unlawful force to disperse

funding to declare themselves as agents of largely peaceful protesters, including

foreign inüuence, and comply with onerous targeting them with chemical irritants and

and intrusive reporting and oversight water cannons, at close range and without

requirements. The law was then used to warning, beating, injuring and detaining
1
stigmatize and discredit organizations critical hundreds.

of the government. It was deemed by the Police also pursued protesters outside of

Council of Europe9s Venice Commission to demonstrations, conducting searches and

violate the rights to freedom of expression, arrests in their homes and ofûces. During the

November-December protests alone, some

500 protesters were reportedly detained.

176 Amnesty International Report

Police also targeted journalists covering the On 14 May, police ofûcers ûlmed

crackdowns. During the November- themselves beating and throttling peaceful

December protests, over 50 journalists were protester Davit Katsarava. He was

reportedly injured and subjected to degrading hospitalized with severe concussion and

and humiliating treatment as well as having facial bone fractures. On 24 July, Davit

their equipment destroyed by the police and Katsarava was ûned 2,000 Lari (US$720) for

being otherwise prevented from carrying out allegedly disobeying the police. An

their professional activities. investigation into his torture allegations,

On 3 May a group of plain-clothes men however, had produced no results by year9s

drove into a crowd of protesters in the capital, end.

Tbilisi, then surrounded and assaulted some

of the demonstrators. On several occasions in UNFAIR TRIALS

December, protesters and journalists were In hundreds of unfair hearings that followed

threatened and assaulted by groups of the April-May and November-December

unidentiûed masked individuals while police protests, courts imposed administrative

stood by. None of these incidents was penalties on anti-government protesters for

effectively investigated and no police ofûcers alleged offences including petty hooliganism

or masked persons committing violence were and disobeying the police.

identiûed or held accountable. More than 50 protesters were prosecuted

New legislation effective from 30 on bogus protest-related charges, including

December imposed further arbitrary for alleged obstruction of strategic facilities,

restrictions on the rights to freedom of group violence, criminal damage and

expression and peaceful assembly, disrupting public order. Some reported being

introducing hefty ûnes for putting up protest coerced into signing forced confessions,

slogans or posters, wearing face coverings without legal representation. Most of the trials

and allowing minors to take part in protests. It were pending at year9s end.

also granted police the power to detain Omar Okribashvili and Saba Meparishvili

individuals <preventatively= for up to 48 were arrested on 14 May for damaging

hours, on suspicion of potentially committing temporary police-installed barriers, and

an offence. charged with crimes punishable by three to

six years9 imprisonment.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

During the April-May protests, over 100 RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

people reported ill-treatment, including In August, a court granted injunctions against

physical and verbal abuse, by law demonstrations begun in March by residents

enforcement ofûcers during arrest and in of Shukruti in the Chiatura region. The

detention. Reports of torture and other ill- residents accused a mining company of

treatment were especially widespread during damaging their homes and farmland through

the November-December protests, with more manganese extraction and failing to provide

than 300 protesters 3 the majority of those them with adequate compensation. By

detained 3 alleging mistreatment and more September, several demonstrators had

than 80 people said to have been relocated to Tbilisi, staging hunger strikes
2
hospitalized with serious injuries. outside parliament, demanding government

Detained protesters were as a rule taken to intervention and an independent damage

undisclosed locations, including outside assessment. The negotiations between the

Tbilisi, denied contact with family and protesters and the company, mediated by the

lawyers and detained for 24 to 48 hours government, yielded no meaningful outcome.

without a reasonable justiûcation as required

by national law. In several instances, the LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

injured detainees were denied medical On 17 September, parliament approved a law

treatment and emergency surgery. on <family values and the protection of

Georgia 177
minors=, which contained numerous crackdown continued on expressions of

homophobic and transphobic measures. solidarity with Palestinians. Legislation

These included a ban on sharing information passed in October disproportionately

or holding public gatherings that were û

reduced bene ts for asylum seekers and

deemed to promote same-sex relationships. extended biometric surveillance and police

The following day, a well-known trans woman checks, without a reasonable suspicion

was killed in her home. LGBTI rights standard, increasing the risk of racial
campaigners raised concerns that the new û
pro ling.

law, and the government rhetoric that

preceded it, fueled homophobic and DISCRIMINATION

transphobic crime. In January, journalists exposed racist plans

for mass expulsions, framed as <remigration=,

ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH drawn up by far-right politicians, business

OSSETIA/TSKHINVALI REGION people and other actors.

Right to life In March, Germany appointed its ûrst ever

federal police commissioner to handle

On 9 April, the European Court of Human
complaints of discrimination and other
Rights found that Russia had been in
violations by federal police forces. However,
violation of several human rights, including
an overall lack of effective independent
the right to life, while setting up and policing
complaints mechanisms and lack of
the boundaries of the breakaway territories of
mandatory identiûcation badges for police at
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It ruled that the
federal and state levels continued to hamper
border incidents were <sufûciently numerous
investigations into allegations of abuses.
and interconnected= to conclude that Russia
Racist and anti-migrant rhetoric continued
was allowing systematic violations to take
throughout the year, especially after stabbing
place.
attacks in the cities of Mannheim and

Solingen in May and August, which were

Inhumane detention conditions
allegedly carried out by perpetrators from
Throughout the year, civilians were reportedly
Afghanistan and Syria respectively.
subjected to detention in the South Ossetia
Such harmful rhetoric inüuenced
region, in harsh conditions, with limited
legislation. In October, parliament adopted a
access to legal representation or medical
new <security package= of regulations, which
care.
conüated criminality with race, ethnicity and

nationality. It disproportionately reduced

beneûts for asylum seekers and extended

1. <Georgia: authorities must stop using unlawful force against
biometric surveillance and police checks,
peaceful protesters and ensure accountability=, 3 May ±
without a reasonable suspicion standard,
2. <Georgia: Police committing shocking human rights violations
increasing the risk of racial proûling.
amid ongoing crackdown on protesters=, 13 December ±
Serious concerns were raised by reports of

increased antisemitic, Islamophobic and

racist hate crimes, as well as hate crimes

GERMANY against LGBTI people and other minoritized

groups.
Federal Republic of Germany

LGBTI people
Germany deported 28 individuals to
In April, parliament passed a Self-
Afghanistan in violation of the principle of
Determination Act enabling transgender, non-
non-refoulement. Reports persisted of
binary and intersex people to obtain legal
excessive use of force by police during
gender recognition by making a simple
peaceful protests by climate activists and
declaration at the registry ofûce. Coming into
supporters of Palestinians9 rights. A
force in November, the new law replaced the

178 Amnesty International Report

Transsexuals9 Act of 1980, which had obliged On 26 April, in Berlin9s government

transgender people to undergo discriminatory district, police banned a protest camp against

psychological assessments and a court arms transfers to Israel, citing <danger to

procedure to obtain legal gender recognition. public security= without sufûcient reason,

Despite the progress made, rights groups and then reportedly used excessive force to

complained that the new law had been disperse it.

inüuenced by trans-hostile narratives 3 for

example, in a provision allowing private FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

contractors to deny access to single-gender Authorities continued their attempts to

venues at their discretion 3 and did not focus criminalize the slogan <from the river to the

adequately on the protection of transgender, sea=, which was banned in 2023 because it

non-binary and intersex people. was deemed <a symbol of Hamas=. In June,

a Berlin District Court convicted an activist

Gender-based violence under section 140 of the Criminal Code for

In November the Federal Criminal Police having used the slogan during a protest in

Ofûce reported a rise in gender-based crimes October 2023. In November, the Berlin

against women in 2023. Increases were Regional Court convicted a woman under

noted in misogynistic hate crimes (+56.3%), section 86 of the Criminal Code for having

online violence (+25.0%), human trafûcking posted the slogan on social media, thereby

(+6.9%), sexual violence (+6.2%) and stipulating that the slogan <constitutes the

domestic violence (+5.6%); 16.5% more use of a sign of a terrorist organization=.

women were killed by their partners or ex- In May the Federal Ministry of Education

partners compared to the preceding year. started an internal assessment as to whether

academics could be denied state funding for

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY publicly opposing the forcible eviction of

On 21 May the Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce in students protesting in solidarity with

Neuruppin brought charges under section Palestinians at Freie University.

129 of the Criminal Code against ûve On 7 November, parliament adopted a

members of the Last Generation climate resolution which established that the working

campaign group, accusing them of <forming deûnition on antisemitism of the International

a criminal organization=. This further Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

criminalized the climate movement. should be used by all legislators to address

Reports surfaced throughout the year any perceived deûcits with regard to tackling

concerning excessive use of force 3 including antisemitism. The deûnition would form a

pain compliance holds 3 in the policing of benchmark against which various laws, such

peaceful protests by climate activists and as criminal and asylum laws, should be

supporters of Palestinians9 rights. In reviewed and state funding allocated.

September, during a peaceful Palestinian Civil society groups and prominent legal

solidarity protest, a young man was knocked scholars found the IHRA deûnition to be

unconscious by police. Civil society incompatible with international standards on

organizations expressed concern at the role freedom of expression. The resolution thus

of racism, including anti-Arab and anti- created legal uncertainty and raised fears of

Palestinian racism, in the authorities9 violations of freedom of expression, academic

response to Palestinian solidarity protests. freedom and artistic freedom.

On 12 April, Berlin police banned and then

dissolved the so-called <Palestine Congress= REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

shortly after it had begun. Several invited In January, parliament passed the

speakers were banned from entering the Repatriation Improvement Act, which

country or from taking part in public expanded authorities9 powers of entry to

activities. premises, search and detention, and further

Germany 179
increased the risk of unlawful detention for SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

asylum seekers in Germany. In April an expert government-appointed

In June the government announced plans commission on <reproductive self-

to resume deportations to Afghanistan and determination and reproductive medicine=

Syria. In August, Germany deported 28 presented proposals to decriminalize and

individuals to Afghanistan, violating the regulate abortion. In April, the preliminary

principle of non-refoulement. ûndings of a multi-year research project on

Schengen border controls were <experiences and life situations of

implemented from 16 September without a unintentionally pregnant women= underlined

requirement for reasonable suspicion as the need to bring regulations in line with

grounds for police checks, thereby international human rights standards and the

heightening the risk of racial proûling and the WHO guidelines on safe abortion care. In

denial of access to asylum and automatic December, parliamentarians introduced a

detention. draft law to partially legalize abortions, but at

In October, as part of its <security year9s end abortion remained criminalized.

package= legislation, parliament introduced In November a law came into force to

new regulations excluding from beneûts protect pregnant people from harassment

those asylum seekers whose applications outside abortion clinics and mandatory

were being processed in another EU member counselling centres. The law prohibited

state under the Dublin III Regulation. These actions such as deliberate obstruction of

individuals were granted only two weeks of access to facilities, pressurizing a pregnant

interim assistance, with exceptions only in person, or confronting them with untrue or

rare cases. disturbing material.

The humanitarian admission programme

for Afghanistan 3 designed in October 2022 RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

to admit 1,000 individuals per month 3 was On 16 May the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher

ended prematurely by the government. A Administrative Court ruled that the federal

total of only 1,093 nationals had been government was in breach of the Climate

transferred to Germany by the end of 2024. Protection Act because its climate protection

Around 2,000 Afghans admitted to the plans in various sectors were deemed

programme remained in Afghanistan or insufûcient to meet legally binding emission

Pakistan awaiting transfer to Germany. reduction targets stipulated by the law.

On 9 December, the German asylum On 17 July an amended Climate Protection

authority suspended asylum applications for Act entered into force, eliminating the basis

Syrians, plunging nearly 50,000 Syrian of the court9s ruling. Overall emission

asylum seekers into more precarious reduction targets remained unchanged.

circumstances. These included mandatory However, the amended act removed binding

residence in reception centres, work reduction targets for individual sectors, as

prohibitions, limited access to healthcare well as the requirement to present

services and a ban on applying for family emergency measures if such targets were

reuniûcation. missed.

RIGHT TO PRIVACY IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

Revelations from a parliamentary inquiry and In June, UN Special Experts called on states

a series of reports by investigative journalists to end all transfers of military equipment to

revealed that police had used facial Israel to avoid the risk of responsibility for

recognition technology in at least six federal human rights violations. While the number of

states without sufûcient legal basis to do so. licences granted for such transfers from

Germany to Israel reduced, some continued.

Germany also licensed transfers to Saudi

Arabia of arms and military equipment,

180 Amnesty International Report

despite a lack of accountability for serious Association called on all politicians to

violations of international human rights and condemn attacks on journalists after another

humanitarian law in relation to the Yemen journalist was physically assaulted by

conüict. supporters of the ruling party in the city of

Tamale while covering political events.

In July a planned protest in the capital city,

GHANA Accra, to demand government action on the

cost-of-living crisis was banned at the request

Republic of Ghana of the police, who cited lack of personnel

available to provide security. In September

The right to freedom of peaceful assembly over 50 people were arrested during protests

was restricted. Women9s and girls9 rights in Accra against allegations of corruption

û
continued to be threatened. An af rmative linked to illegal mining. They were all

action bill to promote gender equality was subsequently released but, at the end of the

ûnally enacted. An anti-LGBTI bill was year, 31 were still facing various charges

passed in parliament but faced legal including unlawful assembly, causing

challenges delaying its enactment. unlawful damage and <offensive conduct

Important progress was made in ûghting conducive to breaches of peace=.

malaria. Illegal mining had a negative

impact on the environment and on the WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

livelihoods of cocoa farmers. Women9s and girls9 rights continued to be

threatened. In April, activists condemned the

BACKGROUND marriage of a 12-year-old girl to a priest. The

In January, six people, including three girl was put under police protection but no

soldiers, were sentenced to death for an arrests were made.

attempted coup in 2021. The constitution still Also in April, the Commission on Human

allowed the death penalty for high treason. Rights and Administrative Justice organized a

Consumer inüation, having fallen well dialogue with 25 stakeholders, including

below the hyperinüation seen in 2023, was governmental ofûcials, which called for the

still high, at 23.8% in December. In October, president to sign into law a bill criminalizing

international bond-holders agreed to reduce accusations of witchcraft; the bill had been

Ghana9s USD 13 billion debt by 37%. There passed by parliament in 2023. Hundreds of

were frequent power cuts due to a gas accused women in the northern and north-

shortage. east regions remained in <witch camps= they

John Dramani Mahama won the had üed to after being rejected from their

presidential elections held in December. communities.

The Afûrmative Action (Gender Equality)

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY Bill to increase the participation of women in

Ghana improved its ranking in the 2024 public life was passed in parliament in July

World Press Freedom Index published by and signed into law by the president in

Reporters without Borders, ranking 50th out September. The new law aimed to increase

of 180 countries surveyed, up 12 places from women9s participation to 30% by 2026 and

2023. However, high levels of intimidation 50% by 2030.

and violence against journalists continued.

In January a journalist was physically LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

assaulted by a ruling party member of LGBTI people9s rights were further

parliament and his supporters during the undermined. In February, parliament passed

party9s parliamentary primaries in Yendi, the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values

ahead of the general elections due in Bill, which further criminalized LGTBI people

December. In May the Ghana Journalists and introduced prison sentences for anyone

advocating for LGBTI rights. In March the

Ghana 181
president stated that he would await a The price of cocoa continued to soar

decision by the Supreme Court on the legal because of falling harvests from land that

challenges to the bill before deciding whether cocoa producers claimed had been

to sign it. In December The Supreme Court destroyed by illegal small-scale mining 3

dismissed the two legal challenges to the bill known as galamsey 3 as well as climate

stating that it could not review it since it was change. In March alone, prices increased by

not yet an act. By the end of the year, the at least 60%. In addition, Ghana9s cocoa

president had not signed the bill into law. industry regulator reported that 500,000

In July, rejecting a constitutional challenge hectares were infected with cacao swollen

over breaches of the right to privacy, the shoot disease, which may have been

Supreme Court upheld section 104 of the exacerbated by deforestation and climate

Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29), including the change.

criminalization of <unnatural carnal In April, in recognition of the damage

knowledge=. This was interpreted to include caused to livelihoods, the government

consensual same-sex sexual relations. announced a 50% rise in the price paid to

cocoa farmers. However, the farmers

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS protested that the rise was insufûcient given

Food prices continued to be high, threatening the price of cocoa on the international

the right to food and health. In July a BBC market.

news report suggested that young people In October, activists denounced the effects

were budgeting by eating less protein and of illegal mining on rivers after a report

fewer meals. Food inüation peaked at 29.6% published by Ghana Water Company found

in March. that 60% of watercourses were too polluted

There was progress in ûghting malaria. In to be treated. The activists called on the

April the World Health Organization reported government to suspend mining contracts and

that over 700,000 children in seven regions do more to stop illegal mining.

had been vaccinated as of September 2023, Used textiles from the fast fashion industry

and that the prevalence of malaria in children continued to come into the country from

less than ûve years old had gone from 20.6% abroad and ûnd their way into second-hand

in 2016 to 8.6% in 2023. The WHO also markets, such Kantamanto in Accra, before

reported that in-patient malaria deaths had being dumped due to poor quality. Large

dropped from 428 in 2018 to 155 in 2022. volumes continued to wash up on beaches

In September, UNICEF reported that and to pollute rivers, lagoons and the sea.

Ghana had administered 1 million doses of

malaria vaccine since 2019, signiûcantly

reducing cases of severe malaria, and GREECE

announced the expansion of the vaccine roll-

out to a further 125 districts between 2025 Hellenic Republic

and 2029.

An appeals court upheld a guilty verdict

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT against two men for the death of LGBTI
Illegal mining and illegal logging had activist Zak Kostopoulos. Reports of abuses
disastrous environmental impacts. against migrants and refugees at borders
According to data updated in 2024 by the continued, and asylum seekers in the
online platform Global Forest Watch, Ghana Samos reception centre were held in
lost 1.64 million hectares of tree cover from conditions of unlawful detention. Human
2001 to 2023, a 24% decrease compared to rights defenders continued to face
2000. The platform recorded 5,170 criminalization for their work with refugees
deforestation alerts in a single week in and migrants. Allegations of unnecessary
October. and excessive use of force in the policing of

182 Amnesty International Report

demonstrations persisted. Concerns were over 600 people died 3 was ûnally

raised over an investigation which found no completed. Survivors had claimed that the

links between the unlawful use of spyware Greek coastguard was responsible for the

and state ministries or agencies. In a incident. NGOs representing survivors and

milestone step, Greece legalized same-sex victims9 families criticized the prosecution9s

marriage. Health workers continued to failure to summon to provide written

û
report ongoing and signi cant gaps in explanations those authorities responsible for

Greece9s national health system. coordinating the search and rescue operation

and their superiors. In May, in separate

RIGHT TO LIFE proceedings which raised fair trial concerns,

In July an appeals court in the capital, nine survivors were acquitted of charges,

Athens, upheld the guilty verdict on two men including causing the shipwreck.

for lethal bodily harm in relation to the death Asylum seekers living in the EU-funded

of LGBTI activist Zak Kostopoulos in Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) on

September 2018. the island of Samos, mostly racialized

In August a prosecutor in Chania charged individuals, were routinely subjected to

four police ofûcers with intentional homicide <restrictions of freedom= amounting to

with possible malice in relation to the case of unlawful detention. There were also

Kostas Manioudakis, who died during a stop- shortcomings in the provision of basic

and-search operation in the village of Vryses services in the CCAC, including running

in Crete in September 2023. water and healthcare. Those deprived of their

In September migrant worker Kamran liberty may have experienced inhuman and

Ashiq died in police custody. Pictures of his degrading detention conditions, especially
1
body published in the media showed injuries during times of overcrowding.

indicating he had been beaten. In December, Similar concerns relating to other CCACs

the national police complaints mechanism were made public by the Council of Europe9s

announced that it had started its own anti-torture committee (CPT) in July,

investigation into the case. following their 2023 visit.

The system of containment implemented

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS on Samos and other CCACs

Deadly shipwrecks continued, as did reports disproportionately affected racialized people

of human rights violations, including and furthered the racialized exclusion of

summary unlawful returns by Greek law migrants and refugees.

enforcement ofûcers, against racialized In October the Court of Justice of the EU

asylum seekers and migrants at borders. ruled on a case concerning the readmissions

In January, ruling in a case from 2014 3 in of asylum seekers from Greece to Türkiye

which the coastguard ûred shots towards a under the 2014 EU-Türkiye readmission

boat during an interception at sea, hitting a agreement, which Türkiye had suspended

Syrian man who later died 3 the European since March 2020. The court found that if

Court of Human Rights found Greece in the country of return did not ensure

violation of the right to life, both regarding the readmission, asylum applications could not

investigation of the incident and the use of be rejected as inadmissible under the <safe

lethal force. third country= rule.

Despite the ruling, ofûcials9 use of ûrearms There were negative developments in

during border control operations remained of access by asylum seekers and refugees to

concern. In July a man died after the social and economic support. The Helios

coastguard ûred shots at a boat during a programme, run by the International

pursuit operation off Symi. Organization for Migration with funding from

In December the preliminary domestic the Greek authorities, ceased on 30

investigation into the actions of the authorities November. It had provided housing and other

in the June 2023 Pylos shipwreck 3 in which support to beneûciaries of international

Greece 183
protection and EU temporary protection. The while covering a demonstration in Athens in

NGO Refugee Support Aegean reported that 2021. In November, an Athens court handed

from May the authorities had stopped paying an eight-month suspended prison sentence

the ûnancial assistance owed to asylum to a police ofûcer found guilty of causing

seekers by law. bodily injury by negligence to Orestis

Panagiotou.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

In January, 16 aid workers involved in search FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

and rescue operations for refugees and Greece had yet to introduce an effective

migrants were acquitted of misdemeanour legislative framework to tackle strategic

charges, including espionage, by a court on lawsuits against public participation

Lesvos. (SLAPPs).

Concerns remained about the criminal In September an Athens Court heard the

charges ongoing against Panayote Dimitras, appeal of journalist Stavroula Poulimeni and

spokesperson of the NGO Greek Helsinki media cooperative Alterthess against a ruling

Monitor, and Tommy Olsen, head of the NGO that partially accepted a 2021 lawsuit

Aegean Boat Report, in relation to their work following their reporting on a case relating to

assisting refugees and migrants at Greece9s environmental damage. The 2021 lawsuit

borders. Panayote Dimitras remained was considered to bear the hallmarks of a

subjected to restrictive measures, including a SLAPP.

ban on leaving Greece, as part of this In October an Athens court dismissed a

investigation. In May, the authorities issued a 2022 defamation lawsuit by Grigoris

national arrest warrant for Tommy Olsen. Dimitriadis, the prime minister9s former chief

In August an NGO criticized further judicial of staff, against three journalists including

harassment against Panayote Dimitras who, Thanasis Koukakis and the media outlets

together with his wife Nafsika Papanikolatou, Newspaper of Editors and Reporters United,

faced a criminal investigation for alleged in relation to an investigative article on

breach of trust and money laundering. Greece9s surveillance scandal. Press freedom

In November, concerns were raised about NGOs characterized the lawsuit as a SLAPP.

the trial of human rights defender Alexia

Tsouni, on charges including <false RIGHT TO PRIVACY

testimony= and defamation, which appeared In January the European Court of Human

to be in response to her anti-racism work and Rights found that Greece had breached the

activism in support of refugees. right to a private life after authorities in 2012

disclosed identities and medical data of

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY women diagnosed with HIV.

Reports persisted of the police using In July, serious concerns were expressed

unnecessary and excessive force, including by opposition parties, civil society and

by misusing less-lethal weapons, against lawyers representing victims of unlawful

protesters and journalists. surveillance after an investigation by the

In December, human rights lawyer Anny Prosecutor9s Ofûce of the Supreme Court

Paparousou and a group of peaceful concluded that there were no links between

protesters were taken to a police station for the unlawful use of Predator spyware and

identity checks ahead of a demonstration. state ministries or agencies.

This move appeared to be unlawful, and

aimed primarily at preventing the protesters VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

from participating in the protest. In April, Kyriaki Griva was murdered by her

In October a court awarded compensation former partner outside an Athens police

to photojournalist Orestis Panagiotou for the station where she had gone to seek

serious injury he sustained after being hit protection. The handling of her complaint by

directly and at close range by a water cannon police caused an outcry and led to the

184 Amnesty International Report

investigation of four police ofûcers for the warming scenario, heat-related deaths in

offence of <exposing a person9s life to risk=. Greece would increase annually from 1,730

In November the UN Human Rights today to 4,767=.

Committee urged Greece to consider Large wildûres in the region of Attika in

amending the 2021 legislation on joint August and the municipality of Xylokastro in

custody to ensure the protection of all victims September burned thousands of acres of

of domestic violence, and to speciûcally land and many homes, and resulted in three

criminalize femicide. deaths. In June a study by the Organisation

for Economic Co-operation and Development

LGBTI PEOPLES9 RIGHTS noted that climate change increasingly

In February, parliament legalized same-sex exacerbated wildûre hazards in Greece.

marriage although a failure to address some

further gaps in the legal framework left LGBTI RIGHT TO HEALTH

persons, including transgender persons and Health workers and experts continued to

their children, at ongoing risk of report ongoing and signiûcant gaps in

discrimination. Greece9s national health system. These

According to the Greek Transgender included staff shortages, long working hours,

Support Association, transgender people difûculty in taking leave, and clinics at risk of

faced multiple barriers in their lives as the closure or operating at reduced capacity due

health system was still using a medical to lack of staff and/or equipment.

classiûcation list that refers to trans status as

a <gender identity disorder=.

In a report published in April concerning 1. Greece: Samos: <We Feel in Prison on the Island=: Unlawful

its 2023 ûndings, the Network for Recording Detention and Sub-Standard Conditions in an EU-Funded Refugee

Incidents of Racist Violence documented 158 Centre, 30 July ±

incidents, 61 of which concerned LGBTI

persons.

GUATEMALA
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS9 RIGHTS

The civilian alternative to compulsory military Republic of Guatemala

service remained punitive and discriminatory.

Following a landmark 2021 UN Human

Human rights defenders, journalists and
Rights Committee ruling, which found political opponents were harassed and
multiple violations of the ICCPR in the case of criminalized. Unfounded criminal
conscientious objector Lazaros Petromelidis, prosecutions indicated a lack of judicial
Greece had yet to make full reparations to independence. There were signs of progress
him or to enact reforms <to ensure the
in the state9s attitude towards Indigenous
effective guarantee of the right to
Peoples, but leaders protecting territories
conscientious objection=.
and rights were still criminalized. The
prosecution of crimes against humanity
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT perpetrated during the 1960-1996 internal
Experts for the Climate Change Performance ü
armed con ict was delayed. The
Index criticized Greece9s substantial government took steps to recognize human
expansion of gas infrastructure as increasing
rights violations against women, regulate
the country9s dependency on fossil fuels.
the health service and improve water
An extreme heatwave, attributed by
quality. Same-sex marriage remained
scientists to the effects of climate change, prohibited.
caused heat-related deaths. In August, a

pan-European study predicted that

temperature-related deaths would increase in

Europe in this century, and that, <in the 3°C

Guatemala 185
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND least 2,763 attacks on human rights

ASSOCIATION defenders between January and October.

Politically motivated persecution continued The body responsible for the analysis of

against human rights defenders, prosecutors, risks to human rights defenders, convened

judges, journalists and political opponents by the Ministry of Interior, was reactivated. At

who had fought against impunity and the end of the year, the public policy for the

corruption, and their respective lawyers. protection of human rights defenders was still

Unfounded criminal proceedings caused pending approval, and the state had not

multiple due-process violations, often with a ratiûed the Escazú Agreement.

1
gender bias affecting criminalized women.

In January, prisoner of conscience and INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

former prosecutor Virginia Laparra was ûnally For the ûrst time in many years, the

released after almost two years in arbitrary government established a direct dialogue

detention. In July, a court declared her guilty with several Indigenous authorities and

in a second unfounded criminal proceeding, committed to promoting a comprehensive

which forced her to go into exile. In March, development agenda that took their needs

the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention into account. In many parts of the country,

stated that journalist Jose Rubén Zamora9s however, Indigenous leaders faced

detention was arbitrary and recommended criminalization for defending the territory and

his release. In October, after more than 800 rights of Indigenous Peoples. Dozens of

days in pretrial detention, he was released peasant (campesino) and Indigenous

from prison and put under house arrest. communities were at risk of forced evictions

Cases against leaders of the suspended in the context of conüicts around land tenure.

political party Semilla Movement continued to

proceed. At the end of the year, former IMPUNITY

prosecutor Stuardo Campo remained in Delays and irregularities hindered the search

pretrial detention. for justice for crimes against humanity and

war crimes perpetrated during the internal

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL armed conüict from 1960 to 1996, including

The Public Prosecutor9s ofûce and a the Military Diary case. A court overturned

signiûcant part of the judiciary often led the CREOMPAZ (former military detention

unfounded criminal prosecutions. During a centre) case and freed the accused retired

visit to Guatemala in July, the Inter-American military ofûcers. In November, in the middle

Commission on Human Rights pointed out of the genocide trial against former general

that unfounded criminalization was evidence Benedicto Lucas, the attorney general

of a lack of judicial independence. unjustiûably dismissed prosecutors from the

In October, Congress appointed more than Human Rights Prosecutor9s Ofûce who had

300 new magistrates for the appellate been assigned to the case. Days later, a

chambers and supreme court of justice, higher court cancelled the trial.

several of whom were alleged to be involved

in corruption and the criminalization of GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

critical voices, according to the media. The government acknowledged state

International experts pointed out that the responsibility for the feminicides of María

process did not meet international standards Isabel Véliz Franco and Claudina Velásquez

for the appointment of these positions and in the early 2000s, as ruled by the Inter-

had been subject to the interests of powerful American Court of Human Rights in 2014

stakeholders. and 2015. The government also committed

to compensate for the deaths of 41 girls who

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS were locked-in during a ûre at a state-run

Local organization Unit for Attacks on Human shelter, Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción,

Rights Defenders in Guatemala registered at

186 Amnesty International Report

in 2017. Criminal proceedings against BACKGROUND

possible perpetrators had not concluded. Sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the

The Comprehensive Sex Education Bill was September 2021 coup were lifted in

still pending approval at the end of the year. February. A draft of a new constitution was

The NGO LAMBDA Association registered presented in July. The transitional regime put

at least 35 killings of LGBTI people from in place since the 2021 coup did not end in

January to November. Same-sex marriage 2024 as previously agreed between the

remained prohibited. authorities and ECOWAS.

The country suffered further repeated

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS power cuts because of an explosion in a fuel

According to ofûcial data, levels of severe depot in December 2023, leading to an

child malnutrition remained high. The increase in the costs of food and fuel for

government initiated dozens of complaints households and affecting businesses.

against the previous administration alleging

misuse of public funds allocated to public FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

services, including health and education. It The May 2022 ban on all protests was still in

announced measures to regulate the force, but demonstrations supporting the

purchase of medical resources and prevent president were allowed. On 17 January, the

shortages that have undermined access to minister of territorial administration

quality healthcare. threatened political parties and civil society

organizations that deûed the ban on protests

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT with the suspension or withdrawal of their

In March, the government published a licences. Despite the ban, protests were

national action plan on gender and climate organized but violently repressed, resulting in

change. In September, the government deaths and serious injuries of protesters.

created the <water cabinet= to coordinate On 26 February the trade union movement

management of water resources, amid began a strike for a reduction in the cost of

concerns over access to clean water. basic necessities, an end to media

censorship and the release of a journalist

trade unionist. In the Tamouya district in

1. <The Entire System Against Us, Criminalization of Women Justice Boffa prefecture, a 17-year-old protester was

Operators and Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala= 23 May ± shot dead, allegedly by security forces.

On 12 March, a power cut in the city of

Kindia sparked protests, in which two boys

GUINEA aged 8 and 14 were shot dead, allegedly by

security forces. The prosecutor of the Court

Republic of Guinea of First Instance of Kindia announced an

investigation into the killings.

û
Authorities intensi ed the crackdown on Between September 2021 and 15 March
1
peaceful dissent. The ban on all protests 2024, at least 47 protesters were killed.

was still in force and security forces used

excessive force to disperse protests. Access FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND

to the internet was restricted, and licences ASSOCIATION

The transitional authorities continued to
of several radio and TV stations were
restrict civic space.
revoked. Activists were arbitrarily detained
On 21 May the minister of information and
or forcibly disappeared. Eight people were
convicted for crimes against humanity in communication ordered the revocation of

the trial about the massacre of 28 licences authorizing the installation and

September 2009. operation of the radio stations FIM FM,

Espace FM, Sweet FM and Djoma FM, as

well as TV stations Djoma TV and Espace TV,

Guinea 187
<for non-compliance with the content of the INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS

speciûcations=. On 5 May, three people died in disciplinary

Internet restrictions imposed in November premises of the gendarmerie and police <due

2023 were lifted in February. to the intense heatwave that the country has

On 2 September, the Ministry of Territorial been experiencing over the past 72 hours=,

Administration and Decentralization according to the Ministry of Justice and

suspended the renewal of NGOs9 operating Human Rights.

licences for four months pending an On 25 June the military prosecutor of

assessment of their activities in line with their Conakry announced the death of former army

status. chief of staff Sadiba Koulibaly on 22 June. He

had been arrested on 4 June and sentenced

ARBITRARY DETENTION to ûve years in prison for <desertion and

4
On 18 January, at least nine journalists were illegal possession of weapons=. The Military

arrested during a protest at the Guinean Court Prosecutor9s Ofûce attributed his death

press house for the <release of jammed to cardiac arrest; his lawyer said that his

media airwaves and the restoration of access client was in good health before his

to social networks in Guinea=. They were incarceration.

released the following day, when another OHCHR warned of detention conditions of

journalist, Sekou Jamal Pendessa was children in Guinea. According to its August

arrested. On 28 February, the Conakry Court report, children 3 often imprisoned without

of Appeal sentenced him to three months in trial 3 live in overcrowded prisons in terrible

prison, including two suspended, but conditions.

released him immediately, as he had already

2
spent a month in detention. RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

REPARATION

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES On 31 July, the Dixinn Criminal Court

On 9 July, Omar Sylla, Mamadou Billo Bah convicted eight people for crimes against

and Mohammed Cissé, all members of the humanity in a trial about the massacre of 28

National Front for the Defence of the September 2009, during which more than

Constitution, were arrested at Omar Sylla9s 150 protesters were killed and over 100

house. According to Mohammed Cissé, who women were subjected to rape and other

was released the next day, they were arrested sexual violence by members of the defence

by gendarmes and detained by members of and security forces.

the special forces on the island of Kassa.

Mohammed Cissé was violently assaulted WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

and said that all three were tortured during According to a 2024 UNICEF report, 95% of
3
interrogation. In a statement issued on 17 girls and women in Guinea aged 15 to 49

July, the General Prosecutor9s Ofûce of the had undergone female genital mutilation.

Court of Appeal in Conakry (the capital), said Survivors of sexual violence continued to

the activists had not been arrested by the face difûculties accessing adequate medical

authorities and that no prison in the country and psychological care.

was holding them. At the end of the year

Mamadou Billo Bah and Omar Sylla

remained forcibly disappeared. 1. Wounded Youth: Care and Justice Urgently Needed for the Victims

On 3 December, journalist Habib of Unlawful Use of Force in Guinea, 15 May ±

Marouane Camara was arrested by 2. <Guinea: Trade Unionist Sékou Jamal Pendessa must be

gendarmes, according to witnesses, and his released=, 23 January (French only) ±

whereabouts remained unknown at the end 3. <Guinea: Urgent investigation needed into enforced

of the year. The authorities claimed they were disappearance of two FNDC activists missing since 9 July=, 30

not informed of his arrest. August ±

188 Amnesty International Report

4. Guinea: Ongoing Human Rights Violations: Submission to the the mission for another year. By year9s end,

49th Session of the UPR Working Group, April-May 2025, 10 there were more than 500 soldiers from the

December ± Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and Kenya, based

in Haiti.

HAITI ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Almost half the population needed

Republic of Haiti humanitarian assistance, with alarming levels

of food insecurity and malnutrition. According

Food insecurity reached an alarming level, to the UN's World Food Programme in

the health system was in a state of collapse September, 2 million faced extreme food

and schools were forced to close because of shortages, acute malnutrition and high

violence. Hundreds of thousands of people disease levels. The health system faced

üed their homes and were at risk as serious challenges that brought it to the brink

displaced people. Criminal gangs continued of collapse. Many hospitals and health

to perpetrate abuses, including against centres had been vandalized and robbed. In

children. Sexual and gender-based violence the capital, Port-au-Prince, only 37% of

increased. Impunity prevailed as the justice health facilities were fully functional and

system struggled to function. The USA and access was difûcult due to the security

the Dominican Republic failed to provide concerns, according to a UN expert. The

international protection to Haitians üeeing education system had also been impacted by

the country and continued forcibly returning the violence, with schools forced to close due

them. to shootings or having been robbed and

burned.

BACKGROUND According to the International Organization

Political instability and violence further for Migration, by October, more than 700,000

weakened state institutions and aggravated people, half of whom were children, had üed

deûciencies in basic services. Various spikes their homes due to violence. Many internally

of violence occurred, including massacres, displaced people faced criminal gang

resulting in increased internal displacement violence and lack of access to food and

and the temporary closure of the Port-au- healthcare.

Prince airport. Several armed gangs grew

stronger and controlled important parts of the UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

country, including strategic infrastructure Abuses by criminal gangs continued

such as ports and airports, exposing the unabated. According to a report by the

population to generalized violence and OHCHR in 2024, at least 5,601 people were

human rights violations.

1 killed, 2,212 people injured and 1,494

In March, after intense pressure, Ariel abducted. Criminal gangs were responsible

Henry resigned as prime minister. In April, a for countless abuses, including against

Presidential Transitional Council was formed children. These included recruitment and

of different political forces. In November, the use, killing and maiming, rape and other

transitional council dismissed the prime forms of sexual violence, attacks on schools

minister appointed in June and appointed and hospitals, abductions and denial of

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime humanitarian access.

minister. In December, at least 180 people were

In June, the ûrst soldiers of the Kenyan killed in a gang-organized attack in Cité
2
police-led Multinational Security Support Soleil.

Mission, approved by the UN Security The UN Secretary-General reported on

Council in 2023, arrived in Haiti. In Haiti for the ûrst time in his Annual Report on

September, the UN Security Council renewed ü

Children and Armed Con ict, stating that the

Haiti 189
UN had veriûed 383 grave violations against

children in Haiti in 2023.

3
HONDURAS

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Republic of Honduras

Sexual and gender-based violence, including

rape, increased in the ûrst half of the year, The militarization of public security
according to a UN report, and <gangs have continued. Conditions in prisons remained
continued to use sexual violence to punish, concerning. Human rights violations
spread fear and subjugate the population=. persisted during the state of emergency and

human rights defenders lacked protection.

IMPUNITY The impacts of climate change exacerbated
The justice system struggled to operate, and the precarious situation of thousands.
human rights violations, crime and corruption Abortion and same-sex marriage remained
continued to go unpunished. prohibited.
The deployment of the Multinational

Security Support Mission in Haiti took place BACKGROUND

amidst serious concerns about the absence The creation of an international commission

of transparency relating to human rights against impunity and corruption was still

safeguards. Information was lacking on the pending.

accountability mechanism for possible

4
human rights abuses and violations. EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF

FORCE
REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS The government took steps to acknowledge

Several countries in the region failed to state responsibility for the persecution and

provide international protection to Haitians repression of social movements and protests

üeeing violence and the disastrous situation in the 1980s and between 2009 and 2021,

in the country. but obstacles to justice persisted.

Haitians faced racism and discrimination. Despite the concerns of human rights

The USA and the Dominican Republic organizations, the government extended the

continued their policy of forcibly and state of emergency aimed at combating

unlawfully returning Haitians and failed to insecurity and organized crime, and

ensure access to asylum for those seeking announced disproportionate new

5
international protection. counterterrorism measures. By October the

In October, new government measures by Ombudsperson (CONADEH) had received

the Dominican Republic tripled the number more than 700 complaints against the police

of deportations. By the end of the year, and security forces since the start of the state

199,170 people had been deported to Haiti of emergency in December 2022.

from the USA and the Dominican Republic.

DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

Overcrowding and the militarization of prisons

1. <Haiti: Severe crisis calls for lasting solutions, not impunity=, 10 continued. UN experts reported that

May ± conditions in many prisons amounted to

2. <Haiti: Justice and protection must follow reports of mass killing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

in Cité Soleil", 11 December ± The government announced the construction

3. <Child protection urged as the Multinational Security Support of a <mega prison=.

Mission deploys to Haiti=, 2 July ±

4. <Haiti: Human rights safeguards and transparency must guide HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

security mission deployment=, 4 June ± Honduras was the most lethal country in the

5. <Dominican Republic: End racist deportations of Haitians=, 8 world for defenders of land and environment,

October ± according to Global Witness. They faced

190 Amnesty International Report

stigmatization, intimidation, arbitrary GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

detention and criminalization, most of which Congress passed a Safe Houses Law for

went unpunished. Attacks mainly occurred in women victims of gender-based violence, but

the context of disputes relating to mining the Integral Law against Violence against

projects, land-tenure insecurity, and Women Bill was still pending at the end of the

violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples year.

and Afro-descendants, including Garifuna

human rights defenders. LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Local organizations raised concerns over Same-sex marriage remained prohibited.

the weakness and ineffectiveness of the There was no progress towards a procedure

national protection mechanism for human for the recognition of gender identity, which

rights defenders. In September, Juan López had been ruled by the Inter-American Court

of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Human Rights.

of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa was

1
shot dead.

In November, the Supreme Court of 1. <Honduras: Water defender killed=, 20 September ±

Justice conûrmed sentences against eight

men responsible for the murder of

Indigenous defender Berta Cáceres in 2016. HUNGARY

By the end of the year, the state had not

signed the Escazú Agreement. Hungary

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS û

A new state of ce targeted civil society
In October, land recovery for the Garifuna
organizations, independent media and
community of Punta Piedra began, as part of activists. Thousands of people üeeing from
the implementation of the ruling by the Inter- Ukraine lost their state-supported housing
American Court of Human Rights. in Hungary. The Court of Justice of the EU

imposed a signi cant û ûne on Hungary for

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT refusing to apply the EU common policy on
Communities in the Gulf of Fonseca reported
migration and denying asylum seekers
negative impacts on their livelihoods caused
access to protection. Repressive legislation
by rising sea levels, coastal erosion and
continued to exert a far-reaching and
environmental pollution. Prolonged drought chilling effect on LGBTI people.
in the Central American Dry Corridor in

western Honduras affected access to water BACKGROUND

and food security. Climate change impacts, The European Court of Human Rights stated
exacerbated by high levels of inequality,
that Hungary had not contravened the
contributed to forced migration from
European Convention on Human Rights by
Honduras.
prohibiting assisted suicide or euthanasia,

including when assistance was given in a

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS foreign state. In January, after years of

Abortion remained prohibited in all conüict with the central administration of the

circumstances and access to the emergency Hungarian courts, 128 judge-delegates

contraception pill was hampered due to
elected 14 new members of the National
limited availability at public health facilities.
Judicial Council tasked with supervising the
The UN Human Rights Committee received a
lawful operation of the central administration
complaint against Honduras about an of courts and the Supreme Court.

Indigenous woman and human rights

defender who was denied an abortion after

she was raped.

Hungary 191
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION member states based on its overall

In February a new authority named the performance, and placed it last in the domain

Sovereignty Protection Ofûce began of gender equality in positions of political and

investigating organizations and individuals economic power.

considered to be a threat to national An EU survey published in November

sovereignty. Its remit gave it broad found that 55% of Hungarian women had

discretionary powers to stigmatize and faced gender-based violence at some point

intimidate those critical of the authorities. The and that 8% were currently living in an

ofûce launched investigations against NGOs, abusive relationship.

including Transparency International

Hungary, and an investigative media outlet. UNLAWFUL TARGETED SURVEILLANCE

Reports published by the ofûce concluded In March the Budapest Metropolitan Court

that Transparency International and other found that the National Authority for Data

civil society organizations served foreign Protection and Freedom of Information had

interests and harmed the political, economic violated the human rights of four citizens

and societal interests of Hungary. targeted by Pegasus spyware, by not

Due to concerns about the activities of the investigating their complaints effectively.

Sovereignty Protection Ofûce, the European

Commission launched an infringement REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

procedure against Hungary and referred the Temporary protection of people üeeing from

country to the Court of Justice of the EU Ukraine was prolonged until 4 March 2025.

(CJEU) in October. Despite several calls from However, the government decided that, after

civil society, the commission did not request 21 August, only pregnant women, children,

an interim measure from the court. The case people living with disabilities, and those aged

was pending at the end of the year. 65 and older üeeing from <active combat

zones= in Ukraine were eligible for state-

INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS supported housing. Approximately 3,000

In November the parliament overturned a people lost their housing as a result of these

ban on physical contact between prisoners changes; most were women with small

and their visitors, which had been in place children, many of them Roma.

since 2017. Although plexiglass separation In June the CJEU imposed a ûne of EUR

screens would remain in some settings, the 200 million (approximately HUF 80 billion)

new rules would allow approximately 5,000 on Hungary for <deliberately evading the

prisoners more intimate and personal contact application of the EU common policy= on

with their loved ones from March 2025. migration by not allowing people to claim

The changes followed a European Court of asylum at the border. Additionally, Hungary

Human Rights decision against the ban in faced a ûne of EUR 1 million (approximately

2023. HUF 400 million) per day. This was to be

applied until Hungary amended legislation

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE allowing often violent pushbacks of asylum

OF FORCE seekers at the country9s borders.

Following a death in police custody in 2018,

the Supreme Court in April repealed the RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL

former judgment acquitting a police ofûcer Hungary made no attempt to implement the

and ordered a new investigation to assess recommendations of the European

whether the police had used unlawful force. Commission9s Rule of Law Report to address

systematic deûciencies in judicial

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS independence, media freedom and the

The 2024 Gender Equality Index, published country9s anti-corruption framework.

by the European Institute of Gender Equality, In December the president of the National

ranked Hungary 26th out of the 27 EU Judicial Council resigned after approximately

192 Amnesty International Report

2,000 judges and court staff protested

against a deal that required their agreement INDIA

to a vaguely worded judicial reform proposal

as a precondition for receiving a salary rise. Republic of India

Judges and judicial organizations described

the deal as <blackmail= and criticized the National ûnancial and investigation
government9s proposal, fearing it could agencies were weaponized against civil
compromise their independence. However, society, human rights defenders, activists,
the parliament adopted some elements of the journalists and critics, further shrinking
reform in December. civic space. Authorities continued to
unlawfully demolish properties belonging to
LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS religious minorities as a means of meting
Adding to its ongoing anti-LGBTI campaign, out extrajudicial punishment. India9s
the government introduced further limitations colonial-era criminal procedure and penal
on publications or products in cases where laws were repealed to bring in new laws that
their <deûning element= was deemed to continued to carry problematic provisions
portray or promote LGBTI themes or such as sedition. Travel restrictions were
sexuality. The changes added to a sense of imposed on academics, journalists and
uncertainty among companies, creating a human rights defenders by suspending their
chilling effect and the likelihood of increased work visas, denying them entry to the
self-censorship. country and cancelling their Overseas
The CJEU held a hearing in November as Citizen of India status. The Election
part of a European Commission infringement Commission conducted state legislative
procedure against Hungary9s anti-LGBTI assembly elections after 10 years in Jammu
<Propaganda Law= of 2021. The law & Kashmir. Manipur continued to reel under
continued to have a far-reaching effect on ethnic violence.
LGBTI individuals and groups, entrenching

negative stereotypes and discriminatory BACKGROUND

attitudes and restricting the right to freedom General elections were held from 19 April to

of expression. Government and European 1 June, against a backdrop of repression of

Parliament representatives from 16 member peaceful protesters and systematic

states intervened at the CJEU hearing. discrimination against religious minorities.

Despite not winning the majority of

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT constituencies, the ruling political party,

Hungary ranked 45th in the Climate Change Bharatiya Janata, started its third consecutive

Performance Index in 2024, placing it among term in government by forming a coalition

the low performers especially on renewable with the National Democratic Alliance.

energy use. While Hungary9s climate policies On 22 January, Prime Minister Narendra

aligned with EU targets, they were vague and Modi inaugurated a Hindu Ram temple in

lacked actionable measures. Despite the Ayodhya town, Uttar Pradesh state, on the

growth of solar panel installations and the site of Babri Masjid, a medieval-era mosque

lifting of a ban on wind turbines, Hungary that was demolished by a Hindu mob in

planned to increase domestic production of 1992. The inauguration ahead of the

fossil gas and extend to 2030 the operating elections was marked by religious tensions in

life of a coal-ûred power plant responsible for the country, leading to incidents of violence

14% of Hungary9s CO2 emissions. against Muslims.

In June the global Financial Action Task

Force (FATF) concluded its fourth evaluation

of India9s efforts to stamp out money

laundering and to counter the ûnancing of

India 193
terrorism. It called on India to ensure that the Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and

restrictive measures it had put in place Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment

around the regulation and monitoring of non- Rules, 2023 3 that had allowed authorities to

proût organizations and their funding follow a label online content as <fake or false or

risk-based analysis in line with the FATF misleading= 3 as unconstitutional.

deûnition. According to the Software Freedom Law

India9s membership of the UN Human Center, a digital rights organization tracking

Rights Council came to an end after two internet shutdowns, authorities imposed 40

consecutive three-year terms. Between 2019 internet shutdowns between January and

and 2024 the country received a total of 83 December in nine states and one union

communications from various UN experts territory. These blanket shutdowns were

and responded to only 20. It had accepted imposed to <maintain law and order= during

only one visit request since 2019 and had 19 episodes of ethnic and communal violence,

pending, including from the UN Special farmer protests and aptitude examinations for

Rapporteur on torture, dating back to 1999. government jobs and higher studies.

Garment workers continued to face major

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND challenges to their right to freedom of

ASSOCIATION association and collective bargaining. Low

The authorities passed laws that criminalized wages and extreme levels of casualization of

dissent, with debilitating consequences for labour were endemic, especially for women

the rights to freedom of expression, and female workers from the Dalit

association, peaceful assembly and fair trial. community.

On 1 July, three laws 3 Bharatiya Nyaya

Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and Human rights defenders

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 3 came Authorities weaponized the central ûnancial

into force. They replaced the Indian Penal and investigation agencies to crack down on

Code, 1860; the Indian Evidence Act, 1872; civil society organizations and human rights

and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1882. defenders. The Foreign Contribution

Claimed to overhaul colonial-era laws, the (Regulation) Act licences of at least seven

new laws retained problematic provisions NGOs were cancelled, preventing the

including sedition. organizations from accessing essential funds.

On 11 April, Apple notiûed several users in On 25 September the Income Tax

India of potential attacks by <mercenary Department cancelled the tax-exempt

spyware=, including the cyber-intelligence registration of Aman Biradari, an NGO

ûrm NSO Group9s Pegasus malware. Iltija founded by activist Harsh Mander.

Mufti, media advisor and daughter of On 1 July a Delhi court sentenced human

Kashmiri political leader Mehbooba Mufti, rights activist Medha Patkar to ûve months9

and Pushparaj Deshpande, founder of the imprisonment in a politically motivated 23-

non-proût organization Samruddha Bharat year-old criminal defamation case ûled by the

Foundation, reported receiving the government-appointed Lieutenant Governor

notiûcations. of Delhi. The sentence was later suspended

Legislative attempts to stiüe freedom of on appeal.

expression were thwarted. Following a public On 17 October the United States

backlash, in August the Ministry of Department of Justice ûled charges of money

Information and Broadcasting withdrew a laundering and murder-for-hire against

draft of the Broadcasting Services Vikash Yadav, an employee of the Indian

(Regulation) Bill, which sought to expand the government. He was accused of involvement

scope of <digital news broadcasters= to in an alleged plot to assassinate Sikh activist

include content creators on social media Gurwant Singh Pannun.

channels. On 20 September the Bombay

High Court struck down the Information

194 Amnesty International Report

Journalists Nadu Goondas Act. On 25 September the

The authorities continued to crack down on Supreme Court ordered his release.

local journalists and imposed travel On 14 May the Supreme Court granted bail

restrictions on foreign journalists by refusing to Gautam Navlakha, a journalist who had

them work visas and cancelling their spent four years in pretrial detention. The

overseas citizenship of India (OCI) status. charges against him, including under the

The OCI status of Vanessa Dougnac, a draconian anti-terror law Unlawful Activities

former South Asia correspondent for various (Prevention) Act (UAPA), related to his

international media organizations, was alleged involvement in the Bhima Koregaon

cancelled for her <malicious and critical= violence. Sixteen human rights activists were

reporting. Avani Das, South Asia bureau chief arrested and eight continued to remain

of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, imprisoned without trial in this case.

and French journalist Sébastien Farcis were On 14 June, Delhi9s lieutenant governor

forced to leave India after the authorities sanctioned the prosecution of Arundhati Roy,

refused to extend their work permits. an internationally celebrated writer, and

On 11 September, Australian ûlmmaker Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a Kashmiri

David Bradbury was denied entry into India academic. They were charged under the

without any explanation. He was interrogated UAPA.

about his documentary on the protests On 6 July, Uttar Pradesh police ûled a ûrst

against the Kudankulam nuclear plant in information report against journalist Zakir Ali

Tamil Nadu state. Tyagi and three others. They were accused of

On 26 November, Uttar Pradesh police <promoting enmity between different groups=

informed the Allahabad High Court that the and <making statements conducive to public

ûrst information report against news website mischief= for posting messages on social

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair media about the lynching of a Muslim man in

included <endangering sovereignty, unity and Shamli district on 5 July.

integrity of India=. The police commenced its

investigation into Mohammed Zubair based ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

on the ûrst information report. Forced evictions

Forced evictions and punitive demolitions of

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS
properties were used by state authorities from
Six students and human rights activists
2020 as a form of collective and arbitrary
remained in detention for their alleged
punishment following episodes of communal
involvement in orchestrating the 2020 Delhi
violence and protests. Between 2020 and
communal violence.
2022, over 2,840 properties, including
In the lead-up to the general elections the
homes and places of worship, mostly
Enforcement Directorate, India9s primary
belonging to Muslims, in various states
ûnancial crime investigation agency, arrested
1
across India were demolished.
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi9s chief minister, and
In November, in two landmark judgments,
Hemant Soren, Jharkhand9s chief minister.
the Supreme Court ruled that arbitrary
They were both members of opposition
demolitions of properties, often instigated by
political parties. The Supreme Court granted
the highest levels of government against
them bail in September. On 8 May, Tamil
Muslims in particular, were <high handed and
Nadu state police arrested YouTuber Savukku
arbitrary= and amounted to <collective
Shankar for making <denigrating comments=
2
punishment=. The court declared them
against women police personnel in
unconstitutional and laid down a series of
Coimbatore city. Following his arrest, a total
due process guidelines.
of 17 ûrst information reports were ûled

against Savukku Shankar, leading to his

administrative detention under the Tamil

India 195
Discrimination across the country. On 14 August,

On 7 March, ahead of the general elections, unidentiûed people attacked hospital staff

the Assam state government suspended the members who were protesting.

granting of no-objection certiûcates for land The media reported 33 incidents of sexual

sales between people belonging to different and physical violence against Dalit women

religions for a period of three months. This between January and September.

raised concerns about discrimination against

Muslims as it effectively restricted them to DISCRIMINATION

living in religiously segregated areas. In a landmark judgment, a court in Karnataka

On 24 September the Uttar Pradesh state convicted 101 people in the 2014

government directed that the names and Marakumbi caste atrocity case and

addresses of operators, proprietors and sentenced 98 people to life imprisonment for

managers must be displayed at all food torching the huts of Dalits.

centres. This directive was despite a In October a 19-year-old Dalit woman in

Supreme Court ruling on 22 July that refused Madhya Pradesh state was burned to death

to enforce a similar directive in Uttar Pradesh after ûling a complaint that she had been

state, holding that it perpetuates identity- sexually harassed. The woman was set on ûre

based discrimination. by the son of the man she had reported to

police for harassment.

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY On 7 February, Uttarakhand state passed

There were numerous incidents of unlawful the Uniform Civil Code, without adequate

use of force against peaceful protesters by legislative and public consultation. It replaced

police ofûcials. religion-speciûc civil laws on personal

Following peaceful large-scale farmers9 matters. The law was seen as targeting the

protests in February in Punjab and Haryana customary rules followed by Muslims while

states, Haryana police unlawfully used not changing any customary rules for the

drones to ûre rounds of tear gas to disperse Hindu community. On 11 March the

protesters. On 21 February, 20-year-old authorities operationalized the Citizenship

farmer Shubhkaran Singh was shot dead Amendment Act, 2019. The Act legitimized
3
during the protest. On the order of the discrimination on the basis of religion by

Punjab and Haryana High Court, a failing to recognize Muslims as asylum

committee was formed to investigate his seekers and refugees.

death. On 30 July the Uttar Pradesh state

Over 1,500 workers from Samsung legislative assembly amended the Uttar

Electronics staged a peaceful protest in Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion

Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state. They of Religion Act. The amendment effectively

demanded the recognition of their newly- criminalized consensual inter-faith marriages

formed union to ensure negotiation over and raised the maximum punishment to life

better wages and work management. In imprisonment.

response, the police detained over 300

protesters. JAMMU AND KASHMIR

At least 51 people in seven states faced Khurram Parvez, a Kashmiri human rights

criminal cases for organizing pro-Palestine defender, remained in detention under

rallies and for posting pro-Palestine content politically motivated charges of terrorism.

on social media. On 23 February, Nitasha Kaul, a British-

Indian professor of Kashmiri origin, was

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS denied entry to India while on her way to

On 9 August, a 31-year-old trainee doctor attend a conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka

was raped and murdered at the RG Kar state.

Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West On 10 May, Aasif Sultan, editor of online

Bengal state, sparking a wave of protests news portal Kashmir Wallah, was granted bail

196 Amnesty International Report

and released from prison after being held for RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

nearly six years. The government lacked adequate disaster

Between 18 September and 1 October, preparedness policies and failed to effectively

and in compliance with the 2023 Supreme respond to üoods and air pollution

Court judgment, the Election Commission exacerbated by climate change. In November

conducted the ûrst legislative assembly the air pollution level in the capital, New

elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the Delhi, put residents9 health at serious risk,

elected government was dissolved in 2019. according to data by the Central Pollution

In June and July, in the lead-up to the Control Board. Assam state remained

elections, four renowned Kashmiri lawyers vulnerable to intense üoods, which killed at

and members of the Jammu and Kashmir least 113 people in July and affected at least

Bar Association were arrested in Srinagar 3.3 million people.

under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety The authorities failed to provide adequate
4
Act (PSA). On 12 July the lieutenant support to marginalized communities

governor of Jammu and Kashmir 3 appointed affected by heatwaves, leaving at least 100

by the central government 3 was given people dead and 40,000 affected. Analysis

absolute control over state governance, by Skymet, a weather services company, said

including local administrative ofûcials, climate change had altered weather patterns,

prisons, prosecutions and law ofûces. including the absence of winter rain, which

On 8 October, journalist Sajad Gul was contributed to declining air quality over the

released after being held for two years under Indo-Gangetic Plains, including Delhi. The

the PSA. Climate Action Tracker rated India9s climate

targets and policies as <highly insufûcient=,

MANIPUR indicating that they are not consistent with

The state government failed to end continued the Paris Agreement9s 1.5°C temperature

ethnic violence between the dominant Meitei limit.

community and the minority Kuki and other

tribal hill communities. At least 32 reported

incidents of gender-based violence were 1. India: <If You Speak Up, Your House Will be Demolished=:

committed against those belonging to ethnic Bulldozer Injustice in India, 7 February ±

tribal communities by members of armed 2. <India: Landmark Supreme Court judgement must serve as a

vigilante groups Arambai Tenggol and Meitei turning point in hate campaigns against Muslims in India=, 13

Lippun. No vigilante group members faced November ±

5
prosecution. Houses were burned and more 3. <India: The price of protest must not be death=, 22 February ±

than 20 people were killed in the state in 4. <India: Authorities must end repression of dissent in Jammu and

November. Kashmir=, 18 September ±

According to media organization The Wire, 5. <India: Authorities 8missing-in-action9 amid ongoing violence and

a 48-minute audio ûle was submitted to the impunity in Manipur state 3 New testimonies=, 16 July ±

Ministry of Home Affairs allegedly containing

discriminatory remarks made by the state9s

chief minister, N. Biren Singh, against the INDONESIA

Kuki tribal community and evidence of his

ofûcial complicity in the ongoing ethnic Republic of Indonesia

violence.

On 22 September, Meitei Lippun

Public protests were met with excessive and
threatened human rights activist Babloo
unnecessary force by police. Journalists
Loitongbam and his family for allegedly were targeted. Freedom of expression
collaborating with the tribal Kuki community continued to be repressed under
during the ethnic violence. problematic laws. Unlawful killings, torture

and impunity continued in Papua.

Indonesia 197
Development projects affecting Indigenous parties to ûeld local candidates. It would also

Peoples lacked free, prior and informed have permitted the son of former president

consent. Concerns were raised about energy Joko Widodo 3 who did not meet the age

policy and the government9s plan for zero requirement for candidacy 3 to run for

net emissions. Research revealed that regional ofûce. Due to the backlash,

intrusive spyware and surveillance parliament withdrew the bill.

technology was imported and deployed by Security forces responded to the

the government. demonstrations, known as the

<#EmergencyWarning= (#PeringatanDarurat)

BACKGROUND protests, with excessive and unnecessary use

In February, Prabowo Subianto was elected of force and arbitrary arrests. At least 344

as the new president. Prabowo Subianto had people were arrested, 152 physically injured

previously been accused of responsibility for and 17 suffered from the effects of tear gas.

human rights violations in the late 1990s, At least one person was subjected to short-

including the enforced disappearance of term enforced disappearance, while 65

activists. There were widespread doubts suffered multiple abuses, including arbitrary
2
about the independence of the election arrest and incommunicado detention. Most

process, including criticism of former of those arrested were subsequently

president Joko Widodo for campaigning on released. Fourteen people were charged

behalf of his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, under the Criminal Code for expressing

despite Gibran not meeting formal hatred and for violence against property. In

requirements for candidacy. The requirement Bandung, West Java province, a video

was later reafûrmed in a Constitutional Court veriûed by Amnesty International showed

ruling. police ofûcers chasing unarmed protesters,

striking them with batons and stamping on

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY them. On 26 August, in Semarang, Central

Security forces employed excessive and Java province, at least 15 university students

unnecessary force against protesters. were hospitalized after police used tear gas to

On 20 May the People9s Water Forum disperse protesters. Children were also

(PWF) 3 an event bringing together a exposed to tear gas used in residential

3
worldwide network of people and areas.

organizations advocating for water as a

human right 3 was violently disrupted by HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

members of a local paramilitary group At least 123 cases of physical assaults, digital

demanding the cancellation of the event. attacks, threats and other forms of reprisals

Video footage showed the group destroying against 288 human rights defenders were

event banners and billboards and physically reported during the year. Human rights

attacking forum participants. They accused defenders lacked adequate legal protection,

the PWF of distracting attention from the leaving them vulnerable to threats and

10th World Water Forum, concurrently intimidation. Very few of those responsible for

hosted by the government in Nusa Dua, the attacks were brought to justice, with only
1
Bali. Not only did the authorities fail to a small number being convicted in court.

prevent the attack, but by year9s end the On 17 July, Yan Christian Warinussy, a

perpetrators remained unidentiûed. senior lawyer and human rights activist in

Between 22 and 26 August, thousands of Papua, was shot and injured by an

demonstrators took to the streets in provinces unidentiûed person in Manokwari, West

across the country to protest attempts by the Papua province. The attack occurred after he

House of Representatives to change the attended a corruption trial involving local

election law, despite a Constitutional Court state auditors at the Manokwari anti-

ruling. The amendment would have corruption court. By year9s end there was no
4
reintroduced higher thresholds for political known progress in a police inquiry.

198 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION year, there had been no reported progress on

In January the Second Amendment to the the case.

Electronic Information and Transaction Law

(EIT) entered into force and included several TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

changes which were deemed insufûcient by Amnesty International documented at least

civil society. There were concerns that the 40 cases of torture and other ill-treatment

Amendment retained criminal sanctions for with at least 59 victims during the year. In

defamation which had been consistently January a police ofûcer allegedly tortured four

utilized to suppress rights defenders and residents from Amasing village, North Maluku

opposition ûgures since the EIT was ûrst province. According to the victims, they were

issued in 2016. travelling to Labuha village when they were

On 8 January, human rights defenders stopped by a police ofûcer, who beat and

Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti were stepped on them and directed others to join

acquitted of criminal defamation charges by in the assault. The police denied involvement

the East Jakarta District Court. They had and refused to reveal the name of the
6
been charged under the EIT law for accused perpetrator.

<spreading false information= via a YouTube In March a 16-second video circulated

video which reported allegations that a showing a Papuan man being tortured inside
7
minister and members of the military were a barrel ûlled with water. The incident was

involved in the mining industry in Papua reportedly part of the torture of three

province. Indigenous Papuan men the previous month.

In March a ruling by the Constitutional A credible source found that the incident

Court declared three articles of the Criminal took place in Puncak Regency, Central

Code and criminal law regulation on Papua province, and stated that the

defamation as unconstitutional. perpetrators were members of the Yonif 300

Raider Braja Wijaya Battalion from West Java

Journalists province, who were sent to Papua for border

Journalists continued to encounter violence patrol. After initially denying involvement, 13

and intimidation. During the ofûcers were named as suspects by the West

<#EmergencyWarning= protests, at least 11 Java military, who claimed the victim in the

journalists in the capital, Jakarta, were video was among Papuan armed separatists

reportedly targeted by law enforcement. who had tried to üee during arrest. He later

Incidents involved acts of intimidation and died and the two other Papuan men were

death threats, as well as psychological and hospitalized. At year9s end, the perpetrators

physical violence, resulting in serious injuries. had not been brought to court.

Three members of the Student Press Institute

in Semarang, Central Java province, suffered UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

breathing problems and lost consciousness In Papua, unlawful killings of civilians

due to exposure to tear gas ûred by police to continued with impunity within the context of

disperse a demonstration. the conüict between the Indonesian military

On 22 August, members of the security and armed separatist groups.

forces were suspected of beating and In May, in its concluding observations, the

threatening to kill a journalist working for the UN Human Rights Committee raised

news outlet Tempo, who was covering a concerns about extrajudicial killings of

demonstration at the Parliamentary Complex. Indigenous Papuans.

Three police ofûcers apparently hit and In August, ofûcers from the Nabire Police

intimidated the journalist at a nearby police Ofûce in Papua arrested Yeremias Magai and

post and forced him to delete the video he Ken Boga on suspicion of murdering a
5
had recorded. Tempo submitted a formal security guard. During their interrogation both

complaint to the police. At the end of the men were allegedly blindfolded and beaten

with bare ûsts and heavy tools including a

Indonesia 199
hammer. Yermias Magai died from his protesting against the project, plain-clothed

injuries. Ken Boga and the family of the individuals continued to intimidate and

deceased maintained their innocence and assault residents guarding a road in Sungai

claimed that the interrogation was an attempt Bulu village. Three people were injured when

to force a confession. The lawyers for the they were hit by a wooden plank and a

victims9 families reported the case to the helmet. Posters expressing opposition to the

Indonesian Commission of Human Rights for project were also damaged.

investigation.

In August a New Zealand helicopter pilot, RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Glen Malcolm Conning, was killed by armed In September the government ûnalized two

group members upon landing in Papua. He major policy documents: the Draft

had been transporting health workers from a Government Regulation concerning the

private company. Amnesty International National Energy Policy (RPP KEN) and the
8
called for a full investigation. In September, New and Renewable Energy (EBET) Bill. The

another New Zealander, Philip Mark documents were deemed crucial for shaping

Mehrtens, a pilot of a small commercial the country9s energy policy. While the

plane, was released after being held for more Ministry of Mineral Energy and Resources

than 19 months by the West Papua National and Commission VII of the parliament agreed

Liberation Army (TPNPB), a pro- on the Government Regulation on RPP KEN,

independence group in the Papua region. parliamentary discussions on the EBET Bill

were ongoing at year9s end.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Civil society organizations raised concerns

The implementation of National Strategic about the two bills, believing that they

Projects 3 projects deemed to have an remained inadequate for a transition towards

exceptional impact on economic growth in net zero emissions. In the RPP KEN, the

Indonesia 3 went ahead in the absence of government lowered the targets for the

sufûcient prior consultation with affected renewable energy mix, adjusting the 2025

communities. In many cases, they lacked the goal from 23% to a range of 17-19%, and for

free, prior and informed consent of impacted 2030 from 26% to a new range of 19-21%.

Indigenous Peoples. The EBET Bill still allowed the development

In March, residents of Sukaraja, Bukit of fossil fuels, as long as it was accompanied

Raya, Pemaluan and Bumi Harapan, largely by carbon capture and storage technology. In

Balik Indigenous Peoples, received a notice addition, both documents lacked social

from the Nusantara Capital Authority impact considerations, leading to fears of

demanding they demolish their properties further land-grabbing for energy projects and

within a week. The authority argued that the prolonging injustice for communities.

homes violated the spatial plan of the

proposed new Indonesian capital and sent a UNLAWFUL TARGETED SURVEILLANCE

consultation invitation to the affected In May, Amnesty International published a

communities only 24 hours before the research report detailing the extensive sales

meeting. The authority later revoked the and use of highly intrusive spyware and

demolition order following objections from surveillance technologies from 2017 until at

residents, who were nevertheless required to least 2023. There were numerous instances

relocate with insufûcient compensation. At of spyware imports or deployments by

the end of the year residents continued to live companies and state agencies, including the

under the threat of imminent eviction. National Police and the National Cyber and

Residents affected by Rempang Eco City, a Crypto Agency. The equipment was sourced

17,000-hectare integrated industrial project from Greece, Israel, Malaysia and

9
in the Riau Islands, faced similar problems. Singapore.

In September, one year after security The Personal Data Protection Law, enacted

personnel violently confronted those in 2022, ofûcially came into force on 17

200 Amnesty International Report

October. However, the authorities had not treatment were widespread and systematic.

fully formulated the implementing Cruel and inhuman punishments, including

regulations, including establishing a üogging and amputation, were

dedicated data protection agency as implemented. The death penalty was used

mandated by the law. arbitrarily, disproportionately affecting

ethnic minorities and migrants. Systemic

impunity prevailed for past and ongoing

1. <Indonesia: Shameful intimidation of participants at People9s crimes against humanity relating to prison

Water Forum in Bali=, 22 May ± massacres in 1988 and other crimes under

2. <Indonesia: Police must be held accountable for repeated international law.

unlawful use of force against peaceful protesters=, 9 Dec ±

3. <Indonesia: <Stop police brutality=, 27 August (only available in BACKGROUND

Bahasa Indonesia) ± In April the UN Human Rights Council

4. <Indonesia: Shooting of human rights defender shows increasing renewed the mandate of the Special

threats in Papua=, 18 July ± Rapporteur on the situation of human rights

5. <Indonesia: The Committee for the Safety of Journalists Condemns in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the

Police Violence Against Journalists During the Protest Against the Independent International Fact-Finding

2024 Regional Election Bill=, 24 August (only available in Bahasa Mission on Iran (FFMI). They and other

Indonesia) ± independent UN experts and international

6. <Indonesia: Investigate Brimob members involved in torturing human rights monitors were denied entry to

South Halmahera residents=, 12 February (only available in Iran.

Bahasa Indonesia) ± In May, President Ebrahim Raisi died in a

7. <Indonesia: Thoroughly investigate torture in Puncak, evaluate TNI helicopter crash. He was succeeded by

placement in Papua =, 3 March (only available in Bahasa Masoud Pezeshkian in July after a low-

Indonesia) ± turnout election in which the Guardian

8. <Indonesia: 8Unlawful killing9 of New Zealand pilot in Papua must Council approved only six out of 80 registered

be investigated=, 6 August ± candidates.

9. Indonesia: A Web of Surveillance: Unravelling a Murky Network of Iran continued to support Hamas, other

Spyware Exports to Indonesia, 1 May ± Palestinian armed groups and Hezbollah. In

April, Iran launched more than 300

munitions at Israel in retaliation for a strike on

IRAN Iran9s consulate in Syria which killed seven

members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards

Islamic Republic of Iran Corps. In October, Iran launched almost 200

ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the

Authorities further suppressed the rights to killings of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader

of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the

freedom of expression, association and
secretary general of Hezbollah. The attack
peaceful assembly. Women and girls, LGBTI
killed a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank
people, and ethnic and religious minorities
experienced systemic discrimination and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In the

violence. Authorities intensi ed their û same month, Israel carried out air strikes on

crackdown on women who de ed û 20 targets inside Iran, killing one civilian and

compulsory veiling laws, the Baha9i four military personnel.

Iran provided military support to the

community, and Afghan refugees and
government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria
migrants. Thousands were arbitrarily
before his ousting on 8 December.
detained, interrogated, harassed and/or
unjustly prosecuted for exercising their Iran provided drones and ballistic missiles

human rights. Trials remained to Russia, which were used against civilian

systematically unfair. Enforced infrastructure in Ukraine.

disappearances and torture and other ill-

Iran 201
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION were widespread and systematic. State

AND ASSEMBLY television aired torture-tainted <confessions=.

Authorities censored media, jammed satellite Several individuals arbitrarily detained for

television channels, and continued to block political reasons in psychiatric facilities were

or ûlter mobile apps and social media subjected to torture and other ill-treatment,

platforms. including through enforced administration of

Authorities continued to ban all pharmaceuticals.

independent political parties, civil society Prison ofûcials and prosecution authorities

organizations and trade unions, and routinely denied prisoners adequate

subjected workers 3 including nurses, healthcare, including for torture-related

teachers and labour rights activists 3 to injuries.

reprisals for striking and peacefully gathering. Several individuals died in custody in

The Internet User Protection Bill, which, if suspicious circumstances, amid credible

enacted, would further violate people9s right reports of torture and other ill-treatment,

to privacy and erode access to the global including beatings and denial of healthcare.

internet, remained pending before Among them was Mohammad Mirmousavi,

parliament. In January, the Supreme Leader who died the day after his arrest in August.

approved a decree prohibiting the use of Authorities initially attributed his death to a

virtual private networks (VPNs) and coercing heart attack, while state media implied that

users to rely on the domestic internet. he died from injuries sustained during an

In June, criminal cases were ûled against altercation before arrest. Authorities only

hundreds of people for publicly criticizing conceded responsibility after a video showing

Ebrahim Raisi after his death. Hundreds of his wounded body led to public outrage. Five

others received intimidating telephone calls, police ofûcers were arrested but no

warnings or summons after authorities information was announced regarding their

declared that <encouraging= presidential prosecution.

election boycotts online was a crime. Prisoners were subjected to cruel and

Authorities subjected families of victims inhuman detention conditions, including

unlawfully killed during the 2022 Woman Life overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, poor

Freedom uprising and the November 2019 ventilation, infestation with mice or insects,

protests to violations for seeking justice. and poor or no access to bedding, toilets or

Authorities subjected protesters, women washing facilities.

and girls defying compulsory veiling laws, The Islamic Penal Code retained

journalists, artists, writers, academics, punishments amounting to torture, including

university students, LGBTI individuals, üogging, blinding, amputation, cruciûxion

members of ethnic and religious minorities and stoning.

and human rights defenders to violations for Courts issued at least 186 üogging

exercising their human rights, including in sentences, according to the Abdorrahman

advance of the two-year anniversary of the Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran.
1
2022 uprising in September. Violations Floggings and amputations were carried out.

included interrogations; arbitrary detention;

enforced disappearance; unjust prosecution ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR

leading to sentences of imprisonment, TRIALS

üogging or ûnes; and suspension or expulsion Trials were systematically unfair, resulting in

from education or employment. arbitrary detentions. Due process violations

included denial of the right to a lawyer from

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES AND the time of arrest, admission of torture-

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT tainted <confessions= as evidence, and

Authorities routinely subjected detainees to summary trials.

enforced disappearance and incommunicado The judiciary, lacking independence,

detention. Torture and other ill-treatment played a central role in entrenching impunity

202 Amnesty International Report

for torture, enforced disappearances and injuries, and denied them adequate medical

other crimes under international law. care.

Impunity prevailed for the arbitrary In September the Guardian Council

detention of foreign and dual nationals held approved the bill on the Law Supporting the

for leverage. In some cases, this practice Family Through the Promotion of the Culture

constituted the crime of hostage-taking. of Chastity and Hijab, further entrenching

The arbitrary house arrest of dissidents discrimination and violence against women

Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi and and girls. The Law was due to be signed by

Zahra Rahnavard entered its 14th year. the president and come into force on 13

December, but its promulgation was

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS temporarily paused.

Authorities continued to treat women as In November, authorities announced plans

second-class citizens, including in relation to to open a clinic in the capital, Tehran, <for

marriage, divorce, child custody, quitting hijab removal= to provide <scientiûc

employment, inheritance and political ofûce. and psychological treatment= for women and

The legal age of marriage for girls girls not complying with compulsory veiling.

remained at 13, and fathers could obtain Those defying compulsory veiling faced

judicial permission to subject their daughters imprisonment, exorbitant ûnes and denial of

to forced marriage at a younger age. access to education and public services.

Authorities used politically motivated The bill Preventing Harm to Women and

charges carrying the death penalty against Improving Their Security Against Misconduct

women human rights defenders. Sharifeh remained pending before parliament. The

Mohammadi was sentenced to death in draft failed to deûne domestic violence as an

2 3
June, and Pakhshan Azizi in July. offence, criminalize marital rape or child

From April onwards, the authorities marriage, or ensure that men who murder

implemented the Noor Plan to intensify their their female relatives face proportionate

crackdown on women and girls who deûed punishments.

compulsory veiling, including through digital

surveillance such as facial recognition DISCRIMINATION

technology, further violating women9s social, Ethnic minorities

economic, cultural, civil and political rights

Ethnic minorities, including Ahwazi Arabs,
and restricting their freedom of movement.
Azerbaijani Turks, Baluchis, Kurds and
Increased security patrols subjected women
Turkmen faced widespread human rights
and girls to harassment and violence in
violations, including discrimination in access
4
public spaces. The crackdown included
to education, employment, adequate housing
barring women university students from
and political ofûce. Under-investment in
education; using dangerous car chases to
regions populated by ethnic minorities
stop women drivers on the road; mass
continued, exacerbating their poverty and
conûscation of women9s vehicles; forced
marginalization.
<morality= classes; imprisonment and
Persian remained the sole language of
üogging.
instruction in primary and secondary
In July, police agents seeking to conûscate
education, despite repeated calls for
a woman9s car to enforce compulsory veiling
linguistic diversity.
laws ûred lethal ammunition towards the
Security forces unlawfully killed and
vehicle, seriously injuring passenger Arezou
injured with impunity scores of unarmed
Badri.
Kurdish cross-border couriers (kulbars)
In August, authorities subjected human
between the Kurdistan regions of Iran and
rights defender Narges Mohammadi and
Iraq, and Baluchi fuel porters (soukhtbar) in
other women prisoners in Evin prison to
Sistan and Baluchestan province.
torture and other ill-treatment, resulting in

Iran 203
Religious minorities remained prevalent, including against

Religious minorities, including Baha9is, children. Hormone therapy and surgical

Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sunni procedures, including sterilization, were

Muslims and Yaresan suffered discrimination mandatory for people changing their legal

in law and practice, including in access to gender.

education, employment, child adoption, Gender non-conforming individuals

political ofûce and places of worship. suffered criminalization and denial of access

Authorities subjected members of religious to education and employment.

minorities to arbitrary detention, unjust

prosecution and torture and other ill- REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

treatment for professing or practising their Afghan nationals faced widespread

faith. discrimination, including barriers to

People born to parents classiûed as education, housing, employment, healthcare,

Muslim by the authorities risked arbitrary banking services and freedom of movement.

detention, torture and other ill-treatment and Ofûcials dehumanized Afghan nationals,

the death penalty for <apostasy= if they fuelling hate speech and violence against

adopted other religions or atheism. them.

Authorities raided house churches and Authorities violently carried out mass

arbitrarily detained Christian converts. arrests and forced returns and boasted of

Members of the Baha9i faith were deporting 850,000 <unauthorized nationals=

subjected to widespread and systematic 3 likely referring to Afghan nationals and

violations, including arbitrary detention, raids people of Afghan origin 3 between March and

on their homes, exclusion from higher November without due process.

education, expulsion from jobs, forcible In October, authorities denied reports that

closure of businesses, conûscation and security forces used ûrearms against scores

destruction of properties, unjust of Afghan nationals at the Iran-Pakistan

prosecutions, and lengthy prison terms solely border, causing deaths and injuries, and

for practising their faith. Baha9i women were failed to carry out effective investigations.

particularly targeted, with dozens subjected

to interrogations and imprisonment. DEATH PENALTY

In January, authorities seized agricultural Hundreds of people were arbitrarily executed.

land belonging to Baha9i families in The death penalty was imposed following

Mazandaran province. In May, they grossly unfair trials, including for offences

bulldozed their rice paddies, destroying crops such as drug trafûcking which do not meet

and irrigation berms. the threshold of the <most serious crimes=

5
Authorities prevented Baha9i burials in a involving intentional killing.

cemetery used by Baha9is for decades. In The death penalty was retained for acts

March, authorities destroyed more than 30 protected by the rights to privacy and

Baha9i graves in the Khavaran mass grave freedom of expression, religion or belief,

site. In August, authorities failed to including drinking alcohol and consensual

investigate after a Baha9i cemetery in Ahvaz, same-sex sexual relationships. <Adultery=

Khuzestan province, was vandalized. (sexual relationships outside marriage)

remained punishable by stoning to death.

LGBTI people Authorities used the death penalty as a tool

LGBTI people suffered systemic of political repression against protesters,

discrimination and violence. Consensual dissidents and ethnic minorities.

same-sex sexual relations remained Oppressed minorities, including Baluchis

criminalized with punishments ranging from and Afghan nationals, made up a

üogging to the death penalty. disproportionate number of those executed.

State-endorsed <conversion therapies= Two individuals, including a youth with a

amounting to torture or other ill-treatment mental disability, were executed in relation to

204 Amnesty International Report

 6 7
the 2022 uprising, in January and August , commander of Bandar Anzali, Gilan province,

after convictions in unfair trials and based on for the killing of a protester and sent the case

torture-tainted <confessions=. Several others back to a lower court for retrial. In March, a

were sentenced to death. military court in Qazvin province reinstated

Authorities continued to sentence to death the death sentence. State media pressured

and execute individuals who were under the the judiciary to release him, claiming that he
8
age of 18 at the time of the crime; scores of had been protecting national security. State

them remained on death row. media subsequently reported that the

judiciary would re-examine the case due to

IMPUNITY <multiple üaws=.

Systemic impunity prevailed for ofûcials Authorities continued to conceal the truth

involved in unlawful killings, torture, enforced surrounding the January 2020 missile strike

disappearance and other crimes under against Ukraine International Airlines üight

international law and grave human rights 752, which killed 176 people. In August, the

violations committed in 2024 and previous Supreme Court quashed the previous military

years. court ruling sentencing 10 ofûcials to prison

A bill amending the law on the use of terms, citing investigative üaws, and sent the

ûrearms was pending before parliament amid case back to the lower court for re-

calls by high-level ofûcials to expedite its examination.

passing. If approved, the bill would allow In March and August, authorities

additional security and intelligence bodies to prevented victims9 families from accessing

carry ûrearms and further entrench impunity the Khavaran mass grave site, which is

for their unlawful use. believed to contain the remains of some of

Security forces unlawfully ûred at people in the several thousand political dissidents

cars with impunity, causing deaths and forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially

injuries, disproportionately affecting the executed in 1988. Some of the ofûcials

Baluchi minority. involved in past and ongoing crimes against

In March, authorities responded to a humanity arising from the 1988 prison

December 2023 Amnesty International report massacres continued to hold high ofûcial

by denying that any ofûcials perpetrated positions.

sexual violence against protesters in the 2022 In June a prisoner exchange deal between

uprising. Separately, they responded to an Iran and Sweden allowed former Iranian

FFMI report by denying its ûndings that prison ofûcial Hamid Nouri, who was

authorities committed the crimes against sentenced to life imprisonment by a Swedish

humanity of murder, imprisonment, torture, court in relation to his role in the 1988 prison
9
rape and other forms of sexual violence, massacres, to return to Iran. The deal

persecution, enforced disappearance and contributed to ongoing impunity for the

other inhumane acts during the uprising. commission of hostage-taking and other

Also in March, the Special Committee for crimes under international law by Iranian

Examining the Unrest of 2022, established by authorities.

the late president, Ebrahim Raisi, issued a

report covering up violations and blaming RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

unlawful killings on <rioters and terrorists=. Authorities failed to address Iran9s

Apart from three ofûcials prosecuted behind environmental crisis, marked by loss of lakes,

closed doors, no one was known to have rivers and wetlands; groundwater depletion;

been prosecuted for the unlawful killing and deforestation; water pollution from discharge

torture of protesters and bystanders during of wastewater into urban water sources; land

the 2022 uprising. subsidence; and air pollution caused, in part,

In January the Supreme Court quashed a by the industrial use of substandard fuels,

death sentence issued by a military court which contributed to thousands of deaths,

against Jafar Javanmardi, the police according to the health ministry, as well as

Iran 205
the closure of schools and businesses in during and in the aftermath of the October

December. 2019 protests. Authorities arrested and

Iran maintained high levels of fossil fuel prosecuted people over <indecent content=

production and subsidies and failed to ü

and sti ed civil society. Journalists were

protect marginalized communities from the harassed, prosecuted and arrested for their

impacts of climate change. media work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The authorities9 mismanagement of water Protests in central and southern Iraq were
resources led to water shortages, particularly met with excessive and unnecessary force.

in the provinces of Khuzestan and Sistan and A draft bill to amend the Personal Status

Baluchestan, home to the Ahwazi Arab and Law threatened to further undermine

Baluchi minorities respectively. Poor water- women9s rights and allow child marriage for

delivery infrastructure in Sistan and girls as young as nine. Violence against

Baluchestan province resulted in several women and girls often went unpunished,

Baluchi villagers, including children, including in the Kurdistan Region.

drowning in dangerous pits used to access Internally displaced people struggled to

water. access housing, water and medical care and

remained at risk of arbitrary detention. The

death penalty was imposed, often after

1. <Iran: Two years after 8Woman Life Freedom9 uprising, impunity for unfair trials, and mass executions were

crimes reigns supreme=, 11 September ± carried out. Rampant overcrowding and

2. <Iran: Woman rights defender at risk of execution: Sharifeh unsanitary conditions in prisons continued.

Mohammadi=, 9 September ± Iraqi authorities failed to address the

3. <Iran: Kurdish woman activist sentenced to death: Pakhshan country9s worsening environmental crisis.

Azizi=, 30 September ±

4. Iran: Testimonies Provide a Frightening Glimpse Into the Daily BACKGROUND

Reality of Women and Girls, 6 March ± Throughout the year, Türkiye carried out air

5. <Iran: Drug-related executions surging in Iran=, 4 April ± and drone strikes on what it said were

6. <Iran: Executions of protester with mental disability and Kurdish positions held by the Kurdistan Workers Party

man mark plunge into new realms of cruelty=, 24 January ± (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I)

7. <Iran: Shocking secret execution of young man in relation to and carried out drone attacks to assassinate

8Woman Life Freedom9 uprising=, 6 August ± individuals it claimed were PKK members.

8. <Iran: Youth arrested at 17 at risk of imminent execution: In January, missiles which Iran9s

Mohammad Reza Azizi=, 24 October ± Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed

9. Iran/Sweden: Staggering Blow to Justice for 1988 Prison were targeting Israeli operations struck

Massacres in Iran Amid Long Overdue Release of Swedish homes in Erbil in the KR-I, killing at least four

Nationals, 18 June ± civilians including one infant girl, and injuring

at least six others, according to the Kurdistan

Region Security Council. Throughout the

IRAQ year, other attacks were launched by the

IRGC targeting anti-Iran Kurdish opposition

Republic of Iraq groups inside the KR-I.

In March and May, Iraq and the KR-I

Impunity prevailed for violations committed experienced signiûcant üooding across

several governorates, primarily due to heavy

in the context of military operations against
rainfall, displacing hundreds of people. At
the armed group Islamic State. The fate of
least eight deaths and 11 injuries were
thousands forcibly disappeared since 2014
remained undisclosed. Justice and reported across the KR-I.

adequate reparations were slow for enforced On 20 October, parliamentary elections

disappearances and unlawful killings initially scheduled for 2022 were held in the

committed by security forces and militias KR-I.

206 Amnesty International Report

Throughout the year the Islamic Resistance members of the security forces and afûliated

in Iraq, a coalition of armed factions under militias accountable, and a complete lack of

the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), transparency surrounding judicial

intensiûed its operations against Israel in a proceedings.

response to Israeli military campaigns in People injured or disabled during the

Gaza and Lebanon, ûring missiles they said protests continued to face signiûcant hurdles

were targeted at military objectives in Israel in accessing ûnancial compensation and

and the occupied Golan Heights. other forms of reparation.

In August an unclaimed rocket attack on a

US base in western Iraq injured at least ûve FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

US personnel and two contractors. A similar The authorities continued to crack down on

attack was launched in October on another freedom of expression, particularly speech

US base in the capital, Baghdad, with no that criticized the authorities, in the name of

casualties reported. stability and <public morality=.

Throughout the year the armed group The authorities continued to conduct

Islamic State carried out attacks targeting arrests for what they called <indecent

and killing members of the Iraqi Security content=, without deûning the term and

Forces as well as civilians, primarily in the prosecuted individuals on the basis of an

governorates of Anbar, Diyala and Salah Al- overly broad and vague Penal Code provision

Din. that criminalized publishing material that

<violates public integrity or decency=.

IMPUNITY Criminal defamation provisions were also

Authorities failed to take steps to reveal the used to deter criticism of powerful political

fate of thousands of men and boys forcibly and religious ûgures. Women9s rights workers

disappeared during and after military and other NGO workers faced judicial

operations to retake control of territory from harassment for their work, while some were

Islamic State, or to hold perpetrators instructed in a meeting with government

accountable for these and other crimes ofûcials not to contribute to the work of UN

committed during operations against Islamic reporting mechanisms.

State. In the KR-I, security forces and individuals

Five years after the lethal crackdown on afûliated with powerful political parties

the October 2019 (<Tishreen=) protests, the continued to intimidate, harass and threaten

authorities failed to deliver meaningful justice journalists and activists for their work. Several

commensurate with the scale of serious journalists were arrested or summoned by

human rights violations committed in the security forces and at least one journalist in

context of the protests, including crimes the KR-I was prosecuted, convicted and

under international law. These included sentenced to a prison term for their media
2
enforced disappearances and the excessive work.

and unlawful use of lethal force by anti-riot In February, Iraq9s parliament held a ûrst

police, counterterrorism forces and members reading of a draft Right to Information Law
1
of the PMU. which would impose excessive restrictions

Of the 2,700 criminal investigations undermining access to information.

opened into the crackdown, by August only The Department of Non-Governmental

10 arrest warrants had been issued against Organizations (DNGO) 3 a government body

suspected perpetrators, and only seven 3 continuously interfered with local NGOs9

convictions handed down, according to Iraq9s programming and activities, as well as the

Supreme Judicial Council. Six high-proûle naming of new NGOs. The DNGO imposed

cases examined by Amnesty International background checks on directors and dictated

revealed serious üaws in the judicial system, their participation in UN review mechanisms.

political interference in the work of the

judiciary, a lack of will to hold powerful

Iraq 207
FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY several improvements from the earlier draft,

Security forces frequently used water including retaining the current legal age of

cannon, tear gas and live ammunition to consent of 18 years, or 15 with a judge9s

disperse largely peaceful protests or sit-ins in permission, for marriage and directing the

central and southern Iraq, which were driven personal status courts to only register

by widespread frustration over lack of marriages that fall within the legal

accountability, government corruption, requirements; however, it retained provisions

economic hardship and poor public services. to develop sectarian codes. The vote on the

In August and September, security forces bill was postponed to 2025.

in Baghdad dispersed peaceful

demonstrators, primarily medical graduates, GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

using water cannon, and in some instances Under Iraqi law, <honour= remained a

violently dragged demonstrators away from mitigating factor in cases of murder and other

government buildings. serious crimes perpetrated against women,

In October, police used live bullets and while corporal punishment of wives by their

tear gas to disperse largely peaceful protests husbands and children by their parents

in Nasiriyah, Thi Qar governorate, resulting in remained permissible. In central Iraq, no

protesters blocking roads and throwing steps were taken to criminalize marital rape

stones. The protests were prompted by or other forms of domestic violence nor to

arrests of local activists and the broader establish shelters for survivors or for women

crackdown on dissent. Demonstrators and girls at risk of gender-based violence.

gathered in Al-Haboubi Square to demand

the release of detained activists and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

resignation of the city9s police chief. In the KR-I, despite some positive steps,

Authorities in Nasiriyah continued to conduct authorities failed to ensure that perpetrators

sporadic arrests and detention of activists in of domestic violence, including in cases of

November, releasing them on bail after murder, rape, beatings and burning, were

several days. held to account. They also imposed arbitrary

restrictions on the freedoms of survivors who

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS sought protection in the underfunded and

3
In August, parliamentarians introduced a deprioritized shelter system.

draft bill to amend the Personal Status Law. Laws criminalizing violent acts against

The amendments, if adopted, would grant women and girls in the KR-I remained wholly

Sunni and Shia religious councils in Iraq the inadequate or were not implemented. In

authority to develop a <code of Sharia rulings courts, slow processes, lack of judicial

on personal status matters=, effectively capacity and judges9 discretionary powers led

threatening women9s and girls9 rights and at best to punishments that were

their equality before the law. It would also incommensurate with the gravity of the

potentially allow girls as young as nine to be crimes.

married, legalize unregistered marriages, and The Kurdistan Regional Government failed

remove penalties for men who enter into to properly fund and support state-run

child marriages and clerics who conduct reporting mechanisms established and

them. It would also remove divorced women9s recognized by the Domestic Violence Law of

rights to remain in the marital home or the KR-I, thus undermining their ability to

receive ûnancial support. Demonstrations to effectively deliver protection services,

oppose the draft bill led by Coalition 188, a including reporting, legal advice, family

network of NGOs and activists, took place in advice centres, counselling and psycho-

Baghdad, Basra, Thi Qar, Babil, Kirkuk, social care, as well as safe spaces that

Diwaniyah and Najaf. enable survivors to make informed decisions

On 2 December an amended version of about their safety and well-being.

the draft bill was made public. It included

208 Amnesty International Report

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS following trials that did not meet fair trial

In April, Iraq9s parliament passed a law standards.

criminalizing same-sex sexual relations The authorities carried out several mass

between consenting adults, punishable with executions, which were shrouded in secrecy.

prison sentences of between 10 and 15 Prison authorities failed to notify lawyers

years. The law also penalized <promoting= and relatives prior to carrying out executions

same-sex relations, transgender expression or and verbally demeaned families who came to

acting <effeminate=. The law was a further collect their loved ones9 bodies. On at least

blow to LGBTI people, who have also faced one occasion, militias prevented a family

persecution from militias operating with from holding a funeral, due to the executed
4
impunity. person9s perceived afûliation with Islamic

State.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Approximately 1.1 million Iraqis remained INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS

internally displaced and struggling to access Conditions in prisons remained dire, and

their rights to housing, water and medical prisoners were denied adequate healthcare.

care. Among these, about 134,369 Prisoners were detained in overcrowded and

individuals were still living in formal camps, unsanitary conditions amid reports of dirty

primarily in the KR-I. In January, Iraqi drinking water and food infested with worms.

authorities set a deadline of 30 July for the No effective investigations were carried out

KR-I to close the remaining camps for into deaths in custody.

internally displaced people and to stop

providing aid. However, the camps remained RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

open at the end of the year. Iraqi authorities failed to address a worsening

Internally displaced people continued to environmental crisis marked by severe water

face serious obstacles to obtaining civil status shortages, air and water pollution, and the

documentation, hindering their access to destructive effects of climate change.

public services including health and Poor governance and inadequate policies

education. enabled mismanagement of water resources,

Iraqi security forces subjected internally exacerbated by unresolved disputes with

displaced people in Al-Jed9ah Centre for neighbouring countries over water rights.

Rehabilitation 3 the last operating camp Urban and industrial pollution, largely

outside the KR-I 3 to arbitrary arrests, torture unchecked due to weak regulations 3

and enforced disappearances. Security combined with environmental degradation

forces subjected those that were detained to from years of conüict 3 further endangered

beatings, electric shocks and waterboarding, public health. Ineffective waste management

and concealed their whereabouts from their and deforestation intensiûed dust storms and

families for periods lasting from days to waterborne diseases, disproportionately

months. Security forces frequently arrested affecting vulnerable populations, particularly

individuals based on family connections or displaced people.

personal disputes, and detainees were

denied fair trials, with many coerced into

5
making <confessions= under duress. 1. Iraq: <We Hold Them Responsible for the Blood of Our Youth=: Five

Years On, Impunity Prevails for Violations against Tishreen

DEATH PENALTY Protesters, 30 September ±

Iraq continued to sentence people to death 2. <Iraq: Authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq must

and carry out executions of people convicted immediately end their assault on press freedom=, 2 May ±

of terrorism, murder and drug offences. 3. Daunting and Dire: Impunity, Underfunded Institutions Undermine

Courts frequently issued death sentences, Protection of Women and Girls From Domestic Violence in the

particularly for those accused of <terrorism=, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 3 July ±

Iraq 209
4. <Iraq: Authorities must urgently repeal new law criminalizing compared with the mitigation focus of most

same-sex relations=, 29 April ± climate ûnance initiatives 3 and its

5. <Iraq: People held in Al-Jed9ah Centre subjected to torture and channelling of funding to least developed

enforced disappearance after arrests 3 new investigation=, 29 countries and small island developing states.

October ±

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

AND ASSEMBLY

IRELAND Human rights experts expressed concerns at

the proposed use of facial recognition

Ireland technology in policing due to its chilling effect

on the right to freedom of assembly and

The government committed to banning association. They feared that this technology

trade from illegal settlements in the would enable mass surveillance and

Occupied Palestinian Territory. Plans to use discriminatory targeted surveillance, posing a

facial recognition technology in policing disproportionate risk to racialized people.

raised concerns over mass and Also of concern was a lack of publicly

discriminatory surveillance. A government- available policies and guidelines on the

appointed commission recommended policing of protests, in a context where

radical action to address the worsening unlawful use of force against peaceful

housing crisis. protesters had been reported.

The ongoing impact of the Electoral Act on

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY the advocacy work of a wide range of civil

In October the government undertook to society organizations remained worrying due

enact legislation banning trade in goods and to its restrictions on access to funding.

services from illegal settlements in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory. This decision SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

followed the International Court of Justice9s In October, legislation came into force

July Advisory Opinion on the unlawfulness of prohibiting conduct amounting to attempted

Israel9s occupation. <inüuence or intimidation= of people arriving

Also in October an Oireachtas at abortion care clinics. The Health

(parliamentary) committee published a report (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe

on mental health and other harms caused to Access Zones) Act 2024 aimed to ensure the

children by social media. It called for a legal integrity and rights of people accessing

requirement that online platforms9 content abortion services.

recommendation systems be switched off by The government failed to address gaps

default for children under 16 years, and for identiûed in its 2023 review of the Health

stronger enforcement by Irish authorities. (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act

2018. As a result, the risk of delay or denial

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT of care to those needing abortions continued.

In November the Sustainable Energy

Authority of Ireland reported that, despite WORKERS9 RIGHTS

progress in the deployment of renewable Despite a statutory requirement, the

energy, signiûcant gaps remained in Ireland9s government again failed to publish a review

efforts to meet its own legally binding carbon of the 2017 law criminalizing the purchase of

budgets, energy efûciency commitments, and sex, which also retained the <brothel-

renewable energy targets. keeping= offence criminalizing sex workers

In July the Organisation for Economic Co- working together, even if for their own safety.

operation and Development9s assessment of Sex workers and civil society organizations

Ireland9s climate ûnance strategy expressed concern that the law remained in

acknowledged its focus on adaptation 3 as force despite evidence that it exposed sex

210 Amnesty International Report

workers to a higher risk of violence and other racism against the Traveller and Roma

abuse. communities.

The Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act

RIGHT TO HOUSING came into force in December, increasing

The crisis of housing availability and sentences for certain crimes proven to be

affordability continued, with record numbers motivated by hatred.

experiencing homelessness, including

children. In March, the UN Committee on

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ISRAEL AND THE

criticized the continued lack of culturally

appropriate housing for Travellers and Roma. OCCUPIED

In May, the government-appointed

Housing Commission9s review of housing PALESTINIAN

policy found <ineffective decision-making=

and high public expenditure relative to other TERRITORY

European states. It recommended a <radical

strategic reset of housing policy=. It also State of Israel

proposed wording for the constitutional

referendum on housing promised by the Israel committed genocide in Gaza,

government but not held by year9s end. including by causing some of the highest

known death tolls among children,

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS journalists, and health and humanitarian
The government failed to revise its plan for ü
workers of any recent con ict in the world,
phasing out the inadequate <direct provision= ü
and deliberately in icting on Palestinians
asylum accommodation system. Due to lack conditions calculated to bring about their
of availability, and as a lower priority group, ü
physical destruction. Armed con ict with
thousands of single male asylum seekers Lebanon caused civilian deaths and mass
were left without accommodation; many were displacement. Israel committed the crime
forced to sleep rough. In August, the High of apartheid, including through the forcible
Court ruled that the state failed in its duty to transfer and displacement of Palestinians
provide for their basic needs. both in Israel and in the Occupied

Palestinian Territory. State-backed violent

RIGHT TO HEALTH settlers enjoyed impunity while
In September, civil society organization conscientious objectors were imprisoned.
Transgender Equality Network Ireland Hundreds of Palestinians were killed in
published research into transgender and militarized arrest raids in the occupied West
non-binary people9s experiences of general Bank. Thousands of Palestinians were
and gender-afûrming healthcare services. It subjected to arbitrary detention and to ill-
found long waiting lists for, and negative treatment, amounting to torture in many
mental health effects from, the specialist cases. The International Court of Justice9s
National Gender Service. It also found instructions to avert genocide and end
frequent pathologization and lack of illegal occupation were ignored. Freedom of
knowledge among general healthcare expression and peaceful assembly came
providers. under attack.

DISCRIMINATION BACKGROUND
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Israel entrenched its military occupation of

Cultural Rights and the Council of Europe9s the Gaza Strip and West Bank through the

Commissioner for Human Rights expressed expansion and fortiûcation of military zones,

concern at persistent discrimination and and of settlements in the West Bank. In

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory 211

November, Prime Minister Benjamin year. Based on reports from doctors treating

Netanyahu dismissed the then defence traumatic injuries to the lower limbs, head

minister, Yoav Gallant, citing disagreements and spine, the WHO calculated in July that

over indeûnite direct Israeli military control of around 25% of those injured in Gaza would

Gaza and recruitment of Haredi (ultra- have acute and ongoing rehabilitation needs

orthodox) Jews to the army. for years.

The conüict between Hezbollah, a Some 90% of Gaza9s population were

Lebanon-based armed group, and Israel displaced, most of them multiple times. On 6

escalated signiûcantly. On 23 September the May, Israel began a large-scale military

Israeli military launched Operation Northern operation in eastern Rafah that extended to

Arrows. On 1 October, Israel began a ground the whole governorate, despite warnings of

invasion into southern Lebanon. On 27 catastrophic humanitarian consequences

November, an Israel/Lebanon ceaseûre deal and a legally binding order from the

was signed. International Court of Justice (ICJ) to refrain

In April and October, Israeli attacks on from doing so. The operation displaced 1.2

Iranian targets killed senior military ofûcers, million Palestinians living there, the vast

and Iranian forces launched missiles towards majority of whom were already internally

Israel, which killed one Palestinian man in displaced. It also closed and destroyed much

Jericho, a city in the eastern part of the West of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Bank. Following repeated mass <evacuation=

orders, on 6 October Israeli forces ordered

VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL the displacement of the remaining 300,000

HUMANITARIAN LAW Palestinians from North Gaza governorate.

Armed conflict in Gaza More than 1 million people, half of whom

were children, were living in tents during

Israel perpetrated the crime of genocide in
winter, according to the Norwegian Refugee
Gaza by killing Palestinian civilians, causing
Council. Five newborn babies died of
serious bodily or mental harm, and
hypothermia between 24 and 29 December,
deliberately inüicting conditions of life
according to the UN Relief and Works
calculated to bring about Palestinians9
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
physical destruction by causing mass forced
East (UNRWA).
displacement, obstructing or denying life-
Israeli forces attacked hospitals, medical
saving aid, and by damaging or destroying
staff and humanitarian workers, killing scores
1
life-sustaining infrastructure.
in drone and artillery attacks and air strikes.
Israeli attacks during the year caused at
Of Gaza9s 36 hospitals, only 17 were still
least 23,000 immediate fatalities, according
partly functional at the end of the year, due to
to the Health Cluster and WHO in the
Israeli attacks. An Israeli raid on Kamal
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Some
Adwan hospital on 27 December put the last
60% of those killed were women, children
major health facility in North Gaza out of
and older people. The high civilian death toll
service, while its director, Hussam Abu
was a result of direct, disproportionate or
Saûya, was arbitrarily detained along with
indiscriminate attacks. On 16 April, 15
240 other personnel and patients.
civilians on Market Street in Al-Maghazi
All humanitarian organizations reported
refugee camp, central Gaza, were killed
excessive Israeli restrictions and delays on
deliberately in an Israeli air strike. They
approvals of aid transfers. For example,
included 10 children playing around a
Médecins Sans Frontières said in December
football table. One of the children had
that negotiating the import of essential
previously üed Gaza City with his family to
refrigeration for medical items took ûve
2
avoid starvation.
months, and that sterilization equipment was
OCHA reported that 52,214 Palestinians
blocked at the border. As a result of the
suffered conüict-related injuries during the
Israeli military siege, 96% of Gaza9s 1 million

212 Amnesty International Report

children were malnourished, and some 100 people and displaced an estimated

60,000 children under the age of ûve 63,000 residents of northern Israel. In

suffered acute malnutrition by the end of the October, after Israel9s ground invasion of

year. Nearly 2 million people faced critical to southern Lebanon, Amnesty International

catastrophic food insecurity, according to the documented three Hezbollah rocket attacks

Integrated Food Security Phase Classiûcation that killed eight civilians, injured at least 16,

(IPC). At least 34 people died of starvation and which may constitute war crimes.

between April and June, according to UN

reports. APARTHEID

On 28 October the Knesset passed a law Forcible transfer

prohibiting contact between Israeli ofûcials,

OCHA reported that in the West Bank,
such as those managing aid transfer
including East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities
approvals, and UNRWA, the main agency
demolished 1,763 buildings, permanently
providing aid, education and health services.
displacing some 4,500 Palestinians, the
The law prohibited UNRWA from operating in
highest ûgure in one year since 2009.
East Jerusalem and Israel and closed the
Israel continued its campaign of destroying
3
organization9s headquarters.
Palestinian villages in the West Bank.
Israeli soldiers carried out wanton
According to the NGO B9Tselem, the Israeli
destruction without imperative military
military administration subjected the
4
necessity. Areas particularly affected
populations of six Palestinian villages in the
included the eastern perimeter, amounting to
West Bank to forcible transfer by demolishing
16% of Gaza and particularly its productive
their homes, and threatened at least 40 more
agricultural land, and the towns of Khuza9a in
communities, each with several hundred
the south and Shuja9iya in the north.
inhabitants, with the same fate. Israeli forces
The conüict reduced Gaza9s water supply
allowed or encouraged settlers to terrorize the
to less than 5 litres a day per person
inhabitants with impunity and sometimes
throughout the year. Oxfam reported in July
participated in the violence.
that severe water shortages were caused by
Israel established 43 new settlements in
systematic destruction of Gaza9s water and
the West Bank in addition to around 330
sanitation infrastructure. All sewage
established in previous years, according to
treatment facilities had been destroyed by the
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-occupation
end of June and heavy machinery was
organization. Some 2,400 hectares of land in
broken at southern Gaza9s main landûll site.
the West Bank were declared Israeli state
The WHO reported that 727,909 people,
land, the largest conûscation of territory in
particularly children, had been affected by
the OPT since 1992.
water- and sanitation-related diseases such
Within Israel, the Ministry of National
as hepatitis A by 28 May.
Security announced in November that there
All of Gaza9s universities and colleges,
had been a 400% increase in demolitions of
along with hundreds of mosques and three
Bedouin homes in the Negev/Naqab region
churches, were damaged or destroyed. Most
in southern Israel since the start of the year,
schools were transformed into shelters for
compared to the number of demolitions in
displaced people and in November UNICEF
2022. On 8 May, 300 Palestinian Bedouin
reported that 95% of school buildings had
citizens of Israel were made homeless when
sustained damage.
the authorities demolished their village, Wadi
6
al-Khalil, without proper consultation. On 3
Armed conflict with Hezbollah
June, 500 Bedouin of Ras Jrabah village
Throughout the year, Hezbollah repeatedly
were ordered by a district court to demolish
ûred unguided rockets into populated civilian
their own homes and move to a government-
areas of Israel, killing and wounding civilians
approved unûnished township under a
and damaging and destroying civilian
separate, Bedouin-only authority. On 14
5
homes. Hezbollah attacks killed more than

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory 213

November, all remaining infrastructure and UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

the mosque in Umm al-Hiran were According to the Committee to Protect

demolished by militarized police units. The Journalists, which investigated cases where

Israeli authorities said that the demolitions journalists were killed in connection with their

were necessary to make way for new or work, Israeli attacks killed 74 Palestinian

expanding Jewish communities. journalists in the OPT.

The Deportation of Families of Terrorists According to OCHA, some 487

Law, passed on 7 November, allowed the Palestinians, including 90 children, were

removal of Israeli citizenship or Jerusalem killed during militarized arrest raids in the

residency from family members of detainees towns of Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus and Tubas

alleged to have <supported terrorism= or in the northern West Bank. Israeli authorities

people who have been convicted of security did not investigate the apparently unlawful
7
offences: a form of collective punishment. killings.

The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law Settlers killed six Palestinians and injured

(Temporary Order), nearly continuously 356, according to OCHA, mostly in rural

renewed since 2003, continued to put certain localities such as the hills south of Nablus,

categories of Palestinians at risk of the South Hebron Hills, and in areas of East

statelessness. Jerusalem and Hebron. State-backed settler

violence contributed to the forcible transfer of

8
Freedom of movement the Palestinian population.

Some 3,500 children from Gaza with chronic

illnesses, who had been scheduled to receive ARBITRARY DETENTION

treatment in the West Bank after 7 October Israeli forces arrested more than 10,000

2023, had their permits cancelled. Twenty- Palestinians and subjected Palestinians from

two patients from Gaza, including ûve Gaza to enforced disappearance or

9
newborn babies, who had been in Israeli or incommunicado detention. According to the

East Jerusalem hospitals in 2023, were sent NGO Hamoked, some 5,262 Palestinians

back to Gaza following an order issued on 19 were held without charge or trial at the end of

June without receiving the medical care for the year: 3,376 under administrative

which they had been referred. detention orders and 1,886 under the

OCHA counted 793 roadblocks and Unlawful Combatants Law.

checkpoints in the West Bank, obstructing In November the defence minister

Palestinians9 movement between Palestinian announced that Israel would no longer issue

villages and towns, and delaying access by administrative detention orders against

emergency services. Military permission, Jewish settlers.

previously granted twice yearly for accessing At least 10 of 156 Palestinian citizens of

privately owned agricultural land, was Israel arrested in 2023 on vague and

cancelled entirely, affecting farmers in 105 overreaching charges of <persistent

locations in the West Bank. The Israeli army consumption of terrorist materials= 3 based

sealed off large towns and refugee camps in on allegations that they had viewed footage

the northern West Bank and placed them from Gaza on social media 3 remained in

under curfew for days during raids. The WHO pretrial detention in February, according to

recorded twice as many incidents of the NGO Mossawa Centre.

obstruction of medical responders in the

West Bank compared to the previous year. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Some 100,000 Palestinian workers in the Released detainees and prison staff speaking

West Bank had their permits to work in Israel as whistle-blowers testiûed to the routine use

cancelled. New permits were rarely issued. of severe physical violence, including sexual

assault and rape, against Palestinian

detainees in all detention facilities. The denial

of sufûcient food, water, sleep, daylight and

214 Amnesty International Report

medical treatment was systematic. At least Sanctions imposed on individual armed

54 Palestinian detainees died in custody, Jewish supremacist settlers and speciûc

according to the Palestinian Prisoners settler organizations by France, the UK and

Society. Adnan Al-Bursh, a leading the USA at the start of the year did not

orthopaedic surgeon in Gaza, died in Ofer appear to have deterred further acts of state-

Prison in the West Bank in mid-April without backed settler violence or the complicity of

being charged with a criminal offence. Israeli soldiers in the settlers9 attacks.

Eyewitnesses said he had been severely

beaten. WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

The Military Advocate General opened 44 Pregnant and breastfeeding women were

criminal investigations into deaths in disproportionately affected by the

detention and eight into allegations of torture, humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. According

leading to just one indictment. to the IPC, 16,500 pregnant and

The Israeli authorities suspended visits breastfeeding women in Gaza were acutely

from the ICRC and detainees9 families to malnourished. Women and girls faced

Palestinians in Israeli detention, contributing diseases due to the destruction of sanitary

to lack of accountability around the treatment infrastructure and the majority of health

of detainees. facilities including maternity and neonatal

wards.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND Domestic and gender-based violence

REPARATION increased both in Israel and in Gaza in the

Israeli authorities failed to independently, context of mass displacement and armed

effectively and transparently investigate conüict.

violations of international law committed by

Israeli forces, including possible war crimes FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY

and genocide in Gaza, and unlawful killings Palestinian citizens of Israel faced arrest and

in the West Bank. No independent discrimination when they expressed their

investigators were allowed into Gaza. opposition to the Israeli forces9 attacks on

On 26 January, 28 March and 24 May, the Gaza. Human rights lawyer Ahmad Khalefa

ICJ ordered Israel to implement provisional was released to house arrest in February after

measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. Israeli spending 110 days in pretrial detention for

authorities repeatedly ignored such orders. organizing anti-war protests in October 2023.

On 19 July the ICJ found that the Israeli The charges against him of <incitement to

occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal terrorism= and <identifying with a terrorist

under international law. organization= were unsubstantiated,

On 21 November the ICC issued arrest according to the NGO Human Rights

warrants against the prime minister Benjamin Defenders Fund.

Netanyahu, the then defence minister, Yoav The Mossawa Centre said in June that it

Gallant, and one Hamas leader for war had received some 400 requests for

crimes and crimes against humanity. assistance from workers who were dismissed

The UN Independent International by their Israeli employers, especially the Clalit

Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied health provider, for social media posts

Palestinian Territory continued to be barred opposing Israeli attacks on Gaza.

from entering Israel and the OPT. It received Thousands of Jewish Israelis held

no response from the Israeli government to demonstrations against the government. They

15 requests for information and reported that were met with police water cannon, and

the Israeli government had told Israeli doctors dozens were arrested. On 2 September the

not to cooperate with its investigation into ûnance minister applied a court injunction to

Palestinian ûghters9 war crimes in southern block the Histadrut, Israel9s largest trade

Israel. union, from calling a one-day general strike

in support of the protesters. On 22

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory 215

September, Israeli forces raided and shut Al

Jazeera9s ofûces in Ramallah, having closed ITALY

the broadcaster9s ofûces in Jerusalem

months earlier. Israeli authorities continued to Republic of Italy

ban foreign journalists from entering Gaza,

and the Israeli Supreme Court turned down There were new reports of torture by prison
petitions by the Foreign Press Association û
of cers. Violence against women continued
requesting access. at an alarmingly high level. Racialized and

LGBTI people continued to experience

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS9 RIGHTS racism and discrimination, including by
Nine Jewish and two Palestinian citizens of û
state of cials. Italy attempted to send
Israel were jailed for refusing to serve in the asylum seekers rescued at sea to Albania, to
army based on their objections to military have their claim examined outside of the
occupation, apartheid and genocide against country. Police used excessive and
Palestinians. Two of them, teenagers Tal unnecessary force against protesters on
Mitnick and Itamar Greenberg, were multiple occasions and limited people9s
imprisoned for six months. right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
About 10% of the population lived in
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT absolute poverty. Barriers to abortion
In June the UN Environment Programme persisted. Human-induced climate change
noted that debris from mass destruction of caused an extreme heatwave in July.
infrastructure, white phosphorus ordnance

and industrial and medical waste was TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT
releasing extremely high levels of hazardous Thousands of detainees endured

substances in Gaza. It estimated that, were substandard conditions in overcrowded and

bombing to cease immediately, it would take dilapidated cells. There was concern that

45 years to clear and recycle the debris and such conditions contributed to the rising

waste. number of suicides among detainees,

numbering 83 as of 20 December.

Conditions in migrant repatriation centres

1. Israel/OPT: <You Feel Like You Are Subhuman=: Israel9s Genocide also failed to meet international standards,

Against Palestinians in Gaza, 5 December ± with people held in bare cages with concrete

2. <Israel/OPT: Israeli air strikes that killed 44 civilians further furniture, inadequate hygiene facilities and

evidence of war crimes 3 new investigation=, 27 May ± lacking meaningful activities.

3. <Israel/OPT: Law to ban UNRWA amounts to criminalization of In April, prosecutors revealed that 13

humanitarian aid=, 29 October ± prison ofûcers had been arrested and eight

4. <Israel/OPT: Israeli military must be investigated for war crime of suspended on allegations of torture and other

wanton destruction in Gaza 3 new investigation=, 5 September ± violations against children in Milan juvenile

5. <Israel: Hezbollah9s use of inherently inaccurate weapons to prison. Two former prison directors were also

launch unlawful attacks violates international law=, 20 December being investigated for failure to prevent and

± report the abuses, which spanned years.

6. < Israel/OPT: Over 300 Palestinian Bedouin face forced evictions

following mass home demolitions in Negev/Naqab=, 9 May ± VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

7. <Israel/OPT: Palestinians face drastic escalation in unlawful There were 95 killings of women in domestic

killings, displacement as Israel launches West Bank military violence incidents, with 59 killed by their

operation=, 28 August ± partners or former partners.

8. <State-backed deadly rampage by Israeli settlers underscores In February, the CEDAW Committee

urgent need to dismantle apartheid=, 22 April ± expressed concern at the <high prevalence of

9. <Israel must end mass incommunicado detention and torture of gender-based violence against women= and

Palestinians from Gaza=, 18 July ±

216 Amnesty International Report

its under-reporting. It also noted that the capital, Rome, and Pian del Lago in

deûnition of rape was not consent based. Caltanissetta, and found that some asylum

seekers and migrants were subjected to

DISCRIMINATION unlawful administrative detention, leading to

Two international bodies, the UN concerns that similar violations might occur
2
International Independent Expert Mechanism in other centres.

to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the The accelerated border procedures

Context of Law Enforcement, and the introduced in 2023 to examine asylum

European Commission against Racism and applications from people coming from

Intolerance (ECRI), published reports in countries regarded by Italy as <safe=

September and October respectively, continued to be challenged in the courts.

describing how Roma, Africans and people of

African descent, migrants and LGBTI people Cooperation with Albania, Libya and Tunisia

continued to be subjected to racism and In October, Italy started to implement the

discrimination, including by state ofûcials. 2023 protocol with Albania, aimed at

Both bodies lamented the systemic processing asylum claims by people from

practice of racial proûling by law enforcement countries deemed <safe= in extraterritorial

ofûcials, with the UN mechanism noting that detention centres in Albania. Twenty-four

law enforcement was tainted by a <pervasive men rescued at sea by the Italian navy were

presumption of criminality= towards Africans taken to Albania, where they had their

and persons of African descent. ECRI was asylum claims rejected in under 48 hours.

concerned about xenophobic, homophobic However, a court in Rome declined to

and transphobic speech, including from validate the detention orders, arguing that the

politicians and public ofûcials. asylum seekers9 countries of origin could not

In May, the European Committee of Social be regarded as <safe= and requiring Italy to

Rights found that Italy had violated the allow the men into Italian territory and release

European Social Charter with respect to the them. An EU Court of Justice ruling on the

right to housing of Roma, who continued to matter was pending at year9s end. The

experience discrimination in accessing government tried to discredit the judges who

adequate housing, faced forced evictions and did not validate the detention orders,
3
lived in segregated and substandard undermining their independence.
1
conditions. Italy continued to support Libya to contain

people in that country, despite evidence of

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS serious human rights violations against

Some 1,700 people died at sea along the refugees and migrants there. Italy9s

central Mediterranean route, while trying to assistance to Tunisia to establish its search

reach Europe. Most had departed from Libya and rescue region raised concerns that it

and Tunisia. would lead to further interceptions and

In July, prosecutors indicted six customs disembarkations in Tunisia of people at risk of

police and coastguard ofûcers for failing to persecution there.

prevent a shipwreck near Steccato di Cutro, In June, the Civil Tribunal of Rome ordered

Calabria, in February 2023, when at least 94 Italy to pay reparations of EUR 15,000 each,

people, including 34 children, drowned in and grant the right to enter Italy, to the

Italian territorial waters. The inquiry indicated survivors of an unlawful return by boat to

that a decision by the Ministry of the Interior Libya in 2018.

in 2019 to deploy rescue assets less promptly

to boats of refugees and migrants Criminalization of solidarity

approaching Italian coasts might have In April, the Trapani Tribunal acquitted all

contributed to the preventable loss of life. defendants and dismissed the case against

In April, Amnesty International visited the the crews of the Iuventa and other NGO

repatriation centres in Ponte Galeria in the rescue ships for facilitating irregular

Italy 217
migration. The court stressed that the Iuventa ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

crew acted to save lives under the direction In October, the National Institute for Statistics

of Italian authorities. (ISTAT) revealed that in 2023 nearly 10% of

In May, three UN special procedures the population (2.2 million families or 5.7

raised concern about Italy9s restrictions on million individuals) was living in absolute

the activities of human rights defenders poverty. Families comprising at least one

rescuing lives at sea. Nevertheless, Italy foreign national were disproportionately

continued to obstruct their life-saving work. affected, representing over 30% of those in

In September, the authorities instructed the absolute poverty.

Médicins Sans Frontières rescue ship Geo Insufûcient investment in the national

Barents to disembark people in Genoa rather health service led to growing inequalities in

than in the closest safe port. They also halted the enjoyment of the right to health. Data

the ship9s operations for 60 days for, in their published in April by ISTAT showed that in

view, not cooperating with Libyan authorities 2023 economic reasons and the length of

and alleged technical breaches. waiting lists were among barriers leading 4.5

million people to decline medical

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY appointments, undermining accessibility and

In January, parliament criminalized the affordability of healthcare. In February, the

defacing or damaging of heritage buildings CEDAW Committee expressed concern about

and artefacts during demonstrations. There regional disparities and inequalities in access

was concern the law would lead to excessive to basic health services due to social and

restrictions on the right to peaceful protest. economic status, gender and geographical

A security bill including draconian location.

provisions restricting the right to peaceful

assembly was debated by parliament. In SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

December, the Council of Europe9s Barriers persisted to access to abortion,

Commissioner for Human Rights called on including the high number of doctors and

parliament to substantially amend the bill to other healthcare providers refusing to provide

ensure compliance with human rights abortion care.

standards. In April, in an amendment to an unrelated

Police used excessive and unnecessary law, parliament allowed anti-abortion groups

force against protesters on numerous to operate inside family health centres

occasions. In February, police unlawfully providing abortion care.

used batons against students protesting in

Pisa in solidarity with Palestinians, injuring 15 RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

people, 11 of them children. An investigation In July, Italy reviewed its National Energy and

into the actions of 10 police ofûcers was Climate Plan retrogressively, delaying coal

ongoing. phase-out from 2025 to 2030.

The authorities banned a protest in Also in July, Italy experienced an extreme

solidarity with Palestinians on 5 October in heatwave, which scientists attributed to

Rome. The ban was partially lifted on the human-induced climate change. The

day, but other restrictions on freedom of extreme drought conditions in Sardinia and
4
movement were applied. Sicily, which lasted for months and

In February, the Milan Tribunal acquitted culminated in May, were also rendered

eight climate activists accused of obstructing signiûcantly more severe by climate change.

trafûc and defacing public property during a According to a study by World Weather

protest in 2021, highlighting the protesters9 Attribution, people9s livelihoods in Sicily were

motives, which were to ensure that severely affected by the catastrophic

governments act on climate change. economic impact of the drought.

218 Amnesty International Report

 2
1. <Italy: Ruling on scandal of discriminatory housing policies unconstitutional. In October, the Tokyo High

against Roma must finally spur authorities into action=, 13 May ± Court ruled that the ban on same-sex

2. <Italy: Liberty and dignity: Amnesty International9s observations marriage was unconstitutional because it

on the administrative detention of migrant and asylum-seeking violated Articles 14(1) and 24(2) of the

people in Italy=, 4 July ± constitution relating to discrimination and the

3
3. <Italy: The Italy-Albania agreement on migration: Pushing right to choose one9s spouse.

boundaries, threatening rights=, 19 January ± In July, the Hiroshima High Court granted

4. <Italy: Statement expressing concern about law enforcement permission to a plaintiff to legally change her

officials violating human rights, including the rights to freedom gender without undergoing surgery. This

of expression and to peaceful assembly, on 5 October in Rome followed a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that

preceding and during the <National Demonstration for Palestine=, a law requiring transgender people to

28 November ± undergo sterilization as a requirement for

changing their gender in the family registry

was unconstitutional.

JAPAN
RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Japan In July, the Supreme Court ruled that the

former Eugenics Protection Law, which

A man who had been under sentence of provided for forced sterilization of persons

death for over 50 years was acquitted in a with disabilities or chronic illness, was

retrial. Two positive court rulings brought unconstitutional. The ruling said that

the legalization of same-sex marriage closer. damages should be awarded to victims of

A court ruled that a law under which forced sterilization. The government

thousands of people, including persons with subsequently issued an apology and agreed

disabilities and chronic illnesses, were to provide compensation of up to JPY 15

forcibly sterilized was unconstitutional and million (USD 101,311) for victims and their

that victims should be compensated. spouses. The government also committed to

Japan9s support for lique ed natural gas û compensate other victims who had yet to

projects undermined global efforts to phase come forward, many of whom were older

out fossil fuels. people.

The government acknowledged that

DEATH PENALTY 16,500 people were forcibly sterilized under

On 26 September, in a retrial, the Shizuoka the law before it was abolished in 1996.

District Court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, who

was sentenced to death for murder in 1968. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

The presiding judge found that the Government-supported overseas liqueûed

investigating authorities had fabricated natural gas (LNG) projects were estimated to

evidence in his original trial. Prior to his be responsible for a quarter of the world9s

interim release in 2014, the 88-year-old had shipments of LNG, resulting in huge proûts

spent over 45 years on death row, much of it for Japan but undermining global efforts to

in solitary conûnement. The acquittal of Iwao reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Hakamada reinforced calls for the abolition of The Japan Bank for International

1 Cooperation, which is wholly owned by the

the death penalty.

Government of Japan, initiated an internal

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS investigation in February into whether it had

In March, in the ûrst-ever high court decision violated its own environmental guidelines

on same-sex marriage, the Sapporo High relating to the funding of LNG projects in the

Court ruled that provisions under the Civil Philippines. In April, demonstrations took

Code and the Family Register Act that do not place in at least seven countries, and 95

recognize same-sex marriage were international NGOs signed a petition calling

for an end to Japan9s ûnancial support for

Japan 219
overseas fossil fuel projects and resulting

harms to the environment and affected JORDAN

communities.

The Climate Action Tracker rated Japan's Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

ûnance contributions to tackling climate

change as "highly insufûcient" due to the low Jordan escalated its crackdown on the
amount of contributions compared to Japan's rights to freedom of expression and
fair share. peaceful assembly, detaining and

prosecuting thousands of individuals for

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY criticizing the authorities, expressing pro-
In March, new allegations emerged of sexual Palestine sentiments or participating in
abuse by employees of the talent agency peaceful protests. Hundreds were held in
Johnny and Associates Entertainment. In administrative detention without charge or
2023, the company apologized for sexual access to due process guarantees. Political
exploitation and abuse of young talents by its parties were dissolved. Women and girls
deceased founder and set up a continued to face discrimination in law and
compensation scheme. In May, the UN practice. Refugees and asylum seekers
Working Group on Business and Human faced deteriorating conditions, including
Rights published a ûnal report on its visit to due to funding cuts. Jordan remained
Japan in 2023 which, while welcoming the vulnerable to climate change, which
company9s actions, said that they were threatened its water resources.
inadequate to meet victims9 needs, including

to mental healthcare. As of December, of the BACKGROUND

1,011 victims that had applied only 538 had Jordan underwent its fourth UPR in January.

reached compensation settlements. The government only noted

recommendations to remove legal provisions

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS that criminalize forms of expression protected

Draconian immigration laws allowing for the under international law. It rejected

indeûnite and arbitrary detention of asylum recommendations to repeal or amend the

seekers and other migrants remained in Crime Prevention Law of 1954, which

place. The family of Wishma Sandamali, a Sri governors continued to use to

Lankan national who died in a Nagoya administratively detain individuals without

immigration detention centre in 2021, charge or trial. It did not commit to amending

continued to seek information about, and the Nationality Law which would grant

remedy for, her death. A civil case brought by women the right to pass on their nationality to

her family in 2022, claiming JPY 156 million their children on an equal basis with men. It

(USD 1.04 million) in damages from the rejected recommendations to abolish the

government on the grounds that she was death penalty and ratify the Optional Protocol

denied medical care in detention, remained to the Convention against Torture.

4
unresolved at year9s end. Parliamentary elections were held in

September for the ûrst time under a 2022

electoral law. Opposition parties won around

1. <Japan: Acquittal of man who spent 45 years on death row pivotal a ûfth of the seats. Tribal and pro-government

moment for justice =, 26 September ± factions continued to dominate the assembly.

2. <Japan: Groundbreaking same-sex marriage rulings a long- Jordan continued to host around 2 million

awaited victory for LGBTI rights=, 14 March ± Palestinian refugees and more than 750,000

3. <Japan: Momentum for marriage equality grows with Tokyo High refugees from other countries, including

Court ruling=, 30 October ± Syria.

4. <Japan must reform its refugee and immigration system to avoid The unemployment rate remained high,

further tragedies=, 6 March ± especially among women and youth.

220 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION questioning them without a lawyer, and using

The authorities charged hundreds of psychological coercion and intimidatory

individuals under the repressive 2023 tactics during their interrogation and/or trial.

Cybercrimes Law for social media posts that In February a prosecutor at the State

criticized the authorities, including the Security Court, a military court, charged

government9s peace deal with Israel, political activist Ayman Sanduka with

expressed pro-Palestine sentiments, or called <incitement to oppose the political regime=

1
for peaceful protests and public strikes. under Article 149 of the Penal Code. The

In June a criminal court convicted charge related to an open letter to the king

journalist Hiba Abu Taha and sentenced her that Ayman Sanduka had posted on

to one year in prison for using social media Facebook in October 2023 in which he

platforms to <spread false news, or insult or criticized Jordan9s diplomatic relations with

defame a governmental authority or ofûcial Israel. He remained on trial before the State
3
body=, and for <inciting strife or sedition or Security Court at the end of the year.

threatening societal peace or inciting hatred

or violence=. The charges stemmed from an FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

article she wrote and which was shared on Between October 2023 and October 2024,

social media platforms, in which she the authorities arrested thousands of

criticized Jordan9s interception of Iranian protesters and bystanders following protests

missiles aimed at Israel in April. According to in support of Palestinian people in Gaza

Hiba Abu Taha9s lawyer, the appeals court outside the Israeli embassy in the capital,

conûrmed the conviction and sentence on Amman. Many remained in detention at the
4
the same day without holding a public end of the year.

hearing, which he said indicated that the In March, Jordanian security forces

judge9s decision had already been made. The violently dispersed peaceful demonstrations

one-year prison term was the longest outside the Israeli Embassy using tear gas,

sentence documented by Amnesty batons and beatings. Pro-Palestine protesters

International to date under the 2023 reported restrictions on banners with certain

Cybercrimes Law. slogans and the participation of children

In July a criminal court convicted lawyer under 18 years of age. The authorities also

and activist Moutaz Awwad of <provoking prohibited the continuation of protests after

sedition or strife= under Article 17 of the midnight.

2023 Cybercrimes Law and ûned him JOD

5,000 (around USD 7,000) for posts on X, FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

formerly Twitter, in which he criticized the The authorities dissolved 19 political parties

policies of Arab countries towards Israel and for <failure to comply with registration

expressed pro-Palestine sentiment. conditions=. Under the 2022 Political Parties

Also in July, security forces arrested Law, such conditions included having a

prominent journalist Ahmad Hassan al-Zoubi, minimum of 1,000 founding members who

enacting a ruling by a court that had have never been convicted of crimes that

sentenced him to one year in prison in July violate <honour, morals and security=.

2023 for <provoking strife= under the In April the Supreme Administrative Court

previous 2015 Cybercrimes Law for a upheld a decision to dissolve the Partnership

Facebook post criticizing the authorities9 and Salvation Party for <failing to hold a
2
response to transportation strikes. general conference that meets the conditions

The authorities routinely violated the fair stipulated in the Jordanian Political Parties

trial rights of detainees arrested for exercising Law=. A lawyer who was a member of the

their right to freedom of expression, including party told Amnesty International that the

by failing to present an arrest warrant, failing party faced harassment and intimidation from

to inform them of the reasons for their the authorities.

summons or the charges against them,

Jordan 221
ARBITRARY DETENTION Women were 40% more likely than men to

Local governors continued to use the Crime be unemployed due to cultural and societal

Prevention Law of 1954 to administratively norms that limited their access to the

detain anyone considered to be <a danger to workforce, as well as barriers such as long

the people= without charge or the ability to working hours and restricted access to

challenge the lawfulness of their detention childcare. According to the World Economic

before a competent judicial body. This Forum9s annual Global Gender Gap Report,

included activists as well as women at risk of the share of women in local government

being victims of <honour crimes=, who were diminished by 6.9% compared to 2023.

often detained under the pretext of protecting

them from potential violence or reprisals. REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Scores of individuals were held in According to UNHCR, the UN refugee

administrative detention in relation to pro- agency, a shortage in international aid among

Palestine protests or expression, on orders of other reasons left refugees and asylum

the governor of Amman, including in cases seekers facing deteriorating conditions,

where the prosecutor had ordered their including severe limitations in access to their

release. economic and social rights 3 among others,

For example, in March, activist Majd al- the rights to food, water, healthcare, shelter,

Farraj was arrested during a protest and held education and work. Poverty rates among

in administrative detention for 40 days. registered refugees living in camps increased

Similarly, in April, security ofûcers arrested signiûcantly, with 67% classiûed as poor, an

online activist Samer al-Qassem over a TikTok increase from 45% in 2021. According to

video about Palestinian refugees. While the UNHCR, approximately 40% of refugees in

prosecution authorities released Samer al- camps faced severe levels of climate

Qassem on bail in May, the governor of vulnerability, being particularly susceptible to

Amman requested his administrative leaks and üooding due to the inadequate

detention for a further month. In June a quality of shelters.

criminal court sentenced him to three In April the Jordanian authorities arrested

months9 imprisonment and a ûne under the Syrian refugees Atiya Mohammad Abu Salem

2023 Cybercrimes Law for <using social and Wael al-Ashi during a sweeping

media platforms to provoke sedition and crackdown on pro-Palestine protests. The

threaten societal peace=. Ministry of the Interior subsequently issued

5
Thousands of individuals faced debt deportation orders for them. The men were

imprisonment under the Execution Law, the not referred to a judicial body, nor charged
6
primary legislative instrument which, in with any crime. In May the authorities

breach of international law, allows for the released Atiya Mohammad Abu Salem and

imprisonment of individuals who fail to repay reportedly deported Wael al-Ashi to the

debts. United Arab Emirates, where his family

resided.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS Non-Syrian refugees and asylum seekers

Women and girls continued to face remained excluded from work unless they

discrimination in law and practice, especially renounced their international protection

in personal status laws and the lack of and/or asylum applications with UNHCR and

protection from domestic violence. Women opted for migrant worker status.

under the age of 40 needed the consent of a

male guardian, typically their father or RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

another male relative, to marry. Women Jordan continued to be one of the most

remained legally unable to pass their water-scarce countries globally, with supply

nationality to their spouse and children on an meeting around two-thirds of the population9s

equal basis with men. water needs. A notable decline in rainfall,

222 Amnesty International Report

exacerbated by climate change, further including human rights defenders, activists,

reduced Jordan9s water resources. bloggers and journalists.

Jordan failed to update its 2021 NDC Authorities restricted media access to

under the UN Framework Convention on areas affected by üooding in April and

Climate Change. prosecuted journalists and bloggers for

reporting critically on the government9s

handling of the disaster. Uralsk-based

1. <Jordan: New Cybercrimes Law stifling freedom of expression one journalist Raul Uporov was ûned for <petty

year on=, 13 August ± hooliganism= after harshly criticizing the

2. <Jordan: Authorities must release journalist Ahmad Hassan al- restrictions on media coverage of the

Zoubi imprisoned over social media post=, 5 July ± üooding.

3. <Jordan: Political activist facing trial before military court for In May, a court ûned journalist Jamilya

Facebook post: Ayman Sanduka=, 22 March ± Maricheva from the ProTenge project on

4. <Jordan: Stop cracking down on pro-Gaza protests and release charges of <spreading false information=. She

those charged for exercising their freedoms of assembly and had posted a comment on her Telegram

expression=, 11 April ± channel in support of Radio Azzattyk

5. "Jordan: Syrian refugee at risk of deportation: Atiya Mohammad journalists who had been denied

Abu Salem", 18 April ± accreditation from the authorities.

6. <Jordan: Authorities must stop forcible deportation of two A media law approved in June featured

detained refugees to Syria=, 17 May ± new provisions on compulsory state

registration for online media.

Grounds for denying accreditation to

KAZAKHSTAN foreign media outlets and their journalists

under new regulations published in August

Republic of Kazakhstan were broadly worded, stating that the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs may reject requests for

The rights to freedom of expression, accreditation <in accordance with the

peaceful assembly and association legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan=.

continued to be unduly restricted. Civil Foreign journalists were not allowed to work

without accreditation.
society activists, opposition supporters,
In October a group of journalists
human rights defenders, journalists and
challenged in court new rules for the
bloggers critical of the authorities faced
intimidation, harassment, arrest and compulsory accreditation of domestic media

prosecution on politically motivated with government institutions. The regulations

charges. There was still no accountability restricted journalists to publishing or quoting

for the majority of serious human rights only information from the media outlet they

were accredited to. The case was ongoing at

violations committed during the January
the end of the year.
2022 protests. Violence against women and

girls remained widespread, despite

legislation re-establishing criminal FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

sanctions for domestic violence. Authorities Participation in organizations designated

continued to discriminate against LGBTI <extremist= remained punishable by up to six

people. Activists from Uzbekistan were at years9 imprisonment.

Dozens of individuals were prosecuted and

risk of forcible return. Climate action
convicted for being supporters of
policies fell short of national commitments.
unregistered peaceful opposition political

parties or movements allegedly linked to the

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The human rights community in Kazakhstan Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK)

recorded at least 24 people imprisoned on movement, arbitrarily designated <extremist=

politically motivated charges during the year, by a court in the capital, Astana, in 2018.

Kazakhstan 223
Some activists convicted on extremism- ongoing against almost 50 other ofûcials.

related charges were added to the Many cases had been dropped.

government9s <list of organizations and In some cases, however, a heavier

people associated with ûnancing terrorism sentence was imposed on appeal. In March,

and extremism=, causing their bank cards a contract soldier previously acquitted by the

and access to their bank accounts to be Almaty Garrison Military Court in November

blocked. 2023 had his sentence overturned on appeal

In August, journalist and political activist and was sentenced to imprisonment. He had

Duman Mukhamedkarim was sentenced to initially been charged with abuse of authority

seven years9 imprisonment on charges of for shooting and killing a four-year-old girl

ûnancing and participating in a banned while she and her siblings were travelling by

<extremist= organization. The charges car to shop for groceries during the January

concerned his alleged support for the DVK 2022 events.

movement. In November, an appeal court

upheld the verdict and in addition banned GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

him from attending public events and giving In April, parliament re-established criminal

interviews for three years. His lawyer planned sanctions for domestic violence and

to challenge the decision. enhanced protections for domestic violence

victims. Nevertheless, comprehensive

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY measures to prevent and eradicate domestic

Legislation unduly restricted peaceful violence were lacking, and violence against

assemblies, requiring prior permission, women and girls remained widespread.

limiting locations and imposing ûnes or jail During the year, 32 men were convicted of

time for subsequent <violations=. The 12- the rape and/or murder of women and

month statute of limitations for such children. In 2023 the Prosecutor General9s

<offences= allowed the authorities to jail Ofûce had estimated that around 80 women

protesters long after the event, often to a year died from domestic violence.

prevent them from participating in future The conviction of former minister of

protests. economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev in May to 24

Local authorities in the city of Almaty years9 imprisonment for beating his wife to

arbitrarily banned a feminist march planned death raised public awareness of the high

for 8 March. rates of domestic violence in the country.

In October, police arrested 12 activists who In May, the UN Special Rapporteur on

had been planning a peaceful protest rally human rights defenders and other UN

against a nuclear power plant construction experts expressed serious concern over the

project, and charged them with preparing criminal prosecution of exiled women9s rights

riots. activist Dina Smailova, which <appear[ed] to

be in retaliation against her work as a woman

IMPUNITY human rights defender and exercising her

The authorities failed to conduct full and rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and

prompt investigations into allegations of the association=.

unlawful use of force, torture and other

serious human rights violations committed by LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

security forces during protests in January LGBTI people faced harassment and

2022, or to bring those responsible to justice. discrimination from the authorities, as well as

Of the hundreds of criminal cases for pro-government supporters and other groups,

torture and ill-treatment opened following the often under the guise of preserving

January 2022 events, ofûcial ûgures as of <traditional values=.

January indicated that only 34 individuals A petition calling for legislation to

had been convicted while proceedings were criminalize <LGBTI propaganda= caused a

domestic and international outcry and

224 Amnesty International Report

hearings on the proposed law were performer=, criticizing its lack of a

postponed until 2025. UN experts noted that transparent accounting system for

<[t]he petition itself is based on prejudice, greenhouse gas emissions and its failure to

and any legislation arising from it would produce action plans for coal phase-out,

inevitably and unlawfully trample on human climate adaptation and a green transition.

rights.= Kazakhstan remained among the top 30

In February, the government blocked a greenhouse gas emitters globally.

website aimed at informing young people Meanwhile, Kazakhstan suffered

about LGBTI issues, citing the protection of environmental disasters exacerbated by

national traditions and children9s rights as climate change, including the worst üooding

justiûcation. in decades in April, which prompted a state

On 9 October, a member of the ruling of emergency to be declared in 10 of the

Amanat party asked the Prosecutor General9s country9s 17 regions. Tens of thousands of

Ofûce to designate Feminita, a leading LGBTI people were evacuated from their homes and

NGO, as an <extremist= organization. On the several died. The üooding exacerbated pre-

same day, members of the Union of Parents existing water supply issues, in particular

tried to disrupt a meeting of Feminita, inequality in access to clean drinking water

attempting to break into the premises, which especially affected rural areas.

shouting insults at the participants and Floodwater also washed away cattle and

ûlming them. Police ofûcers called to the anthrax burial grounds, further raising the

event photographed the identity documents risk that limited water supplies for drinking

of those participating in the meeting but took and irrigation could be contaminated and

no action against the protesters. Feminita jeopardizing food security.

lodged a complaint with the police, but the

status of the investigation was unknown at

year9s end. KENYA

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS Republic of Kenya

Activists from Uzbekistan9s autonomous

Karakalpakstan Republic residing in Sixty people were killed and hundreds

Kazakhstan faced the threat of forcible return injured when police used excessive and
to Uzbekistan. There they risked torture and unnecessary force against people protesting
long prison terms on politically-motivated a proposed ûnance bill. Draft legislation
charges for campaigning against human threatened to impose further restrictions on
rights violations in Karakalpakstan. Three the rights to freedom of expression and
activists, Akylbek Muratbai, Rasul peaceful assembly. More than 600
Zhumaniyazov and Rinat Utambetov, were protesters were arbitrarily arrested and
arrested between February and April and detained, and dozens were forcibly
remanded in custody following extradition disappeared. Extrajudicial executions
requests from Uzbekistan on spurious continued to be reported. The government
charges of disseminating information that forcibly evicted thousands of people from
presented a threat to public order. Akylbek the Mathare and Mukuru Kwa Njenga
Muratbai, who had lived legally in Kazakhstan settlements, amid heavy rainfall and
for 10 years, applied for refugee status, but üooding. At least 97 women were killed
the Refugee Commission turned down his between August and October, most as a
request. An appeal against this decision was result of gender-based violence, according
pending at year9s end. û
to of cial statistics. Implementation

problems with the new Social Health Fund

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT affected some people9s access to
The Climate Change Performance Index healthcare. The government9s digital
ranked Kazakhstan as a <very low

Kenya 225
 û
identi cation project threatened to to pass through parliament. In the capital,

undermine the right to privacy. Nairobi, hundreds of peaceful protesters

entered the areas in and around parliament.

BACKGROUND Police, many wearing balaclavas and masks,

Thousands of demonstrators protested dispersed them using live bullets and tear

against the Finance Bill 2024, corruption and gas 3 prohibited under various court orders 3

poor governance. They argued that the bill and beat them with batons. At least six

would impose unaffordable tax rises, protesters were killed, apparently by gunshot.

including on bread and other basic Hundreds sustained gunshot wounds, as well

commodities, without providing sufûcient as soft tissue injuries caused by batons and

social protection measures, and would tear gas canisters, according to KNCHR. At

exacerbate the debt crisis. Young people, least one protester lost three ûngers when a

known as the Gen-Zs, led protests using tear gas canister hit him.

social media to call for political and social Around 9pm on the same day the cabinet

justice. On 25 June, President William Ruto secretary for defence directed the military to

said the protests had been <inûltrated by protect <critical infrastructure=, following

people funded to cause havoc and& civil which the military was deployed to support

strife=. He backed a cabinet-level decision to the National Police Service in controlling the

deploy the army to <assist= in policing the protests. On 27 June the High Court of Kenya

protests, although constitutional provisions approved the deployment but directed the

allow this only in cases of emergency and government to deûne and publish a timescale

disaster, or to restore peace in areas affected for the duration of the operation, which it

by unrest or instability, following failed to do.

parliamentary approval. On 26 June, the day The Law Society of Kenya described the

after parliament passed the Finance Bill, he deployment as an intimidatory tactic. On 28

declined to assent to it. June the High Court in Malindi issued

On 8 October the National Assembly voted temporary orders preventing security forces

overwhelmingly to impeach the then deputy from using lethal and less-lethal ammunition

president, Rigathi Gachagua, for alleged (including water cannon, tear gas and rubber

gross misconduct, tribalism and corruption. bullets) against peaceful protesters.

On 18 October the Senate impeached him on

ûve of 11 charges, including inciting ethnic FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

divisions. AND ASSEMBLY

The government supported draft laws to

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF counter dissent which, if passed, would

FORCE threaten the rights to freedom of expression

According to the Kenya National Commission and peaceful assembly. They included the

on Human Rights (KNCHR), 60 people died Assembly and Demonstrations Bill, 2024,

and hundreds more were injured between introduced by the MP for Mbeere North

June and July when police used excessive constituency. If enacted, it would expand

and unnecessary force during protests police powers to restrict, disperse and limit

against the Finance Bill. The youngest victim protests; and change notiûcation provisions 3

was 12-year-old Kennedy Onyango, who died as provided in the Public Order Act 3 to

from gunshot wounds sustained on 27 June require police permission for a protest to

in Kajiado county. The Independent Policing proceed. The bill prescribed a one-year

Oversight Authority (IPOA) opened prison term for organizers of <unlawful=

investigations into some incidents but no protests without deûning what constitutes an

information on the progress of IPOA9s unlawful assembly.

investigations was made publicly available. During the violent repression of anti-

Thousands of protesters gathered Finance Bill protests (see above), human

nationwide on 25 June as the bill was about rights observers documented the unlawful

226 Amnesty International Report

dispersal by police of peaceful gatherings, as surrounding his death was ongoing at the

well as arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of end of the year.

protesters. Journalists covering the protests The case against former police ofûcer

were beaten, arrested and had their cameras Ahmed Rashid, who was accused of at least

conûscated, and people were arrested for, or two extrajudicial executions, continued at the

otherwise prevented from, photographing or Kibera Law Courts. Immediate family

ûlming the events. members of Ahmed Rashid9s alleged victims

According to research by the Nation Media were among the witnesses presented by the

Group, a media outlet, authorities carried out prosecution.

extensive digital surveillance that targeted

various online activists, and disrupted access FORCED EVICTIONS

to the internet. Between March and April, the government

forcibly evicted at least 6,000 households

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS and demolished their homes in the Mathare

Between June and August, more than 600 and Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlements of

protesters were arrested for participating in Nairobi. The evictions were carried out amid

peaceful protests, according to KNCHR. heavy rainfall and üooding. The government

Some were held beyond the legal limit of 24 claimed the residents built their homes on

hours; others were presented to court on riparian land which was therefore prone to

trumped-up charges. Security forces arrested üooding. However, residents9 consent prior to

some medical personnel who responded to eviction was not obtained, nor did the

injured protesters. Detainees9 lawyers were authorities engage them on the provision of

frequently denied access to their clients and an adequate notice period or provide a clear

some were arrested or intimidated to and appropriate relocation plan. The

pressure them into dropping cases. residents were left homeless, in dire need of

food and other essential commodities, and at

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES risk of contracting diseases. In November the

According to the Law Society of Kenya, at High Court in Nairobi directed that

least 72 people, including human rights representatives of the government and

defenders and activists, were forcibly residents should jointly determine the

disappeared in connection with their amount of losses incurred by April 2025,

involvement in protests against the Finance following which the government should

Bill. The whereabouts and fate of some of compensate the evicted residents.

them remained unknown at the end of the

year. On 30 August, President Ruto publicly GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

denied any knowledge of the According to the Directorate of Criminal

disappearances. Investigations, at least 97 women were killed

between August and October, most as a

EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS result of gender-based violence. The

At least 104 cases of extrajudicial executions government failed to introduce measures to

were recorded during the year. The Missing protect women and girls from widespread

Voices Coalition 3 a national coalition of gender-based violence committed by intimate

human rights organizations 3 and other partners, family members and others,

groups called on the government to take particularly men known to their victims. The

measures to end such killings. killings of Rita Waeni and Starlet Wahu

Denzel Omondi, a student at Jomo sparked nationwide marches during which

Kenyatta University of Agriculture and hundreds of women demanded that the

Technology, was found dead in a swamp in government strengthen safeguards against

Juja, Kiambu county, on 6 July after taking gender-based violence, expedite

part in protests against the Finance Bill. An investigations and prosecute alleged

IPOA investigation into the circumstances perpetrators.

Kenya 227
RIGHT TO HEALTH BACKGROUND

On 1 October the government replaced the Kosovo9s bid to become a member of the

National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) with Council of Europe was stalled, depriving its

the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). citizens of access to the European Court of

The new system required Kenyans to Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers

contribute 2.75% of their gross monthly delayed its vote on Kosovo9s membership

income, leading to an increased contribution after Kosovo refused a last-minute request by

from most of those in employment. Those not some member countries that it should ûrst

in employment were also expected to establish an association of Serb-majority

contribute KES 300 (about USD 2.32) per communities, as set out in the Brussels

month to access healthcare. Although agreement of 2013 between Kosovo and

presented as aiming to provide health Serbia.

coverage for all Kenyans, delays in

implementing the system meant most RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

hospitals did not receive sufûcient income REPARATIONS

from the government to treat patients on the In February and April, the Basic Court of

SHIF scheme. This meant that some Pristina sentenced three former members of

patients, especially those with long-term Serbian police and military forces for war

health conditions, had more difûculty crimes committed in 1999 in the Pristina and

accessing healthcare. Istog regions. Dushko Arsiq, Ekrem Bajroviq

and Çaslav Joliq received sentences of 13,

RIGHT TO PRIVACY 12 and eight years9 imprisonment

Civil society groups expressed their concerns respectively.

about and dissatisfaction with the In July, Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the

government9s digital identiûcation project, Hague sentenced former Kosovo Liberation

which intended to integrate people9s personal Army member Pjetër Shala to 18 years9

data across all digital platforms to facilitate imprisonment for the war crimes of arbitrary

access to public services. The groups detention, torture and murder committed in

claimed that the government9s attempt at 1999. In September, the Appeals Panel

public consultation on the project was not changed the sentence given to Salih Mustafa,

meaningful as most Kenyans did not a Kosovo Liberation Army unit commander

understand the effect this would have on the charged with arbitrary detention, cruel

security of their data. treatment, torture and murder, from 22 to 15

years9 imprisonment.

KOSOVO Enforced disappearances

Over 1,600 persons were still missing from

Republic of Kosovo the 1998-99 conüict in Kosovo, with

persistent impunity for perpetrators linked to

New sentences were issued to former their disappearance. A 2023 agreement

û
military of cers for war crimes committed between Kosovo and Serbia to cooperate in

ü
during the 1998-99 con ict. The locating people who went missing between 1

implementation of a cooperation agreement January 1998 and 31 December 2000 was

with Serbia to locate 1,600 people still not implemented due to strained relations

ü
missing since that con ict remained stalled. between the two countries.

Parliament failed to pass a law providing

access to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Wartime sexual violence

treatment in public hospitals. No progress The Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture

was made on allowing same-sex couples to Victims demanded that the government

form civil partnerships. remove a 2025 deadline with respect to

applications for the status of <victim of

228 Amnesty International Report

wartime sexual violence=, involving

reparations of EUR 230 per month. As of KUWAIT

October, a government commission

established in 2018 had granted this status State of Kuwait

to 1,688 of 2,018 applicants.

The government continued to use <state

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS security= laws to prosecute and imprison its
Access to IVF treatment continued to be critics, including members of Kuwait9s
available only in private clinics, after another parliament 3 the National Assembly 3
failed attempt by the parliament to pass a law thereby suppressing the right to freedom of
on reproductive health allowing IVF treatment expression. Authorities ceased issuing travel
in public hospitals. The debate was followed documents to Kuwait9s native stateless
by disinformation and hate speech against population, the Bidun, outside of
single women by some MPs. exceptional circumstances. Migrant workers

remained at risk of abuse. Executions were

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS carried out for the third consecutive year.
The government failed to propose a new vote

on reforms to the Civil Code, rejected by BACKGROUND

parliament in 2022, which would have paved On 15 February the emir dissolved the

the way for registering same-sex civil National Assembly, elected in June 2023,

partnerships. LGBTI survivors of domestic because of its <persistence in using offensive,

violence had no access to specialized undisciplined language that did not comport

shelters, despite commitments made by the with the respect due to his Royal Highness=,

authorities. after MP AbdulKarim al-Kandari responded

to the emir9s criticism of the legislature.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Parliamentary elections were held on 4 April,

In July, parliament passed a new Law on the but the emir dissolved the newly elected

Independent Media Commission despite National Assembly on 10 May before it

criticism by civil society organizations and convened and suspended parliamentary

international bodies that the measure would government and elections for four years.

introduce state licensing and control of online

media without providing safeguards. The FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Constitutional Court was reviewing its legality Authorities signiûcantly increased attacks on

at year's end, with a ûnal decision pending. freedom of expression, arresting critics of the
1
government, especially critics of the emir,

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS using existing legislation including the

In May, parliament approved an agreement national security section of the 1970 Penal

with Denmark to rent out 300 of its prison Code and the Print and Publishing Law of

cells for foreign nationals convicted of crimes 2006.

in Denmark and due to be deported at the On 25 January a trial court sentenced

end of their sentence. Over 10 years, the fees Anwar Hayati to four years9 imprisonment in

would allow Kosovo to invest EUR 210 million his absence for social media posts that

in renewable energy. The Kosova criticized Kuwait9s system of governance and

Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims royal family members. Anwar Hayati had

raised concerns about limited public been living in exile in Europe since he

consultation over the project and inadequate received a summons for interrogation from

space in the prison complex. the Ofûce of the Public Prosecution in

September 2023.

On 31 January a court of appeal

sentenced Bidun activist Mohamed al-

Kuwait 229
Bargash to three years in prison for social RIGHT TO HOUSING

media posts criticizing Kuwait9s policies In September the Ministries of Defence and

towards the Bidun. His imprisonment had a the Interior jointly announced the withdrawal

chilling effect on other activists; he had been of government housing <for non-Kuwaiti

the most prominent activist to publicly raise beneûciaries at the end of [their] military

concerns about the treatment of the Bidun service=. This amounted to a discriminatory

over the previous two years. housing policy because it meant that many

On 19 February a trial court sentenced Bidun, large numbers of whom serve in the

activist Abdullah Fairouz and online media Kuwaiti military, would lose their housing,

manager Fuhaid al-Ajami to prison terms for while Kuwaiti nationals retired from military

having an online discussion in which service retained this beneût.

Abdullah Fairouz alleged that the government

had business dealings with Israel, contrary to FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

Kuwaiti law. In June, an appellate court In July the minister for the interior and

reversed Fuhaid al-Ajami9s conviction, and he defence, Fahd Yusuf al-Sabah, announced

was freed. It upheld Abdullah Fairouz9s three- that all travel documents issued to Bidun

year prison sentence. were annulled. Bidun people remained

On 22 May a trial court sentenced ineligible for regular Kuwaiti passports due to

parliamentary candidate Mesaed al-Quraifah the state9s refusal to recognize them as

to four years9 imprisonment for criticizing the Kuwaiti nationals. Under Article 17 of the

royal family9s involvement in politics in a Passports Law, they were able to apply for a

campaign speech. The appeal trial was special travel document (an <Article 17

ongoing at the end of the year. On 2 June, passport=), although standards for issuance

authorities began the prosecution of were arbitrary and subject to abuse,

parliamentarian Mohammad al-Mutair on a including bribery. The minister9s action in

similar charge. On 20 June, authorities July effectively eliminated the Bidun9s right to

sentenced former parliamentarian and travel. The government announced that

current candidate Hamad al-8Ulyan to two issuance of Article 17 passports was frozen

years9 imprisonment on similar charges. On <with the exception of humanitarian cases

24 June a court sentenced former (medical treatment and education)=, for

parliamentarian Waleed al-Tabtaba9i to four which Bidun could apply (or re-apply)

years9 imprisonment for a social media post subject to a case-by-case review. On 28

that criticized the emir9s suspension of November a new residency law (Amiri Decree

constitutional parliamentary government; an 114/2024) was approved for foreign nationals

appellate court upheld the conviction on 19 in Kuwait, introducing clariûcations and

September but reduced the sentence to two extending some periods of stay. It did not

years. On 29 July a trial court sentenced apply to Bidun people.

parliamentarian Anwar al-Fikr to three years9

imprisonment on the charge of challenging RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

the emir9s authority on social media. Unusually extreme heat continued, with

Mohammad al-Mutair, Hamad al-8Ulyan and record temperatures recorded in late May

Anwar al-Fikr were released on bail on 2 being 4°C to 5°C above past averages. The

June, 8 July and 8 September respectively, meteorologist for state television, Isa

pending the outcome of their trials or Ramadan, acknowledged that this was partly

appeals. Anwar al-Fikr faced a second, due to human-induced climate change.

ongoing prosecution on the charge of Nevertheless, in March the state-owned

undermining the emir9s authority during an Kuwait Petroleum Corporation9s chief

electoral speech. executive announced that Kuwait intended to

increase oil production capacity from 3 to 4

million barrels per day by 2035, and Kuwait

announced further increases when it

230 Amnesty International Report

discovered new reserves in the Al-Nokhatha

oil ûeld in July. 1. Kuwait: Year to Date Marked by Escalating Repression, 27 June ±

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

As in previous years, outdoor processions for KYRGYZSTAN

the Shia holy period of Ashura were banned.

For the second consecutive year there The Kyrgyz Republic

were no public protests of signiûcant size,

following the prosecution of rare

The authorities escalated their crackdown
demonstrations by Bidun Kuwaitis in 2022.
on peaceful dissent. Activists and
independent journalists were detained and
MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS prosecuted on spurious charges. New
Migrant workers lacked legal protections and legislation on <foreign representatives=
remained at risk of abuse because of the severely restricted civil society9s rights to
kafala sponsorship system.
freedom of association and expression.
On 12 June at least 49 Indian migrant
Twenty-two defendants were acquitted of
workers were killed and 50 others injured
politically motivated charges. Gender-based
when a ûre broke out in an overcrowded violence, including domestic violence,
residence, raising concerns about living remained widespread and under-reported.
conditions and health and safety issues faced Three out of four households could not
by migrant workers in Kuwait. afford an adequate diet. Authorities failed
On 1 July the minister for the interior and to consult the public about policies and
defence announced that security forces had
decisions affecting the environment.
launched a nationwide campaign to ûnd

<violators= of the Residency Law, in order to

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
detain and deport them. Security authorities The authorities intensiûed restrictions on

warned that anyone sheltering someone who media freedom and peaceful dissent through

had overstayed their visa could also be politically motivated prosecutions and

subject to prosecution. The government- legislative proposals that could be used to

controlled domestic press reported that more
silence critical voices.
than 700 migrants were arrested within the
According to human rights NGO Kylym
ûrst 24 hours of the campaign, as security
Shamy, prosecutors ûled in courts at least 71
forces closed off entrances and exits to criminal cases against journalists, activists

neighbourhoods and moved through the and bloggers and social media commentators

streets stopping migrants to check their between January and October. The charges

documents. Deportations were conducted ranged from inciting ethnic or religious hatred
without any guarantee of the right to
to calling for mass disturbances and the
challenge their legality, even though almost
overthrow of the constitutional order, and
all migrant workers were entirely dependent
aimed to punish critical reporting on
on their employers to apply for their visa politically sensitive issues, allegations of

renewals. Scores of migrants were detained corruption and human rights violations.

for months awaiting deportation with no legal In January, police arrested 11 current and

recourse. former media workers associated with the Ayt

Ayt Dese and Temirov Live investigative

DEATH PENALTY journalism projects on baseless charges of

Kuwait continued to impose new death
<calling for mass unrest=. On 10 October,
sentences, including for drug-related after a trial held behind closed doors, a court

offences which do not meet the threshold of sentenced Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, head of

the <most serious crimes= under international Temirov Live, and Azamat Ishenbekov to six

law. The authorities carried out executions for and ûve years9 imprisonment respectively.
the third consecutive year.

Kyrgyzstan 231
Two defendants were sentenced to three <foreign representatives=. Under this
1
years9 probation and seven were acquitted. legislation, the authorities could suspend the

On 18 December an appeal court upheld the activities of an NGO without a court decision

verdicts. This decision was in turn appealed or deregister the organization if it failed to

to the Supreme Court at the end of register as a <foreign representative=. In

December. October the Venice Commission concluded

In July, police arrested Zhoomart that the law contradicted Kyrgyzstan's

Karabaev, an employee of the National constitution and international treaties and

Academy of Sciences (NAS), after he claimed that its implementation posed a 89real risk of

that the State Committee for National Security stigmatizing, silencing and eventually

had pressured NAS members to fabricate eliminating99 NGOs that received foreign

their reports to support the prosecution of funding.

government critics. Zhoomart Karabaev was By the end of December few organizations

charged with inciting mass disturbances for had registered as foreign representatives, but

his social media posts and public statements. many had either reduced their activities or

His trial started in October and was ongoing ceased to operate as an NGO.

at the end of December.

In July the Supreme Court upheld an order UNFAIR TRIALS

to close the investigative media outlet Kloop On 14 June, a court acquitted all 22

Media Public Foundation. The ruling defendants in the so-called Kempir Abad

stemmed from a lawsuit by the Bishkek City case of politically motivated charges of

Prosecutor9s Ofûce alleging, among other plotting mass riots and, in some cases, of

things, that Kloop had failed to register as a attempting to violently seize power. In a case

mass media outlet, had engaged in media marred by inconsistencies and procedural

activity not listed in its charter and was violations, the defendants had been detained

encouraging readers to join anti-government solely for peacefully exercising their human
2
protests. rights, including expressing concerns about

In August the government proposed ceding control of the Kempir Abad (Andijan)

legislation to make slander and insult online freshwater reservoir in 2022. The

or in mass media administrative offences. prosecution, which had requested 20 years9

The Council of Europe9s Venice Commission imprisonment for all 22 defendants, appealed

had previously reviewed the draft law and and proceedings were pending at the end of
3
concluded that it needed signiûcant changes December.

to meet international human rights standards.

Nevertheless, in December parliament LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

approved the bill. The work of LGBTI NGOs was negatively

In September the government submitted impacted by a 2023 law banning LGBTI

for public consultation further draft legislation <propaganda=. Many NGOs had to curtail

to reinstate criminal liability for possession of public awareness raising and education

vaguely deûned <extremist= materials. The activities, and restrict their support for those

draft also proposed a new offence of using at risk of human rights abuses.

the internet or mass media to publicly incite In January the new Law on the Protection

<extremist= activities or the <violent seizure of of the Health of Citizens introduced

power=, raising fears that it could be used to discriminatory restrictions on the right to

crack down on critical voices. health and bodily autonomy of transgender

persons by raising the age at which gender-

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION afûrming care could be accessed to 25 years.

In April, President Sadyr Japarov signed a The UN Committee on Economic, Social and

restrictive law requiring all NGOs receiving Cultural Rights (CESCR) urged the

foreign funding and engaging in vaguely government to revise the new law to

deûned <political activity= to register as guarantee non-discriminatory access to

232 Amnesty International Report

sexual and reproductive health services and on the environment and livelihoods of local

gender-afûrming medical care for communities=.

transgender persons. It also expressed In June the president repealed a 2019 law

concern about delays in the adoption of that prohibited the development of rare

comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation mineral deposits without an effective

and recommended repealing all legislation consultation with the affected communities.

discriminating against LGBTI persons, in In September the government started

particular the law on propaganda of <non- mining thorium in the Kyzyl-Ompol area

traditional sexual relations=. without conducting prior human rights due

diligence and a comprehensive

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE environmental assessment.

Domestic violence and violence against

women and girls continued to be widespread

and under-reported, and impunity for 1. <Kyrgyzstan: Drop baseless charges against Temirov LIVE and Ayt

perpetrators prevailed. The police recorded Ayt Dese journalists=, 2 October ±

14,293 cases of domestic violence between 2. <Kyrgyzstan: Overturn decision to liquidate Kloop Media=, 6

January and October, an increase of 37% on September ±

2023. 3. <Kyrgyzstan: Acquittal in 8Kempir-Abad case9 is a victory for

In August the president signed a law that justice and human rights=, 14 June ±

removed the option of reconciliation in cases

of rape and sexual assault. However,

domestic violence, including marital rape, LAOS

remained an administrative offence,

punishable only by ûnes or administrative Lao People9s Democratic Republic

detention of up to seven days.

In October the UN Special Rapporteur on The rights to freedom of expression and

the rights of persons with disabilities noted peaceful assembly were restricted.
that women and girls with disabilities who Christians faced persecution for practising
were victims of sexual and gender-based their religion. State spending on social
violence faced speciûc and almost
services continued to decline. Myanmar
unsurmountable barriers to seeking help and
nationals were arrested and handed over to
protection.
the Myanmar army, placing them at risk of
serious human rights violations.
RIGHT TO FOOD Government responses to human traf cking û
In October the CESCR expressed concern remained inadequate.
that almost half the population, especially

those living in poverty, could not meet daily

BACKGROUND
nutritional requirements, and that three out of
Amid the ongoing economic crisis, the gross
four households could not afford an adequate
debt remained high at 108.3% of GDP and
diet. Approximately one in three people in inüation peaked at 26.15% in June.

Kyrgyzstan lived in poverty. Children, people In June the UN High Commissioner for

with disabilities, migrant workers, families Human Rights conducted a one-day visit to

and rural communities were Laos. He raised concerns about the negative
disproportionately affected.
impact of the lack of <vibrant civic space= on

social, environmental and human rights

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT issues.
Kyrgyzstan failed to adopt a regulatory An estimated 204,500 people required

framework with legal obligations to exercise humanitarian assistance in the wake of

human rights due diligence, despite what the severe üooding and landslides caused by

CESCR called <the detrimental impact of

extractive activities and development projects

Laos 233
Typhoon Yagi which hit the north and centre beneûts and insurance for work-related

of the country in September. accidents and occupational diseases, were

not available to people working in the

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY informal sector, which constitutes 86.4% of

Individuals participating in peaceful protests the workforce.

faced arbitrary arrest and detention. On 23

January, police arrested four residents of REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Xang village in Xieng Khouang province. The On 13 April, police arrested 17 Myanmar

four were participating in a peaceful protest nationals in Ton Pheung district, Bokeo

over the registration of legal ownership of province, before transferring them on 3 May

land by a wood processing company. The to Myanmar where they were at risk of torture

villagers disputed this as they were also and other human rights violations. According

seeking recognition of communal ownership to media reports, the arrests were carried out

of the land. The police subsequently arrested on the request of the Myanmar military who

two women who were visiting the detainees. alleged that the 17 were supporters of the

On 28 August, police detained two graphic armed opposition, the People9s Defence

artists for posting a satirical video on Forces. Other sources said the detainees

Facebook about the state of the roads in their were collecting funds for people displaced by

home town in Bokeo province. One was the conüict in Myanmar.

released the same day without charge. The

second was required to attend a <re- HUMAN TRAFFICKING

education= class and publicly apologize In October the CEDAW Committee raised

before being released ûve days later. concerns that Laos was <becoming a country

of transit and destination for sexual

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF exploitation and human trafûcking=. Human

Unregistered Christian groups continued to trafûcking, related to cyber-scamming

face persecution, despite the legal guarantee operations run by transnational organized

of the right to freedom of religion under the crime syndicates, remained rampant in the

constitution. On 4 February, local authorities Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone

in Kaleum Vangke village in Savannakhet (GTSEZ) in north-western Laos. Lao and

province destroyed a house church and Chinese police were involved in operations to

burnt religious texts. Prior to the attack, the arrest and deport hundreds of Chinese

village authorities had reportedly summoned nationals suspected of being involved in

Christian families and told them to stop scamming operations. No prosecutions of

holding religious services. individuals responsible for human trafûcking

On 2 July, Thongkham Philavanh, an were known to have taken place.

ethnic Khmu Christian pastor, was shot dead Credible reports pointed to the persistent

by two unidentiûed men in Xai district, online recruitment and trafûcking for sexual

Oudomxay province. The police said they exploitation of young women, particularly to

were investigating the killing but there was no China and to entertainment areas in the

information on their progress by year9s end. GTSEZ.

RIGHT TO SOCIAL SECURITY

During his visit to the country, the UN High LEBANON

Commissioner for Human Rights raised

concerns about declining public spending on Republic of Lebanon

social protection, health, education and other

social services. According to the Asian ü

The armed con ict between Israel and the
Development Bank, expenditure on social armed group Hezbollah claimed thousands
protection amounted to just 0.7% of GDP. of lives and had a devastating impact on
Worker protections, including unemployment

234 Amnesty International Report

civilians in Lebanon. Israeli forces carried Within days of an Israel/Lebanon ceaseûre

out violations of international humanitarian deal on 27 November, numerous ceaseûre

law, including indiscriminate attacks and violations were recorded. According to the

direct attacks on civilians and civilian World Bank in October, the cost of physical

objects. Hezbollah also repeatedly launched damage and economic loss in Lebanon due

unguided rockets into northern Israel in to the conüict with Israel was estimated to be

violation of international humanitarian law. USD 8.5 billion.

The Lebanese government failed to fully According to the Central Administration of

guarantee the right to social security, Statistics, the annual average inüation rate of

despite some positive reforms. Many the consumer price index reached 45.24% in

buildings failed to meet minimum safety 2024, nearly 80 points below that of 2023,

standards and people were killed when marking the return of the inüation to a

residential buildings collapsed. Journalists double-digits rate after three years of

and government critics were harassed and üuctuation between 100% and 300%. The

û
intimidated by public of cials using decrease was predominantly attributed to the

criminal defamation laws. A declaration stability of the exchange rate as of August

accepting the ICC9s jurisdiction in Lebanon 2023.

was swiftly withdrawn by the government, Israeli attacks destroyed tens of thousands

and an investigation into the Beirut Port of olive trees and damaged agricultural land

explosion in 2020 remained suspended. across Lebanon. Between 8 October 2023

The authorities increased pressure on and November 2024, 2,000 hectares had

Syrian refugees to leave the country. been damaged and 340,000 head of

Women continued to face discrimination in livestock killed, and about 75% of farmers

law and practice. had lost their primary source of income,

according to the Lebanese government.

BACKGROUND

Parliament failed to elect a president during VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

the year, and the government continued to HUMANITARIAN LAW

function in a caretaker capacity. Israeli forces committed violations of

The conüict between Hezbollah, a international humanitarian law in Lebanon,

Lebanon-based armed group, and Israel including direct attacks on civilians and

escalated signiûcantly. On 23 September the civilian objects, indiscriminate attacks and

Israeli military launched Operation Northern disproportionate attacks, which likely

Arrows, striking thousands of sites across constituted war crimes.

Lebanon and killing more than 500 people The Israeli military issued inadequate, and

during the ûrst 24 hours. On 27 September, in some cases misleading, evacuation

Israeli air strikes in the Lebanese capital, warnings to residents of the southern

Beirut, killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of suburbs of Beirut and south Lebanon, in

Hezbollah. On 1 October, Israel began a violation of its obligations under international

ground invasion into southern Lebanon. law to take all feasible precautions to

Between 8 October 2023 and 28 November minimize harm to civilians.

2024, more than 4,047 people were killed, The Israeli military intentionally left a trail

including at least 240 children, and at least of destruction as it moved through Lebanon,

16,638 injured 3 the vast majority since at times razing entire villages. Many villages

September 2024. More than 1.2 million in southern Lebanon were left uninhabitable

people were displaced by the conüict. In when Israeli forces destroyed civilian

Israel, more than 100 people were killed by structures. Amnesty International identiûed

Hezbollah rocket attacks, and 63,000 people 21 villages that were signiûcantly damaged or

were displaced. A further 12 civilians were destroyed by Israeli ground forces between 1

killed in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan October and 7 November. In each of the 21

Heights. villages, civilian buildings were destroyed

Lebanon 235
after Israeli soldiers manually laid out people including two children and two

explosive charges or razed them with medics, and injuring at least 2,323 people.

excavators. Among the civilian buildings The following day, Israel detonated similar

destroyed were at least 16 religious sites, explosive devices inside scores of hand-held

including a 2,100-year-old shrine and two walkie-talkies, killing at least 25 people and
3
cemeteries. injuring at least 608. The attacks were

Amnesty International found that Israeli indiscriminate and may constitute war

forces unlawfully attacked residential crimes.

buildings in the villages of al-Ain in northern

Bekaa on 29 September and Aitou in RIGHT TO SOCIAL SECURITY

northern Lebanon on 14 October, as well as Despite the government making limited

in the city of Baalbeck on 21 October. Israeli reforms and taking other measures during

forces also unlawfully attacked the municipal the year, Lebanon remained far from having a

headquarters in Nabatieh, in southern universal social protection system that

Lebanon, on 16 October. The Israeli military guaranteed the right to social security for all.

did not issue warnings before these strikes, The government failed to ensure access to

which killed at least 49 civilians including even minimal social protection during the

entire families and which likely constituted economic crisis for which it was largely
1
war crimes. responsible. Lebanon9s social protection

According to the WHO, between 8 October system, which was already fragmented,

2023 and 22 November 2024, 226 health limited and inequitable before the 2019

workers and patients were killed in Lebanon economic crisis, collapsed. This left many

in 137 Israeli attacks on health facilities and people without access to key forms of social

ambulances. security, including affordable health

Amnesty International investigated four insurance and basic income security for

Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and families with children, older people and those
4
medical vehicles in Beirut and southern unable to work.

Lebanon between 3 and 9 October, in which In February, after several years of

27 healthcare workers and three other discussion and delay, the government

individuals were killed. Prior to these attacks, adopted its National Social Protection

the Israeli military had repeatedly accused Strategy (NSPS). The NSPS included key

Hezbollah of using ambulances to transport reforms, such as an inclusive pension

ûghters and weapons, and of using medical scheme for private sector workers, income

centres afûliated with the Islamic Health security for older people, and improved

Association as a <cover for terrorist activities=. medical coverage for persons with

However, Amnesty International did not ûnd disabilities.

evidence of these facilities being used for In November the Ministry of Social Affairs

military purposes at the time of the attacks announced a one-time cash transfer of USD

and instead found that the strikes likely 100 to people with valid Personal Disability

amounted to direct attacks on civilians and Cards, supported by the ILO, UNICEF, the EU

civilian objects. and the Netherlands. The transfer was a

Between October and November, Israel continuation of the National Disability

targeted branches of Qard al-Hassan, a non- Allowance (NDA) programme, launched in

proût ûnancial institution afûliated with April 2023 to provide income support to

Hezbollah, across Lebanon. In the absence people with disabilities. The ministry

of evidence that these branches had become announced the renewal of the NDA until

military objectives, the strikes constituted September 2025 with a monthly sum of USD
2
unlawful direct attacks on civilian objects. 40 transferred to eligible individuals with

On 17 September, Israel detonated disabilities who were born between 1994 and

explosive devices hidden within thousands of 2009.

pagers across Lebanon, killing at least 12

236 Amnesty International Report

RIGHT TO HOUSING RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

Many buildings in Lebanon failed to meet REPARATION

minimum safety standards. On 26 April, Lebanon9s caretaker cabinet

One year after the February 2023 voted to instruct the Ministry of Foreign

earthquakes, people in the city of Tripoli and Affairs and Emigrants to ûle a declaration

elsewhere continued to live in homes that with the ICC, accepting the court9s

were severely damaged because they could jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute

not afford repairs or alternative housing. crimes on Lebanese territory since 7 October

Tripoli had the highest concentration of 2023. On 28 May the government reversed

unsafe buildings in the country. Of the 162 this decision leading to concerns about

buildings listed as being at risk of collapse in impunity for international crimes.

Lebanon, 63 were in Tripoli, along with 51 The investigation into the Beirut Port

historical or heritage buildings in dire need of explosion on 4 August 2020, which killed at
5
renovation, many of which were inhabited. least 236 people and left more than 7,000

The government9s response was inadequate injured, remained suspended since

and limited to serving eviction notices, and in December 2021.

some cases ûnes, to people living in unsafe On 16 January the Court of Cassation

structures. suspended an arrest warrant against former

In February, two residential buildings public works minister Youssef Fenianos, who

collapsed in the Choueifat region, southern was charged in September 2021 with

Beirut. On 11 February the residents homicide and criminal negligence by the lead

evacuated the ûrst building minutes before it investigator in the Beirut Port explosion
7
collapsed, when they noticed cracks case.

appearing. The second building collapsed On 1 July, families of victims of the Beirut

after midnight on 19 February, killing at least Port explosion joined Lebanese and

four people, including a baby. international human rights organizations in

addressing an open letter to the UN Human

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Rights Council, calling for the establishment

The authorities continued to use criminal of an international, independent and

defamation laws to harass, intimidate and impartial fact-ûnding mission into human

attack journalists and critics. rights violations related to the explosion.

The General Directorate of the Internal Perpetrators continued to commit torture

Security Forces disclosed that the and other ill-treatment with impunity.

Cybercrimes Bureau investigated 1,684 insult Lebanon9s military court missed an

and defamation cases between January 2019 opportunity to hold accountable security

and March 2024, including 18 defamation ofûcials who were accused of torturing to

cases between January and March 2024. death Syrian refugee Bashar Abd Saud. On 1

At least four individuals, including three November, all the defendants in his case

journalists, were summoned for questioning were sentenced to time in prison already

by high-ranking ofûcials in relation to their served after the court reduced the nature of

work. The criminal complaints against them their crime from felony to misdemeanour,

appeared to be retaliatory, targeting speech dropped the charges under the anti-torture

protected under international human rights law and replaced them with charges under

law, rather than addressing actual harm Article 166 of the Code of Military Justice,

caused. In three instances, the summoned which prohibits violating regulations, orders
8
parties were not informed of the allegations and general instructions.

prior to the questioning, violating their fair

trial rights. At the end of the year, two of the REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

individuals remained uncertain whether the Lebanon continued to host the largest
6
charges against them had been dropped. number of refugees per capita, according to

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Prior to the

Lebanon 237
escalation of hostilities with Israel, the

government estimated that there were 1.5 1. <Lebanon: Israeli air strikes that killed at least 49 civilians

million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. further evidence of war crimes=, 12 December ±

In April the authorities stepped up the use 2. <Israel/Lebanon: Branches of Hezbollah-affiliated financial

of hateful rhetoric towards refugees from institution not military targets=, 22 October ±

Syria and introduced additional restrictive 3. <Lebanon: Establish international investigation into deadly

measures intended to pressure them to leave attacks using exploding portable devices=, 20 September ±
Lebanon, even though no part of Syria was 4. Lebanon: <The Country Is Dissolving and No One Cares=: Surging

safe for refugee returns. Starting in May, the Need and Crashing Support for Social Security During Lebanon9s

security services carried out dozens of raids Economic Crisis, 2 December ±

and forcibly deported scores of Syrian 5. <Lebanon: Thousands in Tripoli living in unsafe housing a year on

refugees. On 2 May the European from devastating earthquakes=, 20 February ±

Commission announced a EUR 1 billion aid 6. <Lebanon: End use of defamation laws to target journalists and

package to Lebanon, in part to bolster the critics=, 3 May ±

ability of Lebanese security services to curb 7. <Lebanon: Suspension of arrest warrant for former minister

irregular migration through the another travesty of justice in Beirut blast investigation=, 18

Mediterranean from Lebanon to Europe. January ±

Human rights groups raised serious concerns 8. <Lebanon: Missed opportunity for justice in landmark case over

about the deal, which was followed by torture and death in custody of Syrian refugee=, 5 November ±

numerous discriminatory policies targeting 9. <Lebanon: World leaders must commit to protecting Syrian

Syrian refugees, more than 83% of whom did refugees as Lebanon steps up crackdown ahead of Brussels

not have access to legal residency in conference=, 27 May ±

9
Lebanon.

On 26 September Lebanese General

Security announced new measures aimed at LESOTHO

returning to Syria those Syrians who

overstayed their residency or entered Kingdom of Lesotho

Lebanon irregularly, despite the well-

documented risks that they would face on û

An Of ce of the Ombudsperson
return, including torture, arbitrary detention
investigation found that detainees were
and enforced disappearance. UNHCR
tortured by correctional services of cers. û
expressed concerns over the Lebanese
Journalists were intimidated and harassed,
General Security issuing re-entry bans for leading them to self-censor. The right to a
some of those individuals. fair trial was restricted. Survivors of gender-
The effect of the conüict between Israel based violence faced barriers to justice. A
and Hezbollah on infrastructure and UN expert raised concerns about
humanitarian access and operations left
discrimination against persons with
many refugees without access to shelter,
albinism. The Polihali Dam project
healthcare, food, cash assistance or
restricted local communities9 access to
protection services. û
water and caused signi cant environmental

disruption.
WOMEN9S RIGHTS

Women continued to face discrimination in TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

law and practice.
There were multiple allegations of torture and
Women9s rights groups continued to
other ill-treatment of detainees, particularly
advocate for a uniûed personal status law
against the Lesotho Correctional Services
and political rights, including the right to (LCS). At least 300 detainees at Maseru

equal custody of their children, to full Correctional Centre Institution were subjected

protection from domestic violence, and to to such treatment by LCS correctional

pass on their nationality to their foreign ofûcers, according to the Ofûce of the
spouses and children.

238 Amnesty International Report

Ombudsperson9s ûndings, released in March. DISCRIMINATION

The government established an inquiry into In April, after visiting Lesotho, the UN

the claims, but no further information on its Independent Expert on the enjoyment of

progress was available at the end of the year. human rights by persons with albinism stated

that this minority experienced discrimination,

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION including lack of access to healthcare and

The Computer Crimes and Cyber Security Bill education.

2024, which included provisions that

criminalize and carry harsh ûnes for certain ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

online expression, remained pending before According to the World Bank9s Macro Poverty

the National Assembly. The bill raised fears Outlook report, nearly 50% of the population

among the media that it could allow for lived below the poverty line. This rose to 61%

increased government surveillance and in rural areas. The Polihali Dam construction

intimidation. project in the Mokhotlong district (see below)

The killing in May 2023 of outspoken led to the diversion of local communities9

journalist Ralikonelo Joki by unidentiûed water supplies, primarily to South Africa. This

gunmen led many journalists to self-censor. drove local communities into increasingly

In April 2024, Lesotho Tribune newspaper high levels of poverty and undermined their

journalists were repeatedly threatened and right to livelihoods.

harassed by unidentiûed individuals in an According to UNICEF, educational

apparent attempt to stiüe their views and infrastructure was under-resourced. For

discourage their investigative journalism. example, only 93 of more than 1,700

Other media workers faced similar treatment. mapped schools had an internet connection.

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Judges and lawyers were increasingly The Polihali Dam project caused signiûcant

subjected to intimidation, including threats environmental disruption and harmed

and other forms of pressure, particularly by ecosystems. In July the Seinoli Legal Centre

the military and other state actors. Reports raised concerns about the lack of will from

indicated that harassment was used to the government to implement the project in a

inüuence judicial outcomes that were way that would ensure affected communities

favourable to the government9s or military9s received fair compensation and that their

interests. socio-economic rights were respected.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

According to the Millennium Challenge LIBYA

Corporation, more than 86% of women and

girls experienced gender-based violence in State of Libya

their lifetime. However, many survivors did

not report incidents for fear of social Security forces, militias and armed groups
retribution or from a sense of futility. across Libya carried out arbitrary arrests
Legislation contained provisions to protect targeting hundreds of activists, protesters,
against such violence, but enforcement was journalists, women social media users and
weak and authorities often failed to hold others. Thousands remained arbitrarily
perpetrators accountable. Survivors faced detained solely for their political or tribal
considerable obstacles in accessing justice, û
af liation, following grossly unfair trials or
including prolonged legal proceedings and without legal basis. Torture and other ill-
insufûcient support services. treatment remained widespread and

systematic. <Confessions= extracted under

torture were published online. Civil society

Libya 239
 ü
was sti ed amid efforts by rival authorities ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR

to control the registration, funding and TRIALS

activities of NGOs. Sporadic clashes Security forces, militias and armed groups

between militias and armed groups using arbitrarily arrested hundreds of activists,

explosive wide-area impact weapons led to tribal leaders, journalists, government ofûcials

civilian casualties and destruction of and others for their actual or suspected

civilian objects. Women, girls and members afûliations or opinions or for ûnancial gain.

of religious minorities faced entrenched Thousands continued to be detained solely

discrimination. LGBTI individuals were for their tribal or political afûliations, following

subjected to arbitrary arrests, prosecutions grossly unfair trials or without legal basis.

and death threats. Militias and armed In February, around 20 armed men from

groups carried out forced evictions and the Support Service of Security Directorates

house demolitions. EU-backed Libyan in the Eastern Region arrested Suû Sheikh

coastguards in western Libya, and armed Muftah Al-Amin Al-Biju from his home in

groups in eastern Libya, intercepted Benghazi. He remained arbitrarily detained

thousands of refugees and migrants at sea without charge or trial at the end of year and

and forcibly returned them to detention in was denied access to his family and lawyers.

Libya. Detained refugees and migrants were In July, unidentiûed armed men in plain

subjected to torture, sexual violence and clothes abducted political activists Al-

forced labour. Thousands were forcibly Moatassim Al-Areebi and Mohamed Shtewi

expelled to neighbouring countries without from a street in Misrata. They arbitrarily

due process or the possibility to claim detained the two men for two days in

asylum. Courts handed down death connection to leaked recordings implicating

sentences following unfair trials; no ofûcials in corruption.

executions took place.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

BACKGROUND Torture and other ill-treatment remained

Libya9s political deadlock deepened as rival systematic in prisons and detention facilities

factions failed to agree a new unity nationwide. Reported methods included

government and a uniûed budget or set dates beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence and

for long-delayed presidential and stress positions. <Confessions= extracted

parliamentary elections. under torture continued to be published

On 30 September, rival governments online by militias and armed groups.

agreed on a new governor for the Central Authorities failed to promptly and

Bank of Libya (CBL), ending the banking effectively investigate the causes and

crisis that had affected trading, oil revenues circumstances of suspicious deaths in

and access to foreign currency since the custody. In July, Ahmed Abdel Moneim Al-

ousting of CBL governor Sadik al-Kebir on 20 Zawi died while detained by the Internal

August. Security Agency (ISA), in Ajdabiya. The ISA

The Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), claimed that he had hanged himself, but

the de facto authorities in eastern and parts witnesses reported seeing a bruise on the

of southern Libya, paused oil production in back of his head which appeared to come

relation to the crisis over CBL9s leadership from a heavy blow. A prosecutor in Benghazi

and the reported arrest warrant issued by closed the case without any investigation.

Spain in August against Saddam Haftar, the

de facto leader of the Tarik Ben Zeyad (TBZ) FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

armed group and son of LAAF General Armed actors aligned to rival authorities

Commander Khalifa Haftar. continued to crack down on civil society,

Violations of the UN arms embargo on including by targeting activists through

Libya persisted with Russian shipments abductions, arbitrary detention, summons for

delivered openly in eastern Libyan ports.

240 Amnesty International Report

coercive interrogations, threats and demands UNLAWFUL ATTACKS

for information. While a nationwide ceaseûre reached in 2020

In October the ISA armed group in Sabha largely held, sporadic small-scale armed

raided a civil society event on mental health, clashes took place in Tripoli, as well as in al-

brieüy arresting and interrogating several Zawiya and al-Jameel in western Libya and

attendees. Sabha in southern Libya, between militias

The Commission of Civil Society, an ofûcial and armed groups vying for control of

body, introduced a bill on NGOs that would resources or political inüuence.

grant the government undue powers over Indiscriminate attacks and the reckless use

NGOs9 registration, funding and activities. of ûrearms and explosive weapons with wide-

The draft bill, as well as counter-proposals area effects in residential areas led to

submitted by Libyan civil society, remained casualties among civilians and damage to or

pending before parliament. destruction of civilian objects. In May a 10-

year-old girl was killed in Tripoli during

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY clashes between local militias.

Armed groups and militias arbitrarily arrested In August, clashes between two militias in

and detained hundreds of activists, Tajoura, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, in which

protesters, journalists and online content explosive wide-area impact weapons were

creators simply for exercising their rights to used, led to at least nine deaths and further

freedom of expression and peaceful injuries, according to the Ambulance and

assembly. Emergency Service, as well as the temporary

In January the ISA armed group in Sabha displacement of dozens of families.

arbitrarily arrested blogger Maryam Mansour

al-Warfalli over social media posts critical of IMPUNITY

LAAF. The ISA detained her without charge or Ofûcials and commanders of powerful militias

trial until October. and armed groups enjoyed near total

On 11 July the ISA militia in the capital, impunity for crimes under international law

Tripoli, arrested journalist Ahmed Al-Sanousi committed in 2024 and previous years.

after he published a story about allegations of In May the GNU prime minister

corruption in the Tripoli-based Government of established a new agency to combat ûnancial

National Unity (GNU). He was released three crimes and terrorism, without any human

days later following a public outcry, and rights vetting of its commander and

subsequently üed Libya after receiving members.

threats. In July the UN Human Rights Council

A peaceful protest by residents of the adopted a resolution renewing its technical

western city of Yefren was violently dispersed assistance and capacity building in Libya,

on 24 October by soldiers afûliated with the which fell far short of the investigative and

Western Mountain Military Region of the monitoring mechanism advocated by NGOs

armed forces of the GNU. The residents were and risked further entrenching impunity.

protesting against deteriorating living In July, 12 low- and middle-level ofûcials

conditions and the presence of Tripoli were sentenced to prison terms for their

militias. Witnesses reported that two responsibility in the deadly collapse of dams

protesters sustained injuries. In the aftermath near Derna in September 2023. However,

of the protest, the Central Mountain Security authorities failed to promptly, thoroughly,

Directorate arrested at least 14 individuals independently, impartially and effectively

suspected of organizing or participating in the investigate whether powerful military and

protests. One remained in detention at the political ûgures had failed to protect people9s

end of the year. human rights, particularly the rights to life

1
and health.

Libya 241
In September, Abdelrahman Milad, known as In June the Presidential Council created

<Bija=, who was under UN sanctions for his the Public Morality Protection Authority under

alleged involvement in the trafûcking and its mandate. In October the GNU established

abuse of migrants, was shot dead in Tripoli a new Morality Protection Department within

without facing justice. the Ministry of the Interior. In November the

In October the International Criminal Court GNU9s minister of the interior announced

(ICC) announced warrants for the arrests of plans to introduce compulsory veiling for

six leaders, senior members and afûliates of women and enforce it through the

the al-Kaniat armed group for the war crimes deployment of <morality police=. He also

of murder, torture, enforced disappearances threatened to introduce stricter measures to

and other inhumane acts in the north-eastern prevent women from travelling abroad

town of Tarhouna, which the group controlled without a male guardian9s permission.

until June 2020. Five of the suspects

remained at large, while Libyan authorities LGBTI people

failed to hand over to the ICC Abdelbari Al Consensual same-sex sexual relations

Shaqaqi, who was reportedly detained by the between adults remained criminalized. The

Deterrence Apparatus to Combat Terrorism ISA in Tripoli and other militias and armed
2
and Organized Crime (DACTO). groups arrested tens of individuals on the

Despite its record of committing torture basis of their actual or perceived gender

and other crimes, DACTO continued to be identity and/or sexual orientation.

involved in the interrogation and detention of LGBTI individuals and activists faced death

individuals accused of crimes under threats for their social media posts,

international law, including a commander of prompting several to üee Libya.

the Islamic State armed group accused of In March the Tripoli-based Ofûce of the

responsibility in the beheading of 21 Egyptian Public Prosecutor referred 19 individuals on

Christians in Libya in 2015. charges of <homosexuality= and <atheism= to

the Indictment Chamber of the South Tripoli

DISCRIMINATION First Instance Court. All were released on bail

Women and girls pending trial and were required to report

weekly to the Public Prosecutor9s ofûce.

Women faced discrimination in law and
In July, Tripoli9s Emergency Police arrested
practice, including in matters related to
a vendor for selling rainbow-coloured kites in
marriage, child custody, access to political
Martyrs9 Square.
ofûce and employment.

Militias and armed groups targeted women

Ethnic minorities and Indigenous Peoples
social media inüuencers and content creators
In January, parliament adopted a new law
for forms of expression and dress that did not
criminalizing <witchcraft= and <sorcery=. The
conform with dominant societal norms
law jeopardized the rights to freedom of
grounded in discrimination against women
conscience and religion of religious and
and girls. In March, DACTO released a
ethnic minorities, including Suûs and
woman who had been detained on <morality=
Amazigh adherents of the Ibadi faith.
grounds since November 2022 and whose
Members of the Tabu and Tuareg
release the state prosecution had ordered in
communities, who lacked national identity
April 2023.
cards owing to discriminatory laws and
In September the ISA armed group
regulations governing Libyan citizenship,
arrested two women social media inüuencers
faced barriers in accessing education and
at Benghazi airport on accusations that their
health services.
behaviour had violated societal norms. No

information had been provided about their

FORCED EVICTIONS
fate and whereabouts by the end of the year.
Militias and armed groups in Tripoli and

Benghazi carried out forced evictions and

242 Amnesty International Report

house demolitions, arresting and intimidating cruel and inhuman conditions and subjected

those who protested. to torture and other ill-treatment, including

In March, some 350 families were forcibly sexual violence, extortion, forced labour and

evicted from their homes in the Abu Salim denial of adequate medical care.

neighbourhood of Tripoli without being Throughout the year, Tunisian authorities

provided with alternative housing, according forcibly expelled thousands of refugees and

to the UN. migrants to Libya. Those returned were

In October the ISA armed group in detained in cruel and inhuman conditions

Benghazi arrested journalist Mohamed Al- and subjected to torture and other ill-

Sarit Qarqar after he criticized online the treatment in detention centres run by the

seizure of private property by the Libya Libyan Border Guards, the DCIM or armed

Reconstruction Fund. LAAF-afûliated armed groups (see Tunisia entry.)

groups had forcibly evicted and demolished Armed groups afûliated to LAAF forcibly

his uncles9 homes in Benghazi9s Jaliana area expelled thousands of refugees and migrants

without adequate compensation or to Chad, Egypt, Niger and Sudan without

consultation with the community. Mohamed giving them the opportunity to challenge their

Al-Sarit Qarqar was released after 19 days on deportation or seek international protection.

medical grounds. Some, including those rescued from

prolonged captivity after being held by

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS trafûckers, were expelled for <carrying

Security forces, militias, armed groups and diseases=.

other non-state actors across Libya continued

to commit widespread and systematic human DEATH PENALTY

rights violations and abuses against refugees Libya retained the death penalty for a wide

and migrants with impunity. range of offences, including those not

According to the International Organization meeting the threshold of the most serious

for Migration, between January and crime of <intentional killing= under

September, 1,749 people died or went international law. Civilian and military courts

missing at sea in the central Mediterranean. continued to hand down death sentences for

At least two mass graves were uncovered in murder following grossly unfair trails. No

Libya in March and July, containing 65 and executions took place.

12 bodies of suspected refugees and

migrants, respectively. During the year, RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

21,762 refugees and migrants were Limited early warning systems and

intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to inadequate crisis responses worsened Libya9s

Libya by EU-backed coastguards in western increasing vulnerability to extreme weather

Libya, and by the LAAF-afûliated Libyan events. In August, heavy rains, üoods and

Special Naval Forces and the TBZ in eastern thunderstorms affected the cities of Kufra

Libya. and Ghat as well as other areas in southern

Widespread arrests based solely on Libya, leading to extensive damage and loss

migration status intensiûed in southern Libya of life. Libya had yet to ratify the Paris

and continued across the country following Agreement or submit any formal plans for

interceptions at sea as well as raids by climate mitigation and adaptation.

militias and armed groups on makeshift

migrant encampments or dens of trafûckers

or smugglers. As of December, more than 1. Libya: <In Seconds Everything Changed=: Justice and Redress

5,470 foreign nationals remained arbitrarily Elusive for Derna Flood Survivors, 11 March ±

detained in centres run by the Department 2. Libya: <Every Day We Die a Thousand Times=: Impunity for Crimes

for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM), while against Humanity in Tarhouna, 26 November ±

thousands more were held by other militias

and armed groups. They were detained in

Libya 243
 like food or a toothbrush, thereby

MADAGASCAR exacerbating the overcrowding crisis.

Between 1 January and 29 November, the

Republic of Madagascar Tribunal of Mahajanga 3 one of 22 main

tribunals 3 found 639 people guilty of petty

The authorities9 continued failure to address theft, an offence that could result in a

the root cause of prison overcrowding maximum prison sentence of ûve years. In

resulted in inhumane conditions. Surgical July the Ministry of Justice9s chief of staff

castration was introduced as a punishment justiûed the practice as a measure to

for child rape. Civic space was heavily <protect= accused people from mob justice.

restricted, especially during legislative

elections, with crackdowns on the rights to TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

freedom of association, expression and In February the government amended the

peaceful assembly. Authorities used Penal Code to allow surgical castration as

Predator spyware to monitor political punishment for the rape of a child, a practice

opposition members. Extreme weather that violates the absolute prohibition of

events and drought led to widespread torture and other cruel, inhuman and

internal displacement, disproportionately degrading treatment.

affecting women. High rates of sexual

violence against girls persisted, with limited FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY

support for survivors. Persons with albinism The rights to freedom of association and

were subjected to abduction and murder. peaceful assembly remained heavily

restricted. In Mananjary district, during

BACKGROUND legislative election campaigning in April, the

In March, Cyclone Gamane caused üooding chief of staff of the Ministry of National

and heavy rains, particularly in the northern Education threatened to transfer a civil

Sava region, including in Vohemar city. The servant to another duty station for supporting

cyclone resulted in 18 deaths, displaced an opposition party.

20,737 people and damaged vital Authorities continued to use Order 60-082

infrastructure including roads and bridges of 13 August 1960, which violated regional

connecting the area to other regions of the and international human rights standards by

country. Funding from the international unduly limiting the rights to freedom of

community following the government9s calls peaceful assembly and association,

for international support remained particularly against protesters. For example,

inadequate. on 3 September, four people were each given

Legislative and municipal elections took a six-month suspended prison term for

place in May and December, respectively. participating in unauthorized demonstrations

after they attended protests demanding the

DETAINEES9 RIGHTS release of the MP for Vangaindrano district,

Detainees continued to suffer overcrowded Sylvestre Mahavitara.

conditions, with cells often holding more than On 27 August, security forces violently

double their intended capacity, including at repressed a peaceful protest by local

the Maison Centrale d9Antanimora prison communities opposing the Base Toliara

where a unit built for 30 held at least 60 mining project in Toliara II district.

detainees.

The government failed to reform the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

practice of harsh custodial sentencing, which The right to freedom of expression continued

disproportionately affected the most to be severely restricted, particularly for

vulnerable members of society, including journalists and opposition party members

people accused of stealing basic necessities and supporters. Authorities used Predator

244 Amnesty International Report

spyware to monitor the phones of political and/or by bus, without support from the

opposition members. government or international community.

On 31 May, MP Marie Jeanne d9Arc Masy

Goulamaly was arbitrarily detained for several WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

days for questioning the fairness of legislative Parliament continued to reject a bill drafted

elections in her district. in 2021 that sought to decriminalize abortion,

Authorities continued to use the 2016 which remained illegal under all

Communication Code against journalists. For circumstances, despite the alarmingly high

example, Mickaelys Kamy Ndiamahazo was incidence of rape against girls, including

imprisoned after being convicted in instances involving incest. The government

September for reporting on local government failed to adopt a survivor-centered approach

inüuence over legislative election outcomes in for those affected by sexual violence,

Toamasina, and for posting a call for civic implement measures to allow survivors to

action on Facebook. report rape safely without fear of stigma or

On 17 September, journalist and blogger retaliation, ensure perpetrators were held

Patrick Raharimanana was sentenced under accountable, or to provide survivors with

the 2016 Communication Code to ûve years prompt access to justice and reparation.

in prison and ûned for <interception of Gender-based discrimination remained

computer data= and <publishing documents pervasive and disproportionately affected

compromising national security= after he women, particularly those displaced by

posted the president9s travel itinerary on drought, for whom crucial protections were

social media during the legislative election not available. Preconceived ideas rooted in

period. social and cultural norms led to inequalities

that reduced the ability of women living in

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE9S RIGHTS regions including Androy in the south to seek

The government failed to guarantee the rights better living conditions. For example,

of hundreds of people internally displaced compared to men, women were far less free

from southern Madagascar by severe to sell their resources, including cattle and

drought. Despite worsening living conditions, land, to aid their departure to areas

the government did not provide protection or unaffected by the worsening drought. As a

support for displaced people, many of whom result, women and children were increasingly

continued to suffer violations of their rights to vulnerable to the adverse living conditions.

freedom of movement and residence, and to

adequate housing. Instead, authorities DISCRIMINATION

forcibly evicted displaced people who had There were 23 cases of abductions of

settled in protected areas of Ankarafantsika persons with albinism. Nine of those

National Park in the Boeny region in northern abducted were later found dead. Abductions

Madagascar and failed to provide them with and murders of persons with albinism are

adequate alternative housing. No genuine driven by dangerous superstitious

consultation to identify feasible alternatives misconceptions about the condition.

was conducted, and they were not

compensated for losses and damages. The

government failed to detail how it would MALAWI

address the needs and interests of those

internally displaced by the drought or assess Republic of Malawi

the loss and damage they faced prior to,

during, and after displacement. Floods and drought threatened the right to
Boeny9s governor reported in July that food. Marginalized groups faced
around 100 people were arriving in the region discrimination and violence. The rights to
each week, often after arduous journeys of freedom of expression and peaceful
around 1,500km. Some travelled on foot

Malawi 245
assembly were violated. Detainees were <publishing false news= in connection with a

tortured and otherwise ill-treated. 2023 article alleging that the government

conducted business with a man facing

BACKGROUND corruption and fraud charges. His case did

In March, President Lazarus Chakwera not go to trial.

declared a national state of disaster in 23 of In May, police failed to protect opposition

28 districts affected by El Niño conditions. Alliance for Democracy members from

In October the World Bank reported that attacks by suspected members of the Malawi

71% of the population were living in extreme Congress Party ahead of the former9s rally in

poverty. Mponela, Dowa district, or to arrest their

attackers.

RIGHT TO FOOD

In October, the World Food Programme said TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

that 5.7 million people were acutely food The Malawi Human Rights Commission

insecure and in need of food assistance as a recorded the use by police of torture and

result of üoods, drought brought on by El other ill-treatment of detainees, prolonged

Niño, poor harvests, currency devaluation detention without charge and the

and inüation. Prices of staple foods, including unnecessary transfer of detainees across

maize, nearly doubled in one year and tripled districts.

against the ûve-year average. In January, a 13-year-old boy was

Earlier, in March, President Chakwera said reportedly held for around four days in

that a preliminary government report found Misanjo Police Unit, Mulanje district, during

that 749,113 hectares of maize ûelds 3 which time his hands were bound with

nearly half the national crop area 3 was rubber bands. This caused circulation

damaged by insufûcient rain, üoods and problems which necessitated the amputation

prolonged dry spells, leading to sharp rises in of one hand and two ûngers from the other

prices and food insecurity. The government hand. Two ofûcers went on trial for grievous

invested in the irrigation sector and provided bodily harm in August.

emergency food assistance in cooperation

with partners. REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

In January, civil society organization Inua

DISCRIMINATION Advocacy recorded at least six cases of

International NGO Standing Voice recorded xenophobic attacks by members of the public

four attempted attacks on persons with against refugees working as motorcycle taxi

albinism between January and August. In drivers. Inua Advocacy also recorded

July, four men were each sentenced to 40 incidents of corruption within the

years9 imprisonment, and a ûfth to life plus resettlement programme, and of bribery and

50 years in prison, for killing a three-year-old extortion allegedly by government ofûcials

girl with albinism in Kasungu in 2022. and non-state actors, in Dzaleka refugee

In June the Constitutional Court ruled to camp.

uphold the ban on consensual same-sex

1
sexual conduct between adults.

1. <Malawi: Decision to uphold ban on consensual same-sex conduct

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY is a bitter setback for human rights=, 28 June ±

Journalists faced intimidation and 2. <Malawi: Journalist threatened and harassed: Gregory Gondwe=,

prosecution. In January, Gregory Gondwe 14 February ±

was forced to üee Malawi after publishing an

article on the Platform for Investigative

Journalism website, alleging corruption in the

2
military. In April, Macmillan Mhone was

arrested in Blantyre and charged with

246 Amnesty International Report

 The government continued to restrict

MALAYSIA social media content by issuing <takedown

requests= to social media platforms.

Malaysia Authorities passed new measures,

introducing an Online Safety Bill, in part to

The government continued to use existing address cyberbullying, but these changes

laws to silence dissent and introduced legal raised concerns regarding future
3
amendments further restricting freedom of censorship. In December, rights groups

expression. Refugees and migrants were condemned the government for fast-tracking

û
held in inde nite detention. Death amendments to the CMA that expanded
4
sentences decreased after the death penalty powers to regulate content arbitrarily.

was made discretionary but continued for

drug-related offences. Allegations of torture FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

and other ill-treatment persisted in Authorities continued to use the Peaceful

immigration detention centres, along with Assembly Act (PAA), the Penal Code and the

reports of custodial deaths. Minor Offences Act to restrict peaceful

protests. Organizers and participants were

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION subjected to unnecessary investigations,

The government expanded laws detention and use of force.

unreasonably restricting freedom of Despite the government9s supportive

expression, announcing that it would not stance towards the rights of Palestinian

amend the Printing Presses and Publications people, police investigated pro-Palestinian

Act, nor amend or repeal the Sedition Act. In protesters and organizers under the PAA. In

December the government rushed through October, police detained seven pro-

amendments to the Communications and Palestinian protesters near the US embassy.

Multimedia Act (CMA) which increased Civil society condemned this as a troubling

restrictions on freedom of expression, rather misuse of the PAA that undermined the rights

than removing them. Previously, the to peaceful assembly and freedom of

5
government had promised in its 2022 general expression.

election campaign that all these laws would In March, four Women9s March Malaysia

be revised. The authorities continued to use organizers and participants were questioned

repressive laws, including the CMA and the by police following a protest organized for

Sedition Act, to silence dissenting voices.

1 International Women9s Day. They were

In January, both the director and producer investigated under both the PAA and Minor

of the banned ûlm Mentega Terbang were Offences Act, despite submitting advance

charged under the Penal Code for allegedly notice of the rally to the police.

<wounding religious feelings=. Their judicial In June the Sabah government arrested

review against the government9s banning of eight stateless Bajau Laut Indigenous

the ûlm was still pending at year9s end. students, including at least three children.

In June, human rights defender Mukmin They were detained for seven days under the

Nantang was arrested for sedition after Immigration Act following a peaceful protest
6
raising concerns about the eviction of the outside the Chief Minister9s ofûce.

Bajau Laut community. He remained under In July, police used excessive force to

investigation despite his release.

2 intercept peaceful protesters from local

In December, artist Fahmi Reza was human rights organization Teoh Beng Hock

arrested for sedition and remanded for one Association for Democratic Advancement

day over a caricature of Sabah9s newly during their march calling for justice for

appointed governor, Musa Aman, who victims of custodial deaths. The group

previously faced corruption charges. subsequently ûled a complaint with the

Independent Police Conduct Commission

(IPCC).

Malaysia 247
DEATH PENALTY undocumented children and families. This

According to ofûcial ûgures, between 1 led to concerns about the indeûnite detention

January and 14 October, the Federal Court of around 170 children, with no plans for

commuted 814 mandatory death sentences their release. In December, authorities

to 30- to 40-year prison terms and reported that 17,326 people were in

whippings. In the ûrst year after the death detention across 25 centres. UNHCR, the

penalty was made discretionary by the UN refugee agency, had had no access to

Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act detention centres in the country since 2019.

2023, there was a signiûcant decrease in In February, 131 detainees escaped from

death sentences imposed or conûrmed on the Bidor Immigration Detention Centre,

appeal, reducing death row numbers by over resulting in two deaths. In October, a report
7
two thirds. However, the courts continued to by the Enforcement Agency Integrity

impose the death penalty for drug-related Commission conûrmed severe abuse at
9
offences, in violation of international law and Bidor.

standards. Deportations of immigration detainees

In March the government conûrmed in continued, some of whom may have been at

Parliament that the moratorium on risk of human rights violations upon return.

executions would continue to be observed. In The High Court intervened to halt

December the government voted in favour of deportations of a Bangladeshi opposition

the UN General Assembly resolution calling leader and an Egyptian human rights

for a moratorium on executions pending the defender. However, in October, a domestic

full abolition of the death penalty. worker was deported to Cambodia after they

criticized Cambodian government leaders.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Indiscriminate immigration raids targeting

In January, civil society groups, including undocumented migrants remained

Amnesty International, urged that the IPCC widespread.

be given more authority and independence to

8
effectively address police misconduct. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Government reports disclosed 24 custodial Indigenous Peoples9 lands and livelihoods

deaths recorded between 2022 and 25 May remained under threat from palm oil

2024, all ofûcially attributed to medical plantations, logging and dam construction. In

reasons. There were also 20 deaths in July, seven Temoq Indigenous people in

immigration detention centres between Pahang sued an oil palm plantation for

January and June. encroaching on their customary land. In

In September the Prime Minister September, a court halted hydropower

announced that the police and the Human company operations on Semai Indigenous

Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) land in Perak due to lack of proper consent.

would conduct investigations into injuries to

and deaths of detainees in police custody. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In October a detainee in Pokok Sena In June, the government announced a plan

prison died from a bacterial infection to reduce use of coal to at most 50% of total

following a whipping sentence imposed and energy production by 2035 and to phase out

carried out after his death sentence was coal completely by 2044. However, this would

commuted. mean moving towards being more dependent

on natural gas as a transitionary fuel,

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS potentially prolonging fossil fuel dependence.

Refugees and migrants faced indeûnite

detention under harsh conditions. In March,

the government denied reports of torture in

immigration detention facilities. Also in March

the government opened detention centres for

248 Amnesty International Report

1. <Malaysia: Oral statement Item 6: Consideration of UPR reports: FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

HRC 56th session=, 5 July ± Unlawful restrictions on freedom of peaceful

2. <Malaysia: Arrest of Bajau Laut human rights defender under the assembly increased. In February, the Police

Sedition Act is a shameful attempt at suppressing peaceful Commissioner announced bans on any

dissent=, 27 June ± protests in areas surrounding governmental

3. Malaysia: Passage of the Online Safety Bill a grave blow to institutions, such as the Parliament building,

freedom of expression, 12 December. ± the President9s Ofûce and the Supreme

4. Malaysia: End Expansion of Repressive Laws Undermining Court.

Freedom of Expression and Civic Space, 17 December. ± In February, the High Court ruled that

5. <Malaysia: Drop investigations into seven pro-Palestine protesters Aishath Rasheed, an employee of the

detained near the US Embassy=, 1 October ± Maldives Police Services, had been

6. <Malaysia: Stop crackdown on Bajau Laut people=, 22 June ± wrongfully dismissed from her job. Aishath

7. <Malaysia: One year since repeal of mandatory death penalty, Rasheed9s dismissal in August 2017 followed

violations of international Law and standards continue despite her participation in a demonstration held to

overall decrease in death sentences=, 4 July ± mark three years since the forced

8. <Joint Statement: Empower IPCC to remedy the public trust deficit disappearance of Minivan News journalist

in PDRM=, 22 January ± Ahmed Rilwan. The court ordered she be

9. <Malaysia: Urgent action needed to address EAIC's findings of reinstated and compensated.

abuse in Bidor Temporary Immigration Detention Centre=, 16 In August, media reported that two women

October ± 3 Shazra Ibrahim and Aishath Shadhiya 3

were unlawfully arrested and detained for

protesting near embassies, the UN Ofûces

MALDIVES and the residences of ambassadors. The

protesters, who were calling for boycotts of

Republic of Maldives Israeli products, were initially remanded in

custody before being released on conditional

Maldives remained one of the most bail on 5 September.

vulnerable countries to climate change, yet

it continued to rely heavily on fossil fuels. WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Marginalized communities faced Women continued to be underrepresented in

disproportionate impacts of the climate public affairs. Only three out of 93 MPs

crisis. Restrictions on press freedom and elected in April were women. Gender-based

the right to freedom of peaceful assembly violence persisted, with low rates of

continued. investigation, prosecution and trials for cases

related to violence against women and girls.

BACKGROUND In July, the UN Human Rights Committee

The People9s National Congress won the raised concerns about the failure to make

Parliamentary elections in April. female genital mutilation and domestic

violence speciûc criminal offences.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The Evidence Act, which allows judges to LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

compel journalists to reveal their sources in Adult consensual same-sex, pre-marital and

matters relating to <terrorism= and <national extra-marital sexual acts remained

security=, remained. In May, Maldives fell six criminalized.

places in the Reporters without Borders

Press Freedom Index, ranking 106 out of 180 FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

countries. In July, the UN Human Rights Committee

called for reform of the constitutional

supremacy of sharia law in line with

international human rights commitments.

Some religious and political groups continued

Maldives 249
to use religious arguments to call for

restrictions on human rights and the work of MALI

civil society organizations. The Maldivian

Democracy Network remained unable to Republic of Mali

function since it was shut down in 2019 due

to lobbying by religious groups. The authorities increased their use of

arbitrary detention and enforced

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS disappearances to repress the right to
The International Monetary Fund highlighted freedom of expression. The right to freedom
the high cost of living, high import costs and of association was routinely violated.
high-cost energy in the country. In March, Government and armed forces killed
the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion hundreds of civilians. Impunity for crimes
of a Democratic and Equitable International under international law was widespread.
Order visited and noted that access to More than 1,600 schools remained closed
housing and clean water is a challenge for ü
due to the armed con ict. New legislation
those in remote islands. In July, the UN violated LGBTI people9s rights.
Human Rights Committee raised concerns

about the high prevalence of unsafe BACKGROUND

abortions, the stigma surrounding Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso left ECOWAS in

reproductive care and geographical barriers January and formed a confederation in July.

to health services. In March, the military government extended

the political transition period which had

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND followed the 2020 military coup.

REPARATION The 2015 peace agreement between the

The Presidential Commission on Deaths and government and northern separatist groups

Disappearances was dissolved in May without collapsed and ûghting continued in the north.

publishing ûndings of its investigations or Islamist armed groups continued to attack

sharing information with families of people military positions and local communities,

who had been forcibly disappeared. while Russian foreign military personnel

fought alongside government forces. Nearly

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT 331,000 people had been internally

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human displaced by 31 July according to UN ûgures.

right to a clean, healthy and sustainable OCHA said that 32% of the population

environment visited the Maldives and needed humanitarian assistance.

reported on delays to the clean energy The Interministerial Committee on Crisis

transition and heavy reliance on state- and Disaster Management said 264,646

subsidized fossil fuels. He highlighted the people were affected by üoods which caused

disproportionate impact of the climate crisis at least 177 deaths by October.

on marginalized communities, who have

limited access to adaptation measures. The ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTION

UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of Those exercising their rights to freedom of

a Democratic and Equitable International expression, association and peaceful

Order reported on how rapid urbanization assembly were frequently arbitrarily arrested

and unsustainable development practices and detained.

continued to exacerbate environmental In March, Alpha Yaya Sangaré, a

degradation. lieutenant colonel in the National

Gendarmerie, was arrested following the

publication of a book that contained

allegations the army committed human rights

violations against civilians. The accusations

250 Amnesty International Report

against him were not disclosed. Also in judge charged him with <opposing legitimate

March, economist Etienne Fakaba Sissoko authority= for participating in an unauthorized

was arrested in relation to his book protest in June. He was provisionally released
2
denouncing government use of on 3 October.
1
<propaganda=. In May, he was convicted of

defamation, damaging the state9s reputation ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

and distributing fake news, sentenced to The fate and whereabouts of several people

three years9 imprisonment (one suspended) arrested by the National Agency for State

and ûned. In November he lost his appeal Security (intelligence services) remained

against conviction. unknown for prolonged periods.

On 27 May, 80-year-old Boubacar In March, Hamadoun Dicko, member of

Karamoko Traoré was arrested at the Ofûce of civil society group Tabital Pulaaku Mali, was

the Prime Minister and charged with released after three months9 detention in an

<slighting the integrity of the state, contempt unknown location. Also in March, around 20

of court and dissemination of misleading leaders of the now dissolved Malian

statements likely to disturb the public order=. Association of Students and Pupils (AEEM)

Karamoko Traoré was interim president of the were detained without charge in an unknown

strategic committee of the June 5th location until late June. Web activist Yeri

Movement3Rally of Patriotic Forces, which Bocoum was forcibly disappeared for almost

played a key role in the 2020 post-electoral one month in June, after covering protests

protests. He had signed a memorandum organized by the Synergy of Actions for Mali.

condemning the military9s heavy-handed In August, former MP Idrissa Sankaré was

leadership tactics since 2020, and the abducted and detained for 24 days.

decision to delay elections. He was

sentenced to one year in prison, which was FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

reduced to three months on appeal in The government dissolved several civil

September. society associations, including the

On 20 June, the gendarmerie arrested 11 Observatory for Elections and Good

politicians who were holding a meeting in Governance, Kaoural Renouveau, CMAS,

Bamako, the capital, at the residence of the AEEM and the Synergy of Actions for Mali.

vice president of the Alliance for Democracy Between 10 April and 10 July, the

in Mali3African Party for Solidarity and government suspended all activities by

Justice. On 24 June, after being presented to political parties. Also in April, the authorities

an investigating judge for a summary hearing, banned media coverage of activities by

10 of them were remanded in custody. On 5 political parties and <political associations=.

July, Mohamed Aly Bathily was also arrested

in connection with the meeting. He, along UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

with the 10 others, was charged with Parties to the conüict killed hundreds of

<disturbing public order and plotting against civilians unlawfully; some killings may have

the state=. On 9 September, the investigating amounted to crimes under international law.

judge ordered their provisional release. This

was appealed by the prosecutor and they Armed groups

remained in Dioila prison until their release in On 3 January, 24 villagers of Boura, in the

December. Sikasso region, were abducted by Dozo

On 12 July, Youssouf Daba Diawara, hunters. Days later, the bodies of 17 of them

former coordinator of the now-dissolved were discovered, according to local

Coordination of Movements, Friends and organization Tabital Pulaaku. On 6 January,

Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud Dicko Dozo hunters killed 13 people in Kalala-Peul

(CMAS) was taken by unidentiûed armed village, in south-central Mali, near Ségou.

men from his car to the gendarmerie9s In May, suspected members of the Group

Criminal Investigations Brigade. On 15 July, a for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM)

Mali 251
killed nine youths on the road between humanitarian crisis, affecting 497,100 pupils

Goundam and Diré villages, in Timbuktu and 9,942 teachers.

region, while they were participating in an

army recruitment programme. In the same LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

month, alleged GSIM members killed 19 In December, a new Criminal Code was

internally displaced people on their farms in adopted into law under which consensual

Diallassagou town, in the Mopti region, same-sex sexual conduct was criminalized,

according to local and media sources. and punishable by two years9 imprisonment

According to government sources, in July, and a ûne.

they killed around 23 people in the villages of

Djiguibombo and Sokorokanda in the Mopti

region, destroying property, including a 1. <Mali: Arbitrarily detained author must be released: Etienne

health centre. They also attacked Dembo Fakaba Sissoko=, 31 May ±

village, also in Mopti, killing 20 smallholders. 2. <Mali: Arbitrarily detained opposition leaders must be

immediately released=, 19 July ±

Government forces 3. <Mali: Drone strikes killed 13 civilians including seven children in

On 17 March, two army drone strikes caused Amasrakad=, 27 March ±

at least 13 civilian deaths, including seven 4. <Mali: Authorities must investigate deaths of at least eight

children, and injured more than 12 others in civilians, including six children, after drone strikes in

3
Amasrakad, Gao region. One week later, Inadiatafane=, 5 November ±

another drone strike hit a compound in 5. Mali: ICC conviction of Al Hassan for war crimes and crimes

Douna village, in the Mopti region, killing 14 against humanity provides a measure of justice for victims, 27

people, including 11 children, and wounding June ±

nine others.

On 21 October, drone strikes killed eight

civilians, including six children in MALTA

4
Inadiatafane, Timbuktu region.

Republic of Malta

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

REPARATION Abortion remained illegal in most

On 26 June, the ICC convicted al Hassan ag
circumstances. Concerns persisted about
Abdoul Aziz of crimes against humanity and
Malta9s failures to respond to distress calls
war crimes. He was, however, acquitted of from refugees and migrants in peril at sea.
the war crimes and crimes against humanity The authorities continued to misuse
of rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, migration detention. The UN Human Rights
and the war crime of attacking protected Committee expressed concern about
5
objects. In November, the ICC sentenced
restrictions on freedom of peaceful
him to 10 years' imprisonment.
assembly in the decades-old legislation.
There was no progress in the investigations

by national jurisdictions of war crimes

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
committed in the Mopti region in the villages Abortion remained illegal in most

of Moura, in 2022, Ogossagou, in 2019 and circumstances, except where the pregnant

2020, and Sobane-Da, in 2019, among person9s life was at immediate risk and
others.
before <fetal viability=.

In August, the UN Human Rights

RIGHT TO EDUCATION Committee (HRC) expressed concern about
In January, the Global Education Cluster, a the <continued criminalization of abortions of

group of humanitarian NGOs, revealed that pregnancies that may cause substantial

1,657 schools were closed during 2023, and physical or psychological pain and suffering,

remained so, due to insecurity or

252 Amnesty International Report

including pregnancies resulting from rape or In June, the European Commission against

incest=. Racism and Intolerance expressed concern

at the government9s decision in 2020 to

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS discontinue regularizing the stay of

At year9s end, 238 people had arrived in unsuccessful asylum seekers who could not

Malta by sea. Concern persisted about be returned to their countries of origin and

Malta9s failure to, or delay in, responding to had remained in Malta for many years.

distress calls from refugees and migrants at In March, the criminal court of Valletta

sea. In March, at least 60 people were started hearing the case of two asylum

reported to have died on a boat that had seekers, who 3 together with a third one 3

departed from Libya. They had been adrift for had opposed attempts to unlawfully return

days despite all relevant maritime authorities, them to Libya in 2019 when two of them

including those in Malta, having been were still children. They were indicted on

informed by both the EU Border and charges including acts of terrorism and faced

Coastguard Agency (Frontex) and NGOs of a life imprisonment. The third man involved in

boat in distress in a speciûed area. the case was missing and the legal

Eventually, the NGO rescue ship Ocean proceedings against him were suspended.

Viking reached the boat and rescued 25 In March, the Constitutional Court

survivors. dismissed on procedural grounds a case

Malta continued to cooperate with the brought by asylum seekers who were

Libyan authorities to intercept people in the unlawfully returned to Libya in 2020 by a

Maltese search and rescue region and take commercial ship contracted and instructed

them back to Libya, which was not a safe by the government, in what became known

country for the disembarkation of people as the <Easter Monday push back=.

rescued at sea. Cases in February and April

involved more than 200 people in total. In FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

August, the UN HRC expressed concern at In August, the UN HRC expressed concern at

Malta9s failures in responding to distress the disproportionate requirements and

signals, at investigating <possible unlawful criminal penalties contained in the Public

deprivations of life= at sea, and at the lack of Meetings Ordinance of 1931, including that

human rights safeguards in the of prior written notice, which could be

memorandum of understanding signed with imposed on individuals exercising their right

Libya in May 2020 to combat irregular to peaceful assembly. The UN HRC was also

migration. concerned at the lack of legal safeguards for

Malta continued to automatically detain demonstrators against the use of excessive

people arriving irregularly by sea on public force by the police.

health grounds. In some cases, children were The UN HRC in addition expressed

detained with adults, in violation of concern at the <mass= prosecution of

international law. In August, the UN HRC migrants who protested against the

recommended that all detention orders based conditions in which they were held in the Hal

on public health grounds comply with the Far detention centre in 2019.

principles of necessity and proportionality

and be subjected to independent oversight. It RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

also recommended that effective remedies be REPARATIONS

provided to people found to have been The trial of a businessman accused of

arbitrarily detained. In October, the European commissioning the 2017 killing of journalist

Court of Human Rights found that Malta had Daphne Caruana Galizia had yet to start.

unlawfully detained a group of children, in

conditions amounting to inhuman and

degrading treatment and without an effective

remedy.

Malta 253
 military (Secretary of National Defence,

MEXICO SEDENA), militarizing public safety.

1

In June, controversial changes to the laws

United Mexican States on amnesty and amparo (judicial protection

for constitutional rights) were enacted,

Human rights defenders, journalists and allowing the president to grant amnesty,

protesters remained at risk of without restrictions, to anyone providing

criminalization, excessive use of force, information for investigations, and banning

violence and death. Human rights violations certain temporary injunctions, even if they

by the military and National Guard could be used to prevent human rights

continued, including possible extrajudicial violations.

executions; impunity persisted. In September, a constitutional amendment

Disappearances were a huge concern, but was enacted allowing voters to elect judges at

there were concerns that the government all levels and enabling the creation of

minimized the scale of the issue. Those anonymous or <faceless judges= for

searching for disappeared people were at organized crime cases, undermining judicial

serious risk. Arbitrary detention continued independence, and the rights to justice and

unabated and judicial independence was fair trial. In November, the Supreme Court

threatened by constitutional amendments. dismissed a project to partially invalidate the

The rate of gender-based violence, judicial amendment. Seven out of 11 judges

femicides and transgender femicides was voted for limiting the scope, but a special

high. Access to abortion improved, but majority of eight was required.

some states had yet to decriminalize it. On 31 October, a constitutional

Asylum seekers experienced delays in the amendment was approved that made future

processing of their applications and were constitutional amendments impossible to

denied their basic rights. Conditions at the challenge, even by the Supreme Court.

border were increasingly dangerous for In November, the head of the National

migrants to the USA waiting for immigration Commission on Human Rights was re-elected

appointments. Indigenous Peoples and despite criticism of her administration by civil

Afro-descendants were constitutionally society.

recognized. The government continued Also in November, a constitutional

promoting the production and use of fossil amendment was approved to abolish various

fuels. The <Mayan Train= railway and Tulum constitutionally autonomous agencies,

International Airport remained in operation including the National Institute for

despite environmental concerns. Transparency, Access to Information and

Personal Data Protection.

BACKGROUND

In June, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

elected as Mexico9s ûrst female president. During the year, at least nine human rights

The election was the most violent ever, with at defenders were murdered, according to

least 41 candidates murdered, according to OHCHR, the UN human rights ofûce. A

Electoral Laboratory think tank. report published in 2024 by NGO Global

Seventeen years since the military9s major Witness stated that 15 land defenders and

involvement in public security operations environmental activists were killed in 2023,

started, the number of disappearances and making Mexico one of the most dangerous

murders in Mexico continued to increase. In countries in the world for territory, land and

September, Congress approved a environment defenders. The criminalization

constitutional amendment to place the of human rights defenders continued and the

National Guard under the control of the outgoing president Andrés Manuel López

Obrador stigmatized activists and civil society

organizations. There was no progress in the

254 Amnesty International Report

investigation into the unlawful surveillance of On 2 August, the Mexico City General

lawyer Ana Lorena Delgadillo, journalist Attorney9s Ofûce notiûed territory, land and

Marcela Turati and forensic expert Mercedes environmental defender Hortensia Telésforo

Doretti, who collaborated on the inquiry into Jiménez about an investigation against her

the massacre of migrants in 2010 and 2011 for her participation in reclaiming a

in the city of San Fernando, Tamaulipas state. community library. On 5 September, people

On 3 July, the Prosecutor's Ofûce agreed a protesting in Mexico City about her

Non-Execution of Criminal Action against criminalization suffered verbal attacks by

these three. local government ofûcials from the Mexico

Journalists also continued to be at City borough of Xochimilco and excessive use

2
signiûcant risk. At least four journalists were of force by police ofûcers. Five protesters

killed in possible connection to their work, were detained and prosecuted. In February,

according to the organization Article 19. In the General Attorney9s Ofûce of Guanajuato

January, personal information on more than notiûed seven students that they were being

324 journalists was leaked and posted on a investigated for damaging public buildings at

website. In his morning conference, then- the University of Guanajuato during protests

president Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2023. On 13 March, the university

disclosed the personal data of New York dropped the charges.

Times journalist Natalie Kitroeff, stating that The use of excessive force by the

his authority was more valuable than authorities during protests continued. On 20

journalists9 privacy. June, the police attacked people protesting

Threats continued against journalist against a pig farm in the municipality of

Alberto Amaro. On 4 June, police ofûcers Perote, Veracruz state, causing the deaths of

from Tlaxcala state followed and pointed a brothers Jorge and Alberto Cortina Vázquez.

gun at him. The Oaxaca state government In March activists and media reported that

offered a public apology to the family of police used tear gas in Colima, Chihuahua,

journalist Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Morelos,

murdered on 17 June 2021. Oaxaca, Puebla and Zacatecas; carried out

attacks against feminist protesters in the state

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY of Michoacán; ill-treated and arrested ûve

The authorities continued using the judicial protesters in the state of Nuevo León; and ill-

system to criminalize territory, land and treated and arrested at least 12 women

environment defenders and students who protesting peacefully and two female

participated in protests. journalists in the state of Zacatecas.

On 7 February, a judge from Salina Cruz In August, the reparation process

region convicted the territory, land, and concluded for Libertad Reyes, África Torres,

environmental defender David Hernández Sofía Ramírez, Enya Mota and Patricia Luna,

Salazar for attacks on communication routes who had been victims of excessive use of

and ûre damage in the municipality of San force and illegal and arbitrary detention by

Blas Atempa, Oaxaca state. On 14 May, the police in the city of León, Guanajuato

however, the Sixth Collegiate Criminal state, while protesting against gender-related

Chamber of Oaxaca9s High Court of Justice violence on 22 August 2020.

revoked his sentence. In July, after public

pressure, the Altos District Prosecutor9s EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS

Ofûce of the municipality of San Cristóbal de Military forces continued to commit alleged

las Casas, Chiapas state, determined not to human rights violations, potentially

prosecute six territory, land and amounting to extrajudicial executions.

environmental defenders from the Colonia Impunity persisted for these crimes.

Maya neighbourhood and the case was According to the media and human rights

closed. defenders, on 26 April members of SEDENA

attacked two young people travelling by car in

Mexico 255
Nuevo Laredo city, Tamaulipas state, causing downplay the ofûcial number of missing and

the death of one of them. Witnesses and disappeared people. In March, the Ministry of

video surveillance cameras showed members the Interior reported that around 20,000

of the National Guard entering a house on 9 people had allegedly been found and almost

June where two infants and four women were 100,000 people were still disappeared or

murdered in the city of León, Guanajuato missing.

state, according to media sources. Relatives searching for disappeared people

On 13 July, two members of the National continued to face serious risks. The risks

Guard attacked four people travelling by car disproportionately affected women, who

in Villa Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí state, represented the majority of the searchers.

causing the death of a child and injuries to During the year, at least one woman

an adolescent. On 1 October, six migrants searching for her disappeared relative was

were killed when military members ûred at killed and another was disappeared. In

the vehicle in which they were travelling on January, Lorenza Cano Flores was

the Villa Comaltitlán-Huixtla road, Chiapas disappeared in Salamanca city, Guanajuato

state. SEDENA issued a public statement state. In February, Angelita Meraz León was

reporting that the two members who had killed in Tecate city in Baja California state. In

opened ûre were under investigation. February, the Inter-American Commission on

On 7 October members of SEDENA Human Rights held a public hearing about

attacked a man driving a car and threatened the protection of women searching for

to kill him, according to media sources. disappeared people, highlighting the serious

According to human rights defenders, on risks they face, including enforced

11 October members of SEDENA killed a disappearance, killing, repression and

woman after shooting at suspected cartel threats.

vehicles in Nuevo Laredo city, Tamaulipas The government refused to provide 800

state. On 12 October, members of the military documents relating to the enforced

National Guard killed an eight-year-old girl disappearance of 43 students from

and a woman in in the same city. Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, to their relatives.

On 5 December, a court conûrmed the The former president stigmatized NGOs

sentence against ûve military personnel working on the case, including Centro Prodh,

involved in the extrajudicial execution of Tlachinollan and the Interdisciplinary Group

Jorge Antonio Mercado Alonso and Javier of Independent Experts.

Francisco Arredondo Verdugo.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES REPARATION

The number of missing and disappeared The Mechanism for Truth and Historical

people remained of grave concern. In 2024, Clariûcation presented two reports addressing

the National Search Commission registered grave human rights violations between 1965

13,588 new cases of missing and and 1990. The August report recognized

disappeared people, of whom 9,621 were state responsibility for systematic human

men, 3,960 were women, and seven were rights violations, identifying 8,594 victims of

unidentiûed. According to ofûcial ûgures, a 11 types of grave human rights violations.

total of 120,740 people had been registered The October report focused on grave human

as missing and disappeared between 1962 rights violations committed against political

and the end of 2024. dissidents, identifying 1,103 victims of

The <census= of disappeared people 3 a enforced disappearances.

government strategy supposedly to verify In September, the Ministry of the Interior

whether a person is genuinely missing or presented a report by the Commission for

disappeared 3 continued, despite concerns Access to Truth, Historical Clariûcation and

by civil society organizations that the the Promotion of Justice for Grave Human

government was trying to deny the crisis and Rights Violations, eliminating the inclusion of

256 Amnesty International Report

nine groups of victims, including LGBTI decriminalizing abortion. Judicial decisions in

people, sex workers, journalists and the states of Yucatán and Nayarit ordered

opponents of large-scale developments. local congresses to adopt legislation

decriminalizing abortion, but implementation

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR remained pending. By the end of the year,

TRIALS abortion was legal in 19 out of 32 states and

In July, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary decriminalization was in progress in two

Detention expressed concern about the states.

systematic use of arbitrary detention in In August, however, the Aguascalientes

Mexico; the use of arraigo (precautionary state congress reduced the number of weeks

detention without charge) and automatic of pregnancy in which abortion could be

pretrial detention; the militarization of public accessed from 12 to six, contrary to a

security; and the excessive use of force Supreme Court ruling.

during detention, among others.

A constitutional amendment was approved LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

in December to expand automatic pretrial In April, amendments to the Criminal Code

detention for crimes such as extortion, and the General Law on Health were

smuggling and activities relating to false approved, banning so-called <conversion

invoices, as well as certain drug-related therapy=.

crimes. The year was one of the most dangerous

for transgender women, with at least 59

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS transgender femicides reported by the media

Sexual violence and femicide remained and civil society organizations. According to

prevalent and proper investigations into these data published in 2024 by the organization

crimes were lacking. Approximately 3,427 Transgender Europe, in 2023 Mexico was the

women were murdered in 2024, according to second most dangerous country in the world

the Executive Secretariat of the National for transgender people after Brazil.

Public Security System, and approximately

829 of these were considered feminicides. REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

The authorities published decrees to The Mexican Commission for Refugee

promote women9s and girls9 rights. On 18 Assistance (COMAR) received 78,975 asylum

January, the decree to reform the General applications during the year. The largest

Law on Women9s Access to a Life Free of number of applications came from nationals

Violence came into force, aiming to prevent of Honduras, followed by Cuba, Haiti, El

and punish violence against women. Salvador, Venezuela and Guatemala. Lack of

On 15 November, a constitutional accommodation forced many asylum seekers

amendment to promote gender equality was to live on the streets near COMAR9s ofûces in

published. Speciûcally, it established Mexico City. After neighbours protested, the

substantive equality in access to rights; authorities decided to move ofûces,

highlighted that the state has stronger duties suspending the processing of asylum claims

of protection towards women, adolescents, for approximately two months and increasing

girls and boys; established the gender the backlog of asylum applications.

perspective in public security and justice; Civil society organizations expressed

promoted gender parity in the federal, state concern over the failure of the National

and municipal government; and required Institute of Migration to expedite visitors9

Congress to reduce the gender pay gap. cards for humanitarian reasons to asylum

seekers, preventing them from accessing

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS their rights to health, education and work.

The states of Chiapas, Estado de México, The authorities continued to collaborate

Jalisco, Michoacán, Puebla, San Luis Potosí with the USA in implementing policies that

and Zacatecas adopted legislation undermined the right to asylum and the

Mexico 257
principle of non-refoulement. Mexico9s On 15 February, the congress of the state

northern borders became increasingly of Tabasco approved an amendment of a

dangerous for people waiting for an decree to relocate members of the El Bosque

appointment to request asylum in the USA. community. The community was evacuated

People waiting at the border were often in 2023 due to sea level rises attributed to

victims of extortion, abducted and climate change. At the end of the year, 51

experienced discrimination and sexual and families had received new homes.

gender-based violence by both state and

3
non-state actors.

1. Mexico: National Guard. Analysis of the National Guard Reform

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS Initiative, 19 September (Spanish only) ±

A constitutional amendment was enacted on 2. <8No one guarantees my safety9: the killing of Rubén Pat=, 6

30 September recognizing the rights of March ±

Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Mexican 3. USA: CBP One: A blessing or a trap?, 8 Ma y ±

communities to self-determination and free,

prior and informed consultation. Civil society

organizations expressed concern over the MOLDOVA

omission of certain rights, such as to territory,

which added to structural inequalities and Republic of Moldova

could make the reform difûcult to implement.

Civil society organizations reported internal The right to freedom of expression was
displacement of Indigenous People caused eroded. Reports of torture and other ill-
by violence in the states of Michoacán (at
treatment remained unaddressed, and
least 110 Indigenous People), Chihuahua
impunity for past violations prevailed. A
(251 Indigenous People) and Chiapas (at reduction in state accommodation centres
least 8,190 people displaced, most of whom forced some refugees to return to Ukraine.
were Indigenous). Approximately 600 people Discrimination against LGBTI people
from Chiapas crossed the border to remained commonplace. In the breakaway
Guatemala to seek safety. Transnistria region, the rights to freedom of

expression and religion were violated.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

The government continued promoting the

BACKGROUND
production of fossil fuels to reduce gas The year was marked by growing economic

imports. It reported in August that the hardships, although Moldova successfully re-

processing of crude oil would reach 340,000 oriented its energy supplies away from

barrels per day at the Dos Bocas oil reûnery Russia, prior to Ukraine ending the transit of
in Tabasco state.
Russian gas. In Russian-occupied
The <Mayan Train= intercity railway across
Transnistria, this ended the Russian-
the Yucatán Peninsula, inaugurated in
subsidized energy supply resulting in a
December 2023, continued to operate signiûcant increase in the cost of living. EU

despite concerns about contamination of accession negotiations formally began in

water and soil, the impact on animals9 January, and in October a referendum on

migration routes and habitats, the negative amending the constitution to include
effects on the biodiversity of the region and
Moldova9s EU aspirations was passed by a
Indigenous Peoples9 access to food. Tulum
narrow margin. The government9s repeated
International Airport 3 also opened in
accusations of Russia9s clandestine
December 2023 3 continued to operate interference with the referendum, and the

despite concerns around the effects of simultaneous presidential election, were

pollution and noise on wildlife habitats and supported by independent media

the right to a healthy environment. investigations and conûrmed by top EU

258 Amnesty International Report

diplomats. Maya Sandu was re-elected as TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

president. The structural issues behind torture and

According to the UN Development other ill-treatment in detention remained

Programme, Moldova was <highly vulnerable unaddressed. According to data from the

to climate change and related disasters= and Prosecutor General9s Ofûce published in

experienced recurring droughts and üoods. February, four allegations of torture and 373

The Transnistria region continued to be allegations of other ill-treatment were

governed by de facto authorities of the so- recorded in 2023. Detainees in adult and

called <Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic=. juvenile penitentiary institutions continued to

suffer overcrowding, unsanitary and

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION otherwise inadequate detention conditions

The Council for the Promotion of Investment and poor health provision.

Projects of National Importance used its

controversial powers (introduced in IMPUNITY

December 2023) to suspend extrajudicially Impunity for past human rights violations by

the broadcasting licences of 25 TV and radio members of law enforcement agencies

1
stations. In doing so, it relied on undisclosed prevailed.

evidence from the Security and Intelligence There were no further prosecutions

Service (SIS), which alleged that the following the abduction and forcible return of

ûnancing of the media companies was seven Turkish teachers to Türkiye by

suspicious and not transparent. Moldovan security services in 2018, beyond

Seven news websites broadcasting the 2020 conviction of the former director of

Russian news and presenting Russia9s ofûcial the SIS who was ûned for a related economic

narrative on its aggression against Ukraine offence.

were blocked following an order issued by the

SIS, for allegedly posing national security REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

risks to Moldova. As of 8 September, Moldova was hosting

Authorities in the Autonomous Territorial 123,183 refugees from Ukraine. Of these

Unit of Gagauzia passed legislation enabling only 2% were living in state-provided

them to restrict the editorial freedom of the temporary accommodation centres. In

region9s public broadcaster, Gagauziya Radio December only 26 such centres remained

Television. operational, out of 136 that were opened at

On 10 June, amendments to the criminal the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of

code came into force that extended the Ukraine; a further eight faced closure.

scope of the crime of treason to cover actions Refugees not rehoused in the remaining

in peacetime as well as wartime and removed centres had to rent accommodation privately

the requirement that such actions cause or return to Ukraine.

direct harm to the state. In February the General Inspectorate for

Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY rejected asylum claims from ûve LGBTI

In October, ahead of a farmers9 persons from Russia, stating that they faced

demonstration against insufûcient central no risk of human rights violations if returned.

government support, some protesters

reported being contacted by police and ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

asked whether they intended to participate; In May the CERD Committee noted with

some were recommended not to take part. concern that members of Roma communities

On the day of the demonstration, trafûc continued to experience discrimination in

police arbitrarily prevented farmers driving accessing healthcare, housing, education

their agricultural vehicles from reaching the and employment.

protest location.

Moldova 259
LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

In June, a Pride march with some 800 MONGOLIA

participants took place without incident in the

capital, Chiinu. However, LGBTI people Mongolia

routinely faced discriminatory attitudes and

homophobic statements by religious activists Mongolia failed to uphold its obligations

and some ofûcials. under the Rome Statute of the ICC.
In October, two LGBTI events, the Coming Freedom of expression was suppressed.
Out Day Fest and the LGBT+ Film Festival, Environmental degradation due to mining
were jeopardized by two hoax bomb threats. operations continued to have a negative
Participants were also twice denied access to impact on herders9 rights. Pension system
the rooms reserved for the events. reform failed to protect the right to social

û
security. A new traf c and housing law
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT violated the right to housing.
In April, the Moldovan Parliament passed a

climate action law, committing the country to BACKGROUND

achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 by The governing Mongolian People9s Party

expanding the use of renewable energy retained a majority in parliamentary elections

sources, improving energy efûciency and but the opposition made large gains.

investing in sustainable infrastructure.

IMPUNITY

TRANSNISTRIA REGION In September, Russian president Vladimir

Freedom of expression Putin made an ofûcial visit at the invitation of

President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Despite an

Independent journalists were not allowed to
arrest warrant issued by the ICC in March
travel or work in the breakaway region of
2023, the authorities failed to fulûl Mongolia9s
Transnistria. A freelance journalist, who
obligation as a party to the Rome Statute to
entered the region without disclosing her
arrest President Putin, and instead formally
intention to cover the January protests
1
welcomed him.
against legislative changes in Moldova related

to the Transnistria region, was detained by

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
police for hours and interrogated. All her
Article 13.14 of the Criminal Code was used
video recordings were deleted.
to ûle investigations and claims against

journalists and citizens who criticized

Freedom of religion and belief
authorities. The National Police Agency
Two local religious communities of Jehovah9s
conûrmed that as of 25 December, the police
Witnesses in the towns of Tiraspol and
had received a total of 697 complaints based
Rybnitsa were repeatedly denied re-
on <spreading of false information= under
registration under Transnistria9s 2016 Law on
Article 13.14. Sixteen of these were related to
Freedom of Conscience and Religious
journalists; four cases were forwarded to the
Associations. Eight publications of Jehovah9s
prosecutor to initiate a criminal case.
Witnesses were declared <extremist= by the
Repeated police investigations of
de facto authorities.
journalists, especially during an election year,

undermined press freedom. Unurtsetseg

Naran, editor-in-chief of the news site Zarig,

1. <Moldova: Statement on the new legal mechanism for suspending

was sentenced to almost ûve years9

the licences of audiovisual media service providers=, 27 March
imprisonment on multiple charges, including
(Romanian only) ±
spreading false information, during a closed-

door trial.

260 Amnesty International Report

DETAINEES9 RIGHTS rights to information, free, prior and informed

In May, Amnesty International submitted an consent and access to remedy.

amicus curiae brief to the Constitutional

Court of Mongolia on the international human

rights law applicable to police detention, with 1. <Mongolia: Putin must be arrested and surrendered to the

a focus on the right to liberty and security of International Criminal Court=, 2 September ±
2
person. The brief discussed the 2. Mongolia: Amicus curiae brief filed with the Constitutional Court

constitutionality of Article 26.2 of the Law on of Mongolia (Tsets) on unlawful detention, 12 June ±

Police Service, which concerns the limits for

temporary detention. In June, the

Constitutional Court ruled Article 26.2 MONTENEGRO

unconstitutional.

Montenegro

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Mining operations continued to negatively

Montenegro took steps towards protecting
affect water sources, land rights and
the environment. Little progress was made
livelihoods of herders. In July, the Special
in providing justice to victims of the
Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous ü
Yugoslav con icts. Women were not
Peoples expressed concern over the effect of adequately protected from discrimination
mining activities on water sources and and violence. The government took steps to
grasslands where livestock graze. He also introduce facial recognition in its
noted that mining dust was deteriorating surveillance technology but was temporarily
cashmere wool quality, affecting the
prevented from doing so.
livelihood of herders. Another concern raised

was the decline in traditional practices of

BACKGROUND
herders. In June, Montenegro became the ûrst of the

current EU accession countries to receive the

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Interim Benchmark Assessment Report. This

Right to social security was a major milestone in the accession

process, conûrming that Montenegro had

While the government had regularly
fulûlled the EU9s legal requirements on
increased retirement pensions since 2005,
judicial and fundamental rights and on
pension rates did not keep pace with
justice, freedom and security.
inüation. They remained insufûcient to cover

living expenses, driving older people into

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
poverty. Regulations attempting to adjust
In May, in response to environmental and
beneûts based on inüation affected older
health concerns raised by the local
people, leading to reductions in their beneûts
community, the government terminated a
and resulting in lower payments than they
contract with a foreign company. The
would otherwise receive.
company had failed to address these

concerns in relation to its Brskovo zinc

Right to housing
mining project in the municipality of
After the Law on Reduction of Trafûc and
Mojkovac.
Housing for Ger District in the capital,

Ulaanbaatar, was rushed through in

December 2023, almost 2,000 households

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

on 158 hectares of land were forcibly evicted

REPARATION
In January, parliament appointed a new
and more remained at risk of eviction. The
Supreme State Prosecutor, a post which had
evictions were violations of the right to
been vacant since 2021. There were further
housing as residents were not ensured the
delays in the trial of a former Bosnian Serb

Montenegro 261
Army soldier, indicted for rape and murder in Podgorica, Bar and Budva without legal basis

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in 1992. In in national law. In February, the Personal

June, a police ofûcer in the city of Niksic was Data Protection Agency suspended the use of

charged with crimes against humanity he the cameras.

allegedly committed as a member of the

Bosnian Serb police in Hadzici in BiH in

1992. 1. <Israel/OPT: Slovenia, Montenegro and Portugal must not assist

In February, Montenegro signed the 2023 the MV Kathrin9s delivery of explosives to Israel=, 1 October ±

Ljubljana-The Hague Convention on

International Cooperation in the Investigation

and Prosecution of Genocide, Crimes against MOROCCO/WESTERN

Humanity, War Crimes and other

International Crimes. SAHARA

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS Kingdom of Morocco

In June, the CEDAW Committee noted that

patriarchal attitudes and related gender roles

Authorities continued to repress dissent and
and stereotypes remained deeply rooted in target journalists, activists and government
Montenegrin society. The Committee critics through prosecution and
highlighted that women in rural areas surveillance, despite a royal pardon for
continued to carry a disproportionate burden thousands of prisoners including journalists
of unpaid work, often with limited access to and human rights defenders. Morocco9s
running water, electricity and childcare.
laws and practices continued to uphold
The murder of a woman by her ex-
gender inequality and criminalize same-sex
husband highlighted the lack of protection for
sexual relations between consenting adults.
women at risk and prompted outrage, as she Authorities failed to meet their obligations
had repeatedly pleaded for help from the to ensure accessible, affordable and good
police. In another case, the High Court in the quality sexual and reproductive health
capital city, Podgorica, sentenced a man to services for women and girls, including
the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison
abortion. Civil society opposed a draft Code
for the 2021 murder of his former partner.
of Penal Procedure that would hinder anti-
Women9s rights campaigners continued to
corruption efforts. Authorities failed to
urge the government to amend the Criminal effectively investigate the deadly June
Code and introduce femicide as a distinct 2022 crackdown on migrants and refugees.
crime, and to ensure greater protection Authorities arbitrarily arrested and forcibly
against gender-based violence. relocated refugees, asylum seekers and

migrants to remote regions, putting their

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS safety and lives at risk. Morocco faced a
In October, the Palestinian Solidarity
severe climate change-induced drought and
Movement called on the government to the authorities9 response to the September
prevent the docking of MV Kathrin, a cargo 2023 earthquake was criticized as
vessel believed to be carrying explosives inadequate.
destined for Israel, as there was a clear risk

that such cargo could contribute to the

BACKGROUND
commission of war crimes against Palestinian
The authorities failed to extend an invitation
1
civilians.
to the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-

terrorism and human rights, who requested

UNLAWFUL TARGETED SURVEILLANCE to visit Morocco on 24 April amid concerns of

The Ministry of Interior purchased facial continuing human rights violations in the

recognition technology to enhance its name of <countering terrorism=.

surveillance cameras in the cities of

262 Amnesty International Report

On 4 October the European Court of Justice In February, police prevented a press

ruled that the 2019 EU-Morocco trade conference on the human rights situation in

agreements regarding ûsheries and Western Sahara by the Sahrawi Human

agricultural products, to which the people of Rights Defenders Collective (CODESA) from

Western Sahara did not consent, were taking place at the Laayoune home of the

concluded in breach of the principle of self- organization9s president, Ali Salem Tamek.

determination. In April the Moroccan army and

gendarmerie bulldozed and destroyed the

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION homes of 12 Sahrawi families in the town of

In July, around 2,460 prisoners, including Al-Jitir, north of Smara. Moroccan authorities

several high-proûle journalists and human stated they were acting against unregulated

rights defenders, were released by royal construction. The homes were destroyed

pardon. They included journalists Omar Radi, without reasonable notice or the provision of

Taouûk Bouachrine and Suleiman Raissouni, alternative housing, amounting to forced

as well as YouTuber Mohamed Réda Taoujni. evictions.

After his release, Suleiman Raissouni In August, police subjected 13 activists at

became the target of smear campaigns. the airports of Laayoune and Dakhla to

Journalists, activists and government arbitrary searches and conûscated

critics were subjected to prosecution, digital documents and other personal belongings.

surveillance and smear campaigns by pro- The activists were returning from a

state media. Several were imprisoned for conference in Türkiye.

criticizing the monarchy or publishing what

authorities deemed <false news=. WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

In February and September, the UN Domestic legislation continued to entrench

Human Rights Committee requested that gender inequality, including in relation to

authorities put in place interim measures to inheritance and child custody.

protect the health of the 81-year-old human On 28 June, King Mohamed VI submitted

rights lawyer and ex-minister for human a revised draft of the Family Code to the High

rights, Mohamed Ziane, who was sentenced Council of Ulemas for religious assessment

in November 2022 on bogus charges related prior to it being put to a vote in parliament.

to his human rights work. According to the Authorities did not share the draft publicly

organization Alkarama, which submitted the and provided limited information regarding

complaint, authorities did not comply with the consultations with human rights organizations

request. and activists.

In November, the Rabat Court of First Authorities failed to meet their obligations

Instance sentenced journalist Hamid El to ensure accessible, affordable and good

Mahdaoui, the director of the Badil website, quality sexual and reproductive health

to 18 months in prison and a ûne after services, including abortion, forcing women

convicting him of <disseminating false and girls into dangerous situations and
1
allegations= and <defamation=, stemming violating their human rights. The

from a complaint by the minister of justice, criminalization of abortion, which carried a

Abdellatif Ouahbi. punishment of imprisonment even in cases of

rape, continued to have devastating

REPRESSION OF DISSENT consequences for women and girls.

Authorities continued to restrict dissent and

the rights to freedom of association and LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

peaceful assembly in Western Sahara. Article 489 of the Penal Code continued to

In January, police violently dispersed a criminalize consensual same-sex sexual

peaceful demonstration by Sahrawi women relations, which were punishable by up to

activists in Laayoune and subjected three years9 imprisonment and a ûne.

protesters to beatings.

Morocco/Western Sahara 263

According to LGBTI rights organization had received ûnancial compensation since

Akaliyat, LGBTI people continued to face 1999 for violations committed between 1973

arbitrary arrest, prosecution, ill-treatment in and 1991, including former victims of

detention, hate crimes and other enforced disappearances or their rightful

discrimination, while most did not feel safe claimants, with a total of USD 211.8 million

enough to report violations. distributed.

According to Moroccan media, in June

and September local authorities prevented REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

two same-sex weddings. Authorities failed to ensure a transparent and

On 9 September, parliamentarian Mustafa effective investigation into the deaths of at

Ibrahimi requested that the government ban least 37 people and the disappearance of 77

an early childhood education curriculum others when Moroccan and Spanish security

book because it had a rainbow on the cover. forces used anti-riot equipment and less-

His request had not been heeded by the end lethal weapons to violently disperse a group

of the year. of up to 2,000 sub-Saharan African migrants,

asylum seekers and refugees attempting to

IMPUNITY cross the border from Morocco into the

2
On 29 August the government approved Bill Spanish enclave of Melilla on 24 June 2022.

03-23, amending and supplementing Law On 24 June, Spanish press agency EFE,

22-01 relating to the Code of Penal citing sources from the Moroccan public

Procedure. The text was awaiting ûnal prosecution ofûce, announced that Moroccan

adoption by parliament at the end of the year. authorities had closed an investigation

The reform was opposed by the Moroccan opened earlier in the year into the deaths of

Bar Association for infringing the rule of law 23 people in Melilla in June 2022 because of

and right to a fair trial, and by civil society <the lack of evidence of a crime= and based

organizations, including Transparency on the conclusion that security forces9 use of

Morocco and the Moroccan Association for force was proportional. The Moroccan

the Protection of Public Funds, as it would authorities did not publish the results of their

prevent civil society from lodging complaints investigation. The Moroccan Association for

against ofûcials for corruption. Human Rights (AMDH) reported that,

between 6 and 12 June 2024, the authorities

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND conducted secret burials of at least 13 of

REPARATION those killed during the crackdown.

In September Morocco9s National Human According to an investigation published in

Rights Institution, the National Human Rights May by Lighthouse Reports and a consortium

Council, announced it would carry out of media outlets, Moroccan authorities

genetic tests to conûrm the identities of carried out racially targeted arrests of Black

human remains in the former secret refugees and migrants in urban centres

detention centre of Tazmamart, in which before abandoning them in remote areas

authorities subjected detainees to torture and close to the Algerian border, putting their

other ill-treatment between 1973 and 1991. security and lives at risk.

According to the Families of the Victims of In January and February, two Mauritanian

Tazmamart, this notable decision came two and four Malian nationals were killed in drone

decades too late and their other demands strikes conducted by the Moroccan

regarding reparations remained unfulûlled. authorities in Western Sahara, according to

The association called for a thorough and CODESA. The authorities justiûed the attacks

impartial investigation into the circumstances as part of government efforts to counter

and causes of the deaths of prisoners in smuggling and unauthorized activities such

Tazmamart. as artisanal gold mining or trade. No

According to the National Human Rights independent or effective investigations into

Council, as of June 2024, 27,723 individuals

264 Amnesty International Report

their deaths had been conducted by the end of preparation by state institutions to manage

of the year. the disaster, including the absence of

relevant national programmes and weak

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS logistical organization and coordination of

In April the government announced it would relief and rescue operations, among other

increase the minimum wage for public sector, ûndings.

private sector and agricultural workers over

the next two years and decrease income tax. DEATH PENALTY

A study published in June by the High Courts continued to impose death sentences,

Planning Commissioner, a government predominantly for murder. Morocco had not

statistical institution, found a decline in living carried out executions since 1993.

standards of 3.1% between 2019 and 2022,

leading to an increase in absolute poverty

levels, related in particular to Covid-19 and 1. Morocco: <My Life is Ruined=: The Need to Decriminalize Abortion

the multi-year drought. The poorest 10% of in Morocco, 14 May ±

the population spent 50% of their income on 2. <Morocco/Spain: Reveal fate of migrants who remain missing two

food. years after deadly Melilla border incident=, 24 June ±

In July, parliament referred draft organic 3. Playing a Dangerous Game? Human Rights Risks Linked to the

law 97-15 on the right to strike to Morocco9s 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, 5 June ±

Economic, Social and Environmental Council

(CESE) for an advisory opinion. The CESE

stated that the draft required signiûcant MOZAMBIQUE

revisions to meet Morocco9s international

commitments on workers9 rights. Republic of Mozambique

FIFA announced that the 2030 men9s

football World Cup would be co-hosted by Police increasingly used excessive and
Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Morocco faces unnecessary force to repress protests,
several risks arising from hosting the event particularly those held by opposition
that are yet to be addressed, notably in members and supporters, resulting in at
relation to labour rights, migrants9 rights,
least 277 deaths. The rights to freedom of
3
child labour and forced evictions.
expression and peaceful assembly were

severely undermined; journalists faced

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT intimidation, harassment, threats and
Morocco continued to suffer a prolonged and attacks. At least 20 civilians were killed by
severe climate change-induced drought. In armed groups and a government militia in
January, authorities reported that dams were ü
the con ict in Cabo Delgado province.
critically low, and rainfall was 70% lower than
Police failed to protect people from
average. The drought affected the irrigation of
kidnappings by criminals.
farmland with adverse consequences on the

rights to food and an adequate standard of

BACKGROUND
living. Agriculture remained the largest General elections took place on 9 October.

economic sector and the main employer in Large-scale protests were prompted by

rural areas. In August and September, heavy allegations from opposition members and
rainfall and thunderstorms hit several south-
independent observers of vote-rigging. On 19
eastern and northern regions, causing üoods
October, unidentiûed gunmen killed Paulo
resulting in at least 30 deaths.
Guambe, an ofûcial for the Optimist Party for
In May, AMDH shared a preliminary the Development of Mozambique

assessment of the government9s response to (PODEMOS), and Elvino Dias, the lawyer for

the devastating earthquake that struck the Al Venâncio Mondlane, an independent

Haouz region on 8 September 2023, causing presidential candidate backed by PODEMOS,

around 3,000 deaths. AMDH reported a lack

Mozambique 265
in the capital, Maputo. On 21 October, in day, dozens of protesters were admitted to

response to the killings, Venâncio Mondlane hospitals with bullet wounds in these cities as

called for 25 days of nationwide peaceful well as in Maputo. One week later, two

protests. On 23 December the Constitutional demonstrators were killed by police gunshot

Council conûrmed presidential candidate in marketplaces in Nampula city, one of them

Daniel Chapo and his party, the Front for while he was in a café. On the same day,

Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), as the three protesters were killed in Mecanhelas

winners, continuing Frelimo9s almost 50-year district, Niassa province, when police ûred

rule. live ammunition.

The government failed to take adequate On 1 November, police shot dead a man

measures to protect agricultural production after he, along with other protesters,

from the effects of the prolonged drought damaged Frelimo party ofûces in Mecubúri

caused by the El Niño effect. Drought district, Nampula province. On 4 November,

affected about 1.8 million people, particularly police killed at least four people, including

women from the southern and central two children, in the Magoanine and Hulene

regions. In Vanduzi district, Manica province, neighbourhoods of Maputo. On the same

food insecurity increased. day, in Matola city a man was killed by a

Cyclone Chido resulted in 94 deaths and police bullet in the Mahlampsene

displaced or otherwise affected 622,000 neighbourhood and police helicopters ûred

people in northern Mozambique. tear gas in the Patrice Lumumba

neighbourhood. Meanwhile, police shot dead

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF two protesters and 23 others were injured,

FORCE eight of them seriously, in Meconta district,

Protests erupted following disputed election Nampula province. On 13 November police

results to which police responded with shot dead seven protesters and wounded

violence, using live ammunition and tear gas. dozens in the Namicopo neighbourhood of

At least 277 people died, including two Nampula city when protesters marched

children and two bystanders, and at least towards Waresta market. On 26 November an

600 others had been injured by 29 army vehicle ran over a woman during a

December. Authorities took no steps to bring protest in Maputo city. One month later,

the alleged perpetrators to justice. police shot dead a blogger when he ûlmed

On 10 October, police shot and injured two police ûring tear gas at protesters in Ressano

opposition party election observers, one in Garcia, Maputo province. Between 23 and 25

the George Dimitrov neighbourhood of December, police killed 88 protesters

Maputo city, and the other in Bandua nationwide.

neighbourhood in Buzi district, Sofala On 25 December, security forces killed at

province, after they attempted to break into least 35 people who had escaped from a

polling stations to prevent alleged electoral maximum-security prison in Maputo.

fraud. On 16 October a protester was injured

by police gunûre in Nampula city during a FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

PODEMOS rally to welcome Venâncio Police increasingly cracked down on the right

Mondlane. On 21 October, police deployed to freedom of peaceful assembly.

helicopters to ûre tear gas at the population On 4 June, tens of heavily armed Rapid

in Maxaquene neighbourhood, the epicentre Intervention Unit (UIR) (riot police) ofûcers

of Maputo city9s protests. Some of the tear dispersed about 200 former agents of the

gas canisters hit people, including children, National Service of Popular Security, most of

while they were in their homes. On 24 them older people, who were camping

October, two men and a woman were shot outside the UN Development Programme

dead in the cities of Nampula, Chimoio and ofûces in Maputo city. They were demanding

Tete respectively; the woman was shot in the compensation they claimed was owed to

head while inside her house. On the same them under a 1992 peace agreement. Two

266 Amnesty International Report

journalists ûlming the story were attacked by songs. He was released hours later on the

police ofûcers and had their camera seized. basis of lack of evidence.

Following Venâncio Mondlane9s call for 25

days of peaceful protests on 21 October, (see FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Background), the police repressed the The right to freedom of expression was

majority of protests using excessive and severely restricted, particularly during the

unnecessary force in the cities of Maputo, election period. The government repeatedly

Matola, Chimoio, Tete and Nampula, in cut internet access and, after 21 October,

Moamba and Mecanhelas districts, and intermittently blocked social media sites.

elsewhere. On the day of the call to protest, Journalists and others faced police

police repressed a protest attended by intimidation, threats and violence.

Venâncio Mondlane in Joaquim Chissano On 27 August, UIR ofûcers detained an

Avenue, Maputo city. Three days later, also in election observer from the Public Integrity

Maputo, police ûred tear gas at student Center, a national NGO, in the northern

protesters in Mao Tse Tung Avenue, forcing province of Cabo Delgado, despite his

them to retreat. Police stopped a protest carrying the appropriate credentials issued by

taking place a few miles from the president9s the National Electoral Commission, after he

ofûce located in Julius Nyerere Avenue, and photographed posters in a local school. The

another in Moamba district, close to the town law prohibits schools from exhibiting posters.

of Ressano Garcia on the border with South He was accused of being a member of <the

Africa. On 7 and 13 November, police used terrorists= active in Cabo Delgado but was

tear gas to prevent protesters from marching released hours later after his family

between Matola and Maputo, as well as in intervened.

Nampula city. Between 5 and 25 December, On 21 October, police ûred tear gas at

police repressed more than 10 protests in the journalists who were interviewing Venâncio

cities of Maputo, Matola and Nampula. Mondlane on Joaquim Chissano Avenue in

Maputo city, hitting Gaspar Chirindza of Soico

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS TV in the leg with a tear gas canister.

Police continued to use arbitrary arrests and On 25 October, Nuno Gemuce Alberto, a

detentions. Before and after the elections, journalist with Gilé Community radio, was

hundreds were arrested for their support or assaulted by police after he covered police

membership of PODEMOS, while thousands violence against protesters in Gilé district,

were arrested for joining protests between 21 Zambezia province.

October and 29 December. Many remained

in detention at the end of the year. VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

On 9 February, civil society activist HUMANITARIAN LAW

Joaquim Pachoneia was arrested in Nampula At least 20 civilians were killed in the Cabo

city for inciting violence and <insulting= the Delgado province in attacks by armed groups

president and the police force. He was and a local government militia known as the

released on bail on 12 February. On 3 Naparama. Armed groups systematically

September, three people were arrested in looted supplies from warehouses belonging to

Dondo district, Sofala province, for allegedly NGOs and the World Food Programme. The

attacking members of the opposition NGO Médecins Sans Frontières said it had

Democratic Movement of Mozambique party. had to relocate staff and suspend local

On 15 September a PODEMOS member was activities following the attacks. The violence

arrested in Tete city, accused of damaging resulted in the internal displacement of more

the Frelimo üag. During the PODEMOS rally than 700,000 people.

on 16 October (see above, Excessive and On 28 January a man was decapitated by

unnecessary use of force), musician David armed groups in Metuge district as he was

Calisto Bandeira was arrested and charged returning home from Pulo, an agricultural

with inciting violence for his pro-PODEMOS area. There was a surge of attacks by armed

Mozambique 267
groups in the Chiúre district. On 15 February, and raids targeting activists. Journalists

armed groups killed a civilian and burned were subjected to harsh prison sentences,

down two churches in the villages of Muerota creating a chilling effect and further

and Kitivahola. The next day, they killed restricting the rights to freedom of

another civilian and burned down a church, expression. Shipments of aviation fuel still

24 houses and a school in Nkiura village. reached the country despite sanctions and

Between 26 and 27 February, at least eight global campaigns to disrupt the supply
civilians were killed by armed groups who chain to prevent air strikes.

also set ûre to a hospital and a school in

Mmala village. On 10 May, armed groups BACKGROUND

raided Macomia district, destroying houses Military rule continued after the ousting of the

and public infrastructure. On 11 December, democratically elected government on 1

armed groups killed two civilians in February 2021. Senior General and coup

Miangelewa village, Muidumbe district, and leader, Min Aung Hlaing, continued to lead

looted their supplies. the State Administration Council, the ofûcial

On 8 March the Naparama killed three name for the junta. He also assumed the post

civilians in Chiúre district they considered to of acting president from Myint Swe, who was

be <terrorists=. They had been carrying out said to be suffering from health problems.

an educational electoral registration Nearly four years after the coup, Myanmar9s

programme for local people. human rights situation entered a new and

deadly phase. The country9s western,

RIGHT TO LIFE AND SECURITY OF THE northern and south-eastern border areas

PERSON were riven by internal armed conüict.

Authorities failed to take adequate measures Powerful ethnic armed organizations

to ensure the safe release of at least 12 continued to align with the People9s Defence

businesspeople of Asian descent or their Forces, the armed wing of the opposition

family members who were kidnapped by National Unity Government, which emerged

criminals demanding ransoms. Nor did they in the aftermath of the coup, even as

take necessary measures to prevent such alliances within the groups started to fracture.

crimes. The military struggled to hold onto territory,

The victims included Saif Arif and Ali losing towns, bases, outposts and police

Mamade, who were kidnapped in March and stations. Cities with large populations,

May respectively and later released, and including Myanmar9s second-biggest,

Aboo Gafar, taken in July, whose Mandalay, were affected by the ûghting. The

whereabouts remained unknown. The three risk to civilians increased, as Myanmar9s

men were kidnapped in Maputo city. military responded with ever harsher force.

Air strikes reached record numbers, up ûve-

fold in the ûrst six months of the year

MYANMAR compared to the previous year. The number

of internally displaced people surpassed

Republic of the Union of Myanmar three million. More than 20,000 people

remained behind bars. The number of people

ü
The internal armed con ict escalated. The killed by the military during the year

frequency of military air strikes increased, surpassed 6,000.

as did military attacks on schools, hospitals Military air strikes reached unprecedented

ü
and civilian infrastructure. The con ict and levels, mainly as part of counteroffensives

military repression deprived people of their against Operation 1027. Named after its start

right to education. Ethnic Rohingya people date on 27 October 2023, Operation 1027

experienced the worst violence since 2017. was a burst of anti-military assaults led by

Arbitrary arrests continued, with unfair trials three ethnic armed organizations: the Arakan

Army, the Ta9ang National Liberation Army

268 Amnesty International Report

and the Myanmar National Democratic Ngazun Township. The 78-year-old was the

Alliance Army. Starting in Shan State and head abbot of Win Neinmitayon Monastery in

pausing for the ûrst half of 2024 after a Bago Region. He was travelling with another

China-brokered ceaseûre, the operation then monk who was injured along with the driver.

recommenced and spread to several parts of Later accounts said that soldiers ûred on

the country. Joined by People9s Defence them after their car tried to pass a military

Forces, Operation 1027 ûghters captured truck in a conüict area.

entire towns, strategic roads, an airport and On 5 August, a drone and mortar attack on

two of 14 regional military commands. Rohingya people üeeing ûghting in northern

In November, the ICC Prosecutor's Ofûce Rakhine State killed an estimated 200 men,

sought an arrest warrant for Senior General women and children, the worst attack against
3
Min Aung Hlaing for the crimes against the Rohingya since 2017. Members of the

humanity of deportation and persecution of community blamed the Arakan Army, one of

the Rohingya people during military the three groups involved in Operation 1027

operations in 2017. against the military. In an ofûcial response to

Amnesty International, it denied the

UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS allegation.

The nature of the military counteroffensive On 5 September, the military carried out

was in keeping with past practice, namely an air strike on a camp of internally displaced

indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks people in southern Shan State9s Pekon

paired with deadly ground raids. Military air Township, killing an estimated eight civilians

strikes hit religious buildings, schools, including six children. One resident said

hospitals and areas where internally there was no ûghting nearby and that there

displaced people were sheltering, including a were only <helpless women and children=

camp and a monastery. Operation 1027 displaced by armed conüict.

members were also accused of abuses,

including the forced recruitment of civilians. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

In January, Myanmar military air strikes The military carried out unlawful attacks on

killed 17 civilians 3 including nine children 3 schools, killing and injuring students and

as they gathered to attend church in Sagaing teachers and further violating the right to

Region9s Kanan village near the western education among other rights. Although the
1
border with India. development of an education system in areas

On 9 May, the Myanmar military launched under the opposition9s control enabled

an attack on a monastery in Saw Township9s students to continue their studies, military

Ah Kyi Pan Pa Lon village in central attacks and intensiûed armed conüict put

Myanmar9s Magway Region. After two initial further strain on teaching providers. Many

air strikes, witnesses said that the ûghter jet were forced to build bomb shelters on school

then circled back and directed heavy gunûre grounds, rebuild schools after bombings, or

at those üeeing the initial explosions. The turn them into mobile education units to

attacks killed 12 civilians and injured 26. The avoid becoming targets.

monastery, which was believed to be roughly On 6 February, an air strike hit a school in
2
100 years old, was destroyed. Also in May, Daw Sei Ei village in Karenni State, killing four

the military raided Byaing Phyu village near children. The 5 September bombing of the

Rakhine State9s capital Sittwe, targeting camp for internally displaced people in

civilians from the ethnic Rakhine group due southern Shan state killed and displaced

to their perceived afûliation with the Arakan students. By the end of the year, more than

Army. At least 50 people were killed. 750 children had been killed or injured

On 19 June, a senior religious ûgure in across Myanmar.

Myanmar9s Buddhist community, Bhaddanta The enduring disruption to education,

Muninda Bhivamsa, was shot and killed while which had started during the pandemic, led

travelling in a car in Mandalay Region9s many to abandon their studies. The coup and

Myanmar 269
its aftermath had a severe impact on access Amnesty International exposed the military9s

to education in the country. Millions were not new evasive tactics for importing aviation fuel

attending class in a formal school setting, throughout 2023, following sanctions

5
and more than 13,000 schools were imposed on parts of its supply chain. At

reportedly forced to close due to armed least two additional shipments of aviation fuel

conüict. Some parents withdrew their entered the country between January and

children from school and üed to Thailand out June 2024.

of fear for their safety. Recent shifts in the supply route led to fuel

being bought and sold multiple times before

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND UNFAIR TRIALS reaching Viet Nam ahead of shipment to

The military use of the courts to crush dissent Myanmar. In two instances, a Chinese-owned

continued unabated. People were arbitrarily oil tanker transported fuel from Viet Nam to

held without charge in interrogation centres. Myanmar. A likely third shipment appeared to

Mass trials took place behind closed doors, have come to Myanmar from the United Arab

with little access to legal assistance, and Emirates in May. It was unclear how the fuel

there was increased use of harsher laws such was used after it arrived, but the military9s

as counterterrorism statutes. control of the port raised signiûcant concerns

A journalist for Dawei Watch media, Myo that it could be used for non-civilian

Myint Oo, was sentenced to life in prison on purposes.

counterterrorism charges; his colleague Aung In April, the UN Human Rights Council

San Oo was also convicted and sentenced to adopted a resolution on Myanmar that, for

20 years. the ûrst time, called on UN member states to

refrain from the export, sale or transfer of jet

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT fuel to the Myanmar military. In October, the

The military continued to rely on interrogation UK, EU and Canada passed more sanctions

centres to forcibly extract information before that, taken together, targeted the Myanmar

bringing charges. On 9 October, pro- military9s access to funds, equipment and

democracy activists Paing Phyo Min and material, including aviation fuel.

Shein Wai Aung were arrested and sent to an The UN Special Rapporteur on the
4
interrogation centre after raids. situation of human rights in Myanmar also

Conditions in detention, including food and noted with concern a shifting pattern of

medical assistance, remained dire. Guards weapons supplies to Myanmar from the

beat dozens of women arbitrarily detained in region, with a surge in procurement from

Daik-U prison in central Myanmar9s Bago Thailand. A signiûcant decrease from

region. On 19 August, 50-year-old ûlmmaker Singaporean entities was noted.

Pe Maung Sein died three days after being

released from prison, where injuries ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS

sustained during an <interrogation= had not There were mounting allegations of abuses

been properly treated for two years. Zaw carried out by opposition armed groups.

Myint Maung, the 73-year-old former chief Rohingya refugees who üed Myanmar told

minister of Mandalay under the civilian Amnesty International that the Arakan Army

government ousted in the coup, died in burned down their homes, drove them out,

October after nearly four years in prison. He killed civilians and stole their possessions.

was transferred to Mandalay9s General The Arakan Army denied carrying out abuses

Hospital shortly before he died of leukemia. during ûghting against the military, which

carried out an extensive bombing campaign

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY in the Arakan Army9s home base of Rakhine

New shipments of aviation fuel arrived in State. Rohingya militant groups also stood

Myanmar, despite global calls to deprive the accused of forcibly recruiting child soldiers.

country9s military of the resources it needed In April, the Myanmar National Democratic

to carry out unlawful air strikes. In January, Alliance Army, which along with the Arakan

270 Amnesty International Report

Army is part of the Three Brotherhood some areas.

Alliance that launched Operation 1027,

carried out extrajudicial executions of its own RIGHT TO FOOD

personnel. In May, the government declared a state of

Separately, OHCHR, the UN human rights emergency following the worst drought in 100

ofûce, documented killings of civilians by years, exacerbated by the impacts of El Niño.

other anti-military groups. In September it The Integrated Food Security Phase

reported that in the ûrst half of the year there Classiûcation reported that around 40% of

were 124 reports of killings of administrators, the population experienced high levels of

civil servants, military informants and their food insecurity between July and September.

family members. Malnutrition levels were concerning; among

the under-ûves, 17% experienced stunted

growth and 48% were anaemic.

1. <Myanmar: Military air strikes that killed 17 civilians 8must be

investigated as war crimes9=, 8 February ± SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

2. <Myanmar: 8Reckless9 shipments of jet fuel continue as air strikes According to a June Afrobarometer report,

multiply=, 8 July ± while most Namibians strongly supported

3. <Myanmar: New attacks against Rohingya a disturbing echo of better access to contraceptives and

2017 mass violence=, 21 August ± comprehensive sex education, opinions

4. <Myanmar: Two activists at grave risk of torture after arrests=, 10 remained divided on abortion. Seventy-two

October ± per cent supported termination if the

5. <Myanmar: New data suggests military still importing fuel for mother9s life or health was at risk and 60% in

deadly air strikes despite sanctions=, 31 January ± cases of rape or incest 3 circumstances

under which existing legislation allows the

practice if certiûed by medical practitioners 3

NAMIBIA and 47% believed it is always/sometimes

justiûed under any circumstances.

Republic of Namibia

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

In June the Namibian High Court ruled that

Around 40% of the population experienced
legislation outlawing consensual same-sex
high levels of food insecurity. Access to
sexual conduct was unconstitutional and
contraception and sex education was
inadequate and there was signi cant public û discriminatory.
1
In July, the government

support for the decriminalization of abortion appealed the decision.

in some circumstances. A court ruled to

decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

High rates of gender-based violence

conduct. Gender-based violence was
continued. The Namibian Police Force
widespread. Indigenous Peoples sought to
reported 4,815 cases between April 2023
negotiate the return of their land.
and January 2024. In one high-proûle case, a

woman was fatally stabbed multiple times by

BACKGROUND

According to a July Afrobarometer survey, her former partner in April.

almost two-thirds of Namibians believed A September UN Population Fund report

noted that entrenched gender inequality and

corruption had increased.
harmful socio-cultural norms disempowered
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was elected
women and girls, leaving them more
Namibia9s ûrst woman president in

November general elections. Opposition vulnerable to gender-based violence.

parties claimed there were electoral üaws.

In December heavy rains caused severe INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

üooding and the displacement of people in In March the OvaHerero and Nama

Indigenous Peoples 3 descendants of victims

Namibia 271
of the genocide under Germany9s colonial discrimination persisted across the country.

rule 3 demanded renewed talks with the Forced evictions continued. Illegal

German government for reparations and the recruitment of migrant workers continued.

return of ancestral land. In a 2021 joint

declaration between the German and FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

Namibian governments, Germany had The government suppressed criticism by

apologized for the genocide and committed enforcing restrictions on protests, using

to funding EUR 1.1 billion in development unlawful force, and forcibly dispersing and

projects. Affected communities said that the detaining demonstrators.

negotiations between Namibia and Germany In January, police arrested at least eight

towards an agreed resolution excluded the people for protesting in a <prohibited zone= at

meaningful participation of their Maitighar, a landmark area near key

representatives and the declaration failed to government buildings in the capital,

provide adequate reparation measures, Kathmandu. In February, three people were

including land restitution. In November, both arrested in the same place for protesting

countries reached the ûnal stage of against the ban on demonstrations. On 26

negotiations, and agreed the reparations February, police used force to break up a

fund. Pending sign-off of the agreement, the protest encampment in a public park where

discussions continued but their completion loan shark victims, who had marched

was threatened by the collapse of the barefoot to Kathmandu from across Nepal,

German coalition government in November. had gathered. In response to a subsequent

protest that saw 50 people enter parliament,

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT authorities extended protest restrictions by

In March the government secured a USD 10 expanding <prohibited areas=. On 6 March,

billion investment from Hyphen Hydrogen 13 protesters were arrested and detained in

Energy to develop so-called <green front of the Prime Minister9s residence, a

hydrogen= backed by Germany. While the prohibited zone. In April, some protests were

end market for the hydrogen was allowed in Maitighar, but areas around key

unconûrmed, concerns were raised about its government institutions remained prohibited

unproven status as a technology and the areas. In May, 11 students protesting

potential diversion of renewable energy from corruption in front of the parliament building

a country where many lack access to were arrested for demonstrating in a

sustainable electricity. prohibited area.

Police responded to protests with tear gas

and lethal weapons. On 5 January, a man

1. <Namibia: Decision to overturn 8sodomy9 laws is a victory for was shot dead by police during a protest in

human rights=, 21 June ± Barahathawa municipality, Sarlahi. In

February, a journalist was assaulted and

arrested in Kathmandu while reporting on

NEPAL police brutality against street vendors. In

April, police in Kathmandu ûred tear gas and

Nepal water cannons and used batons against pro-

monarchy protesters. In May, police in

Kathmandu responded with unlawful force to

Authorities used unlawful force against
a peaceful protest calling for disability rights.
protesters and restricted freedoms of
The National Human Rights Commission
expression and assembly. A key step
towards advancing transitional justice reported that police beat and detained 20

nonetheless contained signi cant gaps that û protesters, including persons with disabilities.

could allow impunity. Violence against

women and girls and caste-based

272 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION could shield from prosecution those
1
Journalists, activists and online critics faced responsible for wartime crimes.

intensiûed restrictions on freedom of

expression. Between January and December, LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

the Freedom Forum organization recorded 57 Three same-sex marriages were ofûcially

incidents of threats, arrests and mistreatment registered in 2024; however, registration did

by local authorities and members of political not confer full marital rights.

parties, including gender-based violence In July, the Supreme Court ruled in favour

towards female journalists. of a transgender woman9s right to have her

In August, police arrested and detained gender identity recognized on ofûcial

three people for four days for chanting anti- documents. Other individuals seeking legal

government slogans during a Hindu festival recognition of gender identity continued to

in Kathmandu. face obstacles.

Online critics faced reprisals for posting

criticism of politicians on Facebook. Two men VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

were detained in August for criticizing former Despite legal prohibitions against child

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his marriage, child labour and chhaupadi

wife. On 5 September, a 21-year-old man (banishing menstruating women and girls to

from Bajura district was arrested under the huts), harmful practices and sexual and

Electronic Transaction Act for criticizing gender-based violence against women and

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in a Facebook girls continued. On 17 June, a 16-year-old

post. girl was raped in a menstrual shed in

Achham district. In July, a police inspector

Journalists was remanded for repeatedly raping a 10-

On 10 February, two journalists were arrested year-old girl working in his house for over

in Kanchanpur district for reporting on police three years. Between July 2023 and June

mismanagement. In April, the Federation of 2024, police recorded over 16,000 domestic

Nepali Journalists raised concerns that a violence cases. Many incidents remained

journalist was threatened for reporting on under-reported due to stigma and systemic

illegal riverbed mining. In May, the barriers.

Chairperson of Kantipur Media Group,

Kailash Sirohiya, was arrested and detained DISCRIMINATION

in Kathmandu in retaliation for the group9s Caste-based discrimination, including

reporting on corruption. untouchability, persisted. Despite legal

The Media Council Bill was tabled in the frameworks, widespread impunity for caste-

National Assembly in May, retaining based violence compounded the barriers to

provisions from the previous version that justice for Dalits, in particular Dalit women
2
severely restricted the independence of the and girls. In January, a man was arrested for

media and freedom of expression. the alleged murder of his 15-year-old

daughter, due to her relationship with a Dalit

IMPUNITY youth. On 6 June, reports emerged regarding

A Bill to Amend the Disappeared Persons9 the lack of essential services 3 such as

Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation drinking water and electricity 3 in Dalit

Commission Act was passed in August, with settlements in Mirchaiya Municipality-7,

provisions that could help advance truth, Siraha.

justice and reparations for conüict-era

atrocities. It nevertheless contained serious FORCED EVICTIONS

accountability gaps, including deûnitions of Hundreds of families living in informal

crimes that do not comply with international settlements remained at risk of forced

standards, reductions in sentencing for eviction by local authorities. Although the

serious crimes, and other provisions that National Land Commission (dissolved in

Nepal 273
March) was brought back in October by the 2. <Nepal: Systemic descent-based discrimination against Dalits

new government, there was no action by the needs urgent action=, 10 May ±

Commission before the end of the year to 3. <Nepal: Preliminary findings of the joint monitoring of forced

ensure that land and housing was allocated evictions by civil society organisations=, 16 July ±

to the landless, Dalits and people living in 4. <Nepal: Government must fulfil its promise and end the use of

informal settlements. torture and other ill-treatment=, 26 June ±

In July, Dhangadhi city ofûcials bulldozed 5. <South Asia: Devastating Floods Yet Another Reminder for Urgent

the makeshift houses of 10 families living in Human Rights-Consistent Climate Action=, 12 July ±

informal settlements and forcibly evicted

them in Kailali district. At least 500 üood-

affected families in Kailali were rendered NETHERLANDS

homeless in July when the District Forest

Ofûce forcibly evicted them by demolishing Kingdom of the Netherlands

their shelters. Marginalized Tharu and Dalit

communities were particularly affected by the The new government announced proposals
3
subsequent humanitarian crisis. that would discriminate against refugees

and asylum seekers. Racial pro ling û

MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS persisted in law enforcement and welfare
Thousands of young Nepalis continued to fraud detection. Peaceful protesters were
take on difûcult and dangerous jobs in Gulf subjected to unlawful surveillance
countries, Malaysia and elsewhere, paying measures. A new sexual offences law
illegal recruitment fees and working without included a consent-based de nition of rape. û
proper labour protection (see Saudi Arabia Climate policies were weakened.
entry).

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

DETAINEES9 RIGHTS In April, a group of civil society organizations

The government failed to prevent torture and began legal action against the government for
4
end impunity. In July, a man died in custody concluding and implementing a 2016

after being detained for four days. A man was agreement whereby EU member states seek

found dead in police custody in October. On to outsource refugee protection to Turkey,

5 November, a man was found dead in despite the foreseeable human rights

custody in Kapilvastu district. A clash at a violations.

1

juvenile correction centre in Banke in July The new government announced

resulted in 60 detainees escaping from the proposals to restrict the procedural position

centre. In June, the National Human Rights of asylum seekers, including limiting legal aid

Commission reported 55 investigations into and removing their right to appeal a court

complaints of torture. decision on their asylum claim.

In Aruba, a constituent country of the

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Kingdom of the Netherlands, Venezuelan

Torrential rains during the monsoon season in asylum seekers, including children, lacked

June and September caused üash üoods and access to fair and effective asylum

landslides, killing more than 300 people in 2

procedures.
5
Kathmandu and adjacent districts.

According to the World Weather Attribution DISCRIMINATION

initiative, this üooding was linked to Racial proûling in law enforcement and

urbanization and climate change. welfare fraud detection remained a structural

3
and government-wide problem. Protection

against the use of discriminatory risk models

4
1. <Nepal: New Transitional Justice Law a Flawed Step Forward=, 20 in the beneûts system remained inadequate.

August ±

274 Amnesty International Report

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE phase out domestic fossil fuel support

In July, the Sexual Offences Act came into measures.

force, establishing a consent-based legal

deûnition of rape in line with international

5
human rights standards. 1. <Netherlands: NGOs sue Dutch state over EU 3 Turkey refugee

In October, the State Secretary of Justice deal=, 8 April ±

announced a bill to criminalize psychological 2. Netherlands: Unprotected: Unveiling Gaps in the Protection of

6
violence in the context of domestic violence. Venezuelan Refugees in Aruba, 1 October ±

3. Netherlands: Ethnic Profiling is a Government-wide Problem, 21

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY March (Dutch only) ±

Throughout the year, police employed drones 4. Netherlands: Profiled Without Protection, Students in The

and video surveillance cars with advanced Netherlands Hit by Discriminatory Benefits Fraud Detection, 21

cameras and facial recognition technology as November ±

surveillance tools against peaceful protesters, 5. Netherlands: Insufficient Implementation of the Istanbul

without adequate regulation, safeguards or Convention, 3 July ±

7
accountability. 6. <Netherlands: Cabinet wants to criminalize psychological

In February, the minister of justice, the violence=, 17 October (Dutch only) ±

police and the Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce 7. Netherlands: Recording Dissent: Camera Surveillance at Peaceful

responded to farmers9 protests, highway Protests in The Netherlands, 16 October ±

blockades by Extinction Rebellion and

Palestinian solidarity protests, stating <these

are not protests= and announcing ûrmer and NEW ZEALAND

faster action against activists. In May, a

majority in parliament voted in favour of a New Zealand

ban on the chant <From the river to the sea=.

In August, the new minister of justice stated New legislation undermined M
ori rights.
that he wanted to explore restrictions on the Legal reforms placed environmental
right to demonstrate. protections at risk. A new report from a

Royal Commission of Inquiry, which focused

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS on the period between 1950 and 1999,
On 12 February a court of appeal ordered the
documented serious abuse and neglect of
Netherlands to halt the export and transit of
people in care. Concerns for the well-being
F-35 ûghter jet parts to Israel, ûnding that of children in care continued.
there was a <clear risk= that the parts would

be used to commit or facilitate serious INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

violations of international humanitarian law. Despite signiûcant opposition, the

government adopted or proposed new laws

RIGHT TO HOUSING that undermined M
ori rights.

In April, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
In March, legislation was enacted to
right to adequate housing noted that the right abolish the M
ori Health Authority, a body

to housing was not guaranteed in domestic that was established in 2022 to improve

law, and expressed concerns about the acute M
ori health outcomes and address

housing crisis, homelessness and in inequities in healthcare. In July, the Local

particular the treatment of non-citizens who
Government Amendment Act was passed
are homeless.
reducing the ability of local councils to

establish M
ori wards and help ensure

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT equitable representation of M
ori in local

The new government weakened climate government.

1

policies, threatening the target of a 55% In May, the government proposed

reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by legislation to repeal a provision (section 7AA)

2030. The government postponed plans to

New Zealand 275

of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, which was reported estimates indicating that up to

aimed at reducing the over-representation of 256,000 children, young people and adults

M
ori children in state care. in state care or in faith-based institutions

In November, the government introduced between 1950-2019 suffered abuse and

the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill neglect. However, the report noted that the

which would reduce the rights of M
ori. The true number will never be known.

Waitangi Tribunal, the body that hears claims A report by the National Preventive

brought by M
ori regarding te Tiriti o Waitangi Mechanism responsible for monitoring places

and the Treaty of Waitangi stated that if the of detention under the Optional Protocol to

bill was enacted that it would be the <worst, the Convention against Torture found ongoing

most comprehensive breach of the Treaty/te serious concerns about the safety and well-

Tiriti in modern times=. Despite their being a being of children in the state care system.

Treaty partner, the government did not

meaningfully engage with M
ori before

introducing the bill. Its introduction sparked 1. <Aotearoa New Zealand: Submission on the Local Government

mass protests with tens of thousands of
ori Wards and M
ori Constituencies)
(Electoral Legislation and M

people participating in a nine-day nationwide Amendment Bill 2024=, 29 May ±

h+koi (march) to parliament. 2. <Aotearoa New Zealand: Submission on the Fast-track Approval

M
ori remained over-represented in the Bill=, 19 April ±

criminal justice system. A report, published

in August by an independent panel

appointed by the Police Commissioner, NICARAGUA

recognized that there was evidence of

structural racism across many different Republic of Nicaragua

sectors including the justice system. It found

that being M
ori increased the likelihood of Expulsions, deprivation of nationality and
prosecution by 11% compared to New arbitrary detentions of dissenters and others
Zealand Europeans. continued, exposing them to severe

vulnerability and violations of their rights.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Authorities imposed strict restrictions on
New Zealand fell seven places, to 41, in the
the media, threatening freedom of
Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
expression. Journalists were at risk of death
CCPI experts called on the government to set and enforced disappearance. Indigenous
more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction Peoples remained at risk of displacement,
targets. enforced disappearance and attacks by pro-
New legislation was introduced that government armed groups.
undermined environmental protections. The

Fast-track Approvals Bill, adopted in

BACKGROUND
December, established an accelerated
Repression continued, having begun during
process for approving mining, housing, the 2018 protests, including the dismantling

development and other projects that could of civil society organizations and
2
bypass existing environmental protections. criminalization of dissent. More than 5,000

The Crown Minerals Amendment Bill, which organizations had been closed since 2018 as
was introduced in August, sought to reverse a
of September 2024 including religious groups
2018 ban on new offshore petroleum
of various denominations.
exploration permits.
In 2024, the UN Group of Human Rights

Experts on Nicaragua issued four thematic

CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING reports highlighting human rights violations

TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT and abuses committed against Indigenous

The ûnal report of the Royal Commission of Peoples and Afro-descendant communities,
Inquiry on Abuse in Care, published in June,

276 Amnesty International Report

members of the Catholic Church and other at least 151 individuals detained for political

Christian denominations, rural communities, reasons in 2024. By the end of the year, 45

and students, teachers, academic of these remained in detention.

administrators and other university staff. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Despite repeated calls from the international granted provisional measures for many of

community for the government to investigate those detained for political reasons. The court

and be accountable for human rights abuses, ordered Nicaragua to <take the necessary

impunity prevailed. measures to effectively protect their lives,

integrity, health, adequate nutrition, access to

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS drinking water, and personal freedom=.

The housing situation remained critical in Violence and torture and other ill-treatment in

hurricane-affected regions, with government prisons were widely reported, including

promises of reconstruction unfulûlled. The physical and psychological abuse by prison

healthcare system was politicized, authorities. The international community,

disproportionately impacting opposition including the Inter-American Commission on

members and political prisoners, while Human Rights, issued precautionary

maternal and adolescent health services measures to protect several detainees, but

remained inadequate. The closure of 34 conditions in detention centres remained

universities disrupted studies for 37,000 dire.

students and many of those üeeing the

country were denied access to their FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

academic records. Authorities continued implementing

measures to silence independent media,

ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF NATIONALITY creating an information vacuum and making

In January, 16 Catholic Church it difûcult for Nicaraguans to access

representatives, including Rolando Álvarez, independent news and information. Between

who had been imprisoned for over a year, 2018 and 2024, at least 276 journalists were

were expelled and stripped of their forced to üee the country, according to a

nationality. In September, authorities expelled report published in September by the

to Guatemala another 135 individuals who Independent Journalists and Communicators

had previously been incarcerated for political of Nicaragua. The government conûscated

reasons, some for over two years. Since the the assets of media outlets, further stiüing

expulsions started in 2023, more than 400 dissent. Between 2018 and June 2024, more

individuals have been left without access to than 50 media outlets had their assets

their property, facing restrictions on their seized. The government also implemented

rights and freedoms, and encountering legislation aimed at controlling online

serious difûculties integrating into host content, requiring telecommunications

countries. companies to provide user data and

The UN Group of Human Rights Experts restricting permissible content at artistic

on Nicaragua reported that the expulsion of events.

both Nicaraguan nationals and foreign In July, the Inter-American Commission on

residents without due process not only Human Rights presented Case 14.746 to the

stripped the former of their nationality but Inter-American Court of Human Rights,

also left them all in a state of severe highlighting the extrajudicial killing of

vulnerability, and reinforced a climate of fear journalist Ángel Eduardo Gahona López by

for others who may be seen as critics of the state agents. Impunity in the case persisted.

government. Local organizations reported the enforced

disappearance of at least one journalist; in

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS her last public communication she reported

The Mechanism for the Recognition of that her home was being raided.

Political Prisoners in Nicaragua documented

Nicaragua 277
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

Indigenous Peoples continued to face forced NIGER

displacement and attacks by pro-government

armed groups and settlers. According to the Republic of Niger

Permanent Human Rights Observatory of the

Nicaragua Lucha Coalition, multiple violations Dozens of politicians, including deposed

were reported against Indigenous human president Mohamed Bazoum, were
rights defenders, including arbitrary arbitrarily detained. Rights to information
detention, enforced disappearance and and freedom of expression were routinely
displacement in territories such as the violated. Armed groups and army forces
Bosawás Biosphere Reserve. continued to commit abuses against
In March, regional elections on civilians. Women and girls continued to be
Nicaragua9s Caribbean coast were held victims of the practice of wahaya and early
without Indigenous political party marriage. Migrants, including a three-year-
participation for the ûrst time in years. The old girl, died of exhaustion after being
exclusion of the Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih forcibly expelled from Algeria. The
Asla Takanka (YATAMA) political party authorities took measures to improve
followed the cancellation of its legal status in people9s right to health, but did not take
September 2023 and the detention of its preventive measures to respond to climate-
leaders Brooklyn Rivera and Nancy Elizabeth induced severe üooding.
Henríquez, who were later charged with

treason and conspiracy. At the end of the BACKGROUND

year, the whereabouts of Brooklyn Rivera's The National Council for the Safeguard of the

place of detention was not released by the Homeland, which came to power in a coup in

authorities. Amnesty International declared July 2023, dissolved all elected municipal
1
him a prisoner of conscience in December. and regional councils and replaced them with

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights military administrators. ECOWAS sanctions

ruled against Nicaragua, highlighting against Niger, including border closure, and

violations of Indigenous rights, including economic and ûnancial sanctions, were lifted

forced displacement and lack of consultation in February. A month earlier, Niger had

on projects such as the interoceanic canal, announced its intention to leave ECOWAS in a

reafûrming the need to protect Indigenous joint declaration with Mali and Burkina Faso.

territories. Mayagna forest rangers defending Two rebel groups emerged in 2024: the

the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve remained Patriotic Front for Justice, and the Patriotic

imprisoned on dubious charges, reüecting Front for Liberation, both of which launched

the heightened risks for Indigenous Peoples. attacks against oil infrastructure.

US and German troops left Niger after a

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 10-year presence.

Abortion remained prohibited in all

circumstances. ARBITRARY DETENTION

Several people who criticized the authorities

were arbitrarily detained.

1. <Nicaragua: Ortega9s repressive machinery continues to stifle any In January, Ibrahim Yacouba, a former

dissent=, 17 December ± energy minister, was arrested at the airport on

his return to Niger. He was accused of

<plotting against state security= and detained

in Ouallam prison. In July a court ordered his

provisional release but as of the end of the

278 Amnesty International Report

year the ruling had not been implemented by FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

the Niger authorities. On 29 January, the minister of home affairs

In April the Niger authorities initiated the suspended the activities of the Maison de la

procedure to lift the immunity of deposed Presse, an independent media organization

and detained president Mohamed Bazoum to encompassing various press associations,

prosecute him for <high treason=, as and set up a new ad hoc management

announced in August 2023. Mohamed committee headed by the Interior Ministry9s

Bazoum was refused access to his lawyers secretary general.

and to information on the charges against On 24 April, security forces arrested

1
him. In June a state court lifted his Soumana Maiga, editor of L9Enquêteur, after

immunity. Mohamed Bazoum9s spouse also the newspaper reported a story published by

remained arbitrarily detained at the a French newspaper about the alleged

presidential palace at the end of the year. installation of electronic interception devices
2
In April a high court in the capital, Niamey, by Russian agents on ofûcial state buildings.

ruled that the detention of Abdourahmane He was accused of <threatening national

Ben Hameye and Mohamed Mbarek 3 both defence= and released pending trial on 9

security ofûcials and relatives of the former July.

president 3 and 25 other individuals, On 12 June, the Niger authorities revised

including civilians, accused of a conspiracy the 2022 amendments to the 2019

to free Mohamed Bazoum and his family, Cybercrime law, and reinstated jail sentences

was illegal and ordered their release. Two for the offences of <dissemination, production

days after the ruling, they were all brought and making available to others data that may

before a judge and charged with <plotting disturb public order or threaten human

against the safety of the state or against state dignity through an information system=, and

authority.= The civilians were provisionally defamation, reversing progress previously

released. made on freedom of expression.

On 13 April, Ousmane Toudou, a journalist In August, the government created a

and former communications adviser to the national registry listing individuals and groups

presidency, was arrested by the gendarmerie. associated with terror acts or threats to

He was charged in May with <plotting against national defence. Those on the registry risked

state security= and put in pretrial detention in being deprived of their nationality. At the end

Kollo prison. In the days following the July of the year, at least 21 Niger nationals were

2023 coup, Ousmane Toudou denounced the listed on the registry and temporarily stripped

military takeover on social media. of their citizenship.

On 26 April, security forces arrested Ali

Marounfa, a civil society activist better known UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS
as <Ali Tera=, following an interview he did Armed groups

with BBC Hausa, in which said that the

On 10 January, alleged members of the
security situation in Tillabéri region was
Islamic State-Sahel province (IS-Sahel)
deteriorating.
attacked the village of Tongo Tongo, Tillabéri
In June, the politician Intinicar Alassane
region, and killed six civilians accused of
was arrested and charged with
collaborating with the Niger army. A few
<disseminating data likely to disturb public
weeks later, they reportedly attacked the
order and human dignity= after he conducted
village of Motogatta, Tillabéri region and killed
a video interview with victims of an armed
22 civilians.
attack in the Tillabéri region, denouncing the
On 15 July, alleged members of IS-Sahel
resurgence in violence against civilians. He
attacked the village of Kouregou, Tillabéri
was sentenced on 9 July to one year in prison
region and killed seven civilians and
and a XOF 5 million (USD 8,300) ûne.
destroyed shops and other private property,

according to humanitarian sources. Two days

Niger 279
later, a Boko Haram faction abducted 10 1,176,528 people in 158,399 households

civilians, including six women, in the village were affected by severe üoods, according to

of Tourban Guida, Diffa region and took them the government. However, there lacked plans

to Nigeria. to combat üooding, and construction

continued along the Niger river, the area most

Army forces prone to üooding.

In January, a drone strike by the Niger army

reportedly killed around 50 civilians in the

village of Tiawa, Tillabéri region, in response 1. <Niger: Rights in free fall a year after coup=, 25 July ±

to an attack by an armed group. 2. Niger: <Press freedom in jeopardy as journalists working on

conflict intimidated and arrested=, 3 May ±

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Women and girls continued to be subjected

to harmful customary practices, laws and NIGERIA

social norms despite a 2019 ruling by the

Niger Supreme Court qualifying as illegal the Federal Republic of Nigeria

practice of wahaya. This practice, in which

girls from discriminated groups are forcibly Journalists and critics of the authorities
married as <ûfth wives=, persisted in rural were arrested, charged and arbitrarily
communities. The marriage of girls before detained. Security forces arrested and ill-
their 18th birthday was common 3 the legal treated protesters, and used excessive force
age being 15 for girls, as opposed to 18 for to quash protests, resulting in the deaths of
boys.
several protesters. Hundreds of people were

murdered in mob violence. Girl victims of

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS abductions by Boko Haram continued to be
The expulsion of migrants from Algeria to the denied support and justice. Communities in
desert in northern Niger continued unabated. Rivers state were given the go-ahead in a
More than 20,000 migrants were expelled UK court to hold Shell accountable for
from Algeria to Assamaka, a town in the environmental devastation.
Agadez region of Niger between January and

August, according to Alarm Phone Sahara.

BACKGROUND
Between 9 and 13 May, ûve men died on
Flooding in 33 states killed more than 300
the route from <Point Zero= on the border people and displaced tens of thousands.

with Algeria to the village of Assamaka, a More than 61,000 hectares of land in Kogi

walk of 15 km. Three further people, state were inundated. In Borno state, üooding

including a three-year-old girl, died at the prevented access to humanitarian aid for
health clinic in Assamaka, apparently of
27,000 people. Also in Borno state, 1,618
exhaustion.
children were recorded as malnourished

between mid-May and June due to the high

RIGHT TO HEALTH price of staple foods as well as a lack of

In August the government announced a 50% adequate sanitation. As of mid-October, more

reduction in patients9 fees for medical than 14,000 suspected cases of cholera were

treatments, laboratory tests, imaging and recorded, resulting in 378 deaths.

medical and surgical procedures. Fees for

childbirth and dialysis were abolished in

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
public hospitals.
On 23 July the House of Representatives

introduced the Counter Subversion Bill,

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT which aimed to impose strict penalties on

Niger experienced exceptional rainfall and Nigerians who failed to recite the newly

üoods, which killed at least 339 individuals, approved national anthem, or who criticized
according to ofûcial data. As of October,

280 Amnesty International Report

politicians or community leaders. The Bill detained for 18 days. He had written an

passed the ûrst reading and proceeded to the article alleging that a local businessman was

second, but on 14 August was withdrawn by involved in a confrontation with a neighbour

the House speaker following a public outcry. in a Lagos residential estate, during which

The authorities continued to arbitrarily shots were ûred. He was facing criminal

arrest and detain journalists and others charges of <conduct likely to cause a breach

expressing dissenting views. On 15 March, of the peace, provoking a breach of the

journalist Segun Olatunji from the online peace by offensive publication, and

news outlet The First News was abducted conspiracy to commit a felony=.

from his home by members of the Nigerian

Army. This was because of an article he ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

wrote accusing an ofûcial from the Nigeria On 8 August, police raided the Nigeria

Defence Intelligence Agency (NDIA) of Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters. On 19

nepotism. Following public pressure, NDIA August, the Department of State Service

ofûcials acknowledged having him in their (DSS) called Joe Ajaero, the NLC president,

custody and released him on 28 March. for questioning over alleged criminal

On 1 May, Daniel Ojukwu, a reporter with conspiracy, terrorism ûnancing, treasonable

the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, felony, subversion and cybercrime. On 9

was abducted and detained by the police. September, Joe Ajaero was arrested by DSS

This was after he had reported that Adejoke ofûcials at Nnamdi Azikwe airport in Abuja,

Orelope-Adefulire, senior special assistant to Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

the president on sustainable development

goals, had paid NGN 147 million (USD FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

106,154) into a restaurant9s bank account. The government placed unlawful restrictions

The payment came from public money on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly

intended for school building. Daniel Ojukwu and association. Following the

was released 10 days later after a public #EndBadGovernance protests from 1 to 10

outcry. On 14 August, Fisayo Soyombo, August, more than 1,000 people were

editor-in-chief of the Foundation for detained nationwide and at least 24

Investigative Journalism, was detained over protesters were killed in violent crackdowns

the same report. He was released later that by the security forces in the cities of Kano

day on conditional bail. and Maiduguri and in the states of Jigawa,

1
On 29 August, journalist Muktar Dahiru Katsina, Niger and Kaduna.

was arrested by police for a Facebook post On 2 September, the authorities arraigned

considered <insulting= to Governor Abba 12 #EndBadGovernance protesters: Adeyemi

Yusuf of Kano state. He was charged with Abiodun Abayomi, Musa Abdullahi, Michael

criminal conspiracy, defamation of character Tobiloba Adaramoye, Bashir Bello, Angel

and intentional insult. Love Innocent, Nuradeen Khamis, Buhari

On 29 May a federal high court in Abuja Lawal, Lucky Ehis Obiyan, Mosiu Sadiq,

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) remanded Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Suleiman Yakubu

Chioma Okoli in prison after she was charged and Abdulsalam Zubairu. They were brought

with defamation under the Cybercrime Act. before a federal high court in Abuja FCT on

Chioma Okoli had posted on Facebook that a bogus charges, including felony and treason,

tomato purée produced by Erisco Foods Ltd conspiring to destabilize Nigeria, inciting

contained an unhealthy amount of sugar. She mutiny, and levying war against the Nigerian

was released on 31 May on stringent bail state.

terms. Her trial was ongoing at the end of the On 1 November, after being arrested and

year. ill-treated, 114 #EndBadGovernance

On 27 May, Precious Eze Chukwunonso, protesters were arraigned in groups at a

the publisher of online news outlet News federal high court in Abuja FCT. The majority

Platform, was arrested by police and of those arraigned in one of the groups were

Nigeria 281
children. Four of the children collapsed in the eight people were injured in an attack by

courtroom, having spent more than two herdsmen in Birninkudu, Dutse and Kiyawa

months detained in appalling conditions. In local government areas of Jigawa state.

Katsina state, 12 children under the age of On 24 December, gunmen killed at least

16 were also facing an unfair trial, charged 15 people 4 majority of them women and

with participating in the #EndBadGovernance children 4during an attack on Gidan Ado

protests. Many of these children were community of Ganawuri in Riyom LGA of

arrested simply for being on the streets Plateau state, with dead bodies scattered in
2
during the protests. homes, backyard and farms.

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

REPARATION HUMANITARIAN LAW

On 10 July, the ECOWAS Court ruled in On 30 September, the Nigerian Air Force

Obianuju Catherine Udeh and 2 Others v. conducted air strikes on Jika da Kolo village

Federal Republic of Nigeria that the Nigerian in Yadin Kidandan district, Kaduna state,

authorities had violated #EndSARS killing 23 villagers, including children.

protesters9 rights. The rights violated included Worshippers at a mosque and shoppers at a

the rights to security of person, freedom of market were among the victims.

expression, peaceful assembly and On 25 December, military air strikes killed

association, as well as freedom from torture at least 10 persons at Gidan Sama and

and other ill-treatment, duty of the state to Rumtuwa communities in Silame LGA of

investigate, and the right to an effective Sokoto state.

remedy. However, the Court failed to hold the

Nigerian authorities accountable for the WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

killing of 12 protesters in October 2020 in two The authorities failed to take effective

incidents: at Lekki toll gate; and in the district measures to prevent attacks on girls and

of Alausa, Lagos state. schools. Ten years since 276 schoolgirls were

abducted by Boko Haram ûghters in Chibok,

UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS Borno state, 82 continued to remain in

In a report published in October, Amnesty captivity. Twenty of those released were

International documented at least 555 deaths forced to stay with <repentant= Boko Haram

from mob violence in 363 documented ûghters who they had been forced to marry

incidents between January 2012 and August while in captivity. Several girls had been
4
2023. Many of the victims were tortured to abducted in subsequent attacks.

death or murdered after being accused of Amnesty International reported in June

theft, witchcraft and blasphemy, among other that girls associated, or perceived to be

things. The small number of these incidents associated with Boko Haram, having survived

investigated and prosecuted demonstrated a years of abuse by both Boko Haram and

failure by the authorities to protect people Nigerian forces, were denied reintegration
3 5
from violence. support and justice.

Between December 2023 and February On 24 August, a bill to repeal the Violence

2024, gunmen attacked communities in Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015) 3 a

Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu local law designed to curb gender-based violence

government areas of Plateau state, killing in Nigeria 3 advanced to its second reading

1,333 people, including 260 children. in the Senate.

In March, a bomb exploded in Kawori, in

the Konduga local government area of Borno ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

state, killing 16 people and injuring dozens. An inüation rate of 33.4% 3 an increase of

In April, farmers and herders clashed in 9.32% from July 2023 3 and the high cost of

Omala local government area of Kogi state, goods and services caused a drop in people9s

resulting in the deaths of 21 people. In June, standard of living. On 5 September, the

282 Amnesty International Report

government increased the price of petrol

from NGN 617 (USD 0.37) to NGN 817 NORTH KOREA

(USD 0.50) per litre without providing any

compensatory measures to protect incomes. Democratic People's Republic of Korea

On 9 September, Department of State Service

agents unlawfully broke into the ofûce of The government continued to exercise total
human rights organization, Socio-Economic control over all aspects of life, severely
Rights Accountability Project, after the restricting the rights to freedom of
organization had called on the president to expression, access to information and free
reverse the price increase within 24 hours. movement. Thousands of people, including
Between 18-22 December, 67 people 4 those accused of dissent or attempting to
the majority of them on the brink of starvation üee the country, were detained in prison
4 were killed in stampedes while trying to camps. Prisoners were subjected to torture
get food in charity events for the sharing of and other ill-treatment. Public executions
rice. On 18 December, 35 children died in were reported. Forced labour was
Ibadan town in Oyo state. On 21 December, systematically used as a form of control and
22 people died in Okija town in Ihiala LGA of to keep the economy running. Food
Anambra state. On 21 December 10 people shortages worsened but the government
died in Abuja FCT. continued to reject international aid.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT BACKGROUND

On 11 October, the UK Court of Appeal ruled Severe üooding in July destroyed thousands

that the case presented in 2015 by the Bille of homes and reportedly left up to 1,500

and Ogale communities of Rivers state people dead or missing. Diplomatic relations

against Shell Petroleum Development between North Korea and South Korea

Company should proceed to a full trial. This became increasingly strained.

will likely result in the disclosure of crucial

internal Shell documents. This overruled a FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

decision by a UK High Court in March that Restrictions on the right to freedom of

denied justice to the two communities who expression intensiûed. The government

had ûled the case to hold Shell accountable tightly controlled all forms of communication

for decades of environmental devastation including by monitoring phone calls, text

caused by oil spills. messages and internet activity and

Nigeria9s response to climate change 1

prohibiting contact with the outside world.

remained inadequate due to its poor climate Access to information from external sources

policies and insufûcient renewable energy also remained forbidden. Foreign media,

options. particularly South Korean news, television

programmes and music, were banned; the

government imposed severe punishments,

1. Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian Government9s Violent Crackdown including years of <reform through labour=,

on #EndBadGovernance Protests, 28 November ± on individuals who accessed or distributed

2
2. <Nigeria: President Tinubu must release all #EndBadGovernance such content. People who defected from

protesters=, 1 November ± North Korea reported that even minor

3. Nigeria: Instantly Killed! How Law Enforcement Failures criticism of the government in private

Exacerbate Nigeria9s Wave of Mob Violence, 28 October ± conversations could result in arrest and

4. <Nigeria: Decade after Boko Haram attack on Chibok, 82 girls still imprisonment, contributing to a pervasive

in captivity=, 14 April ± atmosphere of fear.

5. <Help Us Build Our Lives=: Girl Survivors of Boko Haram and

Military Abuses in North-East Nigeria, 9 June ±

North Korea 283

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS DEATH PENALTY

Arbitrary arrests and detention remained The death penalty was reportedly imposed for

widespread. Thousands of people, including a wide range of offences, including attempted

entire families, were reportedly detained in defection, accessing foreign media and

political prison camps (kwanliso). Crimes criticizing the government. The extent of its

included attempting to üee the country, use was unknown, but reports by people who

practising their religion and others deemed to had üed the country and from South Korea-

be <reactionary ideology and culture=. based human rights organizations suggested

Individuals forcibly repatriated from China that executions were common. According to

faced serious human rights violations, unconûrmed reports, up to 30 state ofûcials

including arbitrary detention, forced labour were executed for corruption and dereliction

and, in some cases, torture or other ill- of duty in relation to the widespread üooding

treatment, or death. in July. In August, two women were

Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees reportedly publicly executed in the north-

was widespread but was particularly eastern city of Chongjin after being found

systematic in kwanliso. Individuals who had guilty of attempting to help people üee the

successfully üed the country during the year country.

described beatings and other physical and

psychological violence against prisoners. RIGHT TO FOOD

These were used both as a form of Food shortages worsened due to prolonged

punishment and to extract confessions. drought and widespread üooding that

Women prisoners were particularly vulnerable damaged crops and agricultural

to sexual violence. Prisoners also faced grave infrastructure in the counties of Sinuiju and

physical and mental harms as a result of Uiju in North Pyongan province. According to

inhumane conditions in camps including lack media reports, the food crisis was further

of food and denial of medical treatment. The exacerbated by the government's ongoing

government continued to deny the existence failure to reform the centralized food

of such camps. distribution system, its prioritization of food

supplies for the military and political elites

FORCED LABOUR over ordinary civilians, and international

In a report published in July, OHCHR, the sanctions. According to the UN, an estimated

UN human rights ofûce, said that forced 10.7 million people, or more than 40% of the

labour was widespread and institutionalized population, were undernourished. Children

and that the extensive, multi-layered system and older people, particularly those living in

of forced labour was used to control and rural areas, suffered from malnutrition. The

exploit the population. OHCHR identiûed six government downplayed the scale of food

types of forced labour, including in the shortages and refused offers of food relief

context of state-assigned jobs, military and other support from other governments

conscription, school children on <work trips= and international humanitarian agencies.

and people deployed in <Shock Brigades=.

The report suggested that the widespread

use of forced labour in prisons, in which 1. <Democratic People9s Republic of Korea: Interactive Dialogue with

detainees were systematically compelled to the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People9s Republic of

work under threats of physical violence, may Korea 3 HRC55=, 18 March ±

amount to the crime against humanity of 2. <Democratic People9s Republic of Korea: Execution for Expression:

enslavement. Forced work was often in Submission to the 47th Session of the UPR Working Group=, 8

construction, farming, logging and mining April ±

and involved arduous and dangerous

conditions, long working hours and

inadequate compensation.

284 Amnesty International Report

 the child correction system failed to provide

NORTH MACEDONIA equal access to education for children in

custody, which constituted both direct and

Republic of North Macedonia indirect discrimination. It then issued a

revised ruling that the authorities had to

The authorities failed to address concerns provide access to education in the

about torture and other ill-treatment, correctional home; however, such measures

including against prisoners and minorities. remained to be implemented.

Roma children were not provided with equal In June, the CAT welcomed the adoption of

access to education. The government did the Law on Justice for Children, which

little to ûght prejudice and hate speech incorporated the principle of the best

against Roma and LGBTI people. Refugees interests of the child in contact with the

and migrants, mostly from the Middle East justice system. UNICEF commended the

and Asia, remained at risk of abuse and law9s restorative justice approach,

violence at the country9s borders. emphasizing the child9s right to be heard and

aiming for rehabilitation and reintegration as

BACKGROUND desired outcomes.

A new president was elected and a However, the CAT also raised serious

government was appointed in May, following concerns about reports of a high rate of

campaigns marred by online and verbal mental health conditions and over-medication

attacks on politicians, minorities, women and of children in correctional institutions.

the LGBTI community. North Macedonia9s

accession to the EU stalled as parliament DISCRIMINATION

failed to pass a constitutional amendment The revision of laws on gender equality and

enshrining Bulgarians as <constituent on civil registry (the latter enabling legal

people=. gender recognition for transgender people)

remained stalled as a result of a coordinated,

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT public <anti-gender= campaign.

The UN Committee against Torture (CAT)

raised concerns about the overall lack of Roma

funding and chronic understafûng of the In September the Commission on Prevention

prison system, and called for effective and Protection from Discrimination (CPPD)

investigations into allegations of torture and issued an opinion on the beating in 2021 of a

other ill-treatment, including use of coercion Roma child by police ofûcers in Prilep. The

and excessive force. It also urged the commission identiûed direct discrimination

authorities to ensure that discriminatory on grounds of ethnicity and race, and

motives behind crimes were adequately recommended that the Ministry of Interior

investigated and considered in criminal conduct a genuine, prompt and full internal

prosecutions. investigation and provide access to justice to

the victim. The CPPD also recommended

CHILDREN9S RIGHTS that Prilep municipality take steps to address

In February, the Supreme Court ruled in school segregation affecting Roma children in

favour of the European Roma Rights Centre the town.

and mostly Roma children placed in the In April, with the support of NGOs, local

Tetovo correctional home in Volkovija. The action plans for Roma integration were

court ordered a reassessment of a 2022 adopted in 14 municipalities, including Shuto

ruling by the Skopje Court of Appeal Orizari in Skopje, Kicevo, Prilep and Bitola.

regarding equal access to education for

children in custody. The Court of Appeal had Muslim women

previously rejected a complaint alleging that The CPPD issued an opinion in April,

establishing discrimination on grounds of

North Macedonia 285

gender and religious belief in relation to a CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING

complainant who was refused service in a TREATMENT

restaurant because she was wearing a Reports released by the Parliamentary

headscarf. Ombudsperson in May and June expressed

concerns based on visits to the Halden and

LGBTI people Bodø prisons in 2023. The reports noted the

The CPPD also issued several opinions on use of reinforced <security cells= as a

online discrimination and incitement against coercive measure, including for people at risk

LGBTI people, ûnding that negative public of suicide.

attitudes persisted on social media. As the On 15 October, the European Court of

UN CAT noted, the Criminal Code does not Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Norway

incorporate a clear and comprehensive had violated the right to life and the right to

deûnition of hate speech that includes sexual an effective remedy after a man took his own

orientation and gender identity as protected life in prison in 2020. The ECtHR found that,

grounds. In September, responding to despite having been aware of his mental

recommendations received through the UPR, health issues, the authorities had failed to

the government indicated that it did not plan provide adequate follow-up care after the

to introduce such amendments to the man was transferred from hospital to Oslo

Criminal Code. prison.

On 18 October, the Equality and Anti-

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS Discrimination Ombudsperson ûled a

In February, the NGO Legis reported that complaint to the Directorate of Correctional

groups of refugees and migrants trying to Services on behalf of women in prisons. He

reach Serbia had been stripped of most of noted that, while only 6% of people in prison

their clothing in freezing temperatures at the were women, they accounted for 80% of self-

border, allegedly by Serbian border police, harm cases and 75% of suicide attempts.

and returned to North Macedonia.

Macedonia did not systematically provide SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

access to shelter and essential services for In December, parliament adopted a new law

refugees and migrants. The NGO also extending the legal limit for abortion on

reported on the continuing practice of request to 18 weeks9 gestation.

unlawful pushbacks to Greece at the

southern border. DISCRIMINATION

In March, UN experts urged the government

to take steps to ensure the human rights of

NORWAY people of African descent, who continued to

face racial proûling, advocacy of hatred and

Kingdom of Norway discrimination in employment.

The Parliamentary Ombudsperson expressed RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

concerns over conditions and treatment The government continued to express

experienced by vulnerable people in prison. support for phasing out fossil fuels but had

Women9s reporting of rape increased. A new yet to stop the exploration of new oil and gas

law extended legal abortion limits. UN ûelds. In January, the Oslo District Court

experts expressed concern at high levels of ruled that development permits issued for

hostility and discrimination against people three new oil ûelds without an assessment of

of African descent. The government failed their climate impact were invalid. The

to stop the exploration of new oil and gas government appealed the ruling and the

ûelds. Court of Appeals split the case, requesting an

advisory opinion from the EFTA court on the

understanding of the EIA Directive. The

286 Amnesty International Report

opinion was pending at the end of the year. In by intense violence, particularly in

October, the environmental organizations lost Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

the part of the case regarding an interim provinces. There were nationwide protests

injunction to cease the oil ûeld developments. throughout the year, despite heavy

They appealed against this to the Supreme restrictions. Attacks from armed groups such

Court. as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch

Liberation Army increased. Inüation

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS signiûcantly decreased to 4.1% in December

In March, agreements were reached between from 29.66% in December 2023. Pakistan

Indigenous Sami reindeer herders and wind secured a 37-month USD 7 billion loan

power companies on the Fosen peninsula. extension from the International Monetary

The agreements followed a 2021 Supreme Fund in September. The World Bank reported

Court verdict declaring invalid any licences that the poverty rate was expected to stay at

for wind farms built on winter grazing lands. 40%. Extreme weather events resulted in

rain- and heat-related casualties and losses.

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY In February at least 45 people, including 27

In August, the Norwegian sovereign wealth children, died due to heavy rainfall and

fund stated that it was re-evaluating its snowfall. At least 143 people died from

investments in companies involved in Israel9s lightning strikes and storm-related incidents

occupation of the Palestinian territory. The in April. More than 350 deaths were

announcement followed the advisory opinion attributed to heavy rainfall and üooding in

issued by the International Court of Justice in July and August.

July on the unlawfulness of the Israeli

occupation. In October, the government FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

stated that businesses should avoid activities Authorities used laws and digital technology

that <may be associated with serious to restrict freedom of expression. The Punjab

violations of human rights and international Defamation Act 2024, applicable to the

humanitarian law=. Punjab province of 127 million, passed in

May despite strong opposition, further

eroding free speech protections.

PAKISTAN Signiûcant mobile networks were shut

down in Gwadar district for over 10 days

Islamic Republic of Pakistan during the Baloch National Gathering in July

and August, and in October and November

Authorities weaponized laws relating to for two days and four days respectively,

criminal defamation, sedition, hate speech during protests planned by the political party

and <cyber terrorism= to muzzle dissent as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

militancy-related security attacks increased. Internet speeds were slowed by up to 40%

Climate-induced üoods and heatwaves, with from July to October, due to upgrading of the

temperatures reaching 50oC in some areas, national web monitoring system enhancing

continued to cause hardship. While in ation ü ability to block online content.

1
Social media

rates receded, low and daily wage workers platform X was blocked from 17 February.

were denied rights to unionize and access Short-term restrictions were placed on

to safe environment and fair pay. various social media platforms during the

election period, particularly during <virtual

BACKGROUND rallies= hosted by the PTI in January.

The general election on 8 February brought

the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to power. Journalists

Election results were contested by opposition Journalist groups raised grave concerns

parties and the election period was marked regarding the authorities9 failure to protect

journalists9 safety and effectively investigate

Pakistan 287
attacks. At least seven journalists were killed and detained under the MPO Ordinance,

in targeted attacks. Authorities summoned at prior to the Pashtun Qaumi Jirga.

least 32 journalists under the Prevention of

Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for alleged FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

<propaganda= against the judiciary. In Authorities clamped down on protest and

February at least two people, including assemblies through restrictive laws, arbitrary

journalist Asad Toor, were arrested in relation restrictions and unlawful use of force. In

to the allegations. Asad was released on bail September, the Peaceful Assembly and

after three weeks in detention. In July, 10 PTI Public Order Act 2024 was enacted without

workers, including international media any consultation, giving broad power to the

coordinator Ahmed Waqas Janjua and authorities to restrict or ban assemblies in

information secretary Raoof Hassan, were Islamabad. A similar law was passed in

arrested on allegations of <anti-state Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir

propaganda= under the PECA. They in October.

remained on bail at the end of the year. In Section 144 of the Code of Criminal

November, journalist Mattiullah Jan was Procedure was used to impose discretionary

arrested on terrorism and narcotics charges blanket restrictions on public protests and

for critical reporting on the government9s gatherings, placing the onus on activists and

handling of protests. political organizers to obtain administrative

permission to protest. In October, the Punjab

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS government empowered the district and

Civilians were held under military custody home departments to ban gatherings in

throughout the year. Out of the 105 Punjab districts for up to 30 and 90 days,

participants in the 9 May 2023 protests who respectively.

were tried in military courts, 20 were released In January, 44 government employees in

in March, and the remaining 85 were Balochistan province were suspended for

sentenced to between two and 10 years9 attending a sit-in against the killing of

imprisonment in December in secret trials. At Balaach Mola Bakhsh. On 8 March, barbed

least 1,058 protest participants remained in wire was used to block the protest site of the

custody waiting for trials in civilian courts, annual women9s day Aurat March in

including PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid and Islamabad. In April, dozens of farmers

Shah Mehmood Qureshi. protesting the government9s handling of the

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan wheat crisis were arrested by police in

remained in arbitrary detention awaiting Lahore.

further trials. Amnesty International found Protests by the PTI were repeatedly
2
violations of his rights to liberty and fair trial. attacked and restricted, and the party was

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader denied permission to hold its rallies.

and former MP, Ali Wazir, was detained in the Thousands of members and leaders of the

capital, Islamabad, in August on charges of party were arrested prior to and following

<manhandling= police ofûcers. He was re- various protests throughout the year.

arrested several times before the end of the

year under the Maintenance of Public Order Intimidation and harassment of protesters

(MPO) Ordinance, despite being granted bail In January, Baloch activists were targeted

in earlier cases. with arbitrary arrests and detentions during a

In June, 36 members of the Ahmadiyya month-long peaceful protest against enforced

community were arbitrarily detained under disappearances and extrajudicial killings,

the MPO Ordinance before and during the organized and led by Baloch women.

Muslim religious holiday Eid ul-Azha while In September, the government placed 137
3
practising their religious rites. In October, people, including members of the PTM and

over 100 members of the PTM were arrested Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), on the

Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism

288 Amnesty International Report

Act, 1997 (ATA). This imposed severe Faizan Usman was forcibly disappeared for

restrictions on their rights to liberty, freedom two months from his home in Islamabad.

of movement and expression. In October, it In February, activist Hidayat Lohar,

designated the PTM as a <proscribed previously forcibly disappeared for two years

organization= under the ATA, in anticipation in 2017, was shot dead by unknown persons

of its major gathering, Pashtun Qaumi Jirga. in Nasirabad city. The police reluctantly ûled

Arbitrary restrictions were placed on BYC a case to investigate the killing after court

leaders Sammi Deen and Mahrang Baloch, orders to do so. In October, three students

preventing them from travelling overseas. were extrajudicially killed in two separate

incidents. Sajan Malokani and Sarmad Bhayo

Excessive and unnecessary use of force were killed by police in Rahim Yar Khan,

Use of lethal force against peaceful protesters Punjab province; Vaneesh Kumar was killed

resulted in several deaths. In February, two in Hyderabad, Sindh province.

National Democratic Movement workers were

killed and 15 injured, including party leader FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

Mohsin Dawar, when police ûred on There were several attacks on places of

protesters outside an election ofûce in worship and burial sites of the Ahmadiyya

Miramshah city. In May, three people were community. In January, the police and

killed and nearly 100 injured when police district administration in Daska and Bharoke

ûred at protesters during the Kashmir Long destroyed tombstones in Ahmadi graveyards.

March in Pakistan-administered Jammu and In June, 17 graves of the Ahmadiyya

Kashmir. In July, three people were killed by community were desecrated in Bahawalpur

law enforcement using ûrearms during the district. On Eid day, 17 June, a violent crowd

Baloch National Gathering. Security ofûcers attacked the Ahmadiyya place of worship in

ûred on a rally for peace in Bannu city, killing the city of Kotli. In September, police ofûcials

one and injuring several. In November, 12 in Okara demolished minarets and Islamic

people were allegedly killed after lethal inscriptions in an Ahmadi place of worship.

ammunition was used against protesters in In October, police in Gujranwala vandalized

Islamabad during a PTI protest. two Ahmadi places of worship.

The Pakistani authorities failed to protect

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES religious minorities, curb incidents of violence

Enforced disappearances continued related to blasphemy allegations or ensure

unabated, targeting journalists, activists, accountability for blasphemy-related killings.

students, comedians, political opponents and The majority of the suspects involved in the

families of political opponents. By June, the 16 August 2023 Jaranwala riots against the

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Christian community remained at large. At

Disappearances had already received 197 least 40% of survivors had received no
4
missing persons9 cases. Defence of Human compensation from the state by year9s end.

Rights recorded 2,332 cases of enforced

disappearances throughout the year. Death penalty

People were recorded as missing for days, At least seven people received the mandatory

only to return without any explanation or death penalty and ûve were imprisoned for

accountability. Kashmiri journalist and poet, life for blasphemy.

Ahmad Farhad, an outspoken critic of For the 2023 Jaranwala attack, while the

enforced disappearances, was forcibly two brothers accused of blasphemy by the

disappeared for two weeks in May. He faced rioters were acquitted, a Christian man was

criminal charges upon return. Comedian Aun sentenced to death for allegedly sharing a

Ali Khosa was forcibly disappeared for three blasphemous TikTok video that was said to

days from his home in Lahore in August after incite the riots.

his video satirizing the cost of living in

Pakistan went viral. In July, 17-year-old

Pakistan 289
Unlawful killings ofûcial ûgures, although aid organizations

There were six killings of Ahmadis in asserted that the ûgure was signiûcantly

incidents of targeted faith-motivated attacks. higher. Frequent power outages, often for

In May, a crowd in Sargodha attacked a more than 10 hours per day, as well as

Christian family over allegations of burning suffocating high temperatures in urban and

the Quran, injuring a 70-year-old man, Nazir informal settlements, contributed to the high

Masih, who later died of his injuries. In June, death toll.

a local tourist was killed by a group of people The summer rains displaced more than

in Swat district after he was taken from police 141,601 people in Sindh province. The

custody. government9s failure to provide adequate

relief disproportionately affected women,

Extrajudicial executions persons with disabilities, children and older

5
In September, two men separately accused of people.

blasphemy were killed by police ofûcers in In October, the right to a clean and healthy

custody. On 12 September, a police ofûcer in environment was inserted into the

Quetta killed a man in custody on suspicion Constitution as a fundamental right. Air

of blasphemy. On 19 September, a doctor pollution in major cities in Punjab province,

accused of blasphemy was killed by police such as Lahore and Multan, reached

ofûcers in a staged <encounter= in Umerkot. unprecedented levels, with concentrations of

His body was later violently taken from the PM2.5 over 100 times the WHO9s air quality

family and burnt by a crowd. guidelines. As a result, 1.93 million cases of

respiratory diseases were reported from 15

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS October to 14 November. UNICEF warned

Girls9 schools were targeted by militants, that air pollution had endangered the health

particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and of 11 million children in Punjab.

Balochistan, with four attacks in May alone.

These attacks impacted literacy rates among REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

girls in Pakistan, where four million fewer Deportations of unregistered refugees

girls than boys are enrolled in school. During continued as part of the <Illegal Foreigners9

the general election, a fatwa (Islamic decree) Repatriation Plan=. In March, the government

prohibiting canvassing by women candidates announced plans to deport those on

was issued in Kohistan district. The fatwa was registered Afghan Citizen Cards. A total of

rejected by the Election Commission. 315,100 Afghan refugees were unlawfully

Despite laws to address so-called <honour= returned to Afghanistan. Harassment of

killings, they remained endemic. A total of Afghan refugees continued; at least 10,566

531 honour killings were recorded from Afghan refugees in Pakistan were arrested

January to November, and 101 cases were and detained. While Pakistan extended the

reported between January and June in Sindh validity of UNHCR-issued Proof of

province. In the ûrst half of the year, 1,630 Registration cards for Afghan refugees until

cases of child abuse (59% of which were 30 June 2025, no concrete measures were

girls) were reported by child rights NGO taken to provide protections.

Sahil. Girls from religious minorities were

subject to forced conversions and marriages, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

particularly in Sindh and Punjab. The minimum wage increased (to USD 133

per month) but remained well below living

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT wage levels (USD 374 per month). Informal

The government failed to guarantee access to work patterns, underpayment and lack of

adequate healthcare, food and housing in the written contracts continued to be a challenge

wake of üoods and heatwaves. The for many workers. Workers and trade

heatwaves in June resulted in the deaths of unionists, including in the garment industry,

at least 45 people in Karachi city according to faced <anti-union= harassment from their

290 Amnesty International Report

employers and the state. The devolution of BACKGROUND

labour law administration since 2010 In July and December, the parallel authorities

continued to undermine the right to freedom of Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in the

of association for workers in Special Gaza Strip announced their intention to

Economic Zones, with employers targeting mount joint efforts to rebuild Gaza once

workers with reprisals for forming or joining Israel9s campaign of devastation and

unions. genocide ends. No Palestinian parliamentary

Sanitation workers, largely belonging to elections had been held since 2006.

Christian minorities, were denied safe Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh

working environments. Several workers died resigned in February when his government

while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. came under pressure from the USA to take

over governance of Gaza. President

Mahmoud Abbas appointed a new prime

1. <Pakistan: Authorities must be transparent about internet minister, Mohammad Mustafa. Israeli

disruptions and surveillance tech=, 26 August ± authorities claimed responsibility for killing

2. Pakistan: Authorities Must Immediately Release Imran Khan from four Hamas leaders in Gaza, and were widely

Arbitrary Detention, 11 September ± thought to be responsible for the

3. <Pakistan: Authorities must end escalating attacks on minority assassination of two other senior Hamas

Ahmadiyya community=, 21 June ± politicians in Lebanon and Iran. Of the

4. <Pakistan: One year since Jaranwala attack, minority Christians surviving Hamas leaders, Khalil al-Hayya led

await justice=, 16 August ± negotiations in Cairo, Egypt, for a ceaseûre

5. <Pakistan: Flood survivors in Sindh province suffer disease and from October.

food insecurity amid government inaction 3 new testimony=, 31

October ± VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

HUMANITARIAN LAW

Armed conflict in Gaza

PALESTINE (STATE Palestinian armed groups ûred hundreds of

indiscriminate rockets and mortar shells

OF) towards Israel, causing no fatalities in Israel,

according to OCHA. They ûred indiscriminate

State of Palestine
rockets from or near civilian areas in Gaza

and located their ûghters in civilian areas,

Palestinian armed groups ûred hundreds of including shelters for displaced people,
indiscriminate rockets and mortar shells
endangering Palestinian civilians.
towards Israel, including from civilian areas
Hamas9s leaders continued to justify
in Gaza, endangering civilians. Palestinian
violence against civilians inside Israel. Abu
armed individuals or members of armed
Obeida, the spokesperson for Al-Qassam
groups killed Israeli civilians, including
Brigades, Hamas9s armed wing, repeatedly
hostages in Gaza and settlers living illegally
made threats against civilian hostages held
in the occupied West Bank. Journalists and
by Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian armed groups
critics of the Palestinian authorities in the
published some 20 videos, photographs and
West Bank were arrested and arbitrarily
messages showing the suffering of hostages
detained. Critics of the authorities in Gaza
and captives. On 1 September the Israeli
were physically assaulted. Palestinians
military announced that it had recovered the
detained in the West Bank and released
bodies of six Israelis 3 ûve civilians and one
Israeli hostages reported torture and other
soldier 3 who had been shot at close range
ill-treatment. Women and girls were not
shortly before their retrieval. Statements
protected by Palestinian authorities from
posted by Abu Obeida suggested that they
gender-based violence and discrimination. 1
were killed to prevent their rescue.

Palestine (State of) 291

Attacks on Israeli civilians UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

Palestinian armed individuals or groups killed West Bank

19 Israeli civilians, of whom seven were

Eyewitnesses reported excessive use of force
settlers living illegally in the occupied West
by Palestinian police conducting armed
Bank, according to OCHA. On 11 August,
arrest raids on Jenin and other Palestinian
ûghters from Al-Qassam Brigades killed an
towns in the northern West Bank. ICHR and
Israeli civilian and injured another near
Lawyers for Justice reported that Palestinian
Mehola, an illegal Israeli settlement in the
police killed 15 Palestinians during these
northern Jordan Valley.
raids, including two children, who were

alleged to be members of Palestinian armed

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY
groups. On 1 May, Palestinian forces shot
West Bank
and killed Ahmed Abu al-Ful, a member of

Demonstrators were occasionally met with an armed group, while he was driving in

violence from Palestinian police. Following Tulkarem. Witnesses said he was unarmed at

the police9s dispersal of a protest by the time of the shooting, though the police

university students in Ramallah on 30 April, disputed this. No criminal investigation was

60 students complained of excessive use of opened into his killing, according to the

force by police to the Independent ICHR.

Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), the Palestinian police did not intervene to

Palestinian national human rights institution. prevent the killing in Jenin of Karam al-

Critics of the Palestinian authorities in the Jabarin by armed men afûliated with

West Bank were arrested and held without Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on 21 March.

charge. The ICHR received more than 241 Police failed to investigate the case or make

complaints of arbitrary detention. arrests, despite the public announcement of

According to the Palestinian Centre for his <execution= by PIJ. Armed groups

Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), afûliated with PIJ recruited child ûghters for

41 journalists were detained by the their clashes with Palestinian security forces.

Palestinian police for periods ranging from a

few hours to a week, and interrogated about Gaza

their work. On 26 September, Hamas security forces

killed aid worker Islam Hijazi in Khan Younis

Gaza in central Gaza by ûring 90 bullets at her car.

According to the international Committee to Hamas blamed the killing on mistaken

Protect Journalists, journalists came under identiûcation and failed to conduct any

pressure from Palestinian authorities in Gaza. investigation or hold those responsible

On 8 July, Amin Abed, a prominent critic of accountable.

Hamas, was assaulted in Jabalia refugee

camp in northern Gaza by masked armed TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

men whom he identiûed as Hamas afûliates. OCHA reported that 97 civilians and soldiers

He required hospitalization for multiple taken by Palestinian ûghters on 7 October

fractures. In November and December, nine 2023 remained captive in Gaza, including

journalists were attacked or otherwise two children: ûve-year-old Ariel Bibas and his

prevented from reporting. Government one-year-old brother Kûr. All hostages were

ofûcials stopped journalists from covering held without contact with the ICRC. Dozens

local protests against Hamas9s management of hostages were feared killed either in

of aid scarcity, according to MADA. attacks by Israeli forces or in unlawful killings

by Palestinian armed groups. Hostages who

were released said that they had endured or

witnessed severe beatings and sexual

2
assault.

292 Amnesty International Report

Between January and November, the ICHR

received 123 complaints of torture and other 1. Israel/OPT: Amnesty International9s Research Into Hamas-Led

ill-treatment in Palestinian detention centres Attacks of 7 October 2023 and Treatment of Hostages, 2

and prisons in the West Bank, mostly during December ±

interrogations. Because of the ongoing 2. <Israel/OPT: Hamas and other armed groups must immediately

conüict, the ICHR could not collect release civilians held hostage in Gaza=, 12 July ±

complaints of torture or other ill-treatment by

Palestinian authorities against Palestinians in

Gaza. PAPUA NEW GUINEA

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND Independent State of Papua New Guinea

REPARATION

Hamas authorities continued to consistently Authorities continued to restrict media

fail to conduct investigations into serious freedom and the right to peaceful assembly.
violations of international law, including
Gender-based violence continued unabated.
possible war crimes.
Law enforcement responses to inter-ethnic
Arrest warrants were issued by the ICC9s
and gang-related violence were ineffective.
Pre-Trial Chamber on 21 November against New legislation promised greater
Al-Qassam Brigades leader Mohammed Deif, environmental protection, but climate
as well as Israel9s prime minister and former commitments were undermined by
minister of defence. Israeli forces claimed to environmentally destructive mining projects,
have killed Mohammed Deif in July. corruption and illegal logging.

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS BACKGROUND

Women and girls were not protected by In May, a landslide caused the deaths of over

Palestinian authorities from gender-based 160 people in the highland province of Enga,

violence and discrimination. Women in impacting the right to life and livelihoods in

camps for displaced people in southern Gaza an area already plagued by violence. Five

reported to local women9s rights organizations years after the population of the Autonomous
that they faced domestic abuse as well as
Region of Bougainville voted for
harassment and injury in crowds at food
independence, the Papua New Guinea
distribution points.
parliament had yet to enact laws to

implement the outcome of the referendum.

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

Despite relatives9 appeals to the Ministry of

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PEACEFUL
the Interior, the fate of six men subjected to
ASSEMBLY
enforced disappearance by Palestinian
In January, protests by police over a salary
authorities in the West Bank town of Salût in
dispute in the capital Port Moresby and
2002 remained undisclosed.
coastal city of Lae escalated into riots and
The conditions and whereabouts of two looting leading to the deaths of 25 people.
1

citizens of Israel with mental disabilities, There were reports that police ofûcers were

Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, responsible for inciting some of the unrest.

remained undisclosed after they went The authorities failed to investigate the
missing in Gaza in 2014 and 2015
deaths.
respectively.
The authorities persisted with plans to

further restrict media freedom through a

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT National Media Policy to regulate journalists,

Just 1% of Palestine9s waste was recycled. media outlets and the currently independent

In March, authorities conducted training PNG Media Council. The draft policy, ûrst

aimed at building a climate-resilient

healthcare system.

Papua New Guinea 293

introduced in 2023 and revised in July, was attacks against men. Female survivors were

adopted in November. also less likely to be able to access justice

Journalists and other media workers through the courts.

continued to face harassment and

intimidation. In August, the authorities RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

prevented a reporter from the online news In February, parliament passed the Protected

service BenarNews from attending a press Areas Act, under which 30% of the country

conference with Indonesia9s president-elect will be earmarked for conservation. There

Prabowo Subianto apparently because of the were concerns among conservationists about

outlet9s reporting on the human rights the enforceability of the law.

situation in Papua, Indonesia (see Indonesia The country remained reliant on fossil fuel

entry). extraction and other environmentally

Defamation laws criminalized freedom of destructive mining projects for economic

expression. In August, the Supreme Court revenue and development. Government

ruled that the Cybercrime Act 2016, which commitments to tackling climate change

carries a 25-year prison sentence or a heavy were also undermined by illegal logging.

ûne, did not undermine constitutional rights

to freedom of expression. The case was

brought by journalist Kila Aoneka Wari, who 1. <Papua New Guinea: Police and military must exercise restraint to

was charged with defamation under the Act avoid escalation of deadly riots=, 11 January ±

in 2022.

The authorities also restricted peaceful

protests. In July, police arrested six men for

PARAGUAY
burning the national üag during a protest

against the eviction of informal settlers from Republic of Paraguay

the Bush Wara area of Port Moresby. All six

were charged under the National Identity Act û

Insuf cient funding for public healthcare
for <improper use of the national üag= and caused delays, shortages and expenses for
unlawful assembly under the Criminal Code patients and their families. A new bill and a
Act.
parliamentary commission of inquiry

threatened freedom of association and

RIGHT TO LIFE expression for civil society organizations
Inter-ethnic and gang violence persisted and the media. Rulings on 10 lawsuits
across several highland provinces, despite regarding the legal recognition of the names
new curfews, restrictions on freedom of of transgender people were still pending.
movement, and authorizations of the use of Gender-based violence was a huge concern.
lethal force against anyone carrying a weapon
Children continued to suffer sexual abuse
introduced in 2024. Prosecutions for crimes
and mistreatment, and the number of
committed in the context of inter-ethnic
adolescent pregnancies remained worryingly
violence were rare. high. Climate and environmental disasters,
Over 80 inter-ethnic violence-related as well as forced evictions,
killings were reported in Enga province disproportionately affected Indigenous
during the year, including around the Porgera Peoples.
mining site. In July, gang violence in East

Sepik province resulted in 26 deaths,

BACKGROUND
including 16 children.
The alarming surge in organized crime

became a pressing domestic and

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE international concern, prompting an

According to an academic study published in expansion of the military forces for internal

July, attacks against women and girls

accused of sorcery were more severe than

294 Amnesty International Report

security across four departments the issue and a new tax agreement that

(administrative areas). would fund social policies, including higher

Inequality persisted, with the National education.

Institute of Statistics reporting that 17.2% of

the population were experiencing FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

multidimensional poverty, impacting their AND ASSEMBLY

rights to work, social security, adequate Congress approved a vaguely worded bill that

housing, health, healthy environment and threatened freedom of association and could

education. Additionally, 22.7% were living increase control over civil society

below the monetary poverty line and 4.9% organizations and lead to arbitrary

were living below the extreme poverty line, restrictions, including the suspension of their
2
affecting their rights to food and an adequate activities.

standard of living. In 2024, the wealthiest The Paraguayan Journalists Union

10% of the population earned nearly 20 reported that journalists and organizations

times more than the poorest 10%. investigating political power had been

In February, Eusebio Torres Romero, a subjected to harassment and defamation

former police ofûcer, was sentenced to 30 through fake news disseminated by senators

years in prison for torture committed in 1976, during deliberations about this bill.

during the military regime. In August a parliamentary commission of

Civil society organizations expressed inquiry into money laundering was

concern about the violations of due process established, aimed at investigating civil

in the expulsion of an opposition senator from society organizations and the media. The

the National Congress. hearings were kept conûdential, raising

concerns about the transparency of this new

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS scrutiny mechanism.

The government allocated insufûcient Three activists charged with arson and

resources to the public health system, disorderly conduct relating to protest during

undermining the right to health, particularly the Covid-19 pandemic were acquitted after

for groups that face discrimination, including an eight-month trial.

Indigenous Peoples and transgender

1
women. Public health investment stood at LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

4% of GDP, below the 6% recommended for The judiciary had yet to issue ûnal rulings on

universal coverage by the Pan American 10 lawsuits ûled by transgender people

Health Organization. seeking legal recognition of their names in

The government failed to increase accordance with their gender identity. Two of

progressive taxation and strengthen primary the plaintiffs, transgender women Yren Rotela

healthcare provision, leaving families to cover and Mariana Sepúlveda who sued in civil

38.4% of total healthcare costs from their courts for such recognition in 2016, were

own resources, one of the highest out-of- awaiting a decision from the UN Human

pocket health expenditures among countries Rights Committee regarding communications

with similar development levels. submitted under the Optional Protocol to the

The legislature rejected a bill to increase ICCPR.

the tobacco tax by 6% to fund healthcare for

cancer patients, missing an opportunity to WOMEN9S RIGHTS

fulûl the right to health. Gender-based violence remained prevalent.

In April, students held demonstrations and The Ministry of Women reported 31 femicides

occupied universities, protesting at the and 52 attempted femicides in 2024,

government9s decision to change the compared with an average of 37 femicides

ûnancing of free tuition and scholarship per year for the period 2019-2023.

programmes at public universities. They Alexa Torres, a survivor of sexual

called for more meaningful consultation on harassment by a Catholic priest, ûled a

Paraguay 295
complaint before the CEDAW Committee after their rights. The community still faced an

the judiciary overturned her alleged unresolved eviction lawsuit before an appeals

aggressor9s conviction on the basis of court.

statutory limitations.

CHILDREN9S RIGHTS 1. <Paraguay: Well-being of millions depend on urgently needed

Children9s rights continued to be violated. In improvements to public health system=, 6 May ±

2024, the Public Prosecutor9s Ofûce 2. <Paraguay: Veto anti civil society bill=, 10 October ±

registered 3,524 complaints of child sexual

abuse and 1,679 complaints of child

mistreatment, compared with 3,543 PERU

complaints of child sexual abuse and 1,559

complaints of child mistreatment in the Republic of Peru

previous year.

Adolescent pregnancies continued to be

Investigations continued into deaths during
high, and child survivors of rape continued to
protests in 2022 and 2023. Bills before
be forced to carry pregnancies to term due to
Congress threatened to restrict civil society.
an almost total ban on abortion. The Ministry û
Wild res affected large areas causing death
of Public Health and Social Welfare registered and destruction. Human rights defenders
8,578 births by adolescent girls aged remained at risk, particularly Indigenous
between 15 and 19 years, of whom 602 were leaders, and protection mechanisms were
Indigenous, and 339 births by girls aged 10 lacking. Public health facilities were
to 14, of whom 82 were Indigenous.
inadequate and people increasingly used
The Committee on the Rights of the Child
private services at their own expense.
called on Paraguay to adopt sexual and LGBTI rights were overlooked and
reproductive health and gender-related <transsexuality= was declared a <mental
education in schools. The committee also disorder=. Only therapeutic abortion was
called on Paraguay to ensure, among other legal and access to it was inadequate.
things, that in cases of child abuse, including Lawmakers proposed the elimination of
sexual violence, the criminal justice system
comprehensive sex education. Sexual and
applies a child-friendly and multisectoral
gender-based violence remained
approach to avoid re-traumatization.
widespread. Actual and proposed changes
to legislation risked impunity for historic
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS crimes against humanity. Authorities
Climate and environmental disasters continued to expel refugees and migrants,
disproportionately affected Indigenous and a resolution made access to visas for
Peoples. In July, the Coordinator of
Venezuelans and others more dif cult. û
Indigenous Leaders of the Bajo Chaco

reported that local communities had

BACKGROUND
exhausted their drinking water reserves and Congress made political decisions weakening

were not receiving humanitarian assistance. the mandate of several state institutions that

In September, a wildûre affected the Cerro protect human rights.

Chovoreca National Park, ancestral territory The presidential announcement of the

of the Ayoreo Indigenous People who live in
closure of the Ministry of Women and
voluntary isolation.
Vulnerable Populations demonstrated the
Forced evictions of Indigenous Peoples
government9s lack of commitment to combat
continued. The Tekoha Sauce Indigenous gender-based violence.

community of the Avá Guaraní Paranaense

people were still awaiting the restitution of

their ancestral territory, appropriated by the

Itaipú Binacional hydroelectric dam, violating

296 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY The Ministry of the Interior continued to

Criminal investigations were ongoing into 50 lack a protocol to coordinate the protection of

deaths and hundreds of injuries during human rights defenders with the police.

protests between December 2022 and In April, the perpetrators of the 2014
1
February 2023. In July, the Public murder of four environmental defenders of

Prosecutor9s Ofûce initiated criminal the Ashéninka Indigenous people were

proceedings against high-ranking military and convicted.

police ofûcers and the Attorney General

presented a second constitutional complaint RIGHT TO HEALTH

against President Dina Boluarte and ûve of Structural barriers existed in access to
2
her former ministers. Investigations into adequate healthcare. As a result, rates of

killings during protests in November 2020 self-medication remained high and there was

had not made signiûcant progress. increased demand for medical attention in

Bills were presented before Congress that pharmacies, private clinics and hospitals,

would expand state supervision over civil disproportionately burdening people on lower

society organizations, restrict civic space and incomes.

external ûnancing, and create administrative The Peruvian Medical Association

offences for actions that disturb public order. denounced the shortage of medicines in

public health facilities and the authorities9

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT inadequate response to tackle the issue.

Between January and November, the

National Institute of Civil Defence identiûed LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

more than 241 wildûres in the country, The rights of LGBTI people continued to be

causing 35 deaths and injuring 285 people. disregarded and Congress failed to pass a

Several communities and protected natural law on legal gender recognition and marriage

areas were severely affected. equality.

Three years after the oil spill off the coast A decree by the Ministry of Health

of Ventanilla on the outskirts of the capital declared <transsexuality= a <mental

Lima, the Environmental Assessment and disorder=, contrary to WHO guidelines.

Oversight Agency reported that 19 affected Following complaints, the ministry clariûed

sites still showed evidence of environmental that in practice transgender people should

damage. Authorities continued to fail to not be treated as having mental disorders,

provide adequate support to communities but the decree remained in place.

affected by environmental contamination in Civil society organizations criticized a civil

Espinar province, Cusco department. union bill for same-sex couples that

In December, authorities declared a 90- advanced in Congress, as it was considered

day environmental emergency due to an oil discriminatory, focused on the protection of

spill on Lobitos beach, Talara province, Piura patrimony and did not include all rights of

department, that affected over 275 hectares, same-sex couples, such as obtaining

including the southern section of the Mar nationality or residence.

Tropical de Grau National Reserve.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS One hundred years after the

Four land, territory and environmental decriminalization of therapeutic abortion,

defenders were killed in the year. Two of barriers that limit access to this fundamental

them were killed in the buffer zone around right persisted and access to such abortions

the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and had was inadequate. In 2024, 1,080 girls under

protection measures from the Intersectoral 15 years of age carried pregnancies to term,

Mechanism for the Protection of Human one of whom was aged under 11.

Rights Defenders. The state failed to apply the

recommendations on therapeutic abortions

Peru 297
for all minors issued by the UN Committee on department, as well as the enforced

the Rights of the Child, which in 2023 ruled disappearance of journalist Jaime Alaya

in favour of the case of Camila, a 13-year-old during the internal armed conüict. Congress

Indigenous girl who had been denied an continued to discuss Bill 7549, which would

abortion. grant amnesty to members of the armed

Access to the Ministry of Education9s forces, police and government ofûcials who

comprehensive sex education guides was have not received a ûnal sentence in cases

temporarily restricted, but resumed after relating to the ûght against armed opposition

complaints from civil society organizations. groups between 1980 and 2000.

Nonetheless, in October, lawmakers In June, the judiciary handed down a

introduced Bill 9174 which proposed the historic sentence against 13 former members

elimination of comprehensive sex education. of the military for the rape of 10 peasant

women in Manta y Vilca, Huancavelica

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE province, Huancavelica department in the

In 2024, the Ministry of Women and 1980s, during the internal armed conüict.

Vulnerable Populations registered 168,492 A court order initiated the process of

cases of violence against women and other comprehensive reparations for victims of

vulnerable groups. Of these, 32,388 were forced sterilization during the 1990s.

cases of sexual violence, of which 22,797

(70%) were against people aged up to 17 REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

years. The Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Authorities continued to expel migrants under

Populations registered 12,924 cases of rape the legal framework of the Special

against women, of which 65% (8,416 cases) Exceptional Administrative Sanction

were against girls and adolescents. However, Procedure without the guarantee that

only 2,768 rape kits were delivered, raising individuals would be received by another

questions about whether all protection country.

protocols for victims of sexual violence had In July, a resolution came into force

been implemented. Over the same period, eliminating the exemption to require a

162 femicides were registered. According to passport for the issue of humanitarian visas

the Ministry of the Interior, 10,278 women for vulnerable populations such as children,

and girls were reported missing in 2024, the elderly and chronically ill. It also required

representing 58% of all missing persons. valid passports for Venezuelans, undermining

the rights of thousands with limited access to

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND updated identity documents.

REPARATION In October, the government issued a

In August, Law 32107 came into effect decree making it compulsory for hotels and

applying the statute of limitations to crimes other accommodation to request foreigners9

against humanity and war crimes committed travel documents and report this information

before the Rome Statute came into force in to the authorities, with ûnes for

2002. This ran contrary to Peru9s obligations establishments that failed to do so.

under international law, such as the 1968

Convention on the Non-Applicability of

Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and 1. Who Called the Shots? Chain of Command Responsibility for

Crimes Against Humanity. Nevertheless, Killings and Injuries in Protests in Peru, 18 July ±

judges did not apply this law in at least three 2. Right to Health, a Privilege of a Few, 29 October (Spanish only) ±

cases, including the Huanta case, in which a

ruling against two former Senior

Commanders of the Peruvian Navy was

ûnally made on the murder of six people and

the enforced disappearance of more than 50

in 1984 in Huanta province, Ayacucho

298 Amnesty International Report

 (USD 3,477) each; the Department of Justice

PHILIPPINES had charged them with terrorism ûnancing.

Over 30 activists and human rights defenders

Republic of the Philippines faced terrorism-related charges in May after

the military accused them of being involved

The last fabricated charge against human in an armed encounter in 2023; charges

rights defender Leila de Lima was against at least four were dismissed in

dismissed. Concern grew as more activists September.

were forcibly disappeared. The practice of In May a regional trial court convicted a

<red-tagging= human rights defenders, man of homicide after he supposedly

including young activists, persisted, and the confessed to killing government critic and

government continued to use broadcaster, Percival <Percy Lapid= Mabasa,

counterterrorism measures against in 2022. The trial of another suspect

humanitarian workers. Killings in the continued at year9s end, but the alleged

context of the <war on drugs= continued. mastermind, former Bureau of Corrections

Human rights violations 3 such as of the chief Gerald Bantag, remained at large.

right to health 3 beset the country9s drug On 24 June another court dismissed the

treatment programme. last charge of conspiracy to commit drug

trading against human rights defender and

2
REPRESSION OF DISSENT former Senator Leila de Lima. The fabricated

<Red-tagging= 3 the public viliûcation of charges against her stemmed from her

human rights defenders and other targeted investigation of violations in the context of the

groups and individuals as alleged members <war on drugs= under former president

and clandestine recruiters of the communist Rodrigo Duterte, from 2016 to 2022.

New People9s Army (NPA) 3 continued. This In July the Court of Appeals voided a 2018

was despite a Supreme Court ruling in May shutdown order by the Securities and

that <red-tagging= threatens a person9s life, Exchange Commission against news website

liberty and security. UN experts, including Rappler. A cyber libel charge, carrying a

the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion penalty of imprisonment, against Rappler

and expression, made repeated calls on the founder and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and

government to denounce and penalize the her former colleague remained pending.

practice.

Authorities, mainly the National Task Force ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

to End Local Communist Armed Conüict, Activists increasingly became victims of

created a climate of fear among young enforced disappearances. In April, labour

human rights defenders by weaponizing organizer William Lariosa was reportedly

social media, misinformation and a üawed abducted in Bukidnon province; the military

anti-terrorism law.
1 denied holding him in custody. He remained

The government continued to use missing at year9s end.

counterterrorism measures against <red- In September the Supreme Court granted

tagged= organizations, including a temporary protection order in the case of

humanitarian groups. In May, the Anti-Money missing activists Gene Roz Jamil de Jesus

Laundering Council froze the bank accounts and Dexter Capuyan. The order prohibited

of the Leyte Center for Development for certain individuals, including police and

allegedly ûnancing <terrorist= organizations, military ofûcials, from being within a radius of

including the NPA. In the same month, 27 one kilometre from the two activists9

development workers linked to the immediate families. De Jesus and Capuyan

Community Empowerment Resource remained missing following their reported

Network, a consortium of humanitarian abduction in 2023. By end of year, the Court

organizations, posted bail of PHP 200,000 of Appeals continued to hear their families9

petition to compel government agencies to

Philippines 299
present the two in court if they were being Accountability for unlawful killings

held in custody or to allow access to remained almost non-existent; however, at

information pertaining to them. least two cases resulted in convictions of

Environmental activist Rowena Dasig went police ofûcers. On 27 February a court

missing after being released from detention convicted a police ofûcer of homicide for the

in Quezon province on 22 August; she was killing of 17-year-old Jemboy Baltazar in

found safe over two months later. August 2023. Four other police ofûcers were

Unidentiûed people reportedly abducted also convicted of illegal discharge of ûrearms

friends and activists James Jazmines and and one was acquitted. Another court

Felix Salaveria Jr, also in August, in separate convicted four police ofûcers of homicide for

incidents in Tabaco City, Albay province. the killing of father and son Luis and Gabriel

Both remained missing at year9s end. Bonifacio during a police anti-drugs operation

On 28 September, farmer organizer Fhobie in 2016.

Matias was reportedly forcibly taken by A three-year joint programme on human

soldiers to a military camp in Laguna rights between the UN and the Philippine

province; weeks later, the Philippine Army government concluded in July. Civil society

said she had voluntarily surrendered and groups called for an objective assessment of

admitted to being an NPA member. the programme, noting that it failed to

advance accountability for drug-related

4
IMPUNITY extrajudicial executions. Following the

Unlawful killings in the context of the ongoing programme9s conclusion, President

<war on drugs= continued. Monitoring by Ferdinand Marcos Jr created a <Special

university-based group Dahas showed at Committee on Human Rights Coordination=,

least 871 people killed in anti-drug police which various groups criticized as üawed and
5
operations throughout the year. superüuous.

Both the Lower House and the Senate held The ICC9s investigation into extrajudicial

hearings to investigate extrajudicial killings continued. In July the government

executions in the <war on drugs=. Retired conûrmed that the ICC prosecutor requested

police ofûcial Royina Garma alleged that an interview with various Philippine ofûcials

former president Duterte and Senator Bong considered to be <under suspicion=. The

Go ordered and coordinated, respectively, a government, however, repeated that it would

cash reward system for those who killed not cooperate with the ICC investigation.

people suspected of using or selling drugs.

Former police chief and Senator Ronald Dela RIGHT TO HEALTH

Rosa was accused of falsely implicating In July the UN and the government jointly

human rights defender Leila de Lima in the held a drug policy summit aimed at

illegal drug trade. Both Go and Dela Rosa amending the country9s anti-drugs law and

denied the allegations. In the Senate, Duterte identifying health-based approaches to drug

admitted in October that he had maintained a policy.

<death squad= to kill alleged criminals during Research by Amnesty International

his years as Davao City mayor. Before this, revealed how the government9s drug

Garma revealed that Duterte had asked her treatment and rehabilitation programmes

to replicate the <Davao model= 3 a direct were beset with violations of the rights to

reference to death squads and unlawful health, liberty, privacy and informed consent,

killings 3 once he became president. In and freedom from torture and other ill-

November, the Department of Justice created treatment. The research also detailed how

a task force to investigate the <war on drugs= people accused of using drugs were forced

of the Duterte administration, including the into undergoing a court-mandated

possibility of charging Duterte with violating programme that was not evidence-based and
3 6
international humanitarian law. amounted to arbitrary detention.

300 Amnesty International Report

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS Poland had violated the right to privacy in

In May the proposed Sexual Orientation, its use of Pegasus spyware. The Supreme

Gender Identity, Gender Expression, or Sex Court upheld the acquittal of three activists

Characteristics Equality Bill reached the charged with <offending religious beliefs=.

House of Representatives9 plenary Parliament adopted a consent-based

discussions, nearly a year after it was û û

de nition of rape. A signi cant proportion

approved at committee level. However, it of the population lived in substandard or

remained excluded from the government9s overcrowded conditions. The government

list of priority bills. took no steps to phase out reliance on fossil

fuels in the short term.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In August, a House of Representatives BACKGROUND

committee approved a bill that will force By year9s end, after one year in power, the

companies to limit their greenhouse gas new government had not made signiûcant

emissions in line with the government9s progress on campaign promises to improve

decarbonization plans. By year end, the bill Poland9s respect for the rule of law,

had not been approved by both chambers of reproductive rights and the rights of refugees,

Congress and the President, as required to migrants and LGBTI people. Despite attempts

become law. to restore the rule of law, previously

compromised institutions 3 such as the

Constitutional Tribunal, the National Council

1. <Philippines: <I turned my fear into courage=: Red-tagging and of the Judiciary and the Professional Liability

state violence against young human rights defenders in the Chamber of the Supreme Court 3 remained

Philippines=, 14 October ± unchanged.

2. <Philippines: Vindication for Leila de Lima as last bogus charge

dismissed=, 24 June ± REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

3. <Philippines: Ensure long-awaited accountability for 8war on Concerns continued about violations of the

drugs9=, 22 November ± rights of refugees and migrants at the Polish-

4. <Philippines: Oral Statement to HRC: Item 10: Technical Belarusian border. In October the

assistance and capacity-building", 9 October ± government announced a new strategy for

5. <Philippines: HR super body superfluous, Amnesty urges Marcos migration and proposed a bill that would

to adhere to UN recommendations=, 12 May ± allow the Ministry of Internal Affairs to

6. <Philippines: 8Submit and surrender9: The harms of arbitrary drug <temporarily suspend= the recognition of

detention in the Philippines=, 28 November ± asylum applications in a given area when

deemed necessary because of security

concerns. The proposals could endanger the

POLAND rights of people seeking safety.

1

In June the government declared a <buffer

Republic of Poland zone= around the border with Belarus. It also

curtailed the ability of journalists and civil

The new government passed legislation society to monitor and report on the situation

further endangering the rights of refugees there, including on potential violations of

and migrants at the Polish-Belarusian human rights by Polish border guards and

ofûcials.
border. Reproductive rights, in particular
Also in June, civil society organizations
greater access to abortion and the
expressed concern about an amendment to
decriminalization of aiding an abortion,
remained a topic of political debate but the Criminal Code that, among other things,

there were no changes to the law. LGBTI legalized the use of ûrearms for law

people continued to face discrimination. enforcement ofûcers at the border in violation

The European Court of Human Rights found of existing laws governing the use of deadly
2
force. This amendment could increase the

Poland 301
risk of refugees and migrants being subjected not speciûcally mention sexual orientation

to potentially lethal force by law enforcement and/or gender identity.

ofûcials and weaken accountability for the In 2023, in the case of Przybyszewska and

actions of police and border guards. others v. Poland, the European Court of

Several human rights defenders were Human Rights had directed Poland to

acquitted of criminal charges relating to introduce a form of legal recognition of same-

rendering humanitarian, often life-saving, sex couples. A bill aiming to recognize same-

assistance to refugees and migrants, sex civil unions was introduced into

although at least one such case continued. parliament in October, but had not passed by

year9s end.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Abortion remained criminalized, except when RIGHT TO PRIVACY

the health or the life of the pregnant person In May, in the case of Pietrzak and

was at risk or when the pregnancy was the Bychawska-Siniarska and Others v. Poland,

result of rape or incest. Thousands of people the European Court of Human Rights ruled

in need of an abortion were compelled to that the government had violated the right to

seek care abroad, while others had to privacy through <secret surveillance=. The

depend on the help of civil society case related to the use of Pegasus spyware

organizations. Women human rights targeting mostly opposition-afûliated

defenders were persecuted for supporting politicians. The court also criticized the lack

women in need of safe abortion and several of oversight mechanisms for surveillance

criminal cases were ûled against family operations, the unlimited access by national

members and activists charged with authorities to telecommunications data and

providing such assistance. Four draft bills the lack of safeguards.

broadening access to abortion or

decriminalizing abortion were presented to FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

parliament but none had passed by the end In March the Supreme Court upheld the

of the year. Both the Ministry of Health and decision of a lower court that had acquitted

the Ofûce of the Prosecutor General also three activists charged in 2019 with

issued guidelines that were supposed to ease <offending religious beliefs= for possessing

access to legal abortion, but these made no and distributing posters and stickers

signiûcant change. The Ministry of Health depicting the Virgin Mary with an LGBTI

guidelines were heavily criticized by the rainbow halo. The Prosecutor9s Ofûce had

Supreme Doctors9 Council for shifting the sought to challenge their acquittal.

responsibility to doctors and putting them at

risk of liability for their decisions. GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

In June, parliament adopted a consent-based

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS deûnition of rape, to enter into force in

Out of 105 homophobic local government February 2025, which brought the law in line

resolutions passed since 2019 setting up with human rights standards. However, there

what were known as <LGBTI-free zones=, were concerns that the new law might not

only ûve remained in place by the end of the provide adequate protection for people with

year. However, LGBTI people continued to disabilities including those with intellectual

face discrimination and violence, as did those disabilities.

working to defend and promote their rights.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

Cultural Rights (CESCR) expressed concern Poland had still not accepted any of the UN

about the absence of comprehensive anti- mechanisms allowing complaints of alleged

discrimination legislation and that legislation violations of social, economic, and cultural

on hate crimes and incitement to hatred did rights to be lodged at the international level.

302 Amnesty International Report

Right to housing

The CESCR expressed concern that a PORTUGAL

shortage of affordable housing had resulted

in a signiûcant proportion of the population Portuguese Republic

living in substandard or overcrowded

conditions. It recommended <prioritizing There were credible reports of torture and

funding for the construction of new and ill-treatment in prisons. Freedom of
affordable housing units and renovating and assembly was undermined by the misuse of
modernizing substandard housing=. The decades-old legislation. Access to abortion
committee also recommended that Poland was not fully guaranteed. Dozens were
<strengthen oversight and enforcement injured during attacks against migrants in
mechanisms to prevent exploitation by the city of Porto. An exceptional heatwave
landlords and reduce the risk of û
and wild res resulted in ûve deaths. Access
homelessness=. to affordable housing remained inadequate.

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

In May a court acquitted Joanna Wolska, an In July, following visits to 17 prisons in 2023,

activist of the Women9s Strike organization, of the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM) of

alleged breaches relating to the way a protest the Ombudsman9s Ofûce reported ûnding ill-

concerning abortion was conducted. treatment of people in detention in almost

In July, activists from the Last Generation half the prisons visited. The NPM expressed

group glued themselves to a street in the concern about the failure of authorities to

capital, Warsaw, to protest against climate investigate and share credible reports of ill-

change. They reported that the police failed treatment with prosecutors. The NPM also

to intervene to protect them when they were noted the degrading conditions experienced

attacked by some drivers. by dozens of migrants while detained at

Lisbon Airport. These included being forced

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT to sleep in interview rooms and international

Poland was given a <low= rating by the boarding areas, in some cases for as many as

Climate Change Performance Index for its six nights.

climate policies, energy use and greenhouse

gas emissions. The government took no steps

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF
to phase out reliance on fossil fuels in the FORCE
short term. In September, severe üooding, In October, in Cova da Moura, Amadora, a

particularly in the south-west, resulted in police ofûcer shot dead Odair Moniz, a 43-

seven deaths. The World Weather Attribution year-old chef of African descent, in unclear

initiative reported that the üooding was made circumstances. The killing was followed by

more likely by human-induced climate days of unrest against police violence in

change. several neighbourhoods around the capital,

Lisbon. An investigation was opened.

1. <Poland: Plans to suspend the right to seek asylum 8flagrantly FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

unlawful9=, 16 October ± The authorities continued to impede the

2. =Poland: New firearms regulations risk undermining the rule of organization of peaceful demonstrations.

law=, 10 July ± They relied on decades-old legislation to

place burdens and liabilities on the

organizers of peaceful assemblies, as well as

on vague provisions criminalizing acts

deemed to disturb <public order and

tranquillity=.

Portugal 303
In January, the then Minister of Internal Portugal to improve housing conditions for

Affairs ordered an investigation into the Roma population and to strengthen

allegations that police had carried out measures for combating hate crime.

abusive searches of two female climate

activists arrested after a protest, and kept all RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

detained activists handcuffed for more than In May, a peer-reviewed scientiûc study on

10 hours. deaths related to heatwaves reported that

In February, a peaceful counter- Portugal was one of the 20 most affected

demonstration to a far-right demonstration countries globally in the last 30 years, with

was allegedly dispersed without warning and 650 such deaths per year between 2010 and

with excessive force. The General 2019. A separate study showed that the

Inspectorate of Internal Affairs began an heatwave that hit Portugal in July would not

investigation into allegations that police use of have occurred without human-induced

batons had left several counter- climate change. In September, wildûres

demonstrators requiring medical treatment, devasted northern Portugal, causing ûve

including for fractured ribs. deaths and injuring hundreds.

In July, eight climate activists who brieüy In October, the government approved

interrupted trafûc during a peaceful protest measures to mitigate climate change by

received 18-month suspended prison increasing renewable energy consumption to

sentences. 51% by 2030, thus exceeding the EU overall

target of 42.5%.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

In February, the Prosecutor General9s Ofûce RIGHT TO HOUSING

reported that, in 2023, domestic violence had In May and September, the government

resulted in 22 deaths, including of 17 women revoked measures introduced by the <More

and two children; 72% of the killings were by Housing= programme to tackle affordable

partners or former partners. housing shortages. Concerns were raised that

the elimination of provisions such as rent

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS freezes and regulation of short-term rentals

Access to abortion care was not guaranteed could aggravate the shortage of affordable

throughout the country due to the authorities9 housing. In March, the National Statistics

failure to adequately regulate conscience- Institute estimated that almost 13% of the

based refusals by medical staff to carry out whole population lived in overcrowded

abortions. housing. Among people at risk of poverty,

27.7% live in overcrowded conditions.

DISCRIMINATION Data published in June by the General

The Prosecutor General reported in October Inspectorate of Finance estimated that 60%

that just 17 prosecutions had resulted from of tenants did not enjoy security of tenure.

investigations into 895 hate crimes between

2020 and the ûrst half of 2024, while 761 of

the cases were dismissed. Disaggregated PUERTO RICO

data was not gathered on these hate crimes.

The high threshold for hate-motivated Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

prosecutions continued throughout the year.

In October, police excluded racial motivation Abortion clinics were subject to excessive
in three separate attacks by six men on government regulation and investigation.
Algerian and Moroccan nationals in the city The Senate approved restrictions on access
of Porto. to abortion for minors. Legislative changes
In June, following a visit to the country, the discriminated against LGBTI people.
Council of Europe9s European Commission Femicides increased. Wage inequality
against Racism and Intolerance warned

304 Amnesty International Report

 û
worsened, with women earning signi cantly LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

less than men. Thermoelectric plants failed LGBTI people continued to face

to meet air-quality standards and put lives discrimination due to legislative measures

at risk. The Department of Economic promoted by conservative groups in power. In

Development lacked legal mechanisms to January, House Bill 1821 was approved,

penalize companies that did not comply criminalizing artistic activities or those aimed

with environmental laws. Failures in the at children or for family entertainment that

electricity supply put people whose lives are performed in drag.

depend on electrical equipment at risk. In April, the governor of Puerto Rico

Freedom of expression was threatened by proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 427,

police intimidation towards protesters. which prohibits discrimination based on

sexual orientation and gender identity in

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS relation to housing for older people. The bill

In March, the Department of Justice states that no provider may refuse to offer

published the results of an investigation into services for discriminatory reasons, and

abortion clinics in response to allegations that applies to all housing and elderly care

they had not been reporting sexual abuse of facilities licensed by the Department of the

minors. The investigation concluded that Family. The amendment added an exclusion

clinics had failed to report to the so that the regulations do not apply to

Departments of Family and Justice possible religious entities. Due to the lack of

cases of sexual abuse of two minors aged consensus between the governor and the

under 15 who were undergoing abortions legislature, this proposal remained unsigned.

potentially resulting from abuse. In May, House Bill 1740 was ûled,

Organizations in favour of abortion rights prohibiting unisex toilets in the ofûces of

criticized the government, alleging that the government agencies. The measure

investigation had not considered other minors proposed that all toilets be categorized as

experiencing a pregnancy that could be the male or female. At year9s end the bill was still

result of sexual assault or incest, such as pending approval.

children aged under 16 who gave birth in The Puerto Rico Police Bureau reported

hospitals or received prenatal care in clinics the murder of a transgender woman, which

or medical institutions. The investigation only was being investigated as a possible hate

looked at abortion clinics and had not crime.

considered hospitals or medical institutions

that received pregnant minors under the age WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

of 16. The Gender Equity Observatory recorded 82

In June, the Senate approved Bill PS 495, femicides up to 14 December, 10 more than

introducing restrictions on abortions for in 2023. An investigation by the organization

minors and requiring the authorization of a Kilometre 0, published in February, with data

parent or guardian for the procedure. from 2018 to 2023, revealed that Puerto

In September, the Department of Health Rican police ofûcers committed four times

adopted amendments to the regulations more femicides than the general population.

governing the licensing and operation of The investigation referred to ofûcers who had

abortion centres. The measures placed committed femicide against their partners or

excessive procedural burdens on abortion ex-partners. The report also highlighted that

clinics such as keeping more statistical the police force had failed to demonstrate

records of their work. The changes did not that it had trained ofûcers in the handling of

apply to other health facilities that handle domestic violence cases.

pregnancies in under 16-year-olds. According to a study by the Department of

Labour, women earned USD 0.83 for every

dollar earned by men. The report stated that

the gender pay gap had increased in recent

Puerto Rico 305

years, highlighting persistent salary electricity consumption for the equipment

inequality. their lives depend on.

In August, during Tropical Storm Ernesto,

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT more than half a million people were left

According to a press report relating to US without electricity, which had serious

Environmental Protection Agency ûndings, psychological impacts. The Health and

the air quality in two areas of the country, the Addiction Service Administration recorded

capital city San Juan and southern Puerto 23,000 calls to the Psycho-social First Aid

Rico, had failed to meet air-quality standards helpline between 9 and 22 August, of which

set by the government in 2014. According to 7,300 (more than 30%) were from people

the report, this put at risk the health of emotionally affected by the lack of power in

thousands of people living or working nearby. their homes.

In July, the government sued multinational

energy and petrochemical companies for FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

environmental damage allegedly caused by Protesters and pro-Palestine organizations

illegal business practices. The outcome was denounced government attempts to

still pending at the end of the year. A intimidate them by deploying police during

journalistic investigation found that the protests.

Department of Economic Development did

not have legal mechanisms to ûne or revoke

the concessions of companies that did not QATAR

comply with environmental laws. According

to the investigation, four medical device State of Qatar

sterilization companies were included in an

elevated risk notice from the US Migrant workers, including domestic

Environmental Protection Agency for emitting workers, continued to face human rights
a toxic substance that could cause cancer in abuses, including wage theft, harsh working
humans. conditions and poor access to redress

mechanisms. Qatar and FIFA again failed to

RIGHT TO HEALTH provide redress for the vast numbers of
The health and lives of vulnerable people migrants abused while working on 2022
were put at risk by the inadequate electricity World Cup projects. The right to freedom of
supply. The government failed to regulate expression remained curtailed. Women and
electricity providers despite blackouts and LGBTI people continued to face
voltage üuctuations that put vulnerable discrimination in law and practice. Qatar9s
populations at risk. latest emissions reduction target was
Seven years after Hurricane Maria, the undermined by a plan to vastly expand
government still lacked an integrated system û
lique ed natural gas production.
to identify people with special medical needs

3 such as those whose lives depend on BACKGROUND

electrical equipment 3 in the event of In November, a constitutional referendum to

disasters. According to the US Energy amend several provisions resulted in an

Information Administration, Puerto Rico was article amendment rescinding people9s right

among the six jurisdictions in the USA with to elect members of the Shura Council

the highest energy costs, despite having the (Consultative Council).

lowest per capita income, which in turn had a

disproportionate impact on people whose MIGRANT WORKERS9 RIGHTS

lives depend on electricity. Furthermore, Migrant workers continued to face serious

according to a report by the Investigative abuses, including wage theft, restrictions on

Journalism Centre, only 6% of people with

such needs received subsidies to cover

306 Amnesty International Report

changing jobs and inadequate grievance and <Legacy Fund= for the 2022 World Cup. The

redress mechanisms. fund includes contributions to the WHO, the

Seventeen men from East Africa who paid World Trade Organization and UNHCR, the

exorbitant recruitment fees to secure jobs in UN refugee agency, but excludes any
2
Qatar were abandoned by their sponsors compensation for affected workers.

upon arrival in Qatar, leaving them without The Qatari authorities continued to fail to

food, money or Qatari identity documents. investigate effectively the deaths of migrant

After several months, they were admitted to a workers and to hold employers or authorities

government-run shelter, where their accountable, preventing any assessment of

passports were conûscated, they were whether the deaths were work-related and

questioned about their connections to various depriving families of the opportunity to

organizations, and their freedom of receive compensation.

movement was severely restricted. They were

eventually permitted to return to their home FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

country but received no compensation for the AND ASSEMBLY

abuses they had suffered. The authorities continued to curtail the right

Migrant domestic workers continued to to freedom of expression, including by

face harsh working conditions. In June, arbitrarily detaining individuals who spoke out

Qatar9s Shura Council proposed requiring for greater rights and freedoms.

domestic workers to obtain their employer9s In July the UN Working Group on Arbitrary

permission before leaving Qatar, effectively Detention (WGAD) called for Abdullah Ibhais,

reinstating exit permits which were abolished a former media manager for Qatar9s 2022

in 2020. The proposal included penalties for World Cup, to be immediately released and

workers reported as <absconding= and those compensated. He was arrested in 2019 and

sheltering them. If adopted, this would sentenced to three years9 imprisonment on

further endanger domestic workers in trumped-up bribery charges after he raised

vulnerable situations. concerns about migrant workers9 conditions

The authorities failed to adequately protect on World Cup construction sites. WGAD

workers from extreme heat. The Ministry of found his trial to be grossly unfair, citing

Labour reported more than 350 violations of coerced <confessions= and denial of legal

the midday outdoor work ban between 1 assistance; ûndings to which the authorities
3
June and 15 September but provided no failed to respond.

details of the penalties. In December, activists reported that a

Qatari lawyer who had been serving a life

Right to remedy sentence since 2022 was released. His

Qatar and FIFA failed to ensure long-overdue brother, who is also a lawyer, remained in

remedy, including compensation, for the vast arbitrary detention serving a life sentence

numbers of workers whose rights were following his 2022 conviction on charges

abused for a decade while working on related to contesting laws ratiûed by the emir

projects related to FIFA9s 2022 men9s football and organizing unauthorized public

World Cup. meetings.

An independent review, recognizing FIFA9s

responsibility to remedy a signiûcant range of WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

abuses endured by hundreds of thousands of Women continued to face discrimination in

migrant workers in Qatar, was approved by law and practice. Under the guardianship

FIFA9s council in March but was not system, women needed a male guardian9s

published until November. Its key permission to marry, study abroad on

recommendation to compensate victims was government scholarships, work in many

1
rejected by FIFA. A few days earlier, FIFA government jobs, travel abroad if aged under

had announced that, in partnership with 25, and access reproductive healthcare.

Qatar, it was launching a USD 50 million

Qatar 307
Women remained inadequately protected in

law against domestic violence. ROMANIA

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS Romania

Legislation continued to discriminate against

LGBTI people. Authorities detained Roma people, including Roma refugees

individuals for their sexual orientation or ü
escaping the con ict in Ukraine, continued
gender expression. to face segregation and discrimination when
In February, plain-clothes security forces accessing basic services. Multiple protests
arrested Manuel Guerrero Aviña, a British- took place peacefully without police using
Mexican national, shortly after he agreed to excessive force. The government adopted a
meet another man through the LGBTI dating new plan to prevent ill-treatment of people
app Grindr. His family believed he was with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities.
entrapped by law enforcement ofûcials. Reports of domestic violence continued to
Authorities detained him without charge for increase.
more than six weeks, interrogated him

without a lawyer and forced him to BACKGROUND

thumbprint a so-called <confession= in In December, the Constitutional Court

Arabic, which he did not understand. The cancelled the ûrst round of the 2024

authorities subsequently charged him with presidential elections, held in November, due

drug-related offences and sentenced him to a to irregularities and violations of electoral

4
six-month suspended prison term. He regulation. New presidential elections were

returned to the UK in June after receiving a scheduled for May 2025.

deportation order.

DISCRIMINATION
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Roma

In January, Qatar announced its Third

In a human rights report published in April,
National Development Strategy, which
the US State Department denounced racism
included a commitment to reduce
against Roma across the region, including in
greenhouse gas emissions by 25% <relative
Romania. It noted that Roma in Romania
to the business-as-usual scenario by 2030=.
continued to face discrimination and
However, in February, Qatar announced
segregation in education and housing and to
plans to expand its liqueûed natural gas
allege police harassment and brutality.
production by 85%.
In June, the European Roma Rights Centre
Qatar joined other higher-income countries
NGO reported that Roma refugees from
during COP29 to mobilize USD 300 billion
Ukraine faced discrimination in accessing
annually by 2035 to help lower-income
basic services including housing, education
countries address climate change.
and healthcare. Focusing on the experiences

of Roma refugees in ûve Eastern-European

reception countries including Romania, it

1. <Global: FIFA must publish its review into compensation for
noted that these problems were heightened
workers harmed delivering the World Cup in Qatar=, 9 May ±
by a general context of discrimination and
2. <Qatar: FIFA9s Qatar World Cup Legacy Fund ignores exploited
inequality against Roma, as well as by issues
workers=, 27 November ±
such as lack of documentation and language
3. <UN body calls for release of Qatar whistleblower=, 24 July ±
barriers.
4. <Qatar: Quash conviction of British-Mexican national sentenced to
The NGO Centre for Legal Resources
six-month suspended prison term in grossly unfair trial=, 5 June ±
raised concerns that little progress had been

made in overcoming segregation in the

education of Roma children, with an

308 Amnesty International Report

inadequate regulatory framework matched by developed after the ECtHR condemned

lack of will and effort by institutions. Romania in 17 cases. These concerned

violations of the rights of people with

Jewish people intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities

In April, the European Court of Human Rights who were deprived of liberty and held in

(ECtHR) found that Romania had institutions.

discriminated against and violated the rights

of two Jewish plaintiffs, both Holocaust GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

survivors. The court said that by failing to Law enforcement agencies continued to

inform the plaintiffs and the wider public of register an increase in reported incidents of

extraordinary appeal proceedings 3 which domestic violence compared with previous

had acquitted two high-ranking military years. NGOs denounced the inadequacy of

ofûcials previously convicted of crimes legal mechanisms and judicial procedures,

connected with the Holocaust 3 and by including prohibitive costs and inefûcient

denying them access to the proceedings and court processes. These structures failed to

ûles, Romania had caused <emotional protect victims 3 predominantly women 3

suffering= and breached the plaintiffs9 rights from alarming levels of violence.

to private life and psychological integrity.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

LGBTI people NGOs reported that access to safe abortion

A citizens9 initiative bill aiming to change the services was being hindered by lack of

constitution9s existing deûnition of family as information and a decreasing number of

based on marriage between <spouses= to a hospitals and clinicians providing abortions.

deûnition based on marriage between <a man Services were often available only in costly

and a woman= remained pending. Its private clinics, while many doctors and entire

sponsors claimed it was designed to <protect public hospitals increasingly cited religious or

the family=. NGOs denounced the initiative as moral objections to performing abortions.

stigmatizing and discriminatory. At the end of

the year, same-sex marriage and partnership RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

remained unrecognized. According to the National Integrated Energy

and Climate Change Plan, Romania aimed to

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY phase out coal production by 2030 and

In February, the ECtHR ruled that a judge9s achieve net zero by 2045. However, NGOs

freedom of expression was violated when the criticized the plan9s incomplete legal

Superior Council of Magistracy gave him a framework and the lack of speciûc targets,

disciplinary sanction for posting Facebook actions and budgets for the development of

comments about the <resumption of political renewable energy.

control over institutions= in 2019. Greenpeace launched legal proceedings

Peaceful protests took place across the seeking the suspension of a major gas

country on issues ranging from extraction project in the Black Sea, arguing

environmental policies to women9s rights and that this would have a signiûcant polluting

solidarity with Palestinian people in Gaza. impact on the environment.

There were no reports of excessive use of

force by police.

RUSSIA
TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

In May, the government adopted a ûve-year Russian Federation

National Action Plan for the prevention of ill-

treatment in medical and social institutions. Russia continued its war of aggression
Requested by the Committee of Ministers of against Ukraine. The rights to freedom of
the Council of Europe, the plan was

Russia 309
expression, peaceful assembly and end of the year. Ukraine used drones to

association remained severely restricted. attack oil depots and other objects in Russia.

Dissenters faced arbitrary prosecutions, Some of these attacks resulted in civilian

unfair trials, heavy ûnes and lengthy prison deaths and injuries and damaged civilian

terms under a plethora of laws that failed to infrastructure.

meet international human rights standards. On 22 March, an armed group attacked

Counter-extremism and counterterrorism the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the

legislation was weaponized to prosecute capital, Moscow, killing 145 people and

government critics and religious groups as injuring 551 others.

well as children. A growing number of In August, Russian authorities pardoned,

people were prosecuted for treason and released and exiled 15 prisoners, including

espionage. More than 60 organizations were prominent civil society activists, journalists

declared <extremist= and banned. Trials and human rights defenders as part of an

failed to meet international standards of exchange deal brokered with some European

fairness. Torture and other ill-treatment in countries and the USA.

custody prevailed and was committed with In August, Russia left the Council of

near total impunity. Persecution of LGBTI Europe Framework Convention for the

people increased. Regional authorities Protection of National Minorities. It still

continued introducing barriers to abortion. refused to recognize the mandate of the UN

Russia failed to demonstrate any Special Rapporteur on Russia, which was

commitment to addressing climate change. extended by the UN Human Rights Council

in October for another year.

BACKGROUND Despite reported economic growth driven

Russia continued its war of aggression by huge military spending, the cost of living

against Ukraine, committing numerous increased for many due to spiking inüation

violations of international humanitarian law, and ongoing international sanctions.

including war crimes (see Ukraine entry).

In August, Ukrainian forces occupied part VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

of Russia9s Kursk region. According to HUMANITARIAN LAW

unconûrmed reports by authorities, dozens of In October, nine Ukrainian prisoners of war

civilians were killed, hundreds injured, were reportedly shot dead by Russian forces

hundreds went missing and more than in the Kursk region; no investigation was

150,000 people were internally displaced. conducted into the allegations (see also

The Russian Ombudsperson reported that Ukraine entry).

around 50,000 of the displaced were On 2 November, the Military Investigative

provided with temporary housing by the Committee reported that it was <documenting

authorities. Many evacuees complained that proof of crimes by Ukrainian nationalists=

there had been no organized evacuation by based on a photo (not provided) allegedly

the Russian authorities at the beginning of featuring <Russian military prisoners without

the Ukrainian offensive. Fighting in the region signs of life= in the Kursk region.

hampered humanitarian assistance to those

who remained in these occupied territories. IMPUNITY

In November, the Russian Ombudsperson In February, prominent opposition leader

reported that 46 civilians transferred by Aleksei Navalny died in custody under

Ukrainian forces to Ukraine had been suspicious circumstances. The authorities

returned to Russia. In December, missile delayed releasing his body for nine days and

attacks on the towns of Rylsk and Lgov in tried to insist on a secret funeral, but his

Kursk region left nine people dead and 19 mother refused to accept this. In September,

injured. Ukraine9s strikes into the Belgorod an investigative journalist from The Insider

region continued and Russian media published documented allegations that

reported at least 161 civilians killed by the Aleksei Navalny had been poisoned. The

310 Amnesty International Report

circumstances of his death were not publications about alleged war crimes

effectively investigated. committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

In March, the ICC issued arrest warrants In July, theatre director Evgenia Berkovich

against two top Russian commanders, and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk were

followed in June by warrants for former sentenced to six years9 imprisonment on

defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of charges of <justiûcation of terrorism= for their

the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, all for award-winning play about women who

alleged war crimes and crimes against married members of armed groups in Syria.

humanity. In July, detained pianist Pavel Kushnir

A law adopted in March legalized the pre- started a dry hunger strike and died days

existing practice under which prisoners and later. He had been arrested under charges of

criminal suspects were released and relieved <public calls to terrorism= for expressing his

of criminal liability if they agreed to join peaceful anti-war views on YouTube.

Russian forces in military combat. Following the death of Aleksei Navalny, the

authorities continued reprisals against his

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Anti-Corruption Foundation and other groups

The authorities used legislation on <foreign associated with him. Trials of his three

agents=, <undesirable organizations= and lawyers and four journalists on arbitrary

<war censorship= to persecute civil society charges of <participation in an extremist

and silence criticism of the ongoing war association= started in September and

against Ukraine and other policies. At least October respectively.

98 new criminal cases were initiated and 171 In October, the trial of six activists from the

people sentenced under the <war youth movement Spring started in St

censorship= laws. Petersburg, under a set of charges arising

The use of counter-extremism and from their peaceful opposition to the war in

counterterrorism legislation against Ukraine. They faced up to 15 years'

government critics surged. At least 114 new imprisonment.

criminal cases were initiated under In October, the European Court of Human

<justiûcation of terrorism= charges for merely Rights ruled in a case of 107 organizations

sharing views on speciûc events or and individuals designated as <foreign

individuals. agents= that Russia had violated the rights to

Books, ûlms and theatre and television freedom of expression, freedom of

productions were censored or withdrawn due association and private and family life.

to references to same-sex relationships, other

prohibited topics or their authors9 status as FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

<foreign agents=. Authorities continued to violate the right to

In August and December respectively, freedom of peaceful assembly by refusing to

authorities blocked the Signal and Viber authorize protests and dispersing them, while

messaging platforms. allowing pro-government assemblies to

In February, prominent human rights proceed.

defender and co-chair of Memorial, Oleg In January, authorities dispersed a mostly

Orlov, was sentenced to 30 months9 peaceful protest against the sentencing of

imprisonment on charges of <discrediting the civil activist Fail Alsynov in the town of

Armed Forces= for an article published in the Baymak, Bashkortostan, and prosecuted at

French media. He was released in August as least 81 participants. Many complained of

part of the prisoner exchange. torture and one detainee died in police

In March, journalist Roman Ivanov was custody. Trials of some of the protesters were

sentenced to seven years9 imprisonment for ongoing at year9s end while allegations of

<disseminating knowingly false information torture remained uninvestigated.

about the Armed Forces=, based on his In February, the authorities arbitrarily

arrested at least 387 people in 39 cities

Russia 311
across Russia for publicly mourning Aleksei organizations, including those of Indigenous

Navalny. Dozens received severe Peoples, as <extremist=.

administrative penalties including ûnes and In September, the trial of Grigory

short periods in detention. Melkonyants, co-chair of the election

In the same month, police arrested around watchdog Golos, began. He was charged in

30 individuals, mostly journalists, covering a connection with purported links between

rally organized by The Way Home, a group of Golos and the <undesirable= European

women demanding the return of their Network of Election Monitoring Organizations,

relatives mobilized to ûght in the war against and faced up to six years9 imprisonment.

Ukraine.

In May, The Way Home was declared a FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

<foreign agent=. Their June and September Arbitrary prosecution of Jehovah9s Witnesses

rallies were also dispersed. At least four under <extremism= charges continued: 24

participants were ûned for violating the new criminal cases were opened against 34

restrictive rules covering public assemblies. believers and 116 believers were sentenced,

with 43 of them imprisoned for up to eight

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION years. As of December, 171 Jehovah9s

The authorities continued to target civil Witnesses from Russia and Russian-

society using repressive legislation, listing occupied Ukraine were serving sentences in

169 more organizations, media and penal colonies.

individuals as <foreign agents= and 65 more Russian Orthodox priests who expressed

organizations as <undesirable=. Dozens of an anti-war position were defrocked or

people faced administrative or criminal otherwise disciplined, with more than 60

penalties for alleged violations of laws on punished since February 2022.

<foreign agents= or <undesirable

organizations=. Many proceedings were ARBITRARY DETENTION AND

conducted in absentia. UNFAIR TRIALS

Restrictions on individuals and Russia continued to unlawfully prosecute

organizations designated <foreign agents= Ukrainian prisoners of war, charging them

were ramped up. A new law passed in March with crimes related merely to their

prohibited the promotion of or advertising on participation in hostilities and sentencing

platforms belonging to <foreign agents= and them to lengthy prison terms in unfair trials.

was punishable by heavy ûnes or up to two In July, human rights defender Aleksei

years9 imprisonment. Sokolov was remanded under <extremist=

In May, amendments to the <foreign charges for displaying Facebook9s logo

agents= legislation banned <foreign agents= online. In September, he spent two weeks in

from running for election at all levels. At least a psychiatric hospital for <examination=. He

six local politicians who had been designated remained in pretrial detention at year9s end.

as "foreign agents" were expelled from A growing number of dissenters were tried in

elected bodies. their absence.

Amendments to the <undesirable Trials on charges of terrorism, extremism,

organizations= legislation enacted in August treason or espionage were increasingly

extended its scope from non-governmental common. In the ûrst six months of the year,

organizations to organizations established by convictions for treason and espionage were

or with the participation of foreign over three times (52 individuals) and nine

governments. times (18 individuals) higher, respectively,

In June, the Supreme Court banned what compared with the same period in 2023.

it called the Anti-Russian Separatist Prosecution of imprisoned dissenters,

Movement, a group which did not appear to under new false charges, proliferated.

exist, as <extremist=. Following this decision, Journalist Maria Ponomarenko was tried for

in July, the Ministry of Justice listed 55 attacking prison ofûcers. Former municipal

312 Amnesty International Report

councillor Aleksei Gorinov, serving a seven- on LGBTI nightclubs were conducted across

year imprisonment under <war censorship= the country.

laws, was sentenced to a further three years9 In March, two staff members and the

imprisonment for <justiûcation of terrorism=. owner of a nightclub in the city of Orenburg

were detained pending trial under criminal

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT charges of <extremism=, which carry up to 10

Torture and other ill-treatment in custody years9 imprisonment. The same charges were

remained endemic, with perpetrators brought in October against the owner of a

enjoying near total impunity. nightclub raided by police in the city of Chita.

Four men suspected of the armed attack Also in October, police raided a nightclub

on the Crocus City Hall venue in March in the city of Yaroslavl. They physically

appeared in court with apparent signs of assaulted and humiliated its patrons, forcing

torture. Footage circulated online allegedly them to lie face down on the üoor for several

showed one of the suspects9 ears being cut hours. Some were arrested and accused of

off during interrogation by a security ofûcial administrative violations under the <LGBT

and another suspect being subjected to propaganda= law.

electrocution. No investigation followed.

Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

civilians were held in inhumane conditions Regional authorities continued introducing

and systematically subjected to torture and barriers to abortion. In June, parliament in

other ill-treatment, and enforced the Komi Republic prohibited <coercion to

disappearance. abortion=, effectively introducing heavy ûnes

Conditions in detention across the country for facilitating the procedure. Similar local

commonly amounted to inhuman or laws were passed in 14 other regions. Various

degrading treatment or punishment, and private clinics refused to perform an abortion

adequate healthcare was often denied. The despite it not being expressly prohibited.

authorities targeted those incarcerated on In November, a federal law prohibiting

politically motivated charges by depriving <propaganda of refusal to bear children= was

them of contact with their family and signed into law. It envisaged censorship,

subjecting them to arbitrary disciplinary heavy ûnes and arrests for disseminating

punishments, including solitary information promoting the voluntary choice

1
conûnement. not to have children.

Aleksei Gorinov (see above) continued to

be subjected to prolonged solitary RIGHT TO EDUCATION

conûnement as an arbitrarily imposed In October, it was reported that indoctrination

disciplinary punishment, and refused lessons called <Conversations about

adequate medical care. important things=, introduced in schools in

In August, the UN Human Rights 2022, would be extended to kindergartens.

Committee called on Russia to provide the Topics for such classes included promotion of

necessary medical treatment to Igor so-called <traditional values= and the

Baryshnikov, a civil society activist from gloriûcation of Russia9s war against Ukraine.

Kaliningrad region imprisoned for over seven A law adopted in December prohibited the

years under <war censorship= laws. He had children of foreigners from enrolling in school

his long overdue surgery in September. unless they passed a Russian-language test

and were in Russia legally.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Persecution of the LGBTI community grew, CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

including through arbitrary criminal or Authorities persecuted children for their anti-

administrative penalties for <extremism= and war position and fabricated criminal cases

<LGBT propaganda=. At least 24 police raids against them under <counterterrorism=

2
charges.

Russia 313
In June, a military court in Moscow renewable sources, far short of its

sentenced 15-year-old Arseniy Turbin to ûve unambitious pledge of 4.5% by 2024.

years9 imprisonment for alleged

<participation= in the Freedom of Russia

Legion, a military unit formed in Ukraine of 1. Russia: <I Would Love To Hug Her, but It Is Impossible=:

Russian and Belarussian citizens and Imprisoned Dissenters Deprived of Family Contact, 26 June ±

designated as a <terrorist= organization in 2. <Russia: <Your Children will Go to an Orphanage=: Children and

Russia. The sentence was upheld on appeal the Crackdown on Protest=, 31 May ±

in November.

MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS RWANDA

Migrants9 rights continued to be violated and

discrimination against them was rife. Republic of Rwanda

Authorities in a further 24 regions banned

migrants from working in certain occupations

There was evidence of torture and other ill-
on grounds such as national security or
treatment in detention, with a rare
<prioritizing the employment of Russian
prosecution offering limited accountability.
citizens=, despite reported shortages in the Enforced disappearances were reported.
work force. In seven regions the list of New restrictions on NGOs were introduced.
existing prohibitions on employment was The prosecution of opposition members for
extended. participating in a training on non-violent
Following the Crocus City Hall attack, when action continued. The legal framework for
the suspects were described as migrants, the
refugees was updated. Trials of suspected
authorities ramped up anti-migrant rhetoric
perpetrators of genocide took place in
and practices. Rwanda and abroad. A UN committee made
Migrants who sought Russian citizenship recommendations to address inequalities
were targeted for military recruitment after faced by disadvantaged groups of women.
naturalization. In June police raids to identify

undocumented migrants, or those who had BACKGROUND

received Russian citizenship but had not
In July, following presidential and
registered at military commissariats, were
parliamentary elections, Paul Kagame was
reported in at least eight regions. Also in
elected president for a fourth term with
June, the Head of the Investigative 99.17% of the vote. Prior to the elections, the

Committee claimed that more than 10,000 High Court refused requests for legal

migrants who had received Russian rehabilitation by opposition leaders Victoire

citizenship were deployed in Ukraine. Ingabire and Bernard Ntaganda, who both
Amendments adopted in August and set to
previously served prison sentences. This
come into force in 2025 introduced further
would have restored their civil rights and
restrictions on the rights of undocumented
allowed them to stand for ofûce.
and some other categories of migrants. The Rwanda Defence Force was involved

In November, foreign citizenship was made in military operations in the Democratic

an aggravating circumstance when Republic of the Congo9s (DRC) eastern

committing a crime. region, and provided support to the M23

armed group.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Relations with Burundi remained tense.

Russia further increased its output of oil and
Burundi closed its land border with Rwanda
gas by around 10% and demonstrated no in January, following attacks claimed by an

commitment to either addressing climate armed group which the UN Group of Experts

change or reducing its reliance on fossil on the DRC accused Rwanda of supporting

fuels. Only about 1% of its energy came from (see Burundi entry).

314 Amnesty International Report

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT police took them from a bus in Eastern

Journalist Dieudonné Niyonsenga, who was Province in 2019.

arrested in 2020 for reporting on Covid-19 Rwanda again failed to ratify the

restrictions and was serving a seven-year International Convention for the Protection of

sentence in Mageragere prison for forgery, All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

impersonation and hindering public works,

appeared at his appeal hearing in January. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND

He bore visible signs of ill-treatment. He told ASSOCIATION

the court that he was beaten frequently, In July, a new NGO law imposed restrictions

detained in dark conditions in a hole that on budgeting and management decisions of

often ûlled with water, and that his hearing national NGOs, including an obligation not to

and eyesight were consequently impaired. exceed 20% of their budget on overhead

His conviction was upheld in March and no costs without providing a written explanation

investigation was conducted into his to the Rwanda Governance Board, an ofûcial

complaints of torture. He had previously body. The law allows the board to deûnitively

complained to the court of torture and other suspend NGOs for a range of activities that

ill-treatment in detention in 2022. could be interpreted broadly.

Eighteen prison ofûcials and prisoners In May, immigration ofûcials denied entry

were prosecuted on charges including to Human Rights Watch9s (HRW) researcher

assault, murder and torture carried out at Clementine de Montjoye at Kigali airport,

Rubavu prison. Among them was former citing <immigration reasons=. She was the

prison director Innocent Kayumba, who was fourth HRW researcher to be blocked from

convicted of the assault and murder of a entering Rwanda since 2008.

detainee in 2019 and sentenced in April to The prosecution of nine Development and

15 years in prison and a ûne. Three ofûcials Liberty for All (DALFA-Umurinzi) members

were acquitted, including another former (including one in her absence) and journalist

prison director. Two other prison ofûcers and Theoneste Nsengimana continued with a

seven prisoners who had been put in charge closed pretrial hearing on 18 October,

of security were convicted of beating and followed by the trial which began in

killing prisoners. No accused ofûcials were December. They were arrested in 2021 and

found guilty of torture. faced charges in relation to their participation

in a training on non-violent action, and for

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES allegedly planning to mobilize the population

1
Reports of enforced disappearances and inspire non-cooperation.

continued. UN Special Procedures publicly

called on Rwanda to provide information on REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

the fate and whereabouts of three forcibly In April, Rwanda9s legal framework was

disappeared people. Rwandan human rights amended to establish detailed procedures for

defender Yusuf Ahmed Gasana was asylum applications and to institute an

abducted by unidentiûed people from his asylum appeals tribunal.

home in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023 and Also in April the UK parliament passed the

allegedly transferred to Rwanda. Kenyan and Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration)

Rwandan authorities did not respond to Bill. However, plans to implement a deal to

requests for information from his family, the send asylum seekers to Rwanda were

UN Working Group on Enforced or postponed, and the incoming UK government

Involuntary Disappearances and the UN scrapped the deal (see UK entry).

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human Rwanda continued to host large numbers

rights defenders. There was no news of the of refugees, primarily from neighbouring DRC

fate or whereabouts of brothers Jean (60.8%) and Burundi (38.4%). By the end of

Nsengimana and Antoine Zihabamwe since October, it had registered over 135,000

refugees and asylum seekers.

Rwanda 315
RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND WOMEN9S RIGHTS

REPARATION The CEDAW Committee considered Rwanda9s

In April, Rwanda marked the 30th periodic report in May. While recognizing the

anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the government9s efforts to promote gender

Tutsi population, in which an estimated equality, it raised concerns about inequalities

800,000 people were killed, including Hutu faced by disadvantaged groups, including

people and others who opposed the genocide women and girls with disabilities, and rural,

and the extremist government that Batwa and refugee women. It noted the
2
orchestrated it. persistence of patriarchal attitudes and

In April, Huye Intermediate Court stereotypes that constitute an underlying

convicted Beatrice Munyenyezi of murder as cause of gender-based violence against

a genocide crime, complicity in genocide, women, recommending that the lesser

incitement to commit genocide and penalty for marital rape should correspond

complicity in rape, and sentenced her to life with the standard penalty for the crime of

imprisonment. She was acquitted on the rape. The Committee welcomed measures to

charge of planning genocide. She had been increase women9s ûnancial literacy and

deported from the USA in 2021. access to ûnancial credit, but remained

In May the Ofûce of the Prosecutor of the concerned about the signiûcant gender gap

International Residual Mechanism for in access to loans and barriers to accessing

Criminal Tribunals announced that the credit, including collateral requirements, and

remaining fugitives indicted by the women9s limited agency to manage land

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, resources jointly owned by both spouses.

Charles Ryandikayo and Charles Sikubwabo,

were deceased.

A Belgian court sentenced Emmanuel 1. Rwanda: Repression in the Context of Elections, 8 July ±

Nkunduwimye to 25 years in prison in June 2. <Rwanda: 30 years on, justice for genocide crimes more urgent

after ûnding him guilty of war crimes and than ever=, 5 April ±

genocide for murder, rape and attempted

murder.

On 31 July, Wenceslas Twagirayezu was

SAUDI ARABIA
convicted and sentenced to 20 years in

prison on charges of genocide and crimes Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

against humanity by the Court of Appeal in

the capital, Kigali. In January he had been Human rights defenders and others
acquitted by the High Court Chamber for exercising their rights to freedom of
International Crimes (HCCIC) after being expression and association were subjected
extradited from Denmark in 2018.
to arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair
In September, Venant Rutunga was found
trials leading to lengthy prison terms, and
guilty as an accomplice to genocide and
travel bans. Despite some limited labour
complicity in extermination as a crime against reforms migrant workers, in particular
humanity. The HCCIC sentenced him to 20 domestic workers, continued to be
years in prison. He had been extradited from subjected to forced labour and other forms
the Netherlands in 2021. of labour abuse and exploitation, and
On 30 October a Paris court found Eugene
lacked access to adequate protection and
Rwamucyo guilty of complicity in genocide,
redress mechanisms. Thousands of people
complicity in crimes against humanity and
were arrested and deported to their home
conspiring to prepare those crimes but countries, often without due process, as
acquitted him of genocide and crimes against part of a government crackdown on
humanity. He received a 27-year prison individuals accused of violating labour,
sentence. border and residency regulations. Saudi

316 Amnesty International Report

Arabia carried out executions for a wide expression and association, including online

range of crimes, including drug-related on X (formerly Twitter).

offences. Courts sentenced people to death The leaked draft of Saudi Arabia9s

following grossly unfair trials. Women forthcoming Penal Code criminalized

continued to face discrimination in law and freedom of expression by codifying as crimes

practice. Saudi Arabia failed to enact and prescribing punishments for defamation,

measures to tackle climate change and <insult= and <questioning the integrity of the

announced plans to increase oil production. judiciary=. It also included vaguely worded

provisions for crimes including <indecent

BACKGROUND acts= and <words affecting honour=.

Saudi Arabia and the EU held their fourth

human rights dialogue in the capital, Riyadh, Unfair trials

on 17 December. The EU acknowledged On 9 January the SCC sentenced Manahel al-

progress on women9s rights but raised Otaibi, a ûtness instructor and women9s rights

serious concerns about the rise in activist, to 11 years in prison in a secret

executions, including for non-lethal and drug- hearing for charges related solely to her

related crimes, as well as concerns about choice of clothing and expression of her

restrictions on civil and political rights, views online, including calling on social

referring to long prison sentences imposed media for an end to Saudi Arabia9s male

for online expression on social media. guardianship system. Manahel al-Otaibi9s

On 11 December, FIFA conûrmed Saudi sentence was only revealed publicly several

Arabia as the 2034 men9s football World Cup weeks after the court judgment, in the

host. Civil society organizations condemned government9s formal reply to a joint request

the decision, highlighting risks of exploitation, for information about her case from several

discrimination, forced evictions and UN special rapporteurs. Her family could not

repression. access her court documents, nor the

Between 15 and 19 December, Saudi evidence presented against her. In

Arabia hosted the 19th Annual Meeting of the November, she told her family that the SCC

Internet Governance Forum in Riyadh. An Court of Appeal had upheld her sentence.

Amnesty International delegation called for On 29 May the SCC sentenced teacher

the release of individuals detained for their Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi to 20 years in

online expression. prison for social media posts criticizing the

government9s Vision 2030 social and

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND economic programme and expressing

ASSOCIATION condolences for the death in prison of a

1
The authorities continued to arbitrarily detain prominent human rights defender. Two

individuals without giving them any months later the SCC Court of Appeal

opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of reduced his sentence to 15 years in prison.

their detention, and in many cases sentenced Asaad al-Ghamdi9s brother, Mohammad al-

people to lengthy prison terms or the death Ghamdi, a retired teacher, was convicted and

penalty on vague, over-broad charges that sentenced by the SCC Court of Appeal to 30

criminalized peaceful expression as years in prison after his death sentence was

<terrorism=, in violation of their fair trial and quashed in September. He also had been
2
due process rights, as well as their right to charged solely for his social media posts.

freedom of expression. The Specialized In September the SCC reduced Salma al-

Criminal Court (SCC), established to try Shehab9s sentence from 27 years in prison to

terrorism-related crimes, continued to convict four years in prison and four years

and sentence individuals to lengthy prison suspended. In March 2022 the SCC had

terms following grossly unfair trials solely for sentenced her to six years in prison under

exercising their rights to freedom of the counterterrorism law solely for her

writings and re-tweets on X in support of

Saudi Arabia 317

women9s rights. Following a series of appeals of which may have amounted to forced

the sentence was increased to 27 years labour, in various employment sectors and

imprisonment in 2023. geographic regions. The national minimum

The authorities continued to detain wage continued to be applied to Saudi

Yemeni-Dutch national Fahd Ramadhan nationals only.

without charge or access to legal In June, Building and Wood Workers9

representation. After arresting him on 20 International (BWI), a global trade union, ûled

November 2023, authorities held him a landmark complaint against Saudi Arabia at

incommunicado from 21 November 2023 to the ILO, accusing the country of violating ILO

1 January 2024. He told Dutch ofûcials that conventions on forced labour due to the

he believed he was detained for sympathizing exploitative living and working conditions

online with a critic of the Saudi royal family. faced by its large migrant workforce.

In January, Fahd Ramadhan9s family Migrant workers contracted to sites in

appointed a lawyer who was prevented from Saudi Arabia franchised by Carrefour Group

visiting him and told by prison authorities that were deceived by recruitment agents and
3
he should not interfere in the case. subjected to excessive working hours and

wage theft by a local franchise and third-

Travel bans party labour suppliers. This treatment in

Prominent human rights defender Loujain al- some cases likely amounted to forced labour

Hathloul, who was released in February 2021 and human trafûcking. Following Amnesty

after serving two-and-a-half years in prison International9s investigation, Carrefour Group

on charges related to her human rights work, instructed a third-party audit of its franchise

continued to be subjected to an arbitrary partner9s operations and took some steps to

4
travel ban despite the expiry of her prison improve conditions.

term and her judicially imposed travel ban. In In February, in response to a 2023

September 2024 the Board of Grievances, an Amnesty International report on the abuse of

administrative court, agreed to address a workers in Amazon warehouses, the

judicial complaint ûled by Loujain al-Hathloul company reimbursed unlawful recruitment

against the Presidency of State Security for fees for more than 700 workers. Amazon also

continuing to impose her travel ban. In introduced measures to improve worker

December the judge closed the case, citing accommodation, third-party inspections and
5
lack of jurisdiction. grievance procedures.

Migrant domestic workers continued to

MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS face labour abuse and exploitation. Rather

The authorities continued their crackdown on than extending the protections of the labour

individuals accused of violating residency, law to include them, the government

border and labour regulations, including introduced a new regulation, which took

through arbitrary arrests, detentions and effect in October. Its provisions stipulated a

deportations often without due process solely ban on passport conûscation, set a maximum

due to their irregular immigration status. number of working hours and outlined

According to the Ministry of the Interior, occupational safety and health regulations.

during the year at least 573,000 foreign However, the new law fell short of human

nationals, out of more than 994,000 arrested rights standards by not mandating paid

for such violations, were returned to their overtime, allowing the employer to negotiate

home country. More than 61,037 people, with the workers their weekly day off, failing

mostly Ethiopian and Yemeni nationals, were to set a minimum wage and lacking proper

arrested for crossing into Saudi Arabia enforcement mechanisms.

irregularly from Yemen. The authorities announced further reforms

Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continued for migrant domestic workers. In February

to be subject to the kafala sponsorship the Ministry of Human Resources and Social

system and faced widespread abuses, some Development (MHRSD) launched a new

318 Amnesty International Report

insurance scheme, ostensibly to protect the DEATH PENALTY

rights of domestic workers and their The authorities carried out a record number

employers. However, the scheme favoured of executions for a wide range of crimes and

employers, offering them compensation in in circumstances that violated international

cases where the domestic worker dies or is law and standards. Executions for drug-

absent or otherwise unable to work, as well related crimes soared.

as covering the cost of repatriation in the At least 50 men, the majority Egyptian

event of death. In contrast, domestic workers9 nationals, remained on death row in Tabuk

salary payments were only guaranteed if the Prison convicted of drug-related crimes.

employer dies or becomes permanently Seven young men who were below 18

disabled, but not where the employer years of age at the time of their alleged

otherwise fails to pay wages. offences remained at imminent risk of

In March the MHRSD introduced a execution. Six had been convicted and

regulation allowing employers of domestic sentenced to death for terrorism-related

workers to terminate their contracts under charges; the seventh for armed robbery and

certain conditions by ûling a <discontinuation murder. All seven had been subjected to

from work= report against them. The change, unfair trials marred by the admission of

which had been previously introduced to the torture-tainted <confessions= as evidence.

private sector, ostensibly removes the ability On 17 August the Saudi Press Agency

of employers to ûle abusive <absconding= announced the execution of Abdulmajeed al-

charges. However, it continues to lack legal Nimr, a retired trafûc police ofûcer, for

protections that would allow migrant workers terrorism offences related to his alleged

to challenge such reports, leaving them at association with the armed group Al-Qaida.

risk of arrest and deportation. According to court documents, he was

In May the MHRSD launched the initially sentenced by the SCC to nine years in

mandatory Wage Protection Service, which prison on 25 October 2021 on charges which

required employers to use digital payment included <seeking to destabilize the social

methods for domestic workers9 salaries, with fabric and national unity by participating in

the aim of providing documented proof of demonstrations& supporting riots, chanting

wage payments. It remained unclear what slogans against the state and its rulers= and

penalties employers would face for non- joining a WhatsApp group that included

compliance. individuals wanted for security purposes. On

In July the Health Insurance Council and appeal, his punishment was increased to the

the Insurance Authority enforced a death sentence. The SCC made no reference

governmental decision to make insurance to Abdulmajeed al-Nimr9s involvement with

mandatory for employers with more than four Al-Qaida in its initial judgment. Abdulmajeed

domestic workers registered under their al-Nimr was denied access to a lawyer for

name. However, the policy created unequal around two years during his interrogations

protection as it excluded smaller households, and pretrial detention and was convicted

leaving many domestic workers without solely on the basis of a <confession= he said

health insurance. was obtained under duress, including being

In October, the MHRSD announced an detained in solitary conûnement for one-and-

insurance scheme to protect migrant a-half months.

workers9 wages where employers failed to A leaked draft of Saudi Arabia9s

pay. However, the scheme9s design and forthcoming Penal Code for Discretionary

restrictive eligibility criteria limited its ability to Sentences analysed by Amnesty International

provide comprehensive protection for all showed that it codiûed the death penalty as a
6
migrant workers in need. primary punishment for a range of offences

alongside imprisonment and ûnes and

continued to enable judges to use their

7
discretion to hand down death sentences.

Saudi Arabia 319

WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Women continued to face discrimination in 1. Saudi Arabia: Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years for Tweets: Asaad

law and practice, including in matters of bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, 16 July ±

marriage, divorce, child custody and 2. <Saudi Arabia: Authorities must immediately release man

inheritance. convicted over social media posts after death sentence quashed=,

In October the CEDAW Committee 9 August ±

reviewed Saudi Arabia9s ûfth periodic report, 3. <Saudi Arabia: Authorities must release arbitrarily detained

identifying more than 20 principal areas of Yemeni-Dutch national=, 29 May ±

concern with regard to Saudi Arabia9s 4. Saudi Arabia: <I Would Fear Going To Work= Labour Exploitation at

implementation of its obligations under the Carrefour Sites in Saudi Arabia, 21 October ±

CEDAW convention, which it ratiûed in 2000. 5. <Saudi Arabia: Amazon reimburses workers for unlawful fees

The Committee issued recommendations following Amnesty International report highlighting abuses=, 22

regarding the targeting of women human February ±

rights defenders, use of the death penalty, 6. Saudi Arabia: Insurance Scheme for Migrant Workers Falls Short

lack of protection for women migrant of Protection Against Wage Theft, 6 November ±

domestic workers, the persistence of a de 7. Saudi Arabia: Manifesto for Repression: Saudi Arabia9s

facto male guardianship system and other Forthcoming Penal Code Must Uphold Human Rights in Line With

issues related to safeguarding women9s rights International Law and Standards, 19 March ±

in Saudi Arabia. 8. <UK court says activist can pursue spyware case against Saudi

Arabia=, 21 October ±

UNLAWFUL TARGETED SURVEILLANCE

In October the UK High Court issued an

order granting permission to Yahya Assiri, a

SENEGAL
Saudi human rights defender living in the

UK, to bring a case against the government Republic of Senegal

of Saudi Arabia for using spyware against

him.
8
An August 2018 Amnesty International Police ûred at protesters during the pre-
investigation revealed how Yahya Assiri and electoral period, killing four, including a
an Amnesty International staff member had child; more than 150 protesters were
been targeted with Saudi Arabia-related bait
arrested, and journalists covering the
content by NSO Group9s Pegasus spyware.
protests were beaten. An amnesty law was

passed in March, halting prosecutions for

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT the killings of 65 protesters and bystanders
Saudi Arabia, a major fossil fuel producer, between March 2021 and February 2024.
continued to be one of the world9s top 10 The Family Code still contained provisions
carbon emitters per capita. Saudi Arabia violating women9s and girls9 rights. The
blocked any reference to fossil fuel phase out
authorities failed to protect the rights of
during negotiations at COP29.
talibé children. More than 959 migrants
In June the energy minister announced
who had departed from the Senegalese
that Saudi Arabia plans to increase its oil coast died at sea during the ûrst ûve
production capacity between 2025 and months of the year. The government
2027, before returning to the 2024 level of suspended all mining along the Falémé
12.3 million barrels per day in 2028. river due to environmental degradation.
The government announced a 2060 net

zero target in 2021 but had yet to release any

BACKGROUND
additional information on this objective or
The ûrst quarter of the year was marked by
enshrine it in law. Saudi Arabia9s NDC target tensions linked to parliament9s delay of the

reüected minimal-to-no action and was presidential elections, amid allegations of

inconsistent with the globally agreed 1.5°C corruption against two members of the

temperature limit. Constitutional Court. Elections ûnally took

320 Amnesty International Report

place in March; Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who majority by security and defence forces

was elected president and Ousmane Sonko, during protests between March 2021 and
3
who was appointed prime minister, were February 2024, from obtaining justice.

among hundreds of political prisoners

released early in the year. In May, the new DETAINEES9 RIGHTS

administration organized national There were reports by former Rebeuss prison

consultations in a bid to implement structural inmates of outbreaks of tuberculosis in

reforms of judicial power. January, exacerbated by the dire and

overcrowded conditions of detention.

UNLAWFUL KILLINGS AND EXCESSIVE USE

OF FORCE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

On 9 and 10 February, the security forces In July, the politician Ahmed Suzanne

killed four people 3 including a 16-year-old Camara was arrested and charged with

boy 3 protesting at the delay to the <offending the head of state= after he called

presidential elections, in violent crackdowns the president and the prime minister liars. In

in the cities of Saint-Louis, in the capital, September, Cheikhna Keita, a former police
1
Dakar, and in Ziguinchor. At least 151 commissioner and politician, was also

people were arrested in February during the arrested on the orders of the prosecutor. He
2
protests, and several journalists were ill- was accused of spreading false news, after

treated. Mor Amar, a journalist at the he spoke on TV of tensions between the

newspaper L9Enquête and secretary-general president and the prime minister.

of the Senegalese Young Reporters9

Convention, was beaten, and journalist Absa WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

Hane was beaten unconscious and arrested. The Family Code still contained provisions

The authorities restricted access to mobile conferring <marital and paternal authority=

coverage throughout the country, and solely on men, designating the husband as

suspended Walf TV, a private TV channel, for head of the family. This denied women and

its coverage of the protests. girls rights and authority over their household

and children. Article 111 of the Family Code

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS sets the minimum legal age of marriage for

In February and March, the authorities girls as 16, as opposed to 18 for boys.

released hundreds of detainees, several of In July, the report of the national

whom had been arrested between 2022 and consultation on the judiciary recommended

2024 for participating in or calling on people raising the minimum age of marriage for girls

to join protests. Many of these detainees, from 16 to 18. It also called for amendments

including children, were never brought to to sections relating to <paternal power=, and

trial. the prohibition of fathers seeking paternity of

a child born out of wedlock, among other

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND measures. These recommendations were yet

REPARATION to be implemented at the end of the year.

A draft amnesty law adopted by the Council

of Ministers on 28 February was adopted in CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

March by the National Assembly. This law, Talibé children 3 those studying at daaras

justiûed by <a spirit of national reconciliation= (Qur9anic schools) 3 continued to be forced

and the <appeasement of the political and to beg for food as well as money for teachers,

social climate=, covers offences linked to despite this being labelled as <human

<protests or politically motivated incidents, trafûcking= in Senegalese law. The

that took place between 1 February 2021 government failed to adopt the draft

and 25 February 2024, in Senegal or Children9s Code and the draft law on the

abroad=. The amnesty law prevents the status of the daaras. The child protection

families of at least 65 people killed, the sector was poorly funded, resulting in lack of

Senegal 321
protection for talibé children, who suffer a

wide range of human rights violations. This SERBIA

situation was denounced by the UN

Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Republic of Serbia

All Migrant Workers and Members of their

Families. Protesters and journalists faced

intimidation, harassment and vexatious

MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS lawsuits for peacefully engaging on issues
The Senegalese coastline remained one of of public interest. No credible effort was
the most active departure points for irregular made towards achieving accountability for
migration towards the Canary Islands. More war crimes; instead, the government
than 959 migrants departing from the focused on weakening a UN resolution on
Senegalese coast died at sea between the Srebrenica genocide. Discrimination
January and May, according to Spanish NGO û
remained a signi cant concern affecting
Caminando Fronteras. Departures continued Roma, LGBTI and refugee and migrant
during the following months; many migrants people. Refugees and migrants transiting
died at sea and many were intercepted by through the country decreased in number
the Senegalese navy. Most departed from but remained vulnerable to abuse and
ûshing ports, which had become border violence.
impoverished due to the crisis facing the

ûshing industry in Senegal. BACKGROUND

There was no progress in implementing the

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS EU-brokered agreement between Serbia and

In May, the government announced an audit Kosovo on normalizing diplomatic relations

of the impact of the phosphate mines in the between the two countries. In July, the

town of Ndendory, Matam region, and called Constitutional Court annulled the 2022

on local authorities to identify all the government decree that blocked the opening

households affected so that they could be of a lithium and boron mine in the Jadar

compensated. valley, triggering mass nationwide protests

against the project. The government issued a

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT new decree soon after, approving the

In June, the authorities suspended all mining exploitation plans. Also in July, Serbia and

activities within 500m of the north bank of the EU concluded a memorandum of

the Falémé river until 30 June 2027. The understanding and strategic partnership on

decision was made because of health and sustainable raw materials. Tens of thousands

environmental concerns relating to the use of of people demonstrated for months against

chemicals during mining operations which lithium extraction, citing irreversible damage

contributed to water pollution, the destruction to the environment.

of local üora and fauna, and a reduction in

agricultural yields along the Falémé river. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Investigative journalists, human rights

defenders and activists continued to face

1. <Senegal: Authorities must investigate killings and police attacks in pro-government media outlets and

brutality against protesters=, 13 February ± were subjected to strategic lawsuits against

2. <Senegal: Authorities must respect the right to peaceful assembly public participation (SLAPPs). In July, a

after elections postponed=, 5 February ± widely watched pro-government TV station

3. <Senegal: Adoption of amnesty law would be an affront to victims named and accused some 40 civil society

of deadly protests and reinforce impunity=, 4 March ± organizations of <waging a special war

against Serbia= at the behest of foreign

governments. The broadcast featured

322 Amnesty International Report

detailed charts of organizations9 ûnances, International Day of Reüection and

including the names of staff, bank details and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in
2
transactions that were not publicly available. Srebrenica.

Senior government ofûcials repeatedly called More than 1,700 war crimes cases

for the introduction of a <foreign agents law= remained to be investigated in Serbia.

to stiüe dissent. The Independent Journalists9 The trial of seven Bosnian Serb ex-

Association of Serbia reported over 150 policemen for the July 1995 massacre of

threats and attacks against journalists 1,313 Bosniaks from Srebrenica in the

throughout the year. The Crime and Agricultural Cooperative in Kravica remained

Corruption Reporting Network alone faced 16 stalled due to repeatedly delayed and

vexatious lawsuits over its investigative postponed hearings.

reporting.

In March the UN Human Rights DISCRIMINATION

Committee noted the continued prevalence of In April, the Council of Europe9s European

discriminatory speech targeting journalists in Commission against Racism and Intolerance

both online and traditional media, including (ECRI) noted in its periodic report that

by politicians and high-level ofûcials. prejudice against LGBTI, Roma and refugee

and migrant persons remained widespread in

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY Serbia, most visibly through online hate

Demonstrations, especially environmental speech. In December, UNHCR, the UN

protests, were heavily policed, with refugee agency, reported that the majority of

participants subjected to excessive use of refugees and migrants who had transited

force and arbitrary arrests. At least 33 through the Western Balkans came from

activists in 17 towns across Serbia were countries in the MENA region as well as

arrested following lithium mining protests in Afghanistan.

August. Many were detained or questioned

over posts on social media or for merely Roma

participating in peaceful protests. Some of In March, the UN Human Rights Committee

those detained were charged with noted that Roma, particularly those internally

disproportionate criminal offences, including displaced in informal settlements, continued

<incitement to violently overthrow to suffer from high rates of poverty and

constitutional order= and subjected to exclusion, and had limited access to

extensive questioning, searches of their education, employment and healthcare, as

homes and seizure of their telephones and well as to basic services such as electricity,

computers. drinking water and sanitation.

In December, Amnesty International found ECRI called on Serbian authorities to

evidence of widespread use of unlawful review the provision of social assistance

spyware and other invasive digital forensic through the Law on Social Cards to ensure

techniques against activists and independent that Roma and other disadvantaged groups
1
journalists by the authorities. Following the had equal opportunities to access

report, local civil society organizations ûled government support. The Law on Social

criminal charges against the police and the Cards continued to be implemented without

Security Information Agency for the due consideration for its impact on human

development and use of spyware and rights.

unauthorized access to personal data.

LGBTI people

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND There remained no legal gender recognition

REPARATION law based on self-determination in line with

Serbia strongly objected to the adoption of international human rights standards.

the UN General Assembly resolution Transgender people continued to be

establishing 11 July as an ofûcial subjected to a compulsory year-long

Serbia 323
hormonal treatment as a requirement for

legal gender recognition. SIERRA LEONE

In February a gay man and his housemate

were subjected to ill-treatment including Republic of Sierra Leone

physical, psychological and sexual

harassment by a group of more than 10 The rights of women and girls continued to
police ofûcers, who entered and searched be violated, although legislation outlawing
their apartment in the capital, Belgrade. By early and child marriage was passed. There
the end of the year, no credible investigation was at least one allegation of police
into the incident had taken place. brutality against a journalist, and a political
In January, the Council of Europe opposition member was subjected to
Committee for the Prevention of Torture had enforced disappearance. The rights to
urged Serbian authorities to adopt and freedom of peaceful assembly and
implement a coherent strategy to eradicate expression continued to be threatened. The
police ill-treatment and effectively investigate growing use of harmful drugs and a
such cases. shortage of surgeons undermined the right
In September, the annual Belgrade Pride to health. Deforestation as a consequence
was held without homophobic incidents, with of illegal mining and logging continued. The
the participation of three government government entered an international
ministers. û
agreement to combat over shing.

ARBITRARY DETENTION BACKGROUND

In July, Ecevit Pirolu, a political activist from In January, former president Ernest Bai

Türkiye who had been held in arbitrary Koroma was charged with treason and other

detention since June 2021, was released and offences for his alleged involvement in a
3
left the country. failed coup in November 2023. In August, a

military court convicted and sentenced 24

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS soldiers to between 50 and 120 years in

The number of newly arriving refugees and prison in connection with the coup attempt.

migrants declined by up to 80% compared to In July, the Tripartite Committee,

2023, prompting the Commissariat for established after the last presidential

Refugees and Migration to shut several of the elections, presented its ûnal report to the

country9s reception centres. Refugees and president, which included recommendations

migrants without access to shelter were on improving the electoral system.

increasingly vulnerable to abuse and The president signed the Criminal

violence, including summary unlawful Procedure Act, 2024 into law which replaced

returns. the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965. Activists

criticized the new law for removing the

requirement for juries in criminal trials.

1. Serbia: <A Digital Prison=: Surveillance and the suppression of

civil society in Serbia, 16 December ± WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

2. <Bosnia and Herzegovina: Srebrenica resolution an important Female genital mutilation (FGM) remained

recognition for victims and their families=, 23 May ± prevalent and legal: 83% of girls and women


3. Serbia: Political activist on hunger strike: Ecevit Piro lu, 13 May ± aged between 15 and 49 and at least one in

10 girls under 15 had undergone the

procedure, according to the 2019 national

Demographic and Health Survey. In January,

three girls aged 12, 13 and 17 died after

undergoing FGM in initiation ceremonies in

the North West Province.

324 Amnesty International Report

In March, the Gender-Based Survivor was beaten and detained for around two

Incidence Report, published by NGO Rainbo hours.

Initiative, revealed that 92.7% of the 2,763

incidents it recorded in 2023 were sexual FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PEACEFUL

assaults; and there were 78 convictions for ASSEMBLY

sexual assault cases. In March, the Campaign for Human Rights

In July, the president signed into law The and Development International, an NGO,

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 publicly condemned restrictions on the right

banning early and child marriage for anyone to freedom of peaceful assembly. It did so

under 18, a long-term and widespread after the authorities denied permission for a

practice. The Act provided for a prison protest against a decision by the Ministry of

sentence of up to 15 years for offenders or a Technical and Higher Education to dissolve

minimum ûne of SLE 50,000 (around USD the Court of the University of Sierra Leone.

2,198) or both. Offenders include adults In September, Reporters Without Borders

marrying or cohabitating with a minor and condemned the impunity enjoyed by political

those aiding and abetting child marriage. It ûgures and others suspected to be

also provided for a person who was a child at responsible for the cyber harassment of anti-

the time of their marriage to ûle a petition corruption defender and investigative

requesting an annulment and entitled them journalist Chernoh Alpha M Bah.

to compensation.

RIGHT TO HEALTH

DISCRIMINATION There was a shortage of medical

In November, the ECOWAS Court of Justice practitioners, with only 30 qualiûed surgeons,

ruled that Sierra Leone9s loitering laws partly due to a lack of training and

violated the rights to equality, non- remuneration, according to the Ministry of

discrimination and freedom of movement. Health and Sanitation9s Deputy Chief Medical

Under existing legislation, individuals can be Ofûcer.

arrested based on subjective police The rise in the use of kush, a cheap

assessments, disproportionately impacting synthetic drug consisting of psychoactive

marginalized individuals including women addictive substances, continued to have a

who engage in sex work and people living in damaging effect on the health of signiûcant
1
poverty. numbers of young people. This prompted the

president to declare a national emergency in

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES April. He announced that a national task

On 23 March, political opponent Abubakar force, involving several sectors of society,

Boxx Konteh was forcibly disappeared for would be established to address the crisis.

nearly three weeks. He had been arrested in In May, the government launched a polio

Guinea in a joint operation with the Sierra immunization programme aiming to provide

Leonean authorities for his alleged free vaccinations for 1.5 million children

involvement in the 2023 failed coup, and under ûve years old. In December, it

drug trafûcking. He was subsequently launched an Ebola vaccination programme,

released on bail. targeting 20,000 frontline workers.

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In June, the Sierra Leone Association of In May, the UN published the Sierra Leone

Journalists condemned an assault on Common Country Analysis report, revealing

journalist Munya Bawoh by a police ofûcer at that at least 43% of the population were

Kenema police station. Police ofûcers had exposed to land degradation in 2023,

accused him of trying to record an altercation especially in rural areas, where more than

between them and a group of visually 60% relied on agriculture for their income.

impaired people. Munya Bawoh claimed he Deforestation, including slash-and-burn

Sierra Leone 325

agriculture practices, was the primary cause standing policy of silencing its opponents and

of this. restricting civic space continued.

Extensive deforestation resulting from

illegal mining and logging continued. Sierra FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PEACEFUL

Leone had one of the highest rates of ASSEMBLY

deforestation worldwide, according to the In April, three activists were investigated by

Environmental Performance Index. Two news the police for protesting against Singapore9s

reports in July and August, highlighted the arms sales to Israel. They displayed a banner

difûculties faced by rangers monitoring the reading <End SG3Israel arms trade= at

Kambui forest. These included staff Gardens by the Bay, a popular tourist

shortages (62 rangers for about 14,000 destination. They were investigated under the

hectares) and the lack of protection provided Public Order Act, which requires a permit for

to them given that illegal loggers and miners any form of public demonstration.

were often armed. One report also In June, university students and alumni

highlighted the lack of enforcement of laws, delivered letters opposing a new racial

community involvement and poor harmony bill to the Ministry of Home Affairs,

government coordination as barriers to arguing that it provided the government with

combating deforestation. further powers to clampdown on dissent. The

In July, the government formally accepted authors were later investigated by the police.

the World Trade Organization Agreement on In the same month, police charged three

Fisheries Subsidies, a multigovernmental activists 3 Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, Siti

agreement seeking to prevent harmful Amirah Mohamed Asrori and Mossammad

subsidies for illegal, unreported and Sobikun Nahar 3 with organizing a

unregulated ûshing, and the depletion of ûsh procession in a prohibited area under the

stocks. Public Order Act. These charges came after

Also, in July a World Bank report said that they led a march to the Presidential Palace to

Sierra Leone was among the most vulnerable deliver a letter of concern about the Gaza

countries worldwide to climate change conüict. If found guilty, they could be ûned

impacts, including droughts, wildûres, up to SDG 10,000 (USD 7,360) or face six

extreme heat and üoods. months9 imprisonment.

In July, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, leader of the

Reform Party, received his eighth correction

1. <Sierra Leone: Authorities must repeal colonial vagrancy laws order from the authorities under the

following historic ECOWAS ruling=, 13 November ± Protection from Online Falsehoods and

Manipulation Act (POFMA). The order was to

publicly correct a so-called falsehood and

SINGAPORE related to his online post on 15 June, which

questioned the government9s pricing of land.

Republic of Singapore The authorities also opened an investigation

into Kenneth Jeyaretnam for contempt of

The government retained a tight grip on court under the Administration of Justice

freedom of expression and assembly, (Protection) Act, which has also been used to

suppressing dissent and criticism. Activists target critics and served POFMA orders

against several independent media outlets.

faced charges for speaking out and
During the year, the government issued
executions continued.
numerous POFMA orders regarding

statements criticizing the death penalty made

BACKGROUND

Lawrence Wong became prime minister when by the Transformative Justice Collective

former leader Lee Hsien Loong stepped down (TJC), a collective of activists campaigning for

after 20 years. The government9s long- criminal justice and other human rights

reforms. In October a photo exhibition for the

326 Amnesty International Report

World Day against the Death Penalty

organized by TJC was banned on the SLOVAKIA

grounds that it <undermines national

interest=. In December the government Slovak Republic

issued a POFMA order designating TJC9s

website and social media <Declared Online Strict eligibility criteria for scarce public
Locations=. TJC were required to post a housing left thousands without adequate
notice on their sites stating they had access to affordable housing. The
<communicated numerous falsehoods= and government introduced amendments to
were banned from receiving monetary existing laws that disproportionately
contributions online. Activist Annamalai restricted the rights to peaceful assembly
Kokila Parvathi, a member of TJC, received and expression. Roma continued to face
individual POFMA orders for her death discrimination and social exclusion. LGBTI
penalty activism and was subject to people9s rights remained unprotected by
investigation after she became the ûrst law. Stigma and stereotypes against
person in Singapore to refuse to comply with minorities were widely perpetuated by state
a correction order. representatives. Information regarding arms
û
transfers to Israel was kept classi ed. The
DEATH PENALTY government's actions undermined its
Executions of people convicted of drug commitment to transitioning from fossil
offences continued. On 2 and 7 August the fuels.
authorities carried out the execution of two
1
men, while another was executed in RIGHT TO HOUSING
October, all for drug-related offences. There The authorities9 failure to recognize housing

were fair trial concerns in each of the cases, as a human right caused a public rental

as all three were party to a pending court housing crisis, affecting marginalized groups
2
application. In October the government and other households struggling with

amended the already restrictive 1

excessive housing costs.

Administration of Justice (Protection) Act, Municipal housing stock was scarce,

making those who ûle <groundless= court leaving thousands of low-income households

applications liable for contempt of court. without adequate access to public rental

housing options. The strict eligibility criteria

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT for public housing, including minimum

In March the government submitted a written income requirements, further limited access,

statement to the International Court of leaving many ineligible to apply. Roma

Justice, showing support for its forthcoming households faced systemic discrimination

advisory ruling on climate-related obligations. and segregation in the distribution of

As a low-lying island nation, Singapore is municipal housing.

highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, which Emergency housing options, intended as

could potentially threaten infrastructure and short-term solutions, often became long-term

livelihoods. substitutes due to the lack of affordable

housing.

1. <Singapore: Authorities must end executions and stop targeting FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

anti-death penalty activists to curb criticism=, 22 August ± New legislation on the right to peaceful

2. <Singapore: Unlawful execution despite ongoing legal appeal assembly, adopted in June, violated the

raises fears of more to come=, 4 October ± constitution and Slovakia9s international

2
human rights obligations. It imposed several

new restrictions on the right to protest and

Slovakia 327
granted municipalities broad powers to LGBTI people

prohibit peaceful assemblies. In May, parliament voted down an attempt to

make legal gender recognition de facto

6
FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION impossible. However, transgender people

NGOs, particularly those focused on human continued to face barriers to accessing legal

rights and transparency, faced criticism and gender recognition and gender-afûrming

attacks from government ofûcials. This healthcare.

demonization led to the ûrst parliamentary There was no progress on granting same-
3
vote on a bill that was in breach of EU law. sex couples the legal right to civil unions or

At the end of the year, parliament was parenthood.

debating an amended version of the bill that Some members of parliament continued to

could potentially restrict the right to freedom express homophobic and transphobic views,

of association. Several measures to reduce while LGBTI people faced ongoing

NGO funding were also successfully discrimination and hostility from the state and

implemented. within society.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

In June, parliament passed a new national There remained no consent-based legal

broadcasting act that increased political deûnition of rape. Parliament attempted to

4
inüuence over public media. shorten the statute of limitation for crimes of

sexual violence from 20 to 10 years, but this

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE effort failed due to strong opposition from

The government failed to implement effective experts and the public.

measures to fully comply with judgments on

excessive use of police force against Roma SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

people. It failed to improve investigations into There remained no effective compensation

police violence, address potential racial mechanism for women who were subjected

motives, and strengthen the independence of to forced sterilization between 1966 and

the investigative body. 2004.

DISCRIMINATION IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

Roma Information regarding arms transfers to Israel

was kept classiûed, in conüict with the

The persistent and systemic segregation of
principles of transparency and reporting in
Roma children in both mainstream and
the International Arms Trade Treaty.
special education led the European

Commission to ûle a complaint with the

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
European Union Court of Justice in
The government supported a commitment at
December 2023 for breaching the Equality
COP28 in 2023 to transition away from fossil
Directive. The Ministry of Education further
fuels. Yet, it continued to invest in a liqueûed
entrenched such segregation by expanding
so-called <natural= gas terminal in the
5
already segregated schools.
capital, Bratislava.
A memorandum to establish the ûrst
The integrated National Energy and
national school for Roma was announced.
Climate Plan lacked a clear timeline for
The adoption of the School Act amendment
reducing fossil fuel use and fell signiûcantly
relaxed the criteria for establishing Roma
short of the EU9s 2030 targets on the use of
national schools. The reform was not
renewable energy sources.
supported by the Roma community.

328 Amnesty International Report

1. Slovakia: Unattainable Right to Housing: Report on Right to More than 230,000 women and girls older

Housing in Slovakia, 10 October ± than 13 were unable to access sexual and

2. <Slovakia: Draconian bill restricting right to protest must be reproductive healthcare due to a shortage of

redrawn=, 18 June ± health professionals in their area. Civil society

3. =Slovakia: Anti-NGO law a 8full-frontal assault on civil society9=, organizations warned that this number could

30 April ± double over the next ûve years as existing

4. =Amnesty International Slovakia warns of risks of the Slovak gynaecologists retired.

Television and Radio Act=, 10 June (Slovak only) ± The National Institute of Public Health

5. <Slovakia: EU must fight root causes of racial discrimination noted in April that access to healthcare

against Roma children in Slovak education=, 8 April ± services had signiûcantly weakened over the

6. <Slovakia: MPs must stop attacking queer people=, 7 May (Slovak preceding 10 years.

only) ± In September, the government adopted a

new strategy for primary healthcare, which

envisaged a coordinated approach to

SLOVENIA ensuring a more accessible, fair and

sustainable public health system.

Republic of Slovenia The government also proposed

amendments to the Health Services Act

Laws regulating peaceful protest remained aimed at strengthening the public health

contrary to international law. The shortage network and regulating conditions for public

of family doctors left 140,000 people health workers in the private sector. Some

without adequate access to primary civil society groups warned that the proposal

healthcare. The <erased= who were not able encouraged further privatization of

to restore their residency continued to lack healthcare. Instead, they argued, the focus

access to basic rights. Roma and LGBTI should be on strengthening the public health

people faced discrimination. The system to ensure adequate ûnancing and

government imposed stricter penalties on accessibility for everyone without

some harmful emissions but dropped discrimination.

commitments to ending fossil fuel

subsidies. DISCRIMINATION

The <erased=

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION The remaining <erased= people 3 citizens of

AND ASSEMBLY
other former Yugoslav republics still excluded
The Public Assemblies Act remained
from the ofûcial registry of permanent
1
inconsistent with international law.
residents after being unconstitutionally
Speciûcally, it failed to deûne permissible
removed in 1992 3 continued to live
police conduct precisely enough, allowing for
precariously.
signiûcant dispersal powers. Legislation also
In February, the government rejected a
placed disproportionate responsibilities on
draft law to restore their permanent
protest organizers, including making them
residency, which had been prepared by civil
liable for damages for deaths or physical
society groups with the support of the
injuries resulting from extraordinary
President9s Ofûce. This meant the <erased=
circumstances such as crowd movement and
continued to be denied the rights to access
generalized disorder.
health insurance, work and housing
2
guaranteed by residency status.
RIGHT TO HEALTH

A signiûcant shortage of family doctors

Roma
persisted across the country, with
Roma people continued to face social
approximately 140,000 people lacking
exclusion and discrimination, particularly
adequate access to primary healthcare.
those living in isolated and segregated

Slovenia 329
informal settlements in south-east Slovenia. human rights law. Floods, erratic rainfall,

Many lived in poorly constructed homes, ü

diseases and persistent con ict caused

lacking security of tenure, and without access massive internal displacement and a dire

to drinking water, sanitation and electricity. humanitarian crisis, including acute food

insecurity. Internally displaced people faced

LGBTI people human rights violations and abuses; women

People seeking legal gender recognition in and girls were particularly exposed to
ofûcial identity documents were still required ü
gender-based and con ict-related sexual

to obtain a certiûcate for a mental health violence. The right to freedom of expression

disorder diagnosis from a health institution or was severely restricted and two journalists

a doctor. were killed. Parliament passed a law to

prohibit discrimination against persons with

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS disabilities. In Somaliland, authorities

In June, Slovenia reintroduced temporary restricted the right to freedom of expression

border controls with Croatia and Hungary for and media freedom before the delayed

six months, citing emerging security threats presidential elections.

connected to migration.

BACKGROUND

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Tensions with Ethiopia escalated following a

In March, an amendment to the January memorandum of understanding

Environmental Protection Act imposed (MOU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland, in

stricter limits on harmful emissions from co- which Somaliland reportedly leased land to

incineration plants. Ethiopia for a naval facility on its coast in

The government was preparing a Climate return for Ethiopia9s recognition of

Law, with some proposals falling short of the Somaliland9s statehood. Somalia, which

country9s Paris Agreement commitments. considers Somaliland to be part of its

The Climate Council, an independent territory, accused Ethiopia of encroaching on

advisory board, criticized the government for its sovereignty.

reneging on the promise to eliminate fossil In March, President Hassan Sheikh

fuel subsidies. Mohamud signed amendments to the

In response to unprecedented üoods in Provisional Constitution.

2023, authorities made major üood The continued withdrawal of AU

adaptations to improve the country9s Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)

resilience to intense rainfall. troops raised concerns about civilian

protection. On 1 August the AU Peace and

Security Council adopted a strategy for a new

1. Europe: Under Protected and Over Restricted: The State of the mission led by the AU Support and

Right to Protest in 21 European Countries, 8 July ± Stabilization Mission in Somalia to replace

2. =Slovenia: Thirty -two years after erasure, the country should ATMIS. The UN Security Council endorsed

finally do what9s right=, 16 May (Slovenian only) ± the replacement on 27 December.

In June, Somalia was elected as a non-

permanent member of the UN Security

SOMALIA Council for a two-year term, beginning

January 2025.

Federal Republic of Somalia Following November elections,

Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi replaced

Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the Muse Bihi Abdi as President of Somaliland.

ü
devastating con ict. All parties to the

ü
con ict continued to commit serious UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS

violations of international humanitarian and Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the

ongoing armed conüict between the Somali

330 Amnesty International Report

government, supported by its international at least 4 million people faced crisis or

allies, and the armed group Al-Shabaab. emergency food insecurity, and an estimated

While large numbers of civilian casualties 1.6 million children aged between six and 59

were reported, there was no accountability for months faced acute malnutrition. The UN

violations of international humanitarian and classiûed Somalia as being among the least

human rights law. developed countries. Al-Shabaab continued

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia to restrict humanitarian access in areas

reported 854 civilian casualties (295 killed under their control, compounding the crisis.

and 559 injured) between January and

September. Al-Shabaab was responsible for INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

65% (560) of all recorded casualties, while Internally displaced people continued to face

the others were attributed to state security signiûcant human rights violations and

forces, clan militias, and international and abuses. More than 552,000 were internally

regional forces. displaced due to üoods, drought, conüict and

On 18 March, two strikes with Turkish- food insecurity. According to the UN, nearly

made drones, supporting Somali military 200,000 people 3 most of whom were

operations, killed 14 children, ûve women already internally displaced 3 were forcibly

and four men 3 all civilians 3 and injured 11 evicted nationwide between January and

children, two women and four men in Jaffey December. Women and children, who faced

farm near Bagdad village in the Lower risks of gender-based violence, sexual

Shabelle region. All were from the exploitation and evictions, constituted more

marginalized Gorgaarte clan. Analysis of than 80% of the displaced population.

photographs of the remnants of the

munitions revealed that the strikes were SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

conducted with MAM-L glide bombs, which Gender-based violence, including conüict-

are dropped from TB-2 drones. Neither the related sexual violence against women and

Somali nor the Turkish governments girls, continued. Between January and

investigated the incident and the affected September, the UN reported 13 incidents of

civilians did not receive truth, justice or conüict-related sexual violence affecting 32
1
reparations. women and girls. In one incident, two

On 14 March, Al-Shabaab attacked the members of the Somali National Army

SYL Hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, with two serving in the military police unit allegedly

vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. raped two sisters aged 15 and 16 years on

Four people were killed and 20 others 26 February. Two incidents were related to

injured. alleged forced marriages, one perpetrated by

On 2 August, another complex attack an Al-Shabaab member and the other by a

claimed by Al-Shabaab, which included a soldier, both in Jubbaland state. Of the 32

suicide bombing, killed more than 30 people survivors, 16 were internally displaced

in Mogadishu9s Lido beach area. Nearly 250 women.

civilians were injured, including two UN The federal parliament failed to pass bills

national staff. on sexual offences and female genital

mutilation.

RIGHT TO FOOD

Floods, erratic rainfall, diseases and the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

ongoing conüict created a dire humanitarian The right to freedom of expression, including

crisis. The UN Somalia 2024 Humanitarian freedom of the media, was restricted. Two

Needs and Response Plan indicated that 6.9 journalists were killed; one of them, Amun

million people needed humanitarian Abdullahi Mohamed, by gunmen believed to

assistance. Acute food insecurity persisted have links to Al-Shabaab. Other journalists

and, according to analysis from the were attacked by security forces and

Integrated Food Security Phase Classiûcation, subjected to threats, harassment,

Somalia 331
intimidation, beatings, arbitrary arrests and elections. They arrested and prosecuted

prosecution. journalists, politicians and other government

Media advocacy and press freedom critics.

organizations opposed the appointment of On 6 January, Somaliland intelligence

nine people to the new National Media ofûcers raided the ofûces of MM Somali TV in

Council on grounds that the selection process Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital, interrupting

and the composition of the Council were not a live debate about the controversial

in line with the 2020 Media Law, and that the Ethiopia/Somaliland MOU (see Background).

council was not independent of the They arrested the MM Somali TV chair,

government. The appointment of the Mohamed Abdi Sheikh (also known as <Ilig=),

members, who were proposed by the Ministry Ilyas Abdinasir, a technician, and Mohamed

of Information, was approved by the federal Abdi Abdullahi, a reporter. They also

cabinet on 14 March. The establishment of conûscated equipment, including computers,

the council, which oversees legal cameras and live broadcasting equipment.

compliance, among other things, had been Mohamed Abdi Abdullahi and Ilyas Abdinasir

pending since 2016. were released on 9 January without charge,

On 22 July, police ofûcers arrested AliNur but Mohamed Abdi Sheikh remained in

Salad, founder and chief executive of the detention until 20 February when he was

privately owned Dawan Media. He was released by the Maroodi Jeh Regional Court

detained at Waberi district police station in in Hargeisa.

Mogadishu for one night and then transferred On 2 September, Somaliland police

to Mogadishu Central Prison. His arrest was arrested Mohamed Abiib, an outspoken

connected to social media posts in which he opposition MP, and detained him in Mandera

suggested that the security forces were Prison. Before his arrest, the Somaliland

vulnerable to Al-Shabaab attacks because of attorney general had requested the House of

their use of the drug khat. On 23 July, AliNur Representatives of Somaliland to strip

Salad was charged, without a lawyer present, Mohamed Abiib of his parliamentary

before the Banadir Regional Court. He was immunity, a request which parliament voted

granted bail on 27 July but faced charges against. The attorney general had accused

under the penal code including <offending him of meeting ofûcials from Somalia and

the honour or prestige of the head of state=, Djibouti and of criticizing Somaliland9s

<committing obscene acts=, <distributing involvement in the 2023 conüict in Las Anod

obscene publications and performances=, (a city in Somaliland9s Sool region). He was

<insult=, and <criminal defamation=, as well released on 29 September following a

as restrictions on travel and speaking to the Somaliland Constitutional Supreme Court

media. ruling, which deemed his detention illegal.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

On 31 July, the federal parliament passed a 1. Somalia: Death of 23 civilians in military strikes with Turkish

law prohibiting discrimination against persons drones may amount to war crimes 3 new investigation, 7 May ±

with disabilities in all areas of public and

private life and eliminating barriers towards

the full enjoyment of their rights and SOUTH AFRICA

inclusion in society.

Republic of South Africa

SOMALILAND

Freedom of expression High levels of gender-based violence

continued; perpetrators enjoyed impunity,

Somaliland authorities continued to restrict
and the Public Protector found that the
freedom of expression, particularly in the
criminal justice system failed victims. The
period up to the delayed presidential

332 Amnesty International Report

murder rate remained high and the police9s GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

ability to adequately investigate these High levels of gender-based violence

crimes declined. The police failed to continued. According to quarterly crime

provide protection for human rights statistics for the period July to September,

defenders under threat. The Department of there were 12,765 reported cases of sexual

Basic Education failed in its promise to offences, of which 10,191 were rape cases.

eradicate pit latrines in schools. The In the same period, 957 women were

National Health Insurance Bill was signed murdered, an increase of 8.6% compared to

into law, triggering legal challenges. There 2023. The National Council on Gender-Based

were nationwide water shortages. The Violence and Femicide Bill, intended to

cabinet adopted a white paper that establish a Council to oversee the

threatened to erode refugee rights. Police implementation of the National Strategic Plan

continued to use excessive force. The on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide,

1
Presidential Climate Commission found was signed into law in May.

that, despite strong commitments to tackle Impunity for gender-based violence

climate change, progress was slow. continued. An inquest established in August

2023 at the Protea magistrate9s court into the

BACKGROUND murders of Popi Qwabe and Bongeka

The African National Congress party lost its Phungula had yet to begin, partly due to a

majority in the May general elections which lack of information provided by the

marked 30 years since the end of apartheid investigating ofûcer. The women had been

rule. A Government of National Unity was shot and their bodies dumped on the side of

formed, comprising 11 political parties, with a road in Johannesburg in 2017. Prior to the

some cabinet positions being assigned to establishment of the inquest, the National

other political parties. Prosecuting Authority had been unable to

Before the elections, President Cyril prosecute due to insufûcient evidence and

Ramaphosa signed the Prevention and the case was moved to the Department of

Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Justice which opened the inquest.

Bill into law. In June the Public Protector released an

In January the South African Human investigative report that found that the

Rights Commission investigative report into conduct of the Department of Justice and

riots in July 2021 found that the events were Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD), the

orchestrated but failed to identify those South African Police Service (SAPS) and the

responsible or reasons for the unrest. Department of Social Development

In October the government ûled its constituted maladministration and improper

memorial to the International Court of Justice conduct in relation to processing gender-

(ICJ) in its ongoing genocide case against based violence-related matters in the criminal

Israel, in which it said it had provided facts justice system.

and evidence to prove that Israel is The High Court in Pretoria handed down a

committing the crime of genocide in the judgment in September that sections of the

occupied Gaza Strip. Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related

According to ofûcial unemployment Matters) Act were unconstitutional insofar as

statistics, 32.1% of the working age they provide a subjective test for criminal

population were unemployed; 34.2% of intent, where sexual violence is not

people between 15 and 24 were not in criminalized if a perpetrator wrongly and

employment, education or training. unreasonably believed that the complainant

Extreme weather events, including consented.

üooding, in the KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape

and Eastern Cape provinces

disproportionately affected marginalized

communities.

South Africa 333

RIGHT TO LIFE AND SECURITY OF THE concerns included the exclusion of asylum

PERSON seekers and undocumented migrants from

The murder rate remained high. Police the scheme, and that it would not address

recorded 6,545 cases between July and the declining state of the public healthcare

September. The efûciency of the police and system.

their ability to adequately investigate The Life Esidimeni (a subsidiary of a

murders, including by bringing charges private healthcare provider) inquest ûndings

against suspects, continued to decline. There into the deaths of 144 mental health patients

was an almost 60% decrease in solved in Gauteng province were released in July. It

murders over the last 12 years. found that the former Gauteng member of

Threats and attacks continued against the Executive Council for Health and the

human rights defenders at Abahlali former director of the Gauteng Mental Health

baseMjondolo, a shack dwellers movement. Directorate caused the deaths of nine of the

SAPS failed to provide protection and to patients by their negligence in terminating

conduct effective and thorough investigations the Life Esidimeni contract in 2016, which

into the killings of Abahlali baseMjondolo led to patients being moved to ill-equipped
2
members. and in some cases unlicensed NGOs. During

The investigation into who ordered the this time, 144 patients died, more than 1,400

murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran were exposed to torture and other trauma,

continued three years after her death. There and 44 went missing. The National

were no further moves by the DOJ&CD to Prosecuting Authority was expected to decide

strengthen legislation to protect whistle- whether to pursue criminal proceedings in

blowers, following the call for submissions on connection to the nine deaths.

a discussion document in 2023.

Sexual and reproductive health rights

RIGHT TO EDUCATION The high rate of children and teenagers

According to an Education Facilities giving birth remained a concern. According

Management System report, 1,770 schools to a September report from Statistics South

still used pit latrines and 287 schools had pit Africa, 102,406 girls aged 10-19 gave birth in
4
latrines only. This violated the rights to 2023, a slight decrease from around

education, health, dignity, safety and life and 105,000 such cases in 2022.

breached the government9s repeated

commitments to replace all pit latrines in RIGHT TO WATER

3
schools. In April, a three-year-old boy Nationwide water shortages continued.

drowned in a pit latrine at a day care centre Phoenix and Verulam suburbs of eThekwini

in the Eastern Cape province. metropolitan municipality, KwaZulu-Natal

province, had suffered intermittent water

RIGHT TO HEALTH supplies for two years and relied on water

In May President Ramaphosa signed the tankers. Government ofûcials said

National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law. contributing factors were alleged vandalism,

In July the High Court in Pretoria declared a rapidly increasing urban population and a

invalid certain sections of the bill that would lack of maintenance of aging infrastructure.

allow the government to regulate where Areas across Johannesburg also experienced

medical workers can practice. Additional water cuts, some for more than two weeks,

constitutional legal challenges were expected. due to insufûcient funding to replace failing

While the NHI Bill was intended to ensure infrastructure. Experts warned that by 2029

universal access to healthcare services, the Gauteng province could experience <Day

concerns were raised by civil society Zero=, meaning no water supply whatsoever.

organizations and medical aid schemes that President Ramaphosa established a Water

it could further limit access to healthcare due Task Team, under Deputy President Paul

to the risk of widespread corruption. Other

334 Amnesty International Report

Mashatile9s direction, to address the climate change and build resilience. It

challenges. remained unclear whether the fund would be

in line with a just transition.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS In July, President Ramaphosa signed the

Numerous civil society organizations objected Climate Change Act into law, South Africa9s

to the White Paper on Citizenship, ûrst piece of legislation speciûcally aimed at

5
Immigration and Refugee Protection: Towards addressing the effects of climate change.

a Complete Overhaul of the Migration System Also in July, the Presidential Climate

in South Africa, which was adopted by the Commission released its ûrst assessment of

cabinet in April. Concerns raised included its climate action. It found that, despite strong

negative portrayal of migration, incorrect commitments to tackle climate change and

research used to justify limits on migration, facilitate a just transition, progress, including

and the proposal to withdraw South Africa phasing out fossil fuels, was slow as a result

from the UN Refugee Convention and re- of insufûcient ûnance, incoherent policies

accede with reservations that would and weak governance structures, among

signiûcantly reduce refugees9 constitutional other things.

rights and in turn violate international law

obligations.

1. <South Africa: Signing of the National Council of Gender-Based

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE Violence and Femicide Bill a positive step, but implementation is

Eight of the deputy president9s VIP protection key=, 24 May ±

ofûcers faced 12 charges, including assault 2. South Africa: <Our Lives Count for Nothing=: Threats, Attacks, and

with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and Killings of Members of Abahlali baseMjondolo (Shack Dwellers)

assault by threat and obstruction to justice. Movement in South Africa9s KwaZulu-Natal Province, 29 July ±

The charges related to their alleged assault of 3. <South Africa: Government must be held accountable for

three members of the South African National eradicating school pit toilets by the end of 2024=, 24 June ±

Defence Force on a highway in Gauteng 4. <South Africa: Continued increase in child and teenage pregnancy

province in July 2023. The trial continued cannot be ignored=, 1 July ±

with additional witnesses providing testimony. 5. South Africa: Amnesty International9s Submission on The Climate

Change Bill [B98-2022], 29 January ±

Unlawful killings

As of March, the Independent Police

Investigative Directorate (IPID) was SOUTH KOREA

investigating 1,337 cases of deaths resulting

from police action. They included cases from Republic of Korea

previous years.

Police were accused of assaulting Thabelo

Greenhouse gas emissions targets violated
Mbau, a student at Tshwane University of
the government's duty to protect future
Technology in Gauteng province, resulting in
generations. The authorities continued to
his death. The IPID ûnalized its investigations restrict protests by disability activists.
into whether the police were responsible for National security legislation was used to
his killing. Two police ofûcers were charged prosecute individuals expressing support for
with murder and their case was remanded to North Korea. Same-sex couples were legally
February 2025 for pretrial conference.
recognized as being entitled to health

û û
insurance bene ts. Insuf cient action was
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT taken to address technology-facilitated
In February, President Ramaphosa gender-based violence. Migrant workers
announced the establishment of a new continued to be subjected to exploitation
Climate Change Response Fund 3 a and unsafe working conditions.
collaborative government and private sector

initiative 3 to respond to the impacts of

South Korea 335

BACKGROUND Discrimination, alleged that police used

In December, President Yoon Suk-yeol excessive force to break up a protest on 6

declared martial law and suspended February. On 20 April, four disability activists

fundamental rights including to assembly, were arrested at another protest. All were

although the move was reversed within hours released, but charges against three were still

by the National Assembly. The president was pending at year9s end.

subsequently impeached, as was his There was an increase in the number of

successor, Han Duck-soo, pending a ûnal prosecutions under the National Security Law

decision by the Constitutional Court. At year's of people accused of contact with or

end, the political crisis was unresolved with expressing support for the North Korean

the Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok authorities. In March, a man was found guilty

acting as president. and given a one-year non-custodial sentence

Early in the year, North Korea defector for posting comments online that were

groups resumed sending anti-Pyongyang sympathetic to North Korea. The court ruled

leaüets by balloon to North Korea following that the posts endangered the existence of

the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that a law the Republic of Korea and the liberal

banning such activities was unconstitutional. democratic order.

In response, North Korean authorities

launched more than 5,000 excrement-ûlled LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

balloons across the Demilitarized Zone In March, the Central Military Commission

towards South Korea. Some balloons were decided that a soldier who died by suicide in

equipped with timers and detonators, which 2021 could be buried in the national

caused several ûres and disrupted air trafûc. cemetery as she had died <in the line of

duty=. She died after being discharged from

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT the military following gender-afûrming

In August, the Constitutional Court ruled that surgery. The Commission9s recognition

the 2021 Carbon Neutrality Act did not overturned a previous decision that Sergeant

protect basic rights enshrined in the Byun Hui-su9s gender reassignment was a

constitution, including the right to a healthy <disability= and that her discharge from the

environment, and that greenhouse gas military was therefore lawful and unrelated to

emissions targets contained in the Act were her death.

inadequate to ensure the protection of future In July, the Supreme Court ruled that

generations. The Court ordered the same-sex couples are entitled to the same

legislature to revise the law by March 2026 to health insurance beneûts as heterosexual

include progressive reduction targets for the couples. The ruling dismissed an appeal by

years before net zero is achieved in 2050. the National Health Insurance Service against

The decision followed hearings in April and a previous court decision that it should

May in four cases in which around 200 provide health insurance coverage for Kim

people, including more than 60 children, Yong-min, as a dependent of his same-sex

2
claimed that the government was failing to partner. Despite this limited administrative

adequately protect them from climate recognition of beneûts for persons in same-
1
change-related harms. sex relationships, the judgment failed to

legally recognize same-sex marriages.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY

Authorities continued to unlawfully and overly WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

restrict peaceful protests calling for improved The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

access for people with disabilities to the remained under threat of abolition. The

Seoul metro system and against the Minister, who resigned in February, had not

termination of its job programme for people been replaced by year9s end.

with severe disabilities. The disability

advocacy group, Solidarity Against Disability

336 Amnesty International Report

Gender-based violence the government provide survivors with

In August, the President urged government redress and reparations, including access to

ofûcials to take measures to eradicate specialized medical, psychological and social

<deepfake= sexually explicit images and support for the harms resulting from their

videos on social media. According to trauma.

women9s rights activists, the creation and A report published by the national Truth

sharing in chatrooms of sexually explicit, AI- and Reconciliation Commission in September

generated "deepfake" content had reached documented evidence of the international

the level of a <national emergency= and was adoption of tens of thousands of children

part of deep-rooted sexism and misogyny in between 1961 and 1987 without the consent

the country. of their parents. According to NGOs, at least

Social media companies failed to take 200,000 South Korean children were

effective measures in response to demands adopted abroad, many of them children of

by survivors of technology-facilitated gender- mothers detained in government-run welfare

based violence to establish a reporting centres under the so-called <social

system to trigger immediate removal of puriûcation= policy. The Commission

abusive content. recommended that the authorities issue a

formal apology and compensate victims.

MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Increased reliance on migrant workers in the DEATH PENALTY

context of the declining working age In November, 65 opposition lawmakers

population reinforced concerns about introduced a bill to the National Assembly to

conditions for foreign workers. In July, 23 abolish the death penalty. The bill was not

people, the majority of whom were migrant expected to be adopted but was regarded as

workers, died in a ûre in a lithium battery an important symbolic step in increasing

factory in Hwaseong city. The factory owners pressure on the government to abolish the

were criticized for inadequate safety punishment.

standards.

Women9s rights and labour organizations

raised concerns about the treatment of 1. <South Korea: Climate case before South Korea9s Constitutional

Filipino domestic workers who arrived during Court could set human rights precedent=, 20 May ±

the year under a pilot programme established 2. <South Korea: Supreme Court ruling a historic victory for same-sex

by the Seoul metropolitan government to couples=, 18 July ±

recruit foreign workers. Their remuneration

levels were initially set at below the minimum

wage. The workers also complained about SOUTH SUDAN

delays in payment, lack of rest facilities and

the nighttime curfew imposed on them by the Republic of South Sudan

authorities.

The rights to freedom of expression,

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND association, peaceful assembly and
REPARATION movement were curtailed. Government
In June, in its concluding observations on the critics and activists faced enforced
ninth periodic report of the Republic of
disappearance, arbitrary arrest and
Korea, the CEDAW Committee raised
detention, and torture and other ill-
concerns that the government had yet to
treatment. The National Security Service
implement a 2023 Seoul High Court decision operated with impunity, defying a court
to provide compensation to <comfort women= order to release a detained government
who were subjected to sexual slavery by the critic. The UN reported numerous human
Japanese military before and during World rights violations including extrajudicial
War II. The Committee recommended that

South Sudan 337

 ü
executions, con ict-related sexual and neighbouring countries since the conüict

gender-based violence, and the recruitment began in 2013.

and use of children by armed groups.

Parliament passed two transitional justice FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

bills to promote reconciliation and provide AND ASSEMBLY

ü
reparation to victims of the con ict that On 3 July the Transitional National Legislative

began in 2013. Food insecurity increased Assembly passed the National Security

ü
due to ongoing con ict, üooding, Service Act 2014 (Amendment) Bill 2024. It

displacement and the rising cost of living. became law by default on 12 August, after

Three quarters of the population needed President Salva Kiir Mayardit failed to sign it

humanitarian assistance and protection. into law or return it to parliament for

The government failed to introduce amendment. The law strengthened the NSS9s

adequate preparedness and mitigation already sweeping powers that allowed them

policies to address severe climate change- to curtail the rights to freedom of expression,

induced risks. association and peaceful assembly, among

other rights. According to local media, in

BACKGROUND September the NSS ordered medical

In September, parties to the Revitalised professionals to halt their general assembly

Agreement on the Resolution of the Conüict meeting in Juba, the capital, without

in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) providing explanation, and despite their

agreed to extend the transitional period from having obtained security clearances and

February 2025 to February 2027, postponing adhered to necessary protocol. It was

elections scheduled for 2024 to December reported to be the ûrst such meeting to be

2026. held in eight years.

In April the UN Human Rights Council In January, Jonglei State9s Ministry of

renewed the mandate of the Commission on Information and Communication issued a

Human Rights in South Sudan. circular directing all government institutions,

In May the UN Security Council extended NGOs and private sector actors to obtain

the arms embargo on South Sudan until 30 ministerial approval before making public

May 2025. announcements through broadcast media,

In October, Akol Koor Kuc was dismissed public announcement systems

from his position as director general of the (microphones) or posters. The ministry

National Security Service (NSS), a position he rescinded the circular a few days later

had held since South Sudan9s independence following strong objections from the Jonglei

in 2011. During his tenure the NSS was chapter of the Union of Journalists of South

accused of committing numerous serious Sudan and civil society activists.

human rights violations and other crimes In June, security forces repressed two

under international law. peaceful protests held in response to the cost

The war in neighbouring Sudan gravely of living crisis, dispersing protesters and

impacted the economy when damage to oil arresting at least two people in Jonglei State9s

pipelines in March halted South Sudan9s oil capital, Bor.

exports through Port Sudan, which had

contributed more than 85% of government ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

revenue. On the night of 30 March, Juba9s ex-mayor

According to UNHCR, the UN refugee Kalisto Lado was arbitrarily arrested at his

agency, approximately 2 million people home in Juba by ofûcers believed to be from

remained internally displaced. South Sudan the NSS. He was subjected to enforced

hosted over 500,000 refugees, primarily from disappearance for three months. In June the

Sudan. Meanwhile, approximately 2.3 million government admitted to holding Kalisto Lado

South Sudanese people had sought refuge in on accusations related to <conspiracy=,

<subverting constitutional government=,

338 Amnesty International Report

<supplying weapons to insurgents, bandits, FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

saboteurs=, <possession of dangerous Members of the Sudan People9s Liberation

weapons= and <publishing or communicating Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) said that

false statements prejudicial to the Republic of their leader, First Vice President Riek Machar,

South Sudan=. He was released without remained subject to restrictions which

charge on 6 September. During detention, he prevented him from leaving Juba. The

was subjected to torture and other ill- government rejected the members9 claims

treatment. that they were responsible for the alleged

restrictions. In 2019 the Council of Ministers

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS of the Intergovernmental Authority on

On 2 January, Raphael Juma Zacharia, a Development (a regional body) had passed a

student activist who had been arbitrarily resolution recommending that his travel

arrested in December 2023 and detained at restrictions be lifted.

an NSS detention facility known as the Blue On 25 September, according to media

House in Juba, was released after writing a reports, the NSS prevented Oyet Nathaniel

letter of apology to the NSS. He had been Pierino, parliament9s ûrst deputy speaker and

arrested in relation to a speech he gave at a deputy chairman of SPLM-IO, from boarding

student rally at the University of Upper Nile in a üight to Uganda at Juba International

November 2023 referencing allegations of Airport. The action prompted him to publicly

corruption and impunity by the NSS and its criticize the lack of freedom of movement in

leadership. the country.

On 24 March, human rights activist

Michael Wetnhialic was arbitrarily arrested by EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS

NSS ofûcers travelling in vehicles without According to the UN Mission in South Sudan

registration plates, while on his way to a (UNMISS), by October, at least 54 people,

meeting at the Nile Fortune Hotel in Juba including a child, were subjected to

around 8pm. According to reports, he was extrajudicial executions by government

arrested on suspicion of running Facebook authorities, including members of the

and WhatsApp accounts under fake names security services.

to leak sensitive information critical of the

NSS and the government. On 7 November, ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS

he was released from NSS detention without Clashes between armed actors in some areas

charge. left hundreds dead, most of them civilians,

Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak, a South according to UNMISS which documented

Sudanese citizen and government critic, was 1,069 killings resulting from inter-communal

released from detention on 8 November, and political violence.

three months after the Juba High Court

granted him bail. He had been arbitrarily SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in February 2023, The Action Plan for the Armed Forces on

from where he was forcibly returned to Juba. Addressing Conüict-related Sexual Violence

More than 14 months of his detention was in South Sudan was renewed for three years

spent at the Blue House, without (202432026) after expiring on 31 December

investigation, trial or access to his lawyer. On 2023.

16 April, he appeared in court for the ûrst UNMISS documented 157 incidents of

time, escorted by NSS ofûcers, and was conüict-related sexual violence affecting 183

charged with defamation in a case ûled by survivors (113 women, 66 girls and four

the then-NSS director general. men), who were aged between nine and 65.

Raphael Juma Zacharia, Michael

Wetnhialic and Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

were each subjected to torture and other ill- According to UNMISS, there were 84 grave

treatment during their detention by the NSS. violations in the context of the armed conüict

South Sudan 339

against 68 children (53 boys, nine girls and RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

six whose sex was unknown). The violations REPARATION

included the killing of 12 and the maiming of On 9 May in Nairobi, Kenya, the High-Level

two children (seven boys, one girl and six Mediation for South Sudan peace talks 3 also

others whose sex was unknown). Among known as the Tumaini Initiative 3 began

these children, 41 boys and three girls were between the government and armed groups

recruited and used by armed groups; and that did not sign the R-ARCSS. The Tumaini

ûve girls were raped. At least nine boys Initiative 3 which translates as <hope=, put

suffered multiple violations of both emphasis on fast-tracking the provisions of

recruitment and use, and abduction by the 2018 agreement and establishing an

armed groups. environment conducive to its implementation.

On 11 November, President Kiir signed

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS into law two transitional justice bills to

The economic situation was characterized by address the legacy of the conüict which

the exorbitant cost of living, high inüation and began in 2013 and provide reparations to

a depreciating pound. The payment of civil victims. The Commission for Truth,

servants9 salaries was delayed for more than Reconciliation and Healing Act 2024 sought

nine months, leading civil servants in Bor and to establish a commission to promote peace,

employees from the Bahr el Ghazal, Upper national reconciliation and healing. The

Nile and Rumbek universities, among others, Compensation and Reparation Authority Act

to hold protests. 2024 aimed to identify persons eligible for

According to OCHA, the food security reparations and to establish a fund for this

situation deteriorated due to üooding, purpose.

ongoing conüict, displacement and the high

cost of living. The conüict in neighbouring RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Sudan continued to compound the already South Sudan continued to face severe

dire humanitarian situation. As of late climate change-induced risks, for which the

December, more than 900,000 people, government failed to introduce adequate

including returnees, refugees and asylum preparedness and mitigation policies.

seekers, had üed Sudan and crossed into According to the Disaster Risk Management

South Sudan. Knowledge Centre, it ranked as the second

Nine million people, or 75% of the most vulnerable country to natural hazards

population, required humanitarian and globally.

protection assistance. Approximately 7.1 In October the Council of Ministers

million people (56.3%) were expected to face approved the declaration of a state of

crisis-level or more severe food insecurity emergency in üood-affected areas, after

during the year. Malnutrition rates remained üoods destroyed livelihoods, submerged

high, with more than 2.5 million children and critical infrastructure and displaced

women facing acute malnutrition. The UN9s populations to higher grounds. According to

Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 had OCHA, over 1.4 million people nationwide

received only 68.5% of the requested USD were affected, while about 379,000 people

1.8 billion needed to support 6 million people were üood-displaced in 22 counties.

with life-saving assistance and protection

services.

Inadequate revenue generation led to SPAIN

reduced spending on public services,

including health and education, and an Kingdom of Spain

increase in debt. Seventy per cent of children

were temporarily out of school due to the Spain suspended new licences for arms
economic situation. transfers to Israel. Authorities failed to take

340 Amnesty International Report

measures to ensure adequate housing in the Right to housing

Cañada Real neighbourhood. Two higher Measures to suspend evictions for people in

courts lodged appeals against the 2024 economically vulnerable situations remained

amnesty law, arguing it breached the in force. The Housing Law fell short of the

constitution and EU law. The ûrst court protections required under international

case in Spain regarding torture during the standards, with 20,581 evictions in the ûrst

Franco era was rejected, with the judges nine months of 2024.

applying the statute of limitations. Gender- Only two autonomous communities applied

based violence persisted. The rights of non- the formula provided by the housing law to

accompanied migrant children were not limit rental prices that commonly increased

duly protected. disproportionately compared to the average

salary.

BACKGROUND In September the European Committee of

An agreement was reached to renew the Social Rights considered that Spain had

Council of the Judiciary, the judiciary9s failed to ensure adequate housing for over

governing body. It had been operating for ûve 4,500 people, including 1,800 children,

years with an expired mandate due to lack of affected by power cuts in the neighbourhood

such agreement between the main political of Cañada Real, in the capital, Madrid.

parties.

August was the hottest month on record RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

since 1961 (2pC higher than the average In September, an amendment to the National

from 1991-2020). At least 3,160 deaths were Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-

related to high temperatures. 2030 increased the emissions reduction

target to 32% compared to 1990, far short of

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS the EU commitment of 55%.

In May and November, the government On 29 October, torrential rains in the

refused to authorize the transit of three ships Valencia region, made more likely by human-

carrying arms destined for Israel. As a result, induced climate change, caused overüows of

the US Federal Maritime Commission several rivers and üash üoods. Some 224

initiated an investigation against Spain. deaths were related to the üoods in three

autonomous communities. Around 190,000

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS people were estimated to have been affected,

Right to health and homes and infrastructure were

damaged. Despite several warnings issued by

Data published by the Ministry of Health
the meteorological agency during the
showed that both the national government
morning, the mass alert message was not
and the autonomous governments failed to
sent until after 8pm, when the situation had
adequately protect the right to health, due to
already been critical for some hours and
insufûcient investment. The percentage of
evacuation was impossible for most
their budgets allocated to public and primary
residents.
health had been decreasing since 2020.

In October a tribunal reopened

RIGHT TO PRIVACY
proceedings for negligent homicide regarding
In April the National Court reopened an
the death of a woman in a care home during
investigation into the use of Pegasus spyware
the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the
to target the prime minister and other
results of an investigation published in May,
members of the government. There was no
the Community of Madrid had issued orders
progress in proceedings on the use of
not to refer elderly people with a moderate to
Pegasus against pro-independence activists
severe physical disability and cognitive
and politicians in Catalonia. The public
impairment to hospital.
prosecutor proposed closing the case against

the former director of the National

Spain 341
Intelligence Centre for hacking the phone of authority solely on the grounds of the police

the former president of Catalonia, concluding account of events.

that there was judicial control. Eight housing rights activists facing prison

sentences of up to 38 months were still

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION awaiting trial for the peaceful occupation of a

The government approved an Action Plan on bank branch in 2017.

Democracy to strengthen transparency, Some 27 climate activists were being

pluralism and the right to information. It investigated for participating in a criminal

included reform of legislation that limited organization for their involvement in non-

freedom of expression, including the criminal violent direct actions.

code, the gag law, and the 1968 Law on

Classiûed Secrets. RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

The National Court admitted a complaint REPARATION

against two Palestinian solidarity activists on The judiciary refused to investigate torture

a charge of gloriûcation of terrorism for their cases committed during the Franco era,

statements at a parliamentary event. An following a Constitutional Court ruling from

investigative judge closed proceedings June which ruled again that Spain had no

against one of the activists, but this decision obligation under international law to open

was appealed. criminal investigations into these offences.

In September, ûve people were placed The government failed to fully implement

under criminal investigation for offending the Democratic Memory Law, two years after

religious feelings for an artistic performance it entered into force, while forensic work

which simulated a religious procession. continued in the Valle de Cuelgamuros

(former Valle de los Caídos) to return the

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY remains of victims of Franco9s regime to their

The amnesty law introduced in 2024 was families.

applied during the year, including with regard

to cases of unlawful use of force by security SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

forces during the 2017 referendum on Gender-based violence persisted, with 47

Catalan independence. In July the Supreme women killed by partners and ex-partners

Court questioned the law9s constitutionality during the year and ûve killed by other

before the Constitutional Court, while the individuals in the ûrst six months of the year.

National Court raised its compatibility with EU Since 2013, when records began, 62

law before the Court of Justice of the EU. children had been killed in the context of

A court refused to investigate the case of gender-based violence against their mothers.

an undercover agent inûltrating social Nine children were killed in 2024.

movements in Barcelona, and parliament

rejected a non-legislative initiative calling for SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

an investigation into such cases of alleged The Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal

inûltration. against a 2022 amendment to the criminal

In May a judge closed the investigation into code that prohibits anti-abortion groups

the case of a woman who lost an eye after harassing people seeking abortion services.

being hit by a foam projectile ûred by police The same court also dismissed an appeal

in February 2021, alleging that the victim had against the abortion law and conûrmed the

<put herself in danger= by attending the removal of the three-day reüection period and

demonstration. Her appeal against this the right to terminate pregnancy from the age

decision was rejected in October. of 16 without the consent of a parent or

A protester started a prison sentence for guardian.

participating in a demonstration in 2019, In May, parliament voted against a

convicted for public disorder and assault on proposal by the Socialist Party aimed at

criminalizing various aspects of sex work that

342 Amnesty International Report

could have jeopardized sex workers9 human Community of Madrid. The court issued a

rights. precautionary suspension for the contested

articles that allowed conversion therapies and

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS children9s compulsory assessment by a

The rights of unaccompanied migrant psychologist or psychiatrist before initiating a

children were compromised by overcrowded transition process.

conditions in centres on the Canary Islands.

The central government proposed a MASS SURVEILLANCE

mandatory relocation of such children around In July, Amnesty International requested

the country, but this was rejected by most information from the government after the

autonomous communities. In July, national police conûrmed they had been

parliament voted against reforming the Aliens using facial recognition technology since at

Law to allow the mandatory transfer of non- least August 2023. The police reportedly had

accompanied migrant children to other 4.4 million detainee proûles in their database.

communities to help ensure the children9s

welfare.

In September, the Canary Islands9 public SRI LANKA

prosecutor announced an investigation into

allegations that unaccompanied migrant Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

children had been ill-treated in reception

centres on the islands. The government continued its use of

Refugees and asylum seekers were held in draconian legislation and crackdowns on
appalling reception conditions at Madrid freedom of expression and association. It
airport. In February, at least 400 people, ü
passed new laws to sti e dissent, without
mainly from Africa, including 100 women, adequate consultation and in contravention
some of them pregnant, and children, were of international human rights laws and
crammed in rooms not built for this purpose standards. Minorities, activists and civil
and without natural light. They were held society continued to be intimidated and
there in detention for several weeks. In harassed. The government failed to make
September the government refused to allow meaningful progress on truth, justice and
entrance to activists from Western Sahara reparations for those affected by the
who were seeking protection on arrival at the ü
internal armed con ict that ended in May
airport. 2009. Proposed legislative amendments to

ensure the rights of LGBTI people and

DISCRIMINATION Muslim women and girls were not carried
In September the attorney general9s annual out.
report for 2023 revealed an increase of 300%

in investigations related to hate crimes in BACKGROUND

comparison with the previous year. It also Both presidential and general elections were

warned of the <excessive tension and held in the latter part of the year. Despite the

polarization= present in political discourse, extension of an International Monetary Fund

considering that it fuelled the dissemination facility providing access to a total of USD

of disinformation against migrants and other 1,333 million from 2023, the World Bank

minorities. reported that the poverty rate was expected

to remain above 22% until 2026.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

In July the Constitutional Court admitted ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

appeals by the government against several Although the second phase of the social

articles of the gender identity law (Law welfare scheme <Aswesuma=, launched in

3/2016) and the trans law (Law 2/2016) February, increased the number of

approved in 2023 by the Autonomous

Sri Lanka 343

beneûciaries, those without bank accounts government, despite the government

were unable to receive monthly payments. pledging a moratorium on its use. According

The government was criticized for not to the Human Rights Commission of Sri

adequately raising awareness about the Lanka (HRCSL), between January 2023 and

scheme. April 2024, authorities reported 46 cases of

Malaiyaha Tamil tea plantation workers arrests and detention under the PTA.

drew attention to the government9s failure to The Anti-Terrorism Bill proposed in 2023

adequately protect workers in smallholdings remained before Parliament. It seeks to grant

and privately owned estates in the Southern broad powers to the police, the military and

Province because of insufûcient regulation the executive, and creates new offences,

and inspection. Abuses included forced such as seeking to make acts of civil

labour, debt bondage and restricted freedom disobedience a terror offence. The proposed

of movement, as well as failures to pay offences are overly broad, vague and

decent wages, grant leave entitlements and subjective, which make them ripe for

provide adequate housing. arbitrary application and abuse. In July the

Workers in free trade zones, including government proposed a law to regulate

garment workers, were denied the right to NGOs. It provides broad discretion to

freedom of association through excessively authorities, including unlawful restrictions on

restrictive regulations. The authorities failed the right to freedom of association.

to protect unionized garment workers from Minority communities, particularly Sri

harassment by factory managers. The Lankan Tamils and Muslims in the Northern

government bypassed tripartite consultation and Eastern provinces, reported continuing

1
mechanisms. surveillance, intimidation and reprisals by the

police and intelligence agencies. Families of

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND the disappeared reported harassment,

ASSOCIATION including late-night calls from state actors

On 24 January the Parliament passed the questioning them about their work and

Online Safety Act (OSA). Despite funding. Civil society members and

amendments in August, there were fears that journalists, particularly those working on land

vaguely worded offences and the granting of rights, enforced disappearances or with

expansive powers to authorities could be former combatants, were also subject to

used to curb freedom of expression and harassment and intimidation.

suppress dissent. Civil society criticized the Parliament passed the

drafting process as it was not consultative or Telecommunications Amendment Bill on 9

transparent. The OSA was passed without the July, despite very little public consultation.

31 mandatory amendments required by a Civil society and the Supreme Court raised

Supreme Court determination, and none of concerns about the introduction of a vaguely

the amendments brought provisions in line deûned offence related to

with international laws and standards. telecommunications that could be used to

OHCHR, the UN human rights ofûce, infringe freedom of expression.

reported in August that at least two criminal

cases had already been ûled against ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

individuals and internet intermediaries. The government launched the second phase

In June a case was dropped against of its abusive anti-drug initiative <Operation

comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya. She had Yukthiya=, despite reports from civil society of

been arrested in May 2023 for making human rights violations and calls for the

comments allegedly disrespectful of operation9s cessation by the HRCSL and UN

Buddhism during a stand-up comedy show. experts. Violations included arbitrary arrests,

The draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (predominantly of people from marginalized

(PTA) continued to be used against socio-economic groups) torture and other ill-

minorities, activists and critics of the treatment and the denial of due process and

344 Amnesty International Report

fair trial rights. Between December 2023 and However, almost no remains were identiûed

May 2024, 111,074 suspects were arrested; and returned to families.

the police reported that 776 suspects were The HRCSL requested an independent

arrested in 780 raids on 6 August alone. investigation into a possible enforced

disappearance of a man from Anuradhapura

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT in March. No meaningful progress was

Torture and other ill-treatment by police and evident in several high-proûle cases of recent

security forces remained a concern. A total of years and some suffered major setbacks.

2,845 cases of torture and 675 cases of These included the killing of ûve Tamil

degrading treatment were reported to the students in Trincomalee in January 2006, the

HRCSL between January 2023 and March murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009,

2024. Some reports of torture and other the enforced disappearance of Prageeth

forms of ill-treatment by security forces were Eknaligoda in 2010, and prosecutions for the

from Tamil people in the Northern province. 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.

In October a resolution was passed at the

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY UN Human Rights Council which extended

In May, police in the Eastern province the mandate of the OHCHR9s Sri Lanka
2
arrested four Tamil people for serving <kanji= Accountability Project for only one year.

(rice porridge) ahead of a commemoration for The government opposed the OHCHR9s

people killed in the internal armed conüict. In role in evidence gathering, signalling a risk

August and September, courts in the cities of that deep-rooted impunity would continue.

Trincomalee and Vavuniya respectively, While the new government promised credible

issued orders preventing families of the domestic systems, there has been no

disappeared from holding protests. progress on these mechanisms so far.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF WOMEN9S RIGHTS

On 22 August the government formally In July, an amendment to the archaic Muslim

apologized for the implementation of the Marriage and Divorce Act, which governs the

forced cremations policy during the COVID- marriage and divorce of Sri Lankan Muslims,

19 pandemic, which had been contrary to was sent to the Attorney General for approval.

Islamic beliefs. The Act has been criticized for its

discriminatory provisions against women and

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND girls, which permit child marriage and

REPARATION polygamy, among other issues. Civil society

On 1 January the government gazetted a activists expressed concerns about the lack

draft Bill for a new Commission for Truth, of transparency around amendments.

Unity and Reconciliation, which was later

revised and re-published in August. Similarly, LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

on 9 January the government passed the On 9 May the government presented the

Ofûce for National Unity and Reconciliation Gender Equality Bill. Subsequently deemed

Act. Both pieces of legislation had been unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the

rejected by victims9 groups and civil society Bill was required to be passed by a

due to the lack of meaningful consultation or referendum or a two-thirds majority in

trust-building efforts by the government. Parliament.

Recommendations from similar bodies went The Private Members Bill to amend the

unimplemented. Groups cited the failure of Penal Code to repeal section 365

domestic institutions, such as the Ofûce for criminalizing same-sex sexual relations

Reparations and the Ofûce on Missing remained unadopted. Although originally

Persons, to achieve tangible results. presented in 2022, there was a continued

Mass graves continued to be discovered, lack of transparency around its status.

most recently on 13 July at Colombo Port.

Sri Lanka 345

1. <Sri Lanka: Open Letter to the Government and Parliament of Sri violations or disrupt the supply of weapons

Lanka on the Imminent Labour Law Reform=, 27 May ± and other support to the warring sides.

2. <Geneva: UN HRC resolution on Sri Lanka underscores continued

need for international scrutiny=, 10 October ± VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL

HUMANITARIAN LAW

Many civilians were caught in the crossûre as

SUDAN the SAF and RSF, along with other militias

and armed groups, launched attacks in and

Republic of the Sudan from civilian populated areas, often using

explosive weapons with wide-area effects.

ü
All parties to the con ict continued to According to the UN by December, more

commit serious violations and abuses of than 27,000 people had been killed and over

international human rights law, and 33,000 injured since April 2023, the majority

violations of international humanitarian law, civilians, by air strikes, heavy artillery shelling,

resulting in mass civilian casualties. States and ground attacks on their homes and

supplied weapons to the warring parties, villages.

including in Darfur, in violation of a UN Following the defection on 20 October to

Security Council arms embargo. Women and the SAF of Abu Aqla Keikel, a former RSF

girls were subjected to widespread con ict- ü commander in Gezira state, the RSF

related sexual violence. Looting and launched retaliatory attacks on many towns

destruction of civilian property violated and villages in eastern Gezira state, including

economic, social and cultural rights. A near- Tamboul, Rufaa, Al-Hilaliya, Al-Seriha and Al-

total telecommunications blackout Uzibah. The RSF targeted people in their

restricted the right to freedom of expression homes, in markets and on the streets. The

and the ability of humanitarian UN reported that, between 20 and 26

organizations to deliver aid. Impunity October, at least 124 civilians were killed,

ü
persisted for con ict-related violations and dozens more were injured and about

abuses. Millions of people were internally 119,400 were displaced from Gezira state;

displaced or had sought refuge in there were at least 25 cases of sexual

neighbouring countries since April 2023 violence reported in several villages in east

and lived in dire conditions. Egyptian Gezira.

authorities forcibly returned hundreds of

Sudanese refugees to Sudan. IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

In September the UN Security Council

BACKGROUND extended for another year an arms embargo

The armed conüict that erupted in April 2023 in place since 2004 which applies only to the

in the capital, Khartoum, between the Darfur region. It failed to expand the embargo

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the to the rest of Sudan. The existing arms

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued to embargo had been poorly implemented and

spread to various parts of the country, frequently violated and was wholly

including Gezira, Sennar and North Darfur inadequate to meet the needs of the current

states. During this period, armed groups and crisis.

actors joined the conüict, aligning themselves The conüict continued to be fuelled by an

either with the SAF or RSF. almost unimpeded supply of weapons and

Despite multiple political processes, ammunition to Sudan, including to Darfur, by

ûghting intensiûed throughout the year. The states and corporate actors around the world.

international community including the UN States and various armed groups in Sudan

Security Council and the AU did not take used neighbouring countries as supply lines

adequate measures to protect civilians, end for weapons transfers into and around the
1
country.

346 Amnesty International Report

Large quantities of recently manufactured REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

weapons and military equipment from China, Since April 2023, more than 3.2 million

Russia, Türkiye and the United Arab people had üed to neighbouring Central

Emirates, among other countries, were African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia,

imported into Sudan, and diverted or Libya and South Sudan, where they lived in

otherwise smuggled to Darfur where there dire conditions.

was a substantial risk of them being used for Egypt9s Border Guard Forces and police,

serious violations of international human operating under the defence and interior

rights and humanitarian law. ministries respectively, carried out mass

Some companies in Russia and Türkiye arbitrary arrests and held women, men and

exported variants of small arms, typically sold children in cruel and inhuman conditions

to the civilian market, to arms dealers with pending their forced return to Sudan.

strong links to the SAF. In addition, hundreds Between January and March, Egyptian

of thousands of blank guns (less lethal authorities forcibly returned an estimated 800

weapons) were exported to Sudan by Sudanese nationals in 12 incidents without

companies in Türkiye along with millions of conducting individualized assessments or

blank cartridges for likely conversion into granting them their right to claim

lethal weapons. international protection or challenge

deportation decisions (see Egypt entry).

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE These returns coincided with the spread of

Women and girls continued to be subjected the conüict to Gezira and Sennar states, and

to conüict-related sexual violence. The UN other areas, forcing many returnees to üee

Independent International Fact-Finding again to Egypt or elsewhere.

Mission for the Sudan (FFM) found that

sexual and gender-based violence, in ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

particular rape and gang rape, was The UN reported famine conditions in

widespread across Sudan. It also found that Zamzam IDP (internally displaced people)

RSF members perpetrated sexual violence on camp in North Darfur which hosted more

a large scale during attacks on cities in the than 400,000 people. Acute food insecurity

Darfur region and in Greater Khartoum. reached record levels across Sudan, affecting

In many instances the RSF raped and 25.6 million people, more than half the

gang-raped women and girls in front of their population. This was exacerbated by rising

family members, particularly in the Darfur food prices, especially in areas where famine

region and in Gezira state. In one case, on 27 conditions were reported. In El Fasher

May, three RSF soldiers gang-raped a woman locality, prices of sorghum and millet had

in the South Thoura neighbourhood of El more than tripled since 2023, while wheat

Fasher city, North Darfur, in front of her prices more than doubled.

husband and ûve-year-old son. The FFM reported that looting and

destruction of property, mainly by the RSF

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE9S RIGHTS and its allies, affected non-Arab

The escalating conüict proved increasingly communities, particularly the Masalit. The

devastating for civilians. livelihoods of these communities were

Over 11 million people were internally undermined as was civilian infrastructure,

displaced, of whom 8.6 million had been including shelters, food and water sources,

displaced since April 2023, making Sudan health systems, water stations, and public

the scene of the largest displacement crisis ofûces and facilities. The FFM concluded that

worldwide. Increasing numbers of people these acts violated the economic, social and

were forced to üee their homes during the cultural rights of the civilian population,

year, exacerbating the already dire particularly their rights to physical and mental

humanitarian situation. health, and to food, water and housing.

Sudan 347
RIGHT TO INFORMATION jurisdiction beyond Darfur to the entire

A near-total communication blackout country, establishing an international judicial

following a telecommunications shutdown in mechanism, increasing the use by states of

early February restricted the right to freedom universal jurisdiction, and the establishment

of expression and posed serious risks to the of a truth commission and a victim support

coordination of emergency assistance and and reparations ofûce. In October a UN

humanitarian services to millions of people Human Rights Council resolution extended

caught up in the conüict. According to the the FFM9s mandate for another year.

NGO Access Now, prior to the shutdown the

RSF had gained control of internet service

providers9 data centres in Khartoum. 1. New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict, 25 July ±

On 7 February the NGO Netblocks

reported that Zain, the main mobile

telephone operator, fell <largely ofüine=. SWEDEN

Internet disruptions continued throughout the

year in many regions. The disruption left Kingdom of Sweden

human rights monitors and defenders unable

to document human rights abuses and Legislative proposals imposed

violations. disproportionate restrictions on freedom of
Meanwhile, Sudanese people in the peaceful assembly. International bodies
diaspora and those coordinating emergency criticized the inadequate protection of
responses on the ground were unable to Indigenous Peoples9 rights. The government
send or transfer money to and within Sudan
continued to introduce criminal justice
via mobile banking applications 3 one of the
measures that risked systemic racial
few remaining means of transferring funds. discrimination. A government proposal
Sometimes, when money was transferred, would require civil servants to report anyone
recipients were unable to access the funds. without legal residency, including children.

A new gender recognition act fell short on

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND self-determination. Concerns persisted over
REPARATION effective access to justice for victims and
Impunity persisted for conüict-related
survivors of rape.
violations and abuses. Three men facing ICC

charges, including former president Omar al-

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY
Bashir, were yet to be handed over to the ICC Proposed amendments to the Public Order

for trial. Act risked disproportionately restricting

In August the African Commission on freedoms of expression and peaceful

Human and Peoples9 Rights passed a
assembly. They included greater powers for
resolution to establish a joint fact-ûnding
the police to cancel planned demonstrations
mission with the AU Department of Political
in advance and control the manner and
Affairs, Peace and Security into the human content of demonstrations if deemed

rights situation in Sudan and to publish its threatening to national security.

ûndings within three months. No ûndings or People demonstrating in solidarity with

recommendations were released by the end Palestinians faced harassment, violence and
of the year.
prosecution. Climate activists continued to
The FFM9s ûrst report, published in
face repression for carrying out acts of civil
September, found that the SAF and RSF
disobedience.
committed war crimes and that the RSF had

also committed crimes against humanity. The

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS
report proposed recommendations for In February and March respectively, the

accountability and access to justice for Council of Europe and the UN9s Committee
victims, including: expanding the ICC9s

348 Amnesty International Report

on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

(CESCR) criticized Sweden9s inadequate Concerns persisted over effective access to

protection of the rights of the Sámi People. justice for victims and survivors of rape, who

The National Council for Crime Prevention also continued to face difûculties in

noted that hate crimes against the Sámi accessing psychological counselling, trauma

occurred in a range of contexts, including care and social support.

through the killing of reindeer.

The Supreme Administrative Court ruled

that the government9s decision to grant a 1. <Sweden: Authorities must discontinue discriminatory AI systems

mining concession for the extraction of iron used by welfare agency=, 27 November ±

ore in Gállok in 2022 did not contravene

Swedish law, despite earlier heavy criticism

from the UN Special Rapporteurs on the SWITZERLAND

rights of Indigenous Peoples and on the

human right to a healthy environment, and Swiss Confederation

CERD.

The new Criminal Code de nition of rapeû

DISCRIMINATION entered into force. A popular initiative was
Despite criticism from the CESCR, the handed in to the federal government,
government continued to introduce measures seeking to strengthen constitutional
that risked racially discriminatory policing protections for people with disabilities.
and systemic racial discrimination, including Landmark rulings on racial pro ling and on û
legislation adopted in April on so-called
climate justice were delivered by the
<security zones=. The UN Special Rapporteur
European Court of Human Rights. The right
on Freedom of Religion or Belief strongly to freedom of peaceful assembly was
recommended that Sweden confront threatened by new cantonal laws and
discriminatory anti-migrant and racist rhetoric restrictions at universities.
that was marring politics and the media.

An investigation into risk-proûling in the SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

automated state welfare system found
On 1 July an amendment to the Criminal
1
discriminatory practices.
Code entered into force, recognizing that <sex

against the will of another person= is rape,

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS marking the end of the outdated deûnition of

There were concerns that several legislative rape that required the use of physical force,

proposals initiated by the government with threat or coercion, and considered only

the aim of reducing the rights of asylum women as victims.

1

seekers, refugees and migrants would result

In June, parliament amended the Foreign
in breaches of multiple human rights,
Nationals and Integration Act to better protect
including non-discrimination, the right to a
foreign victims of domestic violence.
fair and secure asylum procedure and the

right to family reuniûcation.

DISCRIMINATION

In a landmark judgment by the European

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on Wa Baile

A gender recognition act, passed in April and
v. Switzerland, Switzerland was convicted of
entering into force in 2025, fell short of
racial proûling in the searching and ûning of
allowing legal gender recognition based on 2
a Black Swiss citizen.
self-determination. Although the approval of Parliament tasked the government with

the National Board of Health and Welfare is developing an action plan to combat racism

no longer needed to access gender-afûrming and antisemitism.

genital surgery, a medical certiûcate is still

required to legally change gender.

Switzerland 349
In September the lower house of parliament and the government criticized the judgment,

voted to cut all future funding to the UN claiming that Switzerland had already

Relief and Works Agency for Palestine implemented sufûcient measures and

Refugees in the Near East. It asked the arguing that the ECtHR had overstepped its
4
government to take steps within the UN to mandate. Motions in parliament to withdraw

replace the agency entirely, reüecting the from the European Convention on Human

anti-Palestinian sentiment present in Rights were rejected. In spite of its

parliament. The upper house postponed a objections, Switzerland submitted a national

decision on the issue until 2025. action plan to the Council of Europe on how

to implement the court9s ruling.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In September, 108,000 Swiss citizens signed REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

the <Inclusion Initiative= to enshrine equality New cases came to light of abuses against

for people with disabilities in the constitution. children, including physical violence, in
5
It was expected to be put to a popular vote federal asylum centres in 2023. The

within the next three years. government presented proposals to amend

the law on family reuniûcation, and a new law

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY allowing for the detention of children in

The right to protest was restricted in several federal asylum centres without proper

cantons. In March, residents of the canton of safeguards was pending in parliament.

Zurich, rejecting an even more extreme

proposal, voted for a law that would require

prior authorization for public demonstrations 1. <Switzerland: New sexual criminal law comes into force: An

and would instruct the police to charge the important step forward, but still not enough=, 27 June (French

organizers of demonstrations for the cost of and German only) ±

policing them. In April a draft law was 2. <Switzerland: Mohamed Wa Baile wins ethnic profiling case as the

proposed that would ban demonstrations in European Court of Human Rights unanimously condemns racial

parts of Geneva city centre. discrimination=, 4 March ±

In May, academic institutions imposed 3. <Switzerland: Parliament must respect landmark climate case=, 4

restrictions on student protests in support of June ±

Palestinians, including bans, demands that 4. <Europe: New Amnesty briefing analyzes landmark climate

the police disperse protests, and threatening judgments of the European Court of Human Rights=, 21 August ±

and taking legal action against students. 5. <Switzerland: Federal asylum centres: Improve the protection of

Politicians called for more restrictive laws to children9s rights=, 22 October (French and German only) ±

prevent future protests at universities and for

the criminal prosecution of protesters. The

start of the academic year saw renewed

SYRIA
attempts at protests and events in support of

Palestinian and Lebanese victims of Israeli Syrian Arab Republic

attacks.

President Bashar al-Assad was ousted from

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT power in December, following decades of
In April the ECtHR found a violation of rule by the al-Assad family characterized by
Articles 6 and 8 of the European Convention
repression and grave human rights
on Human Rights in the landmark case of
violations, raising hopes for long overdue
KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v.
justice and reparation for victims.
Switzerland. According to the ruling, Throughout the year, all parties to the
Switzerland had failed to consider the best ü
con ict and their allies conducted unlawful
available science to limit global heating to attacks on civilians and civilian
1.5°C, and had not effectively devised and infrastructure. President Assad9s
3
enacted mitigation measures. Parliament

350 Amnesty International Report

government, Turkish border guards and Between February and July, north-western

factions of the Syrian National Army and Syria saw unprecedentedly large protests

the Syrian Democratic Forces were against the armed group Hay9at Tahrir al-

responsible for unlawful killings and torture Sham (HTS). Protesters called for the release

and other ill-treatment. Tens of thousands of political detainees, socio-economic reforms

of people remained arbitrarily detained or and the removal of HTS9s leader, Ahmed al-

forcibly disappeared. More than 56,000 Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-

people continued to be subjected to human Jolani).

rights violations in the custody of the In August a signiûcant escalation in

autonomous authorities in north-eastern hostilities was reported in the Deir ez-Zor

Syria. Following the overthrow of President governorate in north-eastern Syria, killing at

Assad9s government, opposition groups least 25 civilians, according to OCHA. The

freed detainees held in the former hostilities resulted in a dire humanitarian

government9s detention facilities across situation, with OCHA reporting shortages of

Syria. Many of the detainees had been water, food, medicine and other basic

subjected to torture and other ill-treatment; supplies.

thousands more remained missing. On 8 December, opposition forces led by

Throughout the year, Syria9s humanitarian HTS seized Damascus, toppling President

situation remained bleak; millions were Assad9s government and ending his family9s
1
living in poverty and depended on ûve-decade rule of Syria. Following

humanitarian aid to survive. President Assad9s ousting, the Israeli military

launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria,

BACKGROUND claiming it was targeting weapons stockpiles

Prior to the fall of President Bashar al- and military infrastructure abandoned by the

Assad9s government in December, people in former Syrian government9s forces to ensure

government-controlled areas faced they did not fall into rebel hands. Israel also

deteriorating socio-economic conditions, deployed troops across the border of the

violence and the risk of arbitrary detention. Israeli occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Between January and June in Sweida, a

Druze-majority city in south-western Syria, UNLAWFUL ATTACKS

people protested against the deteriorating All parties to the conüict and their allies

economic conditions and demanded political continued to conduct unlawful attacks on

reforms. Air strikes attributed to the civilians and civilian objects in northern Syria,

Jordanian Air Force in border areas in killing and injuring scores of civilians and

Sweida, allegedly to counter drug and destroying civilian infrastructure.

weapons smuggling, resulted in several

casualties. Dara9a in south-western Syria President Assad9s government and Russia

witnessed multiple attacks by pro- In the ûrst half of the year, President Assad9s

government forces and opposition armed government, supported by Russia, continued

groups, resulting in civilian casualties, to escalate attacks, begun in late 2023, on

according to the UN Independent areas of north-western Syria under the

International Commission of Inquiry on the control of armed opposition groups.

Syrian Arab Republic (CoI). The CoI investigated 13 such attacks that

Israeli forces increased their military caused civilian casualties 3 12 by the Syrian

operations in Syria in the context of the army and one by Russian forces 3 and found

conüicts in Gaza and Lebanon. On 1 April an that all likely violated international

Israeli air strike hit the Iranian consulate in humanitarian law. The CoI found that some

the Syrian capital, Damascus. According to were likely direct attacks on civilians, such as

media reports, 16 people were killed, an attack in the village of Kafr Nuran on 28

including several senior Iranian military May in which government forces ûred an

advisers. anti-tank guided missile at an agricultural

Syria 351
vehicle, killing two children. Other attacks Kurdistan Workers9 Party (PKK), the People9s

were likely indiscriminate, including a 1 April Defence Forces, claimed responsibility for the

attack on the town of Sarmin using rocket ûre attack. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),

that killed a woman and two girls and a Kurdish-led armed group, said that the

damaged homes, a school and a market. strikes by Türkiye in Syria killed 12 civilians,

The CoI and the Syrian Civil Defence including two children, and wounded 25

(known as the White Helmets) accused the people.

Syrian government of using cluster munitions According to a journalists9 association, on

in densely populated areas in the city of Idlib 19 December two journalists working for

on 6 and 7 January. Kurdish media outlets were killed, reportedly

As opposition groups began their advance by a Turkish drone, while reporting on the

to take territory held by President Assad9s ûghting between Türkiye-backed SNA

forces, the Syrian air force, supported by factions and Kurdish groups. The next day,

Russian government forces, intensiûed their Kurdish forces said that a Turkish drone

air strikes on parts of northern Syria, strike targeting a car in Hasakeh governorate

especially Idlib and Aleppo governorates, killed three civilians.

killing and displacing civilians. According to

OCHA, at least 75 civilians, including 28 Armed groups

children, were killed and 282 injured in Attacks by the armed group Islamic State

north-western Syria between 26 November increased signiûcantly, according to the CoI.

and 8 December.

UNLAWFUL KILLINGS AND TORTURE AND

Türkiye OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Türkiye continued to conduct unlawful aerial President Assad9s government

attacks on civilians and civilian objects in

Between January and October, the Syrian
north-eastern Syria, which remained under
Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
the control of the Kurdish-led Democratic
documented the arrest by Syrian authorities
Autonomous Administration for North and
of at least 208 refugees forcibly deported
East Syria (DAANES), a staunch opponent of
from Lebanon. In six cases recorded by
Türkiye and the Syrian National Army (SNA),
SNHR, returnees were subjected to torture
a coalition of Türkiye-backed armed groups.
upon their return and died in custody.
After the overthrow of President Assad,
After the ousting of President Assad,
Türkiye pushed its offensive against Kurdish
Amnesty International researchers visited
groups in this area.
many of the former government9s detention
In January, NES NGO Forum, a coalition of
centres in Damascus, ûnding evidence of the
international organizations, said that more
torture that survivors had previously
than 1 million people were without electricity
described. Recently freed detainees also
and more than 2 million people had limited
described torture and other ill-treatment,
access to safe water in north-eastern Syria.
extrajudicial executions and inhumane
Türkiye conducted at least 345 air strikes on
conditions of detention in these facilities.
north-eastern Syria in the ûrst half of the year,

destroying dozens of facilities including

Syrian National Army
health centres, power transfer stations and oil
Human Rights Watch documented atrocities
and gas ûelds, according to Synergy-
including abductions, unlawful detentions,
Hevdesti, a victims9 advocacy group.
sexual violence and torture committed by
In October, Turkish forces carried out
various factions of the SNA. In March the CoI
military operations in northern and eastern
stated that SNA factions continued to
Syria, in what they said was retaliation for an
arbitrarily detain civilians and subject some to
attack on the Kahramankazan facilities of
torture and other ill-treatment in several
Turkish Aerospace Industries in Türkiye9s
detention facilities.
Ankara province. The armed wing of the

352 Amnesty International Report

Syrian Democratic Forces Autonomous authorities / DAANES

On 25 April the SDF arrested Khirou Ra9fat The autonomous authorities in northern and

al-Shlash in Aleppo governorate. He was eastern Syria were responsible for the large-

severely beaten, shot in the back and then scale violation of the rights of more than

taken to al-Maliya prison on charges of 56,000 people in their custody because of

alleged ties with the Syrian government. On their perceived afûliation with Islamic State.

27 April his family was informed of his death Victims included an estimated 30,000

in custody. He had been subjected to torture children, 14,500 women and 11,500 men

and other ill-treatment during his detention, held in at least 27 detention facilities and two

according to SNHR. detention camps 3 Al-Hol and Roj. Many had

been detained since 2019.

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ENFORCED

DISAPPEARANCES RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

According to SNHR, at least 2,623 arbitrary REPARATION

detentions were documented during the year, European countries continued to investigate

the vast majority by Syrian government and prosecute individuals suspected of

forces. Of these, 1,084 were subsequently committing crimes under international law in

classiûed as enforced disappearances. Syria through their national courts, including

under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

President Assad9s government For example, on 17 January, the French

In December, opposition groups freed Supreme Court conûrmed its ruling of

detainees held in the former government9s September 2021 on charges of complicity in

detention facilities and prisons across Syria. crimes against humanity and ûnancing of

According to SNHR, 24,200 detainees were terrorism against the French cement

released; a fraction of the more than 100,000 company Lafarge.

people thought to be missing in such On 11 March the Ofûce of the Attorney

facilities, prompting questions about the fate General of Switzerland referred Rifaat al-

of those disappeared (see below, Right to Assad, uncle of Bashar al-Assad and a

truth, justice and reparation). former military commander, to the Federal

Criminal Court for trial on charges of war

Hay9at Tahrir al-Sham crimes and crimes against humanity

In Idlib governorate, HTS repressed freedom committed in the Syrian city of Hama in

of expression by subjecting journalists, 1982.

activists or anyone who criticized their rule to On 24 May the Paris Judicial Court

arbitrary detention without access to a lawyer sentenced in their absence senior Syrian

or family members. ofûcials Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan and

Abdel Salam Mahmoud for complicity in

Syrian National Army crimes against humanity and one offence

From January to June, Synergy-Hevdesti that constituted a war crime.

documented the arbitrary arrest of 338 On 26 June the Paris Court of Appeal

individuals by SNA9s factions in northern upheld arrest warrants issued against Bashar

Syria. In July, they reported that 231 al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and two

individuals remained forcibly disappeared in senior Syrian military ofûcials on charges of

SNA prisons. complicity in crimes against humanity and

On 26 August, journalists Bakr al-Qassem war crimes for the use of banned chemical

and Nabiha Taha were detained by SNA weapons against civilians in Ghouta and

military police at a checkpoint in al-Bab. Douma in August 2013.

Nabiha Taha was released later that day. Following the ousting of President Assad,

Bakr al-Qassem was released on 2 an Amnesty International researcher

September without charge. observed ûrst-hand that ofûcial records in

detention centres and prisons were left

Syria 353
largely unprotected, with signiûcant portions OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS

looted, destroyed, or taken by members of The Golan Heights remained under Israel9s

the public including families of detainees and occupation and illegal annexation. Following

some journalists. Witnesses reported that, in the ousting of President Assad, the Israeli

some cases, security and intelligence military moved troops into the UN-deûned

personnel burned documents before they demilitarized buffer zone.

üed, while armed groups who took control of The ofûce of the Israeli prime minister,

the facilities and newly freed detainees also Benjamin Netanyahu, said its government

burned and looted documents. The had unanimously approved a USD 11 million

documents may contain vital information plan to encourage demographic growth,

about the structure of the Syrian state9s signalling an expansion of illegal Israeli

security and intelligence apparatus, the settlement in the Golan Heights.

identity of perpetrators of crimes under On 26 July a rocket strike hit the town of

international law, and details about detainees Majdal Shams in the north of the Golan

and their fates. Heights, killing 12 children and young people

from the Druze community.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

Syria9s humanitarian situation remained

bleak. In August the UN reported that 16.7 1. <Syria: Historic opportunity to end and redress decades of grave

million people required humanitarian aid to human rights violations under President Assad must be seized=, 8

survive 3 the highest number since the start December ±

of the Syrian crisis in 2011. At least 90% of 2. <Europe: Safety of Syrians in Europe must not be sacrificed to

the population lived in poverty and 12.9 political interests=, 10 December ±

million were food insecure.

The Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria

remained alarmingly underfunded, according TAIWAN

to OCHA. As of December, only 33.4% of the

USD 4.07 billion needed had been secured. Taiwan

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS A Constitutional Court ruling limited the use
Shortly after the ousting of President Assad,
of the death penalty but upheld its
at least 21 European countries announced
retention. Anti-discrimination legislation
that they would review their asylum practices, was drafted but not adopted. Legal reforms
mostly by considering or enacting a granted greater recognition of Indigenous
suspension of pending asylum applications Peoples9 rights, but restrictions remained.
by Syrians. Victims of a toxic chemical spill by a
At the end of the year, credible information
Taiwanese company remained
about the security situation in Syria remained
uncompensated.
scarce. It remained unclear which armed

groups controlled various towns and cities

BACKGROUND
and how they intended to govern. Reported A bill to expand the powers of the legislature

attacks in Syria by Israel, the USA and was adopted by parliament in May, despite

Türkiye, as well as ûghting between armed mass protests. In October, the Constitutional
groups, risked further endangering civilians.
Court ruled that many articles contained in
As a result, in December, Amnesty
the bill were unconstitutional.
International called on European states to

continue processing Syrian asylum claims

DEATH PENALTY
and reject calls to return Syrians or restrict A Constitutional Court ruling in September
2
family reuniûcation. upheld the constitutionality of the death

penalty but limited its use. The ruling

354 Amnesty International Report

introduced new procedural safeguards and Guanglu, for illegal hunting. However, laws

required existing safeguards to be more limiting the hunting rights of Indigenous

strictly observed in death penalty cases, Peoples remained in place. In May an

including those involving defendants with amendment to the Name Act removed the
1
mental disabilities. requirement for Indigenous Peoples to use

Mandarin names, thereby allowing them to

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS use only their Indigenous names in ofûcial

Despite commitments under the 2022-2024 documents.

National Human Rights Action Plan, the

government failed to progress legislation to CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

establish an asylum system. The government published draft Guidelines

During the year, the authorities deported to on Respecting Human Rights in Taiwanese

third countries Chinese asylum seekers who Enterprises9 Supply Chain and an updated

were transiting in Taiwan. Individuals risked draft National Action Plan on Business and

subsequent transfer from these countries to Human Rights. Neither of these included

the People9s Republic of China where they adequate measures to address the negative

could be in danger of human rights human rights impacts of businesses. In May,

violations. eight UN experts wrote to representatives of

Incidents of human trafûcking were Formosa Plastic Corporation. They raised

reported, and concerns about poor working concern about its failure to compensate

and living conditions of migrant workers on victims of a toxic chemical waste spill off the

ûshing vessels persisted. In August the Viet Nam coast in 2016 by its subsidiary,

Fisheries Agency intervened in the case of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, which

nine Indonesian ûshermen who had been destroyed the livelihoods of local ûshing

working on a ûshing vessel for 15 months communities.

without pay or access to Wi-Fi to enable

2
contact with the outside world.

1. <Taiwan: Constitutional Court recognizes fundamental flaws in

DISCRIMINATION death penalty but fails to abolish it=, 20 September ±

In May, the government published a draft 2. <Taiwan, Trafficking - The Rights and Interests of Migrant Workers

anti-discrimination act. This followed Are Not Secure=, 28 August (Chinese only) ±

recommendations by the International

Review Committee, the body responsible for

reviewing Taiwan9s implementation of the TAJIKISTAN

CERD, for the government to take measures

to tackle systemic discrimination including by Republic of Tajikistan

enshrining protections in law. The act had not

been adopted by year9s end.

Persecution of all dissent continued, with
Six separate administrative court decisions
activists, government critics and
afûrmed the right of transgender people to independent journalists, including those in
legally change their gender without exile, targeted through intimidation and
undergoing surgery. In September, the politically motivated prosecutions. Rights to
government announced that same-sex freedom of association and peaceful
marriages between partners from Taiwan and
assembly were suppressed. Discrimination
the People9s Republic of China that take
against women and the Pamiri minority
place in a third country will be recognized in
persisted. Domestic violence remained
Taiwan. widespread. Torture and other ill-treatment

continued to be pervasive. Food poverty

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS affected the majority of children. The
In March, the Supreme Court overturned the corporal punishment of children was
2015 conviction of an Indigenous man, Wang

Tajikistan 355
 û
expressly banned. Road traf c, coal burning FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

and construction caused high air pollution. In her January report, the UN Special

Rapporteur on the situation of human rights

BACKGROUND defenders called on the authorities to drop

Economic difûculties escalated and were criminal charges and proceedings against

compounded by the Russian authorities9 those exercising their rights to freedom of

campaign to reduce the number of Tajikistani expression, peaceful assembly and

migrant workers 3 the source of signiûcant association. However, civil and political

remittances. activists, lawyers, government critics and

After border tensions with Kyrgyzstan in independent journalists, including those in

previous years, bilateral relations visibly exile, as well as their close relatives,

improved allowing for successful negotiations continued to be targeted through intimidation

and border demarcation. and unfounded prosecution.

Human rights information gathering, In January a court sentenced Shakhboz

including by international organizations, Sharifbek to ûve years9 imprisonment for an

remained greatly constrained. online video in which he had complained

about military ofûcials who had drafted his

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR brother and beaten his relatives.

TRIALS In August, authorities arrested Akhmad

New arrests and closed trials were reported, Ibrohim, editor-in-chief of Paik magazine,

including under politically motivated charges accusing him of offering a bribe to an ofûcial

of terrorism and extremism against members so the media outlet would not be shut down.

of the arbitrarily banned opposition The Committee to Protect Journalists, a

movement Group 24. Bilol Kurbonaliyev, who media watchdog, called for him to be

was deported from Germany in 2023, was released and the charges dropped.

given a 10-year sentence in February for Authorities continued reprisals against

alleged membership of Group 24. Sulaimon exiled opposition activists and other critics by

Jobirov was forcibly returned from Russia in targeting their families. In February, ofûcials

April and by August he had been convicted summoned the mother of exiled Pamiri

and sentenced to six years9 imprisonment on journalist Anora Sarkorova and told her that

similar charges. her daughter and her son-in-law Rustam

In June and July, several high-ranking Joni, also a journalist, were under

politicians and former ofûcials were detained investigation for extremism-related offences,

for allegedly conspiring to <violently seize but that they could be amnestied if they

power=. They included the former leader of returned and asked forgiveness.

the government-aligned Democratic Party of In March the exiled opposition National

Tajikistan Saidjafar Usmonzoda, former Alliance reported that authorities had been

foreign minister Khamrokhon Zariû and pressuring families to tell their exiled relatives

former supreme council chairman Akbarsho not to participate in protests abroad.

Iskandarov, journalist and politician In June a new law prohibited wearing and

Akhmadshokh Komilzoda and politician promoting unspeciûed clothing that was

Shokirjon Khakimov. The authorities had <alien to national culture=. The law also

provided no proof of any conspiracy, let alone banned the celebration of Idgardak, a

of any role played by the detainees in it, by traditional children9s holiday that authorities

year9s end. considered not in compliance with Islam.

In January, reporting on her 2022 visit, the

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

human rights defenders called on the In February a group of UN Special

authorities to ensure the independence and Rapporteurs sent a communication to the

impartiality of the judiciary and protect authorities, expressing concerns over the

lawyers from retaliation and harassment. dissolution of 700 NGOs in the country in

356 Amnesty International Report

recent years. The government did not make arrest for alleged hooliganism. His family

public its response and continued to close were not able to see him during his detention

NGOs. and were then denied permission to examine

his body during a funeral organized by the

DISCRIMINATION authorities. An investigation was opened but

Persecution and systemic discrimination of no conclusions had been reported by year9s

the Pamiri minority continued, with their end.

native Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous The health of wrongfully imprisoned Pamiri

Oblast affected by further securitization and human rights defender Manuchehr

1
economic and population decline. Kholiqnazarov, serving a 16-year sentence,

By February, at least 222 Pamiris had was reported to have deteriorated seriously.

been convicted in unfair, closed trials in However, the authorities ignored international

connection with the violent dispersal of local calls for his release and the provision of

protests in 2021. adequate medical treatment.

In March the UN Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention called on Tajikistan to CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

release immediately the imprisoned Pamiri The new law on the education of children,

human rights defenders Faromuz Irgashev, enacted in June, expressly banned corporal

Manuchehr Kholiknazarov and Khursand punishment.

Mamadshoev, considering their detention to According to a UNICEF report published in

be arbitrary. June, 78% of Tajikistani children were living

in food poverty from 2016 to 2022, including

WOMEN9S RIGHTS 34% in severe poverty, with very little

In January the ofûcial list of occupations improvement since 2012. Inadequate

banned for women was reduced from 334 to nutrition might endanger children9s

194, ostensibly due to <improved working development and put their lives at risk.

conditions=. In February the CEDAW

Committee reiterated its call for the RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

authorities to abolish the list altogether. In May, Tajikistan signed the UN Declaration

A joint report published in March by the on Children, Youth and Climate Action.

International Partnership for Human Rights However, the authorities did not encourage

and three Tajikistani NGOs concluded that public participation in addressing climate and

domestic violence remained pervasive while other environmental issues, meaning that

societal tolerance of it was increasing. climate policies did not necessarily meet the

needs of the most vulnerable sectors of the

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT population. The lack of public participation

Torture and other ill-treatment remained also undermined Tajikistan9s efforts to adapt

widespread, while impunity prevailed. to climate change.

In his annual report published in June, the Air pollution from road trafûc, coal burning

Tajikistani Human Rights Commissioner and construction in the capital city Dushanbe

focused on persistent prison overcrowding, regularly and dangerously exceeded the

including the failure to ensure 4m² of üoor WHO-recommended safe limit, according to

space per inmate, as mandated by national the IQAir air quality platform.

law, and the high incidence of HIV and

tuberculosis.

Ofûcial complaints from inmates of being 1. Tajikistan: Reprisals Against Pamiri Minority: Suppression of Local

tortured remained infrequent, due to lack of Identity, Clampdown on All Dissent, 11 September ±

trust in the system and well-documented

reprisals.

In August, police claimed Damir Obidov

had committed suicide two days after his

Tajikistan 357
 state agents remained unknown. Dioniz

TANZANIA Kipanya, a Chadema party ofûcial,

disappeared on 26 July when he left home

United Republic of Tanzania following a telephone conversation with an

unidentiûed person. Deusdedith Soka and

Four government critics were forcibly Jacob Godwin Mlay, both Chadema youth

disappeared and one was killed. The police activists, and Frank Mbise, a motorcycle taxi

prevented opposition members from holding driver, were abducted by a group of men

meetings and other political gatherings, suspected to be police ofûcers on 18 August.

subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary

detention and unlawful force. Journalists UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

and others were denied their right to The body of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior

freedom of expression. The government Chadema member, was found on 8

continued to violate the rights of the Maasai September. Suspected security agents had

Indigenous People, including by subjecting abducted him from a bus on 6 September

them to forced eviction. A court ruling while he was travelling home to Tanga from

suspended plans that would have denied Dar es Salaam. According to a post-mortem

the Maasai rights to political participation his body had been soaked in acid and bore

and representation. The authorities failed to signs of a beating.

protect LGBTI people from violence. The

launch of the second National Plan of FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

Action to End Violence against Women and On 11 August, police arrested Chadema

Children provided an opportunity to party members, including Tundu Lissu, vice

enhance the protection of women and girls. chairperson and former presidential

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline project candidate, John Mnyika, secretary general,

undermined Tanzania9s commitments to Joseph Mbilinyi, a central committee

lower greenhouse gas emissions. member, more than 500 youth supporters,

and ûve journalists. They were arrested at, or

BACKGROUND on their way to, a meeting in Chadema9s

On 24 January the main opposition Party for Nyasa ofûce in Mbeya, in south-western

Democracy and Progress (Chadema) held a Tanzania, ahead of International Youth Day

major protest in the capital, Dar es Salaam; on 12 August. They were accused of violating

the ûrst in almost eight years. It was attended a ban on a youth conference and planning a

by hundreds of supporters and members violent demonstration. The next day, police

calling for constitutional and electoral arrested party leaders Freeman Mbowe and

reforms. In 2023, President Samia Suluhu John Pambalu after they went to Mbeya in

Hassan had lifted a blanket ban on political response to the arrests. All party leaders were

rallies, imposed by her predecessor in 2016. released on bail on 13 August; the others

The Independent National Electoral were bailed in the following days.

Commission Act No 2 of 2024 was one of On 13 September the police announced a

four election-related bills signed into law by ban on all Chadema protests and on 23

the president on 2 April. This was in September arrested Freeman Mbowe, Tundu

response to opposition leaders9 calls for Lissu and six other party ofûcials in Dar es

improvements in the effectiveness and Salaam before planned protests against

transparency of electoral processes and other killings and abductions of government critics.

electoral reforms. They were released on bail the same day.

Three journalists from Mwananchi

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES Communications Ltd and East Africa TV were

The fate of four government critics subjected arrested while covering protests and released

to enforced disappearance by suspected unconditionally the same day.

358 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION when the government lawyer failed to attend

On 28 September, the National Arts Council the hearing. They were challenging

(Basata), an ofûcial body, interrogated Government Notice No 604 of 2022, issued

musician Emmanuel Elibariki (also known as by the president. The notice declared their

Nay Wa Mitego). It accused him of releasing village to be in the Pololeti Game Controlled

a record entitled <Nitasema= (<I shall speak=) Area and was a measure used to justify the

without a Basata licence; inciting violence by forced evictions.

singing about state abductions; misleading Meanwhile, in Ngorongoro division in the

the public by claiming that the president had same district, the Ngorongoro Conservation

failed in her development agenda; and Area Authority (NCAA) continued to violate a

defaming other countries by claiming in the 2023 High Court order that directed them to

song that there is no peace in Rwanda and allow the Maasai access to a disputed area in

the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA)

On 3 October the Tanzania pending ûnal determination. Among other

Communications Regulatory Authority things, the authorities impounded livestock

(TCRA) suspended for 30 days the digital belonging to the Maasai that wandered into

platforms of Mwananchi, including The the conservation area. The Maasai accused

Citizen. TRCA claimed that the platforms had the NCAA of using laws inapplicable to the

published material that disrupted <national area and seizing livestock to pressure them to

unity and social peace= in connection with a relocate from the NCA. The seizure by the

video that expressed relatives9 concerns authorities of the Maasai9s livestock denied

about their missing or murdered relatives. them their rights to fully participate in

On 6 October the deputy minister of economic, social, political and cultural life.

minerals warned international NGOs against In May, Ngotieti Kokoyo from Endulen, a

<sneaking= into Tanzania to conduct human village in Ngorongoro district, ûled a case at

rights interviews. He was responding to a the High Court challenging the illegal seizure

statement by OHCHR, the UN human rights of his livestock. The NCAA released his

ofûce, concerning a Human Rights Watch impounded livestock after he paid them a

report stating that six people were killed by ûne. The livestock was seized for crossing the

police in clashes at North Mara mine Eyasi/Endamaga Gate, despite NCA laws and

between February and June. The remark was the 2023 High Court ruling (see above) that

made during a meeting with the president, allow the animals to graze in the NCA.

also chief executive, of the mining company In July the government seized more than

Barrick. 130 animals from a Maasai family in

On 9 October, TCRA ûled a lawsuit against Endulen.

Jambo Online TV claiming it violated

communications regulations by airing DISCRIMINATION

allegations from Tundu Lissu and journalist Indigenous Peoples

Erick Kabendera that government ofûcials,

In September a government decision to
aided by mobile telephone operator Tigo
dissolve several administrative areas,
Tanzania, were involved in a plot to
including in Ngorongoro district, was
assassinate Tundu Lissu in 2017.
reversed after the High Court ruled to

suspend the plans. If implemented, it would

FORCED EVICTIONS
have barred more than 100,000 Maasais
Eight members of the Indigenous Maasai
from political participation and representation
People continued their legal battle against
during elections in November 2024 and
their forced eviction in June 2022 from
October 2025.
2 2
1,500km (of a total 4,000km ) of land in

Ngorongoro district9s Loliondo division. Their

case was scheduled before the High Court in

October, having been postponed in August

Tanzania 359
LGBTI people will transport oil from Uganda to Tanga Port

Violence, discrimination and crackdowns in Tanzania where it will be sold onwards to

against LGBTI people continued. On 7 June, international markets (see Uganda entry). Its

a transgender woman and activist, Mauzinde construction led to displacements. The

(also known as Hussein Abdala) was found pipeline project is contrary to Tanzania9s NDC

abandoned in a forest in Zanzibar. Her ears commitments and its Long-Term Low

had been severed and she had been beaten. Emission Development Strategy, currently in

The OHCHR said she was <tortured and development.

sexually assaulted by 12 men= and called for

<bold action to combat discrimination against

#LGBTIQ+ people and other minorities=. THAILAND

LGBTI websites were frequently blocked, a

measure that correlated with rising levels of Kingdom of Thailand

discrimination and crackdowns against

LGBTI people, according to the Open Parliament passed a law to legalize

Observatory of Network Interference. marriage equality for LGBTI couples.

Authorities continued the crackdown on

Persons with albinism freedom of expression, peaceful assembly
On 24 April, the UN Committee on the Rights and association. Peaceful protesters and
of Persons with Disabilities raised concerns government critics were prosecuted and a
over the government9s <unwillingness to leading pro-democracy political party
follow up on three petitions ûled to the banned. Women and LGBTI human rights
Committee concerning the mutilation of defenders were targeted for surveillance and
people with albinism and the lack of technology-facilitated gender-based
accountability for such abuses=. violence. Impunity was further entrenched

by the expiry of the statute of limitations in

Women and girls the emblematic case of unlawful killings in
In May, Tanzania launched its second 2004 in Tak Bai district. The rights of
National Plan of Action to End Violence Indigenous Peoples were threatened by a
against Women and Children (2024/2025- proposed law on climate change.
2028/2029) which provided the government

with an opportunity to recommit itself to the BACKGROUND

protection of women and children. In August, the Constitutional Court ordered

the dismissal of Prime Minister Srettha

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Thavisin and his cabinet for <a serious

An appeal ûled by four East African NGOs in violation of or failure to comply with ethical

relation to the construction of the 1,443km- standards=. The order followed the

long underground fossil fuel pipeline project appointment to the cabinet by the Prime

by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Minister of an individual who was previously

(EACOP) Ltd went to hearing in February at imprisoned in relation to allegations of

the East African Court of Justice (EACJ). It bribery.

was prompted by an earlier EACJ decision

that the NGOs9 case was inadmissible. LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

EACOP Ltd, funded by French carbon On 18 June, lawmakers passed the Marriage

major Total Energies, entered a land lease Equality Act making Thailand the ûrst country

agreement with the Tanzania Petroleum in South-East Asia to legalize marriage for

Development Corporation following the 1

LGBTI couples.

completion of a process of land acquisition

and compensation for affected local

communities. The pipeline, which risks

causing serious environmental degradation,

360 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION motorcades. Netiporn Sanesangkhom9s trial
2
AND ASSEMBLY was ongoing at time of her death.

Authorities continued the crackdown on Prominent human rights lawyer Arnon

peaceful protesters and government critics. Nampa was found guilty by the Bangkok

Trials of people charged in relation to the Criminal Court of lese-majesty in ûve separate

overwhelmingly peaceful pro-democracy trials during the year. He was sentenced to

protests that took place between 2020 and 14 years and eight months9 imprisonment,

2023 continued. At least 22 people faced adding to the four years and two months

new charges during the year for their online which he was already serving for previous

and ofüine political activism. The trials of convictions of lese-majesty. Arnon Nampa

1,256 people were ongoing at year9s end. faced another 37 lese-majesty and other

Most were charged with lese-majesty charges relating to his political activity.

(defaming, insulting or threatening the On 7 August, the Constitutional Court

monarch), sedition under the Criminal Code, ordered the dissolution of the pro-democracy

provisions of the Computer Crimes Act, and Move Forward Party and banned 11 of its

an emergency decree banning public executives from running for political ofûce.

gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic The Court found that the party9s campaign to

(which was lifted in late 2022). reform the lese-majesty law posed a threat to

At least 33 people remained in detention at Thailand9s constitutional monarchy.

year9s end, including one person in juvenile

detention. They had been found guilty of or HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

awaiting trial on protest-related charges or for Human rights defenders faced intimidation

exercising their right to freedom of and unlawful surveillance. Amnesty

expression. International research revealed patterns of

According to local NGO Thai Lawyers for technology-facilitated gender-based violence

Human Rights (TLHR), at least 1,960 people against women and LGBTI human rights

had been charged since 2020 in relation to defenders, including targeted digital

their participation in protests, or for otherwise surveillance and online harassment, by state
3
criticizing the government. ofûcials and non-state actors.

In January, an appeals court sentenced In June, ûve UN experts wrote to the

political activist Mongkol Thirakhot to 22 government expressing concern about

years in prison for lese-majesty, adding to the surveillance by Internal Security Operations

28 years9 imprisonment handed down to him Command agents of human rights defenders

by a lower court in 2023 for the same crime. Angkhana Neelapaijit and Pranom Somwong.

In March, three UN experts wrote to the The concern related to an event in March to

government to raise concern that the lengthy commemorate victims of enforced

prison sentence, the longest ever imposed for disappearance.

lese-majesty, appeared to be in retaliation for In November, the Bangkok Civil Court

Mongkol Thirakhot9s political activism and his dismissed a case brought by pro-democracy

criticism of the monarchy. Nevertheless, in activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa against

September the Court of Appeal sentenced NSO Group Technologies for its failure to

him to an additional four years and six prevent its Pegasus spyware being used to
4
months9 imprisonment, also for lese-majesty. hack his mobile phone. The court found

On 14 May, pro-democracy activist insufûcient evidence to prove that Jatupat

Netiporn <Bung= Sanesangkhom died in a Boonpattararaksa9s mobile phone was

prison hospital following a 110-day hunger infected with the spyware, contrary to the

strike in protest against her arbitrary ûndings of forensic investigations by the

detention and that of others. The 28-year-old research institute Citizen Lab and Amnesty
5
was charged with lese-majesty and sedition International.

in 2022 for conducting an opinion poll about

road trafûc controls imposed during royal

Thailand 361
UNLAWFUL KILLINGS where they were at risk of torture or other ill-

On 25 June, Roning Dolah was shot and treatment. On 11 June, Thai police arrested Y

killed by two unidentiûed men in Yarang Quynh Bdap, a Montagnard human rights

district, in the southern province of Pattani. defender, from his home in the capital,

Roning Dolah worked for an NGO supporting Bangkok, following a request for his
6
victims of torture. There was no progress in extradition by the Vietnamese authorities. In

investigations into his killing by the end of the January, Y Quynh Bdap, a UNHCR-

year. recognized refugee, was found guilty of

terrorism in his absence by a court in Viet

8
IMPUNITY Nam. He remained in detention in Thailand

Authorities failed to present suspects for trial at year9s end.

in the <Tak Bai= case before the statute of

limitations expired on 25 October. Eighty-ûve INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

people died during and after protests in Tak In February, the government began public

Bai district, Narathiwat province in 2004. consultations on the Climate Change Bill

Arrest warrants had been issued earlier in which set out legally binding measures to

October 2024 against 15 ofûcials, including achieve Thailand9s climate goals under the

military, police and administrative ofûcers. Paris Agreement. Civil society groups

The failure to bring the case to trial risked opposed the bill, including because it would
7
further entrenching impunity. enable polluting businesses to buy carbon

credits in reforestation or conservation

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT projects. There were fears this could lead to

In November, the UN Committee against forced evictions of Indigenous and other

Torture launched its concluding observations communities living in areas designated for

on Thailand9s second periodic report. It such projects. The law had not been adopted

expressed concerns about the inconsistency by year9s end.

of provisions under the 2022 Prevention and

Suppression of Torture and Enforced

Disappearance Act with international 1. <Thailand: Passing of marriage equality bill a triumphant moment

standards. The Committee also raised for LGBTI rights=, 18 June ±

concerns about excessive use of force 2. <Thailand: Tragic death of detained activist must be 8wake-up

against peaceful protesters, as well as call9=, 14 May ±

physical and digital violence against human 3. Thailand: <Being ourselves is too dangerous=: Digital violence and

rights defenders. the silencing of women and LGBTI activists in Thailand, 16 May ±

In February, eight UN experts wrote to the 4. Thailand: Amicus curiae submitted by Amnesty International to

government to raise concerns that detention the Bangkok Civil Court in the case of Jatupat Boonpattararaksa

conditions of 43 ethnic Uyghur asylum vs. NSO Group Technologies Ltd, 3 September ±

seekers in Suan Phlu Immigration Detention 5. <Thailand: Dismissal of landmark case a critical and alarming

Centre may amount to cruel, inhuman or setback in fight against unlawful use of spyware=, 21 November ±

degrading treatment or possibly torture. The 6. <Thailand: Killing of Malay Muslim human rights defender must

43 were among a group of Uyghurs from be investigated=, 26 June ±

China9s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 7. <Thailand: Authorities must urgently enforce arrest warrants for

who had been detained since they arrived in Tak Bai suspects=, 18 October ±
Thailand in 2014. At least ûve of the 8. <Thailand: Montagnard Indigenous activist must not be extradited

detainees, including two children, were to face torture in Viet Nam=, 10 July ±

reported to have died since then.

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

There were concerns about the role of Thai

authorities in identifying and forcibly

repatriating Montagnard refugees to Viet Nam

362 Amnesty International Report

 suspended the accreditations of all foreign

TOGO journalists for the coverage of the April

legislative and regional elections, citing

Republic of Togo <problems= linked to the arrival of one

French journalist and <serious failings= in

The authorities brutally repressed the rights political reporting about Togo by French

to freedom of expression, association and media. The journalist was deported the

peaceful assembly. Multiple protests following day after receiving a six-month

against changes to the constitution were suspended prison sentence for <illegal entry=

unduly banned. Newspapers were into Togo.

suspended and political activists and In May, two young people received six-

members of NGOs were arbitrarily arrested. month suspended prison sentences for

Measures were taken to improve healthcare posting on TikTok to express concern over the

provision. change to the constitution.

Also in May the HAAC threatened to

BACKGROUND suspend Radio France Internationale (RFI)

On 19 April the parliament adopted a new from broadcasting due to <unfair treatment of

constitution transforming the presidential information and broadcasting of false news

system into a parliamentary one, sparking about Togo.= In June the French news

fears that it was designed to keep President channel France 24 received a <ûnal warning=

Gnassingbe 3 already in his fourth term 3 in on the same grounds after it reported on staff

power. A state of emergency was maintained shortages and other problems at the Sylvanus

in the northern Savanes region, neighbouring Olympio University Hospital Center in Lomé.

Burkina Faso, where attacks by armed In July the HAAC suspended the

groups continued. <Auditeur-Actualité= programme on Victoire

FM radio for three months after comments

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND RIGHT TO made by lawyer and politician François Boko,

INFORMATION vice-president of the Freedom Togo-MLN

Reporters Without Borders revealed in movement, about the security situation in the

January that Togolese authorities had country.

repeatedly used spyware on the mobile

phones of two journalists who were charged ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTION

with defamation. In April, nine members of the opposition

Journalist Apollinaire Mewenemesse, coalition Dynamique Monseigneur Kpodzro

editor-in-chief of La Dépêche newspaper, was (DMK) were arbitrarily arrested on charges of

arrested and detained on 26 March after <aggravated disturbance of public order=.

publishing an article that raised questions Four had been about to carry out a publicity

about the assassination of an army ofûcer in action in protest at the constitutional change.

2020. On 9 April a court in the capital, Lomé The other ûve were attending a political

released him provisionally, placing him under meeting at the home of a DMK activist. They

judicial supervision and conûscating his were all released on 9 April by a Lomé court.

passport. He was charged with seven counts, In September, four members of the

including <conceiving and publishing false international NGO Tournons La Page (<Let9s

news with the aim of inciting the population Turn the Page=), who had represented Togo

or the army to rise up against the State= and and Benin at the third West African Citizens9

<undermining the honour, dignity and Summit on good governance, alternation and

consideration of the President of the democracy held in Ghana, were arrested on

Republic=. their return to Lomé by plainclothes men

On 15 April the High Authority for claiming to be from the gendarmerie. They

Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) were taken to an unknown location but freed

hours later without charge.

Togo 363
FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

On 27 March, at least three planned press TUNISIA

conferences and meetings bringing together

political parties and civil society organizations Republic of Tunisia

to discuss their concerns over the

constitutional change were banned in Lomé Authorities escalated their crackdown on

and Tsévié and dispersed by security forces. freedom of expression and all forms of
The Ministry of Territorial Administration dissent, using repressive laws and
banned three demonstrations against the unfounded charges to prosecute and
reforms planned for 11, 12 and 13 April. The arbitrarily detain political opponents,
same ministry sent a letter to two journalists, trade unionists, human rights
representatives of the DMK coalition notifying defenders, lawyers and critics. Prior to the
them that their planned sit-in on 25 April was October presidential election, authorities
banned on the grounds that the request had û
intensi ed their harassment of political
been <signed by two people instead of opponents, imposed further restrictions on
1
three=. the work of journalists, human rights
In September the Ministry of Territorial defenders and NGOs, and took steps to
Administration banned a gathering by the further undermine judicial independence
campaign coalition <Don9t Touch my and the rule of law. Authorities increased
Constitution= in support of detainees, citing interceptions at sea and conducted
public order concerns. unlawful collective mass expulsions of
Also in September a conference organized thousands of asylum seekers, refugees and
by the opposition African Peoples9 migrants to the borders with Algeria and
Democratic Convention and attended by a Libya. Authorities initiated investigations
Senegalese member of the ECOWAS against at least 14 civil society
parliament was violently disrupted by a group organizations working on refugees9 and
of people throwing objects at the audience migrants9 rights, undermining foreign
and podium. According to witnesses, security nationals9 access to asylum procedures and
2
forces who were present failed to intervene. essential services. LGBTI people faced

arbitrary arrests and prosecution.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

The ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled in July BACKGROUND

that Togo must pay damages to teachers The ûrst elections of the National Council of

unduly dismissed or suspended in 2022 for Regions and Districts took place on 28-29

taking part in strike action. March resulting in the election of 77

members of the upper house of Parliament.

Right to health President Kais Saied was re-elected for a

Some 60 health centres redeveloped or built second term on 6 October with 90.69% of

in Savanes region were ofûcially operational the vote, on a turnout of 28%. Most genuine

in January. The authorities recruited at least opposition candidates were excluded from

2,500 health professionals. They also running for president through bureaucratic

awarded a special bonus to paramedical staff obstacles, judicial harassment or arbitrary

in June following a broadcast by France 24 detention. Despite the administrative court

on problems in the maternal health issuing a decision to reinstate three

department of Lomé University Hospital. opposition candidates in the presidential

election, the Independent High Authority for

Elections (ISIE) refused to implement the

1. <Togo: Elections against a backdrop of muzzling dissenting

voices=, 29 April ±

2. <Togo: Security forces9 failure to protect participants at opposition

party conference must be investigated=, 3 October ±

364 Amnesty International Report

decision and only approved three candidates <trying to change the form of the government

including President Saied. and inciting people against each other=

under Article 72 of the Penal Code. He had

REPRESSION OF DISSENT been arbitrarily detained since February

Secretary-general of the opposition Ennahdha 2023.

party, Ajmi Lourimi, and two other party In the run-up to the presidential elections,

members were arrested on 13 July during a authorities increased their crackdown against

routine police check and remained arbitrarily opposition groups and political opponents. At

detained without charge at the end of the least 97 members of Ennahda were arrested

year. between 12 and 13 September.

Human rights defender and former

president of the Truth and Dignity FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Commission (IVD), Sihem Bensedrine, was In January the Monsatir Court of Appeals

arrested and detained on 1 August under conûrmed the sentencing of artist Rached

charges of <fraud= and <abuse of ofûcial Tamboura to two years9 imprisonment for

capacity= for allegedly falsifying a report grafûti denouncing President Saied9s racist

denouncing corruption in the banking sector. remarks about sub-Saharan refugees and

Her prosecution appeared to be in retaliation migrants. Rached Tamboura was convicted of

for her role in exposing human rights <committing an offensive act against the

violations as head of the IVD. president= under Article 67 of the Penal Code

Other high-proûle opposition ûgures and <producing and promoting false news=

remained in pretrial detention or were serving under Article 24 of Decree-Law 54 on

prison sentences in relation to politically Cybercrimes.

motivated charges including <terrorism= and On 11 May security forces arbitrarily

<conspiracy against state security=. In the so- arrested lawyer and media ûgure Sonia

called <conspiracy case=, six opposition Dahmani. On 6 July she was sentenced to

politicians arrested in February 2023 one year in prison under Article 24 of

remained in arbitrary detention charged with Decree-Law 54 for her critical comments on

<conspiracy against state security= beyond the situation facing migrants in Tunisia. On

the expiration in April of their pretrial 10 September the Tunis Court of Appeals

detention period according to national law. reduced her sentence to eight months9

Opposition party leader Abir Moussi was imprisonment. On 24 October the Tunis Court

sentenced on 5 August to two years9 of First Instance convicted and sentenced

imprisonment under Decree-Law 54 on her to two years9 imprisonment in a separate

Cybercrimes following a complaint ûled case under Decree-Law 54. Her prosecution

against her by the ISIE after she criticized the and conviction were based on remarks she

legislative elections process of 2023. She had made on television denouncing racism

been arbitrarily detained since 3 October against Black people in Tunisia.

2023 in a separate case under charges of On 11 May, security forces arrested and

<spreading false news= and <attempting to detained journalists Mourad Zeghidi and

change the form of government= under Borhen Bsaies. On 22 May the Tunis Court of

Decree-Law 54 and Article 72 of the Penal First Instance sentenced both men to one

Code in relation to the exercise of her year in prison under Article 24 of Decree-Law

freedom of expression and peaceful 54 for <intentionally using communication

assembly. systems to produce and promote false news

On 18 October the Criminal Chamber of to harm public security or national defence or

the Court of First Instance in the capital, spread terror= solely for exercising their right

Tunis, sentenced the Ennahda leader and to freedom of expression. In July the Tunis

former minister of justice, Noureddine Bhiri, Court of Appeals reduced their sentences to

to 10 years in prison for a social media post eight months9 imprisonment.

which he denied writing. He was convicted of

Tunisia 365
In June the Tunis Court of Appeals draconian legislation further stiüing civil

overturned the initial acquittal of lawyer society.

Abdelaziz Essid and convicted and On 9 September the ISIE denied requests

sentenced him to a nine-month suspended for accreditation for election monitoring from

prison sentence for <offending others through two Tunisian NGOs, IWatch and

telecommunications networks= and Mourakiboun, stating that the decision

<accusing public ofûcials of illegal acts related to the organizations receiving

without proof,= under Article 86 of the <suspicious foreign funding=.

Telecommunications Code and Article 128 of

the Criminal Code respectively. The charges FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

were based on a complaint by the minister of Authorities repeatedly used baseless

justice over claims made by Abdelaziz Essid <obstruction= charges, a provision lacking

that authorities tampered with his clients9 legal clarity, to arbitrarily detain, prosecute

case ûle. and convict individuals simply for exercising

The Electoral Commission ûled criminal their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly,

complaints against political opposition including the rights to form and join a union

members and critics under Decree-Law 54 and to organize and participate in a strike.

for <spreading false information.= According On 20 June, police in the city of Tabarka

to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, summoned environmental and human rights

four private radio stations received written defender Rania Mechergui for questioning in

warnings from the Electoral Commission relation to a peaceful protest held on 11 June

between July and September relating to to demand access to water. Between 12 and

reports and comments aired on their stations 16 August, police in the L9Aouina

about the electoral process. neighbourhood of Tunis summoned for

Tunisian authorities banned the questioning 23 trades unionists and workers

distribution in Tunisia of the September issue in relation to a series of peaceful

of the magazine Jeune Afrique, which demonstrations organized between 5 June

featured an article criticizing President Saied. and 9 August. The demonstrations related to

workers9 status, salaries and access to social

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION security.

President Saied continued to publicly accuse

civil society organizations of corruption and RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL

interfering in Tunisia9s internal affairs, often According to the Tunisian Judges9

referring to organizations9 receipt of foreign Association, the minister of justice ordered

funding. the appointment, transfer or suspension of at

In May, authorities intimidated, arrested, least 105 judges and prosecutors through

summoned and investigated representatives, executive memoranda without due process

former staff and members of at least 14 between August 2023 and June 2024.

organizations defending the rights of and Judges and prosecutors who had been

providing essential services to refugees and summarily dismissed by presidential decree

migrants. They faced vague accusations in June 2022 continued to be denied

including <ûnancial crimes= and <helping reparation and to suffer professional,

undocumented migrants=. At the end of the economic and reputational harm. No judicial

year, at least six organizations remained action was taken following individual

under investigation and seven individuals complaints ûled on 23 January 2023 by 37 of

were in pretrial detention. the dismissed judges against the minister of

On 14 May, Prime Minister Ahmed justice. The complaints contested the

Hachani announced that a new draft law on minister9s failure to implement a court order

associations would be submitted for approval to reinstate 49 of the 57 dismissed judges

to the next ministerial council, amid concerns and prosecutors.

over the authorities9 plans to introduce

366 Amnesty International Report

Lawyers representing members of political pertaining to <good morals= or <public

opposition groups were targeted with criminal decency=. The authorities carried out anal

investigations under bogus charges such as examinations on men accused of engaging in

<offending others= and <spreading false same-sex sexual relations, a practice that

information=. amounts to torture. At least 41 trials of gay

and trans people began during the year

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS across Tunisia. Between 26 September and 2

Human rights violations against migrants, October at least 27 LGBTI people were

asylum seekers and refugees increased in arrested in Tunis, Sousse and Hammamet.

frequency and severity, most notably against Authorities harassed queer activists and

those who were Black and from sub-Saharan members and staff of LGBTI rights

Africa. Xenophobic and racist public associations. On 18 September, trans activist

advocacy of hatred, including by ofûcials, Mira Ben Salah, coordinator at the

continued to be widespread. association DAMJ, received a summons to

Life-threatening collective and summary appear on 10 October before the criminal

expulsions of migrants, asylum seekers and police brigade in Sfax without any further

refugees to neighbouring Algeria and Libya information. Police investigations were

remained routine, violating the principle of subsequently opened against four activists

non-refoulement and leaving people in from other LGBTI rights associations, who

deserted areas without access to food or also received summonses for questioning at

water. These expulsions often followed violent different judicial brigades.

or reckless interceptions at sea by Tunisian

authorities, or racially targeted and arbitrary WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

arrests. Between June 2023 and May 2024, The political participation of women

authorities collectively expelled at least continued to decline, with only 10 women

10,000 migrants, asylum seekers and elected in March to the 77-member upper

refugees to Algeria and Libya, including house of parliament.

children and pregnant women. Women9s rights groups continued to

Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees denounce the culture of impunity for violence

reported torture and other ill-treatment, against women and the lack of effective

including rape, violent or abusive body implementation of Law 58 of 2017 to protect

searches, beatings and detention under women from gender-based violence. At least

cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions by 15 femicides were reported by women9s

Tunisian security forces. rights organizations between January and

Authorities also carried out multiple forced August.

evictions using unnecessary and The Tunisian Association of Democratic

disproportionate force and arrested and Women recorded a rise in requests for

convicted landlords for housing people who assistance from women facing online

were undocumented. According to UNHCR, violence. UN Women documented that 19%

the UN refugee agency, arrests and of women in Tunisia had faced online

investigations launched against human rights violence.

defenders and organizations working with

refugees and migrants from May onwards RIGHT TO FOOD

critically disrupted access to asylum According to the National Institute of

procedures and essential services. Statistics, the cost of food in Tunisia

increased by 9.2% between January and

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS September. Shortages of staple foods

LGBTI groups reported an increase in continued. Authorities were not transparent

prosecutions for consensual same-sex sexual about the causes of the persistent shortages

conduct between adults under Article 230 of or their policies to address the problem.

the Penal Code as well as other articles

Tunisia 367
 RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL

TÜRKIYE The authorities continued to ignore binding

court rulings on fair trial issues.

Republic of Türkiye In January, imprisoned human rights

defender Osman Kavala submitted a new

The executive9s interference with the application to the European Court of Human

judiciary deepened. Binding Constitutional Rights (ECtHR) concerning continuing and

Court rulings were ignored despite fresh violations of the European Convention

jurisprudence, and European Court of on Human Rights since the Court9s 2019

Human Rights judgments were not ruling to release him. This ruling remained

implemented in several emblematic cases. unimplemented despite infringement

Baseless investigations, prosecutions and proceedings against Türkiye initiated by the

convictions of human rights defenders, Council of Europe in 2022. Two Constitutional

journalists, opposition politicians and others Court applications challenging Osman

persisted. The rights to freedom of peaceful Kavala9s 2022 conviction, and the Court of

assembly and association were unlawfully Cassation9s 2023 decision upholding his

restricted. Violence against women and girls conviction, remained pending.

remained widespread. The country Selahattin Demirta` and Figen Yüksekda,

continued to host large numbers of refugees the former leaders of the People9s

and migrants; some remained at risk of Democratic Party, also remained in prison.

unlawful return. Victims of human rights Lawyer and prisoner of conscience Can

û
violations by state of cials continued to Atalay remained in prison with his status as

face a culture of impunity. Türkiye9s overall an MP revoked despite three consecutive

climate policies were assessed as <critically Constitutional Court decisions to release him.

û
insuf cient=. New legislation commonly known as the

<8th Judicial Package= adopted in March

BACKGROUND failed to adequately implement the

Türkiye faced a growing cost of living crisis Constitutional Court ruling on Article 220/6 of

with general inüation running at over 44% the Turkish Penal Code (<committing a crime

and food inüation over 43% by the end of in the name of an organization=). This ruling

year. found the provision unconstitutional as it

Local elections saw the main opposition violated the principle of legality to prevent
1
party achieving signiûcant gains while in arbitrary applications by the authorities.

some districts the ofûcial election results In September, Yüksel Yalç2nkaya, a teacher

were üouted by ofûcials, resulting in mass who had ûrst been found guilty of

protests. Similar widespread demonstrations <membership of an armed terrorist

were sparked when the Ministry of Interior organization= in the aftermath of the 2016

dismissed elected mayors in a number of coup attempt, was retried and again

provinces and districts, on terrorism-related convicted. The retrial failed to consider the

charges, and appointed trustees from the 2023 ECtHR judgment that found violations

ruling party in their place. of the rights to a fair trial, no punishment

Several attacks by armed groups took without law, and freedom of assembly and

place, in which a total of seven people and association. Yüksel Yalç2nkaya9s appeal

four attackers were killed at Santa Maria against the decision was pending at year9s

Church, outside the Istanbul Justice Palace end.

in Istanbul province, and at the

Kahramankazan facilities of Turkish ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR

Aerospace Industries in Ankara province. TRIALS

In response to the armed attack outside the

Istanbul Justice Palace in February, the

authorities carried out raids in which 96

368 Amnesty International Report

people, including four lawyers from the 8 March 2022 Feminist Night March. It ruled

People9s Law Bureau, were arbitrarily that the ban violated the right to peaceful
2
detained in Istanbul. Three of the four assembly, which includes the right of the

lawyers, Didem Baydar Ünsal, Seda _arald2 organizers to choose the location that best

and Betül Vangölü Kozaaçl2, were indicted serves the purpose of the protest.

for alleged <membership of an armed Authorities announced a two-week blanket

terrorist organization= without any evidence of ban on protests in the cities of Van and Bitlis

their involvement in that crime. Didem after the decision to overturn the election of

Baydar Ünsal was released in June pending the Peoples9 Equality and Democracy Party

trial, while the other two lawyers remained in candidate for Mayor of the Metropolitan

prison at year9s end. Municipality of Van in April. In Van, 264

In May, 24 Kurdish politicians were people, including 10 lawyers and 15 children

sentenced to between nine and 42 years9 were detained, and 27 people were arbitrarily

imprisonment on politically trumped-up remanded in pretrial detention, on charges

charges, including <membership of an armed including <membership of an armed terrorist

terrorist organization=, in the so-called Kobani organization=.

trial. This centred on social media posts and Authorities banned the May Day solidarity

speeches by the politicians calling on their demonstration in Istanbul9s Taksim Square,

supporters to protest the siege of Kobani by preventing people from gathering and

the Islamic State in Syria in October 2014. detaining at least 82 people. This was despite

Twelve others were acquitted. the 2023 Constitutional Court ruling that the

bans and forceful dispersals of protesters by

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION law enforcement ofûcials during the 2014

In July the Beyolu district governorate and 2015 May Day celebrations had violated

banned an exhibition entitled <Turn and Look the right to peaceful assembly of the

Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Confederation of Revolutionary Workers9

3
Turkey=, organized by the 10th Trans Pride Trade Unions.

Week Exhibition Collective. Depo, the venue The Saturday Mothers/People, a group of

where the exhibition was held, launched a human rights defenders including relatives of

legal challenge to overturn the ban. victims of enforced disappearances,

In October the Turkish Radio and continued to face restrictions on their weekly

Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) vigils. These included limiting the number of

cancelled the terrestrial broadcast licence of participants to 10. The restrictions were lifted

Aç2k Radyo, an independent radio station only for the group9s 1,000th vigil in May. In

based in Istanbul. RTÜK had previously October a ûrst instance court acquitted 20

issued an administrative ûne and ordered the members of the group who had been

station to suspend its morning news arbitrarily detained and prosecuted for

programme for ûve days because of a guest9s <violating the Law on Meetings and

comments referring to the <Armenian Demonstrations= during the 950th vigil.

Genocide= during the show aired on 24 April, Türkiye continued to unlawfully ban LGBTI

the date the 1915 massacres of Armenians is pride marches and law enforcement ofûcials

marked each year. Aç2k Radyo had paid the used excessive force against protesters. A

ûne but had not adhered to the ûve-day total of 27 people were arbitrarily detained

broadcast suspension. At year9s end, the during the pride marches in Istanbul, Antalya
4
station9s legal challenge to the decision was and Eski`ehir.

pending. Mass protests in solidarity with Palestinians

took place across the country, largely free of

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY undue restrictions. However, law enforcement

In January the Istanbul regional appeals ofûcials prevented protests calling on the

court overturned a decision by the Istanbul Turkish authorities to end trade with Israel.

and Beyolu district governorates to ban the On 6 April, law enforcement

Türkiye 369
ofûcials used unlawful force and arbitrarily line with the goals and objectives of an armed

detained 43 members of the Youth terrorist organization=. The decision by the

Movement for Free Palestine, which had Minister of Treasury and Finance and the

organized a protest in front of the Provincial Minister of Interior to freeze the association9s

Directorate of Trade in Istanbul, for <violating assets for alleged connections to the

the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations=. Kurdistan Workers9 Party (PKK), under the

On 29 November, nine people were arbitrarily Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism Law

detained and held in pretrial detention for 10 (Law No. 6415), was published in the Ofûcial

days on the same charge, as well as for Gazette in August. The organization appealed

allegedly <insulting the president=. They were both decisions.

detained after a peaceful protest during the In October the Beyolu district governorate

TRT World Forum where President Recep sealed the ofûce of the Tarlaba`2 Community

Tayyip Erdoan spoke at the Istanbul Center (TTM), a civil society organization

Congress Center. supporting marginalized people in the

The Istanbul governorship banned a night neighbourhood for <operating without a

march to commemorate the 25 November licence=. Separate administrative

International Day for the Elimination of proceedings to close the TTM continued.

Violence against Women. Law enforcement However, the Istanbul Civil Court of Peace

ofûcials used unnecessary force against No. 8 ruled in favour of the TTM in a case

those who gathered despite the ban, and initiated by the Governorate of Istanbul which

arbitrarily detained at least 169 people, sought to have the organization declared

including two protest observers, three foreign defunct.

citizens and bystanders. A new penalty under the espionage laws,

On 21 December, authorities prevented criminalizing acts that are <against the

journalists and others from reading out a security or domestic or foreign political

press statement in Istanbul after the reports interests of the State in line with the strategic

of a drone strike attack killing two Kurdish interests or instructions of a foreign state or

journalists from Türkiye in north-east Syria. organization=, was included in a legislative

Nine people including seven journalists were package in October but subsequently

remanded in pretrial detention for allegedly withdrawn because of widespread opposition.

<making propaganda for a terrorist The proposed law was overly broad and
5
organization.= vague and would have undermined civil

society.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

In June the intergovernmental Financial HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Action Task Force (FATF) removed Türkiye The retrial of Hakan Alt2nay, Yiit Ekmekçi

from the <grey list= for being largely and Mücella Yap2c2 on charges under the Law

compliant with its recommendations to on Meetings and Demonstrations continued.

combat terrorism ûnancing and money This followed a ruling in 2023 by the Court of

laundering. However, non-proût organizations Cassation which overturned their 2022

continued to face disproportionate sanctions convictions for <assisting in the attempted

and intensiûed audits under Law no.7262 overthrow of the government= in connection

adopted in 2020 to comply with FATF with the Gezi Park protests of 2013.

recommendations. In October, Hatice Onaran, a member of

In February Istanbul Heavy Penal Court Istanbul Human Rights Association9s Prison

No. 26 acquitted 24 members of the Commission, was sentenced to four years

Migration Monitoring Association, prosecuted and two months9 imprisonment under Law

for <membership of an armed terrorist No. 6415 for transferring small amounts of

organization=. In December, Bak2rköy Civil money for their expenses to eight prisoners

Court of First Instance No. 15 ruled to close convicted for <terrorism= related charges.

the organization for allegedly <operating in

370 Amnesty International Report

In October a ûrst instance civil court in country in February 2023, and in the context

Ankara ruled in favour of a moral of counterterrorism operations.

compensation claim brought by the Ministry

of National Defence against Professor IMPUNITY

_ebnem Korur Fincanc2. She was ordered to In May a regional appeals court upheld the

pay TRY 50,000 (approximately EUR 1,350) acquittal of army ofûcials and village guards

for her 2022 broadcast comments in which in the Mardin Dargeçit J1TEM (Gendarmerie

she called for an independent investigation Intelligence and Counter Terrorism)

into allegations that the Turkish army used prosecution regarding the 1995-1996

chemical weapons in the Kurdistan region of enforced disappearances of eight people,

Iraq. Professor Fincanc2 had also been including three children. The decision was

convicted in 2023 of <making propaganda for pending appeal at the Court of Cassation at

a terrorist organization= in a criminal trial and year9s end.

sentenced to two years, eight months and 15 In June the Diyarbak2r Heavy Penal Court

days9 imprisonment, for the same comments. No. 10 acquitted three police ofûcers

Her conviction and sentence were pending accused of <causing death by culpable

appeal at the Court of Cassation at year9s negligence= in the killing of human rights

end. lawyer Tahir Elçi in 2015. The court ruled that

Human rights defender Nimet Tanr2kulu it had not been established that they
8
was detained on 26 November, remanded in committed the offence.

prison and indicted in December for In October the Court of Cassation upheld

<membership of a terrorist organization=. The the acquittal of 16 people, including former

charge was based on historic travel, state ofûcials, for <intentional killing as part of

participation in civil society events relating to the activities of an armed organization

Kurdish human rights issues, mobile phone established for the purpose of committing a

signals from the same base station as other crime= in the Ankara J1TEM case. This was
6
individuals and witness statements. related to enforced disappearances or

extrajudicial executions conducted between

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS 1993 and 1996.

According to the We Will Stop Femicides

Platform, in 2024 men killed 394 women and RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

259 women were found dead in suspicious The Climate Action Tracker rated Türkiye9s

circumstances. overall climate policies and targets as

<critically insufûcient= to meet the Paris

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS Agreement9s 1.5°C temperature goal.

Refugees and migrants continued to be

unlawfully returned to Syria and Afghanistan

where they would be at real risk of serious 1. <Türkiye: New judicial package leaves people at continued risk of

human rights violations. As of September, it human rights violations=, 29 February ±

was reported that around 300 Eritreans 2. <Türkiye: Uphold human rights in responding to the armed attack

detained without adequate access to outside Istanbul9s courthouse=, 14 February ±

communication or legal support were 3. <Türkiye: Unlawful ban on May Day celebrations in Istanbul must

deported to Eritrea, while more were at risk of be lifted=, 30 April ±

7
return. 4. <Türkiye: Activists remain defiant despite chilling effect of

unlawful bans of Prides=, 19 December ±

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT 5. <Türkiye: Stop the crackdown on peaceful dissent=, 26 December ±

In August the UN Committee Against Torture 6. <Türkiye: Human rights defender imprisoned: Nimet Tanr1kulu=, 18

raised concerns about increased allegations December ±

of torture and other ill-treatment since the 7. <Türkiye: Eritreans at imminent risk of forced return=, 6

attempted coup in 2016, in the aftermath of September ±

the earthquakes in the south-east of the

Türkiye 371
8. <Türkiye: Acquittal of three police officers for involvement in dissent or publicly express critical views, at

killing of human rights lawyer a huge blow to justice=, 12 June ± home and abroad, faced reprisals including

imprisonment. Human rights defender

Mansur Mingelov and blogger Murat

TURKMENISTAN Dushemov continued to serve their sentences

in prison colonies in the eastern Lebap

Turkmenistan region. The authorities still failed to

investigate their allegations of torture and

The rights to freedom of expression and other ill-treatment in detention. They had

association remained severely curtailed as been convicted of politically motivated

the authorities sought to control the üow of charges and sentenced to 22 and four years

information, suffocate civil society and in prison respectively for exposing human

punish all forms of peaceful dissent at rights violations.

home and abroad. Women, girls and LGBTI On 6 October exiled activist Dursoltan

people faced arbitrary restrictions to their Taganova was detained at her home in

rights, freedoms and bodily autonomy. Türkiye by police who claimed that she had

Reports continued of state-imposed forced been identiûed as a threat to national security

labour in the cotton harvest. There was no and that she would be deported to

meaningful action to combat climate Turkmenistan. She was released after several

change. hours, but remained at risk of forcible return.

The authorities continued to prevent civil

BACKGROUND society activists, independent journalists and

The country remained de facto closed to their families from travelling abroad.

international human rights NGOs, UN special Security services detained independent

mechanisms and independent media which, lawyer Pygambergeldy Allaberdyev at the

together with internal censorship, greatly border with Iran, where he was intending to

constrained international oversight and travel for medical treatment necessary after

information gathering. two years9 imprisonment on politically

motivated charges from 2020 to 2022. They

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION informed him of a travel ban barring him

The state controlled the üow of information, from going abroad, including for medical

censoring reports of negative developments treatment, but refused to show any

such as economic hardship and strictly documentary evidence.

limiting access to the internet. Hundreds of

thousands of domains, including news, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

business and social media sites, were Opposition activist Gulgeldy Annaniyazov was

blocked. Internet speed remained one of the released after 16 years in detention, 11 of

slowest and most expensive in the world, and which were spent incommunicado. He had

penetration was low by international been detained in 2008 when he returned

standards, disadvantaging rural communities, from Norway, where he had been granted

in particular women. asylum. However, no further information

Security services surveilled and regularly came to light on the fate and whereabouts of

blocked the use of banned virtual private more than 100 individuals forcibly

networks, and intimidated, ûned or detained disappeared after their arrest. Some were

users who tried to circumvent state controls. imprisoned after an alleged assassination

attempt on then president Saparmurat

REPRESSION OF DISSENT Niyazov in November 2002.

Local civil society organizations and activists

were unable to operate freely and VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

independently. Those seeking to peacefully In February the CEDAW Committee noted the

result of a national survey in 2022 which had

372 Amnesty International Report

found that one in eight women were suspected LGBTI people and those in contact

subjected to physical and/or sexual violence with LGBTI activists abroad.

by an intimate partner. The committee urged

the authorities to adopt, <without further FORCED LABOUR

delay, legislation speciûcally deûning and Forced labour in the cotton harvest continued

criminalizing all forms of gender-based to be reported, despite the government being

violence against women, including domestic more open to cooperation with the ILO in

violence=. The authorities, however, failed to recent years, including allowing it regular

make any signiûcant progress in this regard. visits. An ILO report published in July

Amendments to the Family Code expressed deep concern about evidence of

published in March required courts to the continued use of forced labour, including

prioritize reconciliation of spouses in cases of child labour, found during an ILO visit in

divorce, even if domestic violence was 2023.

involved.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Despite having signed the Global Methane

The CEDAW Committee also expressed Pledge at COP28 in December 2023 and

concern about the criminalization of agreeing to cooperate with the US

abortions obtained after a gestational limit of government on methane mitigation, the

ûve weeks 3 a point at which most people government provided no compelling evidence

would not even know they were pregnant. that it had implemented effective measures

The committee urged authorities to amend to improve leak detection and accelerate

legislation to <legalize abortion and remedial action. According to the

decriminalize it in all cases= in line with the International Energy Agency9s Global

2022 WHO Abortion Care Guidelines. Methane Tracker 2024, Turkmengaz, one of

In October the UN Committee on the the largest oil and gas companies in the

Rights of the Child recommended that all world, failed to make any public

adolescents should receive <conûdential and commitments to reduce methane emissions.

child-friendly sexual and reproductive health

information and services, including access to

contraceptives and safe abortion where UGANDA

appropriate.=

Republic of Uganda

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

Consensual sexual relations between men û

Uganda Wildlife Authority of cers used
remained criminalized. LGBTI persons excessive and unnecessary force against the
continued to face pervasive discrimination, Indigenous Benet People, killing two
violence and abuse, with impunity enjoyed by children. Authorities arbitrarily arrested and
the perpetrators. The authorities refused to detained government critics. Amendments
expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis to the NGO law threatened to impose
of sexual orientation and insisted to the excessive governmental control over the
CEDAW Committee that all persons were work of NGOs. The court upheld provisions
<equally protected under law against that would discriminate against LGBTI
violence, blackmail and similar acts, people and which carried the death penalty
regardless of their sexual orientation, and other excessive penalties for certain
including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender acts. Authorities failed to account for at
and intersex persons.= least 500 children who were taken from the
The release abroad of a documentary ûlm Katwe slums by Kampala Capital City
on human rights violations against LGBTI û
Authority of cials. Uganda9s support for
persons in Turkmenistan, on 3 July, was nearly 1.8 million refugees and asylum
followed by reported police raids targeting

Uganda 373
seekers remained severely underfunded. UGX 5 million (about USD 1,350) for burial

The construction of the East African Crude expenses.

Oil Pipeline ran counter to global efforts to The authorities did not disclose information

cut carbon emissions. about investigations into these incidents.

BACKGROUND ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

The USA removed Uganda from its African On 16 November, Ugandan state agents

Growth and Opportunity Act due to <gross abducted Kizza Besigye, Ugandan opposition

violations of internationally recognized human politician and former presidential candidate

rights=. In April and June respectively, the for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC),

UK and US governments sanctioned in Nairobi, Kenya. Kizza Besigye was

Uganda9s parliamentary speaker, her arraigned in a military court in the Ugandan

husband and several other ofûcials over capital, Kampala, on 20 November and

allegations of corruption and serious human charged with offences relating to security and

rights abuses. On 21 September, Muhoozi the unlawful possession of ûrearms and

Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri ammunition, despite a 2022 Constitutional

Museveni and the head of the Uganda Court decision that military courts lack

Peoples9 Defence Forces (UPDF), announced jurisdiction to try civilians. Earlier, on 23 July,

that he would not run in the 2026 36 members of the FDC had been arrested in

presidential elections. Kisumu, Kenya, and forcibly deported to

Uganda where they were charged with

EXCESSIVE AND UNNECESSARY USE OF terrorism offences despite lawfully entering

FORCE Kenya with the necessary immigration

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) permissions.

continued to use excessive and unnecessary

force to prevent the Benet Indigenous People FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

from accessing their ancestral land in the On 19 February, police arrested and charged

Mount Elgon forest. Ibrahim Musana, a social media activist also

UWA ofûcers shot at least three Benet known as <Pressure Pressure=, with

People in the Bukwo district, killing two defamation, promoting hate speech and

children. On 28 May, Kibet Silas Rukut was incitement to violence. They accused him of

shot in the leg at his home because, spreading malicious information and using

according to him, he had refused to remove his social media platforms to attack the

his cows from his compound when the UWA Kabaka (the king of the Kingdom of

ofûcer claimed the cattle were in the Mount Buganda, a constitutional kingdom in

Elgon National Park (a disputed area). Kibet Uganda) and other ofûcials, including the

Silas Rukut reported the incident to Bukwo prime minister, of Buganda. He was released

police station. from prison by a court on cash bail of UGX 2

According to community leaders, 16-year- million (about USD 542) on 29 April and

old Marko Kipsang was shot dead on 4 June barred from mentioning on social media the

as he harvested grass inside the forest. The Kabaka, President Museveni, the

community marched to the Resident District parliamentary speaker or the government

Commissioner9s ofûce in protest but were told minister Joyce Sebugwawo while the case

to await investigations into the incident. was pending.

On 6 September an ofûcer shot dead 13- On 6 April the Special Forces Command, a

year-old Sukuku Emmanuel Joshua. component of the UPDF tasked with carrying

Community leaders reported that the boy was out emergency military responses, arrested

killed in his village, not inside the forest as eight musicians who were overheard during a

UWA ofûcials claimed. A post-mortem at public event complaining that a speech by

Bukwo General Hospital recovered the bullet the president was too long. They were taken

from his body, and the UWA paid his family

374 Amnesty International Report

to Kampala Central Police Station and Kemitoma Kyenzibo as they approached

charged with <insulting= the president and parliament staging a nude protest against

released on bail two days later. corruption. They were arraigned in Buganda

On 10 July a court in Mukono, central Road Court, charged with <common

Uganda, jailed Edward Awebwa for six years nuisance contrary to section 148(1) of the

under the Computer Misuse Act, 2011 for Penal Code Act= and remanded until 12

spreading <malicious information= and <hate September when the court freed them on

speech= against President Museveni, the non-cash bail.

First Lady and Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The

Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Spokesperson stated that Edward Awebwa On 15 July, President Museveni signed the

had shared videos between February and NGO (Amendment) Act, 2024 into law,

March that mocked the president. The paving the way for the dissolution of the NGO

language used in his posts did not appear to Bureau, a semi-autonomous body under the

amount to hate speech. Ministry of Internal Affairs that regulated and

oversaw NGO operations. The bureau was re-

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY established as a department within the same

On 20 February, environmental activists ministry, signalling a move towards

Bintomkwanga Raymond, Kibuuka Azilu, centralized decision making, control and

Katiti Noah, Namara Hosea and increased government oversight of NGO

Ndyamwesiga Desire protested next to affairs.

parliament against the planned construction

of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

(EACOP) which is set to pass through On 3 April, the Constitutional Court failed to

Bugoma, a protected forest area, (see below, repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023,

Right to a healthy environment). They carried opting only to revoke parts of the Act that

a banner saying <Save Bugoma Forest. contravened the 1995 Constitution of

Parliament must ask cabinet to release the Uganda. The court nulliûed: Section 3(2)(c),

Bugoma Demarcation Report, forests are that had imposed the death penalty on a

lungs to the world=. The police arrested them convicted person where <the person against

on charges of <common nuisance= and whom the offence is committed contracts a

causing <unnecessary chaos and [a] breach terminal illness as a result of the sexual act=;

of [the] peace by inconveniencing= MPs and Section 9, where a person <knowingly

other parliamentary staff. [allows] any premises to be used& for

On 23 July, President Museveni warned purposes of homosexuality or to commit an

that anti-government protests would not be offence under this Act& is liable, on

tolerated. The next day, police raided the conviction, to imprisonment for a period not

headquarters of the National Unity Platform exceeding seven years=; Section 11(2)(d)

opposition party ahead of its planned that carried a punishment of up to 20 years9

protests, in what they called a <precautionary imprisonment against a person who

move=. <knowingly leases or subleases, uses or

Between 22 and 25 July, police arrested allows another person to use any house,

and detained 104 young protesters during building or establishment for the purpose of

anti-corruption protests in Kampala and other undertaking activities that encourage

towns, following mounting allegations of homosexuality=; and Section 14, which

widespread government corruption, obliged people <to report acts of

especially against MPs, including the homosexuality=. The court upheld provisions

parliamentary speaker. They were released in the law that discriminate against LGBTI

on police bond on various dates. people and carry harsh penalties, including

On 2 September, police arrested Norah the death penalty, for <aggravated

Kobusingye, Praise Aloikin Opoloje and homosexuality= and up to 20 years9

Uganda 375
imprisonment for the <promotion of RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

homosexuality=. Twenty-two petitioners had EACOP Ltd continued the construction of a

appealed the ruling before the Supreme 1,443km underground fossil fuel pipeline to

Court by the end of the year. be used to transport crude oil from Kabale

town in the Hoima district of western Uganda

RIGHT TO HOUSING to Tanzania9s Tanga Port. The construction

On 12 January, Kampala Capital City led to displacements and risked causing

Authority (KCCA) ofûcials, with the agreement serious environmental degradation. The

of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social pipeline project counters global efforts to cut

Development and backed by police, carbon emissions (see Tanzania entry). The

conducted a night-time armed raid on the pipeline will pass through human settlements

Katwe slums in Kampala, arresting 773 and wildlife areas, agricultural land and water

children and 142 women from the sources.

Indigenous Karamojong community. The

children were taken to the Masulita

Children9s Village, a children9s home run by UKRAINE

the Uganda Women9s Effort to Save Orphans

in Wakiso district. According to KCCA, the Ukraine

raid was carried out to remove homeless

people from Kampala9s streets in preparation Civilian casualties, including children and
for the Group of 77 (G77) summit and older people, increased, as Russian forces
another international conference, the Non- used indiscriminate weapons, damaged
Aligned Movement summit. No alternative critical civilian infrastructure and appeared
accommodation was provided for the to deliberately target civilians. Executions,
families. torture and other ill-treatment of civilian

detainees and prisoners of war took place in

CHILDREN9S RIGHTS the Russian-occupied territories, where the
Some Karamojong parents reported to a local repression of non-Russian identities
children9s rights organization that their continued. Under martial law, the Ukrainian
children suffered physical or mental harm authorities restricted the rights to freedom
from the raids and arrests in the Katwe slums of expression and religion. Prosecutions
in January (see above). The organization continued against conscientious objectors
recorded the names of at least 500 children to compulsory military service. Ukraine9s
who were not traceable among the hundreds progress on gender-based violence and
taken to the Masulita Children9s Village, and LGBTI people9s rights remained limited.
who remained missing at the end of the year.

It linked the arrests to child trafûcking that it BACKGROUND

said was supported by the state. Russia continued its war of aggression

against Ukraine, despite sustaining

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS considerable losses, and made territorial

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, reported gains, notably in February occupying the

that Uganda hosted 1,796,609 refugees and town of Avdiivka which had been a Ukrainian

asylum seekers by the end of 2024. New stronghold since 2014. Russian advances in

arrivals continued to enter the country during the Kharkiv region were largely contained by

the year, mainly from the Democratic Ukrainian forces. In August, Ukraine

Republic of the Congo, Sudan and South launched a surprise offensive into Russia9s

Sudan. As of 30 September, UNHCR had Kursk region, occupying several hundred

received only around 42% of its USD 363.4 square kilometres of territory. To address

million funding requirement for Uganda, manpower shortages, in April Ukraine passed

leaving it with a deûcit of more than USD 212

million.

376 Amnesty International Report

legislation lowering the mobilization age from winter as the cumulative damage was the

27 to 25. greatest and demand peaked.

Foreign military and ûnancial aid to

Ukraine continued, with concerns over its Prisoners of war

future sustainability, particularly after Donald Increasing evidence came to light of

Trump9s victory in the US presidential summary executions of Ukrainian prisoners

election. Ukraine9s economy managed to of war by Russian forces. Numerous videos

grow throughout 2024, though severely purporting to show such incidents circulated

damaged by labour shortages as well as on social media, and the Ukrainian General

recurrent, countrywide electricity blackouts Prosecutor9s Ofûce claimed that at least 147

caused by Russia9s deliberate targeting of Ukrainian prisoners had been executed since

energy infrastructure. 2022, almost 90% (127) of them in 2024.

In April, Ukraine notiûed the Council of While Russia typically ignored or rejected

Europe that it was reducing the scope of its these reports, two signiûcant political ûgures

derogations to fewer articles of the European in Russia called for the execution of prisoners

Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and of war. In July, Deputy Chair of the Security

dropping the derogations related to forced or Council Dmitri Medvedev called for <total

compulsory labour, freedom of thought, executions= on his Telegram channel. In

conscience or religion, right to an effective October, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov

remedy and prohibition of discrimination. publicly claimed that he had given an order

not to take Ukrainian soldiers alive. Three

VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL days later, however, he stated on Telegram

HUMANITARIAN LAW that he had revoked this order.

Unlawful attacks Hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war

were tried in Russia and in areas of Ukraine it

Civilian casualties were higher than in 2023,
occupied, often merely for participating in
and often occurred far from the active front
hostilities. The lack of due process in such
line, as Russia continued to target population
trials also amounted to a war crime.
centres with missiles and drones. These

attacks included one against Okhmatdyt

RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND
Children9s Hospital in the capital, Kyiv, which
REPARATION
was severely damaged after being struck with
On 21 August the Ukrainian parliament voted
a cruise missile on 8 July 3 an apparent war
to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC but with
1
crime. Children from all over Ukraine were
a declaration under Article 124 that, for a
undergoing medical procedures, such as
period of seven years, Ukraine would <not
chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery, at
accept the jurisdiction= of the ICC with
the time. Two people were killed and over
respect to war crimes <when, likely, the crime
100 wounded, including children. Like
was committed by its citizens.= This created
numerous other attacks over 2024, the strike
an ambiguity that could impede effective ICC
on Okhmatdyt was part of a wider
investigations into crimes under international
coordinated Russian attack; at least 43
2
law committed in Ukraine.
civilians in the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro and
The ICC issued further arrest warrants for
Kryvyi Rih were killed on the same day.
three high-ranking Russian military
Russia continued its systematic attacks
commanders and the then-minister of
against energy infrastructure. According to
defence Sergei Shoigu. All four individuals
the International Energy Association, 70% of
stood accused of war crimes committed in
Ukraine9s thermal energy generation capacity
Ukraine. These included directing attacks
had been either destroyed or occupied as of
against the civilian population and causing
May. The shortfall in electricity generation
excessive incidental harm to civilians or
resulted in regular rolling blackouts,
damage to civilian objects, as well as the
particularly in the hot summer months and in
crime against humanity of inhumane acts.

Ukraine 377
OLDER PEOPLE9S RIGHTS change in its editorial policy. Authorities

Older people continued to be denied the allegations, and President

disproportionately affected by Russia9s Volodymyr Zelensky stated that pressure on

aggression. According to HelpAge journalists was <unacceptable=.

International, older people and people with Prosecution of individuals under Article

disabilities comprised between 20% and 436-2 of the criminal code 3 <justifying

50% of those living within 25km of the active Russian aggression against Ukraine= 3

front lines. This group, who were often continued. However, as of November, the

unable to reach physically inaccessible number of criminal cases referred to court

shelters during air raid alerts due to under this article fell by 29% compared to

disabilities, remained among the most at risk. 2023.

Older people, 80% of whom lived below

the real poverty line due to extremely low FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

pensions, also remained largely unable to In August, a law came into force banning

access housing when displaced by the <religious organizations afûliated with centres

conüict. They were overrepresented in of inüuence= when their headquarters were

shelters for displaced persons because they based "in a country that commits armed

lacked the income to ûnd rental or other aggression against Ukraine.=

housing. These shelters were not physically The law referred to the Ukrainian Orthodox

accessible to older people with disabilities, Church, which remained in disputed

which resulted in the placement of thousands ecclesiastical subordination to the Russian

of older people with disabilities in care Orthodox Church. The law required the

institutions since the beginning of Russia9s Ukrainian Orthodox Church to break off that

full-scale of invasion of Ukraine. In afûliation within nine months. Ukrainian

September, a Russian bomb struck a nursing authorities accused the church of working

home in Sumy, killing one person and closely with Russian intelligence, and brought

injuring at least 12 others in facilities charges of justifying Russian aggression

protected under international humanitarian against its priests and parishioners.

law.

DISCRIMINATION

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION As the authorities stepped up conscription

In April, Ukraine reduced the scope of its efforts, some methods caused a public

derogations from the ECHR but maintained backlash for appearing to be

that regarding Article 10, concerning the right disproportionate, arbitrary or discriminatory.

to freedom of expression. A number of For example, to address the high number of

leading media organizations complained of conscription deferrals for male doctorate

pressure from Ukrainian authorities. In students, education authorities discontinued

January, bihus.info journalists reported that applications for self-funded full-time

they were under surveillance, including postgraduate studies for both men and

having their phones tapped. An investigation women, even though women were not

into these allegations was opened by the subject to compulsory conscription.

Security Service of Ukraine despite its

members being suspected of the practice. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS9 RIGHTS

Due to concerns over a conüict of interest, Religious freedom watchdog Forum18

the State Bureau of Investigation took over reported a surge of new criminal cases

the investigation; this was ongoing at year9s opened against conscientious objectors since

end. In October the editorial board of leading the middle of the year, bringing the total

newspaper Ukrainska Pravda alleged that the number to around 300, in addition to over 80

Ofûce of the President was, among other cases that had already reached trial. The

things, pressuring businesses not to advertise case of one conscientious objector, Dmytro

with the newspaper in an attempt to force a Zelinsky, reached the Constitutional Court in

378 Amnesty International Report

October after the Supreme Court rejected his ongoing Russian war of aggression, including

ûnal appeal. The Constitutional Court was still soil, water and air pollution in mainland

deliberating in December whether denying Ukraine and the Black Sea. Authorities and

the constitutional right to conscientious environmentalists reported pollution of the

objection was permitted under martial law. rivers Seim and Desna in August and

No grants of alternative civilian service had September, originating upstream in Russia;

been made since the beginning of the full- this caused mass death of ûsh.

scale Russian invasion in 2022. In June, the government adopted a

National Energy and Climate Plan that aimed

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE to harmonize Ukraine9s energy and climate

The Prosecutor General9s Ofûce reported an policies with those of the EU, including

80% increase in registered cases of domestic through phasing out coal-based electricity

violence compared to 2023, with the number generation by 2035.

of survivors from these cases exceeding

5,000, most of them women and children. A RUSSIAN-OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

policy brief published by the Global Public (GOVERNMENT OF RUSSIA)

Policy Institute named sexual crimes by Right to education

members of the Russian forces, the

Violation of the right to education continued
precarious living conditions of internally
across the occupied territories, with children
displaced people, economic instability, rigid
subjected to indoctrination, and the
gender roles and war-related stress and
occupation authorities reliant on coercion of
trauma among the main causes of gender-
teachers that in some cases amounted to
based violence.
3
forced labour.
Parliament adopted a new law in May

aimed at harmonizing Ukraine9s criminal

Suppression of non-Russian identities
code with the Council of Europe9s Convention
Russia continued its policy of <Russiûcation=
on preventing and combating violence
4
of the occupied territories, including Crimea.
against women and domestic violence
In January, the International Court of Justice
(Istanbul Convention), following its ratiûcation
ruled that the restrictions on delivery of
in 2022. Among other things, the law
education in the Ukrainian language
introduced criminal offences for a range of
amounted to a violation of the CERD.
gender-based violence acts including
Religious minorities and non-Russian
intimidation and sexual harassment both
media and culture remained under attack.
ofüine and online.
De facto authorities in the occupied Donetsk

and Luhansk regions informed their residents

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS
that the <passports= they had begun issuing
In June the ûrst Pride Equality March since
in 2016 would become invalid from 1
2021 took place in Kyiv. However, no
December 2024 and had to be exchanged
substantial progress was made toward legal
for full Russian passports. Residents without
recognition and protection of same-sex
Russian passports would be considered
couples9 rights. The relevant draft law, ûrst
<foreign citizens=, denied access to some
registered in March 2023, had yet to be
essential services and be at risk of
considered by parliament. A draft law from
deportation.
2021, which proposed including sexual
The European Court of Human Rights
orientation and gender identity as aggravating
(ECtHR) ruled in June that Russia9s
circumstances of hate crimes in the criminal
administration of Crimea violated numerous
code, was not considered.
human rights, by imposing Russian

citizenship on Crimean residents, transferring

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
detainees to Russia, forcibly disappearing
Local NGOs reported extensive and long-
residents, and repressing religious and media
lasting environmental damage caused by the

Ukraine 379
freedoms. The ECtHR held that the treatment or to the occupied territories generally. This,

of the Crimean Tatar people 3 including the together with restrictions on the movement of

forced closure of political and cultural civilians in these territories, prevented

institutions, persecution of community residents from accessing essential services.

leaders and attacks against private property 3 Russia9s allegations of violations of

was discriminatory. Crackdowns against international law by Ukrainian forces, such as

minority groups in Crimea continued, their alleged deadly attack against a market

including against Crimean Tatars suspected in Donetsk in January, could not be

of belonging to Hizb-ut-Tahrir, as well as impartially documented, due to a lack of

Jehovah9s Witnesses, two of whom were access for independent media and human

jailed in October. rights organizations.

Torture and other ill-treatment Internally displaced people9s rights

Credible reports of torture and other ill- In March, the de facto authorities in the

treatment, as well as enforced occupied Donetsk region adopted a measure

disappearances of Ukrainian civilians and allowing for the expropriation of property left

military personnel, continued. Some 97% of behind by displaced persons. They listed

former Ukrainian prisoners of war interviewed <ownerless= properties online and gave the

by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission owners 30 days to appear in person and

in Ukraine reported being subjected to present a Russian or locally issued

torture and other ill-treatment in Russian <passport= to regain ownership. This

captivity, including severe beatings, electric measure amounted to expropriation of

shocks, sexual violence, sleep deprivation property targeting displaced persons.

and mock executions. The Independent

International Commission of Inquiry on

Ukraine reported in October that the Russian 1. <Ukraine: Russian strikes exact increasingly heavy toll on

authorities had pursued <a coordinated state Ukraine9s children=, 18 November ±

policy of torturing Ukrainian civilians and 2. <Ukraine: Ratifying the Rome Statute a welcome step, but

prisoners of war=; it found that this amounted limitations must be addressed=, 22 August ±
to crimes against humanity. 3. <Ukraine/Russia: Teachers in Russian-occupied territories coerced

Maksym Butkevych, a human rights to teach Russian curriculum through threats and violence=, 4

defender and prisoner of war since June October ±

2022, was released in a prisoner swap in 4. Ukraine/Russia: Ten Years of Occupation of Crimea: Russia Is

October. He had been convicted of a Seeking to Effect Demographic Change while Suppressing

purported war crime by a de facto court in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar Identities, 18 March ±

the occupied city of Luhansk, on the basis of 5. <Ukraine: Russia9s reprisals against prominent Ukrainian human

5
a forced videotaped <confession=. rights defender who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine=, 17

Journalist Victoria Roshchyna, forcibly August ±

disappeared from occupied Melitopol in

August 2023, was conûrmed to be in Russian

custody in April and died in Russia9s UNITED ARAB

Taganrog pretrial detention centre, infamous

for the alleged torture of inmates. EMIRATES

Denial of access United Arab Emirates

Russia did not grant UN monitors access to

places of detention where Ukrainian civilians Authorities persisted in criminalizing the

and prisoners of war were held. Other rights to freedom of expression and
international organizations, including peaceful assembly. They conducted unfair
humanitarian ones, had limited or no access mass trials of 57 Bangladeshi peaceful
to places of detention under Russian control,

380 Amnesty International Report

protesters and of 78 Emirati dissidents, quashed and that they be deported to

leading to convictions and lengthy prison Bangladesh.

sentences. Pro-Palestinian expression was

suppressed. The production of fossil fuels UNFAIR TRIALS

increased. Migrant workers were In July, authorities concluded the mass trial

disproportionally affected by the outbreak of of 78 Emirati dissidents 3 the vast majority of

dengue fever caused by üooding. whom had been imprisoned since 2013 and

previously convicted in another mass trial 3

BACKGROUND with convictions and new prison sentences

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) maintained handed down to 53 defendants. Forty-three
1
strong economic relations with Israel amid received life sentences.

the armed conüict in Gaza but ceased high- The proceedings were shrouded in

proûle announcements of new joint secrecy. Not a single court document,

commercial deals with Israel. including the indictment and verdict, was

The presidency of the annual UN made public. An Emirati lawyer involved in

Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate the trial described how authorities forbade all

change shifted from the chief executive of the lawyers working on the case from sharing

UAE9s state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil court documents with anyone, including their

Company (ADNOC) to the new host country, own clients. Authorities barred defence

Azerbaijan. lawyers from having a copy of the judgment,

In April, rare rainstorms produced record which they could only view at government

rainfall and üooding in several cities. ofûces. Defendants and their families were

not permitted to communicate during the

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY trial, and families were banned from the

Authorities conducted mass arrests and a courtroom. Only reporters working for the

rushed mass trial of 57 Bangladeshis who state news agency were permitted to enter

peacefully protested the actions of their home the courthouse complex to cover the trial.

government in several UAE cities on 19 July. The mass trial of 57 Bangladeshis

On 20 July the Ofûce of Public Prosecution convicted of protesting was also grossly

announced that it was investigating the unfair. It was conducted in less than 24 hours

protests as crimes. On 21 July, the Federal with a single state-appointed defence lawyer.

Appeal Court in Abu Dhabi convicted and

sentenced three Bangladeshi nationals to life TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

in prison and 54 others to prison terms of 10 Authorities used prolonged solitary

to 11 years. conûnement against prisoners in the mass

According to the Emirati state news trial of Emirati dissidents as a means of

agency, the defendants <confessed= to coercion and punishment. At hearings in late

involvement in <assembling in a public place 2023 and early 2024, defendants, including

for the purposes of rioting and undermining prisoner of conscience Salim al-Shehhi, told

public order, and calling and inciting for such the court that authorities had held them in

assemblies and marches=. Footage of solitary conûnement for months to coerce

protests in several locations reviewed by them into making <confessions=.

Amnesty International and Human Rights

Watch did not show protesters engaging in FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

any acts of violence, only peaceful The UAE continued to criminalize the right to

gatherings, chanting and marching. freedom of expression through multiple laws

On 3 September the state news agency and to punish actual or perceived critics of

announced that President Mohamed bin the government.

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had pardoned In April, authorities expelled from the UAE

Bangladeshi nationals who <assembled and a Palestinian instructor at the Abu Dhabi

rioted= and ordered that their sentences be

United Arab Emirates 381

campus of New York University (NYU) capital to pursue investments in climate

because of his political views, expressed to adaptation projects in lower-income

his academic colleagues. In May, authorities countries, with a proûtable return expected

arrested, detained and forcibly returned to for investors.

his country of origin a foreign student who

shouted, <Free Palestine!= at the NYU MIGRANT WORKERS9 RIGHTS

graduation ceremony. NYU administrators Flooding in April caused an outbreak of

denied permission to students and faculty to dengue fever. According to an investigation

hold events related to Palestine, suppressed by the human rights organization FairSquare

pro-Palestinian expression at the graduation in July, the outbreak disproportionally

ceremony and warned staff that they could affected migrant workers, who also struggled

be punished under Emirati law if they to access adequate healthcare and

2
criticized the university9s administration. information. FairSquare found that, although

On 2 August the federal Ofûce of Public the authorities had cleared main roads,

Prosecution announced that, based on new dengue-breeding stagnant water remained

<confessions=, it was pursuing new criminal for months in industrial areas where migrant

investigations against exiled Emiratis for workers live and work.

<direct communication with international .

human rights organizations=, among other

<offences=.

1. <UAE: Scores convicted in sham mass trial violating fundamental

IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS legal principles=, 10 July ±

Amnesty International uncovered new visual 2. New York University, UAE Authorities Quash Campus Freedom, 22

evidence that UAE-manufactured armoured August ±

personnel carriers were being used by the 3. New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict, 25 July ±

Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, which have

committed war crimes including ethnically

motivated attacks on civilians.

3
UNITED KINGDOM

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Rather than pursuing fossil fuel phase-out

measures, the UAE continued to expand its

Legislation was passed overriding court
oil production capacity through ADNOC, and rulings relating to human rights to enable
to push the Organization of Petroleum the enforced removal of asylum seekers to
Exporting Countries to authorize more Emirati Rwanda. Arms transfers to Israel were
exports. Expansion of oil production capacity maintained for much of the year before
was projected to continue into 2027. The
being partially suspended by the new
Climate Action Tracker project ranked the
government. Public authorities engaged in a
UAE9s climate policies and actions as
range of conduct that had a chilling effect
<insufûcient= to counter the threat of on protest and speech connected to Gaza
catastrophic climate change, noting that, and Palestine. Peaceful environmental
despite progress, the UAE9s emissions protesters faced lengthy prison sentences.
reduction plans relied heavily on carbon Children from Black and ethnic minority
capture and storage, undermining the
backgrounds were disproportionately
credibility of its 2050 net zero target.
impacted by the high level of child poverty.
A June report by the NGO Global Witness

conûrmed that the UAE9s COP team had

BACKGROUND
pursued fossil fuel deals for ADNOC while In July, following a general election, the

hosting the climate conference in 2023. Conservative Party, which had been in power

The Emirati government9s approach to for 14 years, was replaced by a Labour Party
climate ûnance was to encourage private

382 Amnesty International Report

administration. As a result, some policies that In September, an internal Home Ofûce

constituted serious threats to human rights report was published on the roots of what is

were dropped or altered. In August, days of known as the Windrush scandal. The report

racist violence occurred in towns across conûrmed the racism at the heart of

England and Northern Ireland. This occurred government policy and laws passed by

against a backdrop of sustained anti-asylum parliament over several decades <to reduce

seeker rhetoric from ûgures in politics and the number of people with black or brown

the media and the implementation of skin= permitted to live in the UK. This

government policies that collapsed the resulted in many Black and Asian British

asylum-processing system and damaged people being deprived of their UK citizenship

social cohesion. The violence was incited and later being exposed to immigration

through misinformation, discriminatory policies such as forced removal, from which

speech and advocacy of hatred on social they should have been immune but could not

media following the killing of three children in protect themselves.

the town of Southport by an attacker who was In October, it was announced that the new

falsely identiûed as an asylum seeker and a government would continue the previous

Muslim. administration9s policy of phasing out

physical immigration status documents, to be

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS replaced by purely digital <e-visas=. There

In April the Safety of Rwanda Act passed into were serious concerns that this policy would

law. This sought to overturn a 2023 Supreme be exclusionary and transfer control over the

Court ruling that Rwanda was not a safe evidence of a person9s lawful right to

country to send people seeking asylum, and residence and services from the individual to

suspended or overrode a wide range of rights the Home Ofûce.

protections. It followed the Illegal Migration

Act 2023 by implementing a wider policy, IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS

enforced by that act, of refusing to process For the ûrst half of the year, the then

asylum claims made in the UK. However, government refused to suspend export

following the change of government, the licences for arms and other military

scheme to enable the enforced removal of equipment to Israel, including for equipment

asylum seekers to Rwanda was scrapped and being used in the conüict in Gaza. In June,

regulations were passed suspending the UN special experts called on states to end all

effect of the Illegal Migration Act. The new transfers of military equipment to Israel to

government announced its intention to clear avoid the risk of responsibility for human

the backlog of asylum claims that had built rights violations. In September, the new

up under the previous policy and also government partially suspended export

announced the decommission of an ex- licences, citing a <clear risk= of breaches of

prison barge and a former air force base as international humanitarian law by the Israeli

accommodation for people seeking asylum. military. However, the UK contribution to the

The new government committed to F-35 ûghter jet, a crucial element in Israeli

repealing the Safety of Rwanda Act and military activity, was excluded from this

announced plans to introduce a new Border suspension. A judicial review into UK

Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. The government policy on arms export licences

details of this bill were not publicly available was ongoing at year9s end.

at year9s end, but the government indicated

that it would pursue the same aim as the FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

previous government of seeking to prevent Major and regular street protests continued in

and deter people from seeking asylum in the the capital, London calling for a ceaseûre

UK, increase immigration detention space following the October 2023 Hamas-led

and fast-track the removal of people from the attacks in Israel and the subsequent Israeli

UK. military response. These protests were

United Kingdom 383

subject to some restrictions, but police In May, the Economic Activity of Public

allowed them to go ahead in the face of Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill failed to

considerable political pressure to ban them. become law when parliament was dissolved

In May, government-issued regulations due to the calling of the general election. The

handing police enhanced powers to impose bill, which would have made it potentially

restrictions on protests on grounds of unlawful for public bodies to reüect human

<serious disruption= were ruled to be rights and ethical issues in decisions about

unlawful by the Divisional Court. The new procurement or their investment of funds,

government9s appeal against this decision would have stiüed calls for boycott,

was heard in December. divestment and sanctions.

Environmental protesters engaging in

peaceful protests deemed <seriously RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

disruptive= or constituting a <public REPARATION

nuisance=, acts potentially amounting to In January, the Irish government lodged an

<contempt of court= or protest involving interstate case against the UK government at

<criminal damage=, regularly faced the European Court of Human Rights

imprisonment. In some instances this regarding the Northern Ireland Legacy Act.

included very lengthy prison sentences of up Two judgments from the Belfast High Court

to ûve years. and Northern Ireland Court of Appeal were

handed down in February and September,

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION which found the act incompatible with the

Throughout the year, investigations continued European Convention on Human Rights

into the nature and extent of surveillance (ECHR) and in breach of the Windsor

activities by the Police Service of Northern Framework agreement between the UK and

Ireland (PSNI) on journalists. In December, the EU. Among the ûndings were that the

the Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled that provisions on immunity from prosecution

the PSNI and the Metropolitan police in were incompatible with Articles 2 and 3 of

London had unlawfully surveilled two the ECHR and Article 2 of the Windsor

journalists in 2012 and 2013. In June, an Framework and should therefore be

independent barrister-led review of the issue disapplied. The legacy body established by

was launched. the act 3 the Independent Commission for

Also, throughout the year, the government Reconciliation and Information Recovery 3

and other public authorities engaged in a was found to be unlawful in relation to

range of conduct that unduly curtailed the participation and disclosure of evidence. The

right to freedom of expression and had a UK government committed to repealing

chilling effect on speech connected to Gaza some, but not all, elements of the Legacy Act

and Palestine. This included the use of the and signalled that it intended to appeal to the

much criticized Prevent counterterrorism Supreme Court.

programme, the cancellation of visas and

disciplinary proceedings against individuals, LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

with particularly harmful impact on Muslim Throughout the year there continued an

and racialized school children and young extremely hostile media and political climate

people. against trans people. Hate crime against

In March, the government published a LGBTI people reportedly rose. The

revised deûnition of the concept of government issued guidance to schools not

<extremism=, which was to be used by public to discuss <gender identity= during sex and

bodies to assess individuals and groups as relationships education. In November, the

<extremist=, with a view to excluding them Supreme Court heard a challenge brought by

from public funds, platforms and other forms a gender critical group seeking to exclude

of <legitimacy=. trans people with the UK9s form of legal

gender recognition from sex discrimination

384 Amnesty International Report

protections in their legal gender. A judgment In March, the UN Committee on the Rights

had not been issued by year9s end. of Persons with Disabilities reported that the

In September the Scottish government9s UK had failed to meet its obligations across

proposal to introduce a comprehensive ban numerous articles of the convention.

on conversion practices was delayed, with In September, the Scottish government

the Scottish government saying it would dropped plans to introduce a Human Rights

instead wait for the UK government to Bill. The bill would have incorporated the

introduce a bill. The previous UK government ICESCR and other international human rights

did not deliver a conversion therapy ban conventions into Scottish law.

because the bill was held up over the debate

about the inclusion of trans people. The new DISCRIMINATION

government committed to publishing a draft In August, the UN CERD Committee

bill, including a full conversion therapy ban, recommended, among other things, reforms

but only aimed at forming the basis for to immigration legislation, suspension of the

further consultation. Prevent counterterrorism strategy and an end

1
to the use of strip searches of children.

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

During COP29 in November, the new SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

government committed to cutting greenhouse Despite decriminalization, there remained

gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035, an signiûcant obstacles to accessing abortion

increase from the 78% pledged by the care in Northern Ireland, including a lack of

previous government. The new government early screening for fetal impairments.

maintained the previous government9s In England and Wales, there was an

commitment to providing GBP 11.6 billion in increase in investigations and prosecutions of

climate ûnancing until March 2026, a women accused of having an abortion

position rated <highly insufûcient= by the illegally. A number of trials were scheduled

Climate Action Tracker. for 2025.

In September, the Scottish government

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS introduced <safe access zones= around

In January the Children9s Commissioner for hospitals and clinics providing abortion

Wales criticized the Welsh government9s plan services. A similar law in England and Wales

for tackling child poverty, while in March, UK came into force in October.

government statistics showed 4.3 million

children living in poverty across the UK. The

statistics demonstrated a disproportionate 1. UK: Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial

impact on children from Black and minority Discrimination, 1 August ±

ethnic backgrounds, of whom 47% were

living in poverty compared with 24% of white

children. UNITED STATES OF

These statistics were followed in October

by annual government data showing that AMERICA

levels of homelessness in England had risen

12.3% in a year. Street homelessness, United States of America

termed <vagrancy=, remained subject to

criminal law.
Abortion bans severely impacted
In February, a coalition of civil society
reproductive rights. Access to asylum was
groups including Amnesty International limited by border policies, but some
highlighted the inadequacy of the standard nationalities continued to enjoy Temporary
social security allowance, which was less Protected Status. Nationwide campus
than the cost of common essentials for a protests against Israel9s genocide in Gaza
single person.

United States of America 385

were met with violence from law Bans and restrictions to abortion created

enforcement and counter-protesters. Black fear, confusion and devastation. It forced

people were disproportionately affected by people to delay care and threatened their

police use of lethal force. Progress towards rights to life and health and, ultimately,
1
abolishing the death penalty was minimal. forced people to give birth against their will.

û
Arbitrary and inde nite detention at Additional barriers existed for many

Guantánamo Bay continued. Despite people, including Black and other racialized

ongoing gun violence, Congress failed to people, Indigenous Peoples, undocumented

enact any federal regulations, but President immigrants, transgender people, rural

Biden issued executive actions to help residents and people living in poverty.

address the violence. The USA continued Medical professionals increasingly left states

using lethal force around the world and with severe abortion bans, further widening

provided arms to Israel that were being reproductive healthcare <deserts=,

used in direct attacks on civilians and particularly in rural and low-income areas.

indiscriminate attacks. Discrimination and Socio-economic barriers prevented many

violence against LGBTI people were individuals from being able to travel out of

widespread and anti-LGBTI legislation state to seek abortion services.

persisted. Congress failed to pass bills to People in seven states voted to protect the

address reparations regarding slavery and right to abortion.

its legacies. Gender-based violence

continued to disproportionately affect REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS

Indigenous women. Fossil fuel use and Migration measures continued to drastically

production expanded. Black people, other limit access to asylum at the US-Mexico

racialized groups and low-income people border. A Presidential Proclamation in June

suffered severe health, environmental and suspended entry at the border if there had

climate impacts from the petrochemical been a seven-day average of 2,500 or more

industry. encounters, continuing until there have been

28 consecutive calendar days in which the

BACKGROUND seven-consecutive-calendar-day average was

Campaigns for the presidential elections less than 1,500. The border closure did not

focused on issues around inüation and the apply to individuals who had obtained an

cost of living, access to housing and appointment through the <CBP One= mobile

immigration at the southern border. They application (among other limited exceptions),

involved divisive rhetoric that targeted but appointments were limited. The

communities including migrants and application9s mandatory use of facial

refugees, people seeking access to recognition and GPS tracking raised serious

reproductive healthcare, LGBTI people and privacy, surveillance and discrimination

2
racialized groups. concerns. The proclamation also prohibited

Donald Trump was elected for a new border agents from asking people about their

presidential term in November. protection needs, resulting in increased

deportations without access to asylum

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS screenings. Screenings imposed more

The legality and accessibility of abortion stringent standards and access to due

varied greatly across the country. Nineteen process was limited. These policies

states had total or near-total abortion bans by continued to force asylum seekers to wait in

the end of the year. The 2024 release of a Mexico for long periods of time, prolonging

maternal mortality review from 2022 their exposure to violence, particularly

conûrmed that at least two women had died affecting Black, Indigenous and LGBTI

in Georgia due to delayed care after a six- people.

week abortion ban had taken effect there. The administration granted, extended and

redesignated Temporary Protected Status for

386 Amnesty International Report

Ethiopian, Haitian, Lebanese, Myanmar, zone= that perpetuated environmental racism

Somalian, Syrian and Yemeni nationals, and a legacy of racially discriminatory

extending work authorization and protection housing practices.

from removal. Approximately 177,190 people In August, a federal court blocked the

were granted travel authorization through the government from requiring Louisiana to

parole process for Cubans, Haitians, implement safeguards against the impacts of

Nicaraguans and Venezuelans between pollution. The safeguards related to federal

January and August. civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination

Authorities expanded the system of based on race, skin colour or national origin.

arbitrary mass immigration detention, According to the most recent data from the

surveillance and electronic monitoring. Department of Energy, fossil fuel production

Anti-immigrant, racist rhetoric grew 3 comprised 84% of US energy production in

particularly during the presidential campaign 2023. The US expanded fossil fuel

3 resulting in violent attacks and threats to production to the highest levels of any

immigrant communities and humanitarian country ever. In June, a liqueûed natural gas

service providers. export project was approved in Louisiana,

expected to become one of the largest US

FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY gas export projects.

Students and staff at universities across the In March, President Biden signed an

country engaged in protests in opposition to appropriations bill designating USD 931.9

Israel9s genocide in Gaza and US complicity, million for international climate ûnance for

demanding their academic institutions issue the 2024 ûscal year, despite previously

ofûcial calls for a ceaseûre, calling on the pledging USD 3 billion for that year.

government to end its supply of arms to

Israel, and urging their schools to divest from EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

companies proûting from the conüict. According to media sources, police shot and

Largely peaceful protests and killed 1,133 people in 2024. Black people

encampments faced academic sanctions and were disproportionately impacted by the use

punishments, violence from counter- of lethal force, comprising nearly 22% of

protesters, and violence from law deaths from police use of ûrearms, despite

enforcement summoned by college representing 13% of the population. After 10

3
administrations. Police, often in riot gear, years, the government still had not fully

used force, including batons, rubber bullets implemented the Death in Custody Reporting

and rounds, pepper spray and tear gas to Act to document the number of people killed

disperse and detain protesters. At least 3,100 by law enforcement every year.

students, staff and others were arrested or Congress failed to pass the George Floyd

detained. Amnesty International and UN Justice in Policing Act, which included

experts criticized the summoning of law policies such as a ban on racial proûling, and
4
enforcement to disperse these protests. law enforcement accountability.

Congress and 19 states introduced 52 bills

restricting the right to protest, with seven bills DEATH PENALTY

enacted in four states. Alabama conducted three executions by

nitrogen hypoxia, despite condemnation by

6
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT national and international groups. UN

Pollution from the hundreds of fossil fuel and experts called for a ban of the method,

petrochemical plants along the Houston Ship labelling it <human experimentation= that

Channel in Texas harmed the health and <amounted to torture=. South Carolina carried

human rights of residents, disproportionately out its ûrst execution in 13 years following a

affecting marginalized and racialized state court decision that its execution
5
communities. The lack of regulatory methods were not <cruel and unusual

oversight continued, creating a <sacriûce

United States of America 387

punishment=. Indiana conducted its ûrst plead guilty and avoid the death penalty, but

execution since 2009. the Secretary of Defense quashed that

Louisiana enacted legislation to include agreement and the case remained in limbo.

nitrogen hypoxia and the electric chair as After 23 years, there had been no

methods of execution, while Kansas accountability for the perpetrators of the 9/11

attempted to pass a bill adding nitrogen attacks.

hypoxia as an option for executions. Iowa Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist,

attempted to reinstate the death penalty for was serving two consecutive life sentences

ûrst-degree murder of a police ofûcer or relating to the deaths of two federal agents in

prison ofûcial. Tennessee expanded the South Dakota in 1975. Serious concerns

crimes subject to capital punishment to remained about his conviction and

include <aggravated rape of a child= despite sentencing. Now 80 years old with serious,

being unconstitutional. Alabama failed to chronic health issues, his application for

pass a bill applying its 2017 ban on judicial compassionate release was denied in April

override for death penalty cases retroactively, and his application for parole was rejected in
7
which could have overturned the sentences July. An application for clemency to

of at least 30 individuals. Delaware ofûcially President Biden was pending at the end of

repealed the death penalty after it was found the year.

unconstitutional in 2016.

RIGHT TO LIFE AND SECURITY OF THE

ARBITRARY DETENTION PERSON

Twenty-six Muslim men remained arbitrarily According to government statistics released

and indeûnitely detained in the US detention in 2024, at least 48,204 people were killed

facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in violation by gun violence in 2022, the most recent

of international law. The Biden administration year for which data exists. Gun violence was

transferred four detainees out of Guantánamo the leading cause of death among children

in 2024. Fourteen of the remaining detainees and adolescents. Gun violence swelled in

have been cleared for transfer, some for over 2024 with 503 mass shootings, and at least

a decade, without progress. Congress 112 primary/secondary school or college

continued to block the transfer of shootings where a victim was injured or

Guantánamo detainees to the USA, so they killed. The government9s failure to enact

can only be transferred to third countries evidence-based ûrearm regulations

where their human rights would be jeopardized the human rights of the whole

respected. population.

There continued to be no accountability, In the absence of congressional action on

redress or adequate medical treatment for gun violence prevention and gun reform

detainees who have been subjected to torture legislation, President Biden issued several

and other ill-treatment and/or enforced executive orders expanding background

disappearance. checks on ûrearm purchasers, addressing

Eight detainees, including ûve men safe storage of guns, and providing support

accused of participating in the 11 September for states that were disarming domestic

2001 attacks, continued to face charges in abusers.

the military commission system, in breach of

international law and standards relating to fair UNLAWFUL KILLINGS

trials. They could face the death penalty if The USA continued to use lethal force, which

convicted, which would constitute arbitrary in some cases could amount to extrajudicial

deprivation of life since proceedings did not executions, around the world and withheld

meet international standards, and the information regarding the legal and policy

detainees were systematically tortured. Three standards and criteria applied by US forces

of the defendants in the 9/11 military to the use of lethal force.

commission case reached an agreement to

388 Amnesty International Report

The administration created a new civilian access to healthcare and public facilities,

harm mitigation and response policy in which ability to access legal documents in their

it agreed to conduct more thorough preferred identity, participation in school

investigations of civilian harm and created a activities, and access to LGBTI-related

Center of Excellence to guide those educational materials, among others.

investigations. However, it refused to revisit In January, the California Legislative Black

well-documented cases of civilian deaths and Caucus proposed a reparations package with

harm, and failed to provide reparations for 14 bills to dismantle the legacies of slavery

past civilian killings, including those it had and systemic racism affecting people of

acknowledged. African descent, of which 11 had either

US-made bombs and components were passed into law or were pending committee

identiûed by Amnesty International in review.

unlawful deadly air strikes by the Israeli In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court

military on residential homes and a makeshift dismissed a case brought by Viola Fletcher

camp for displaced people in the occupied and Lessie Benningûeld seeking reparatory
8 9 10
Gaza Strip in January, April, and May. justice as the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa

The continued supply of munitions to Israel Race Massacre, in which a mob of white

violated US laws and policies regarding the people attacked and killed hundreds of Black

transfer and sale of arms, intended to prevent residents. A rehearing was dismissed in

arms transfers that risk contributing to civilian September, denying accountability for one of

harm and violations of human rights or the USA9s worst anti-Black racist crimes of

international humanitarian law. the 20th century.

In February, President Biden issued an In July, the Department of the Interior

executive order that imposed sanctions on published its ûnal report on the Federal

individual Israeli settlers, Israeli settler Indian Boarding School initiative, which

organizations, and a Palestinian armed group sought to address the intergenerational

for undermining peace, security and stability trauma inüicted on Indigenous children by

in the West Bank. the violent assimilation programme from

In September, the Department of Justice 1871 to 1969. The investigation identiûed at

announced indictments against Hamas least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at

members covering a period from 1997 and 65 schools and at least 973 conûrmed

including charges of <conspiracy to murder deaths, although the actual number of deaths

US nationals= and <conspiracy to provide is estimated to be triple this.

material support to a foreign terrorist In September, the New York City Council

organization resulting in death=. passed legislation to <acknowledge and

address the legacy and impact of slavery and

DISCRIMINATION racial injustices=.

Individuals experienced worrying levels of Congress failed to pass a law to establish a

violence based on their actual or perceived commission to study and develop reparation

sexual orientation or gender identity, proposals for African Americans regarding

especially racialized transgender people. slavery and President Biden failed to issue an

Government data from 2024 showed that at executive order that would do the same.

least 2,900 hate crimes against LGBTI people

were reported in 2023. According to the GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Human Rights Campaign, 84% of The staggering rates of sexual violence

transgender people killed were people of against American Indian and Alaska Native

colour and 50% were Black transgender (AI/AN) women continued. Government data

women. suggested that AI/AN women were 2.2 times

State legislatures introduced 574 anti- more likely to experience sexual violence

LGBTI bills, of which 46 passed into law. than non-Indigenous women. The law

These laws impacted LGBTI individuals9 continued to restrict the ability of Tribes to

United States of America 389

prosecute non-Indigenous perpetrators of no progress was made in investigations into

violence against Indigenous women, although enforced disappearances under the regime.

the 2022 Violence Against Women Act, Uruguay continued to be a hostile country

enacted in 2024, included provisions for girls and women, with high rates in

allowing 31 out of 574 federally recognized femicides and complaints for violence

Tribes to do so thus far. against women. Mental health services were

AI/AN survivors continued to face barriers inadequate, as was the provision of social
to accessing post-rape care, including care. Adolescent pregnancies remained

forensic examinations necessary for criminal û

concerning. The con rmed installation of a

cases. data centre had possible environmental

consequences.

1. Abortion in the USA: The Human Rights Crisis in the Aftermath of BACKGROUND

Dobbs, 5 August ± The system of rights guarantees in Uruguay

2. USA: CBP One: A blessing or a trap?, 8 May ± continued to weaken. The Executive and

3. <Amnesty International urges university administrations to Legislative branches publicly questioned the

respect and protect students9 rights to protest=, 24 April ; ± Attorney General9s Ofûce, which led the

4. <Amnesty International USA condemns university administrations9 Association of Prosecutor Magistrates to

responses to campus protests=, 3 May ± complain to the Inter-American Commission

5. USA: The Cost of Doing Business? The Petrochemical Industry9s on Human Rights.

Toxic Pollution in the USA, 25 January ±

6. <Amnesty International USA condemns Alabama9s execution of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Kenneth Smith, calls for moratorium on use of the death penalty A report by the local organization Centre for

as first critical step=, 26 January ± Archives and Access to Public Information

7. <U.S. Parole Commission denies Leonard Peltier9s request for stated that there were 59 cases of threats

freedom; President Biden should grant clemency=, 2 July ± and restrictions on the freedom of expression

8. <Israel/OPT: New evidence of unlawful Israeli attacks in Gaza of journalists in Uruguay between April 2023

causing mass civilian casualties amid real risk of genocide=, 12 and March 2024.

February ± Amendments to the Media Law threatened

9. <Israel/OPT: Israeli air strikes that killed 44 civilians further diversity, media plurality and government

evidence of war crimes 3 new investigation=, 27 May ± transparency because they favoured media

10. <Israel/OPT: Israeli attacks targeting Hamas and other armed market concentration.

group fighters that killed scores of displaced civilians in Rafah

should be investigated as war crimes=, 27 August ± INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS

Overcrowding persisted in the penitentiary

system during 2024. According to

URUGUAY information provided by the Ofûce of the

Parliamentary Commissioner for the

Eastern Republic of Uruguay Penitentiary System, the prison population

had increased steadily, reaching about

Limitations to freedom of expression and 16,266 inmates by November, of whom

access to public information continued, 14,923 were male and 1,343 were female.

generating concerns over the State9s Furthermore, 70 children under four years

old were in custody with their mothers.

transparency. Prisons remained very
In 2024, 54 inmates died in custody: 33
overcrowded, often resulting in inhumane
due to violent murders, 18 due to natural
detention conditions; death rates in prison
were high. Military personnel were causes and three were under investigation.

prosecuted for offences amounting to Civil society organizations raised concerns

crimes against humanity committed during about deteriorating and insanitary detention

the civil-military regime (1973-1985), but conditions such as overcrowding and the

390 Amnesty International Report

negative impact on the right to health of American Health Organization, every week in

people deprived of their liberty. Uruguay around 16 people die by suicide,

one of the highest suicide rates in Latin

IMPUNITY America.

In 2024, there were ûve convictions, ûve

indictments and ûve conûrmations of RIGHT TO SOCIAL CARE

convictions of current or retired members of Nine years after its creation by Law 19,353,

the military and police on charges of torture, the National Integrated Care System was not

kidnapping and killing, amounting to crimes functioning effectively and its target

against humanity, under the civil-military population (children under three years old,

regime in the 1970s and 1980s. However, no people with disabilities and older adults in a

substantive progress was made in clarifying situation of dependency) were still unable to

the fate of those forcibly disappeared under access care, as stipulated by the law. This

the regime. was a violation of their right to access care

The remains of Amelia Sanjurjo and Luis and had a disproportionate impact on women

Eduardo Arigón, political activists who were who are often overrepresented in unpaid care

abducted and disappeared during the work due to entrenched gender

military regime, were identiûed in May and discrimination.

September, respectively. The Pro Care Network in Uruguay

highlighted the need to reinstate the National

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Secretariat for Care to coordinate the National

According to the Ministry of the Interior, Integrated Care System and ensure it fulûls

between January and October, there were 19 its mandate. The network also emphasized

femicides and 35,293 complaints about the need for stable and sufûcient resources

violence against women. The worrying level of and a solidarity-based model for the co-

gender-based violence could be due to the ûnancing system.

failure to fully implement the law on gender-

based violence against women (Law 19,580) SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

or to allocate sufûcient resources for the Despite progress within the sexual and

creation of multi-purpose courts capable of reproductive rights agenda, obstacles

dealing with all matters relating to gender- remained in the prevention of adolescent

based violence. pregnancies and government policy in this

area remained inadequate. According to

RIGHT TO INFORMATION information provided by the Pregnancy

Access to public information remained Notiûcation System of the State Health

inadequate 15 years after the approval of the Services Administration, 190 girls and

Law of Access to Public Information (Law adolescents under 15 years of age were

18,381). Public institutions, which are pregnant in the period May 2021 3 April

subject to this law, had failed to implement 2024, of whom 22 terminated their

policies of transparency and access to public pregnancies. In 39% of these cases, the

information. pregnancies were the result of sexual abuse

According to the Centre of Archives and and in 22% of the cases sexual abuse could

Access to Public Information, the number of not be ruled out.

cases of restricted access to public Violations of the rights of children and

information remained high with 18 instances adolescents institutionalized in the state child

recorded. protection system were identiûed, when an

adolescent died after being sexually exploited

RIGHT TO HEALTH while under state care.

Access to mental health services remained

insufûcient and there was no ofûcial data on

the suicide rate. According to the Pan

Uruguay 391
RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT media commentators faced politically

The installation of a multinational company9s motivated prosecutions for reporting

data centre in Uruguay was conûrmed, allegations of corruption, human rights

generating concern about its impact on abuses and other politically sensitive topics.

human rights and the environment, as well as At least 10 were convicted of defamation and

the possible tax exemptions that the insulting the president online, and some also

company will receive. The Ministry for the faced fabricated charges of extortion and

Environment raised concerns over the data fraud.

centre9s potential environmental damage in International human rights NGOs faced

terms of air pollution and water usage. increasing restrictions to their legitimate

Amnesty International requested access to monitoring and reporting activities. Human

information from the Ministry for the rights defenders and activists also faced

Environment on the tax beneûts that the intimidation, harassment and attacks.

company will receive, but no information had Activists Umida Niyazova and Sharifa

been forthcoming by the end of the year. Madrakhimova were threatened and

physically assaulted in April by a pro-

government blogger and an unknown man.

UZBEKISTAN The assailants were attempting to stop the

two women monitoring cotton production and

Republic of Uzbekistan interviewing farmers and workers at the

Indorama Agro cotton company about labour

The authorities continued to tighten their disputes. The police declined to press

control over the right to freedom of charges against the blogger and his

expression and the media. Activists, accomplice. Shortly afterwards the blogger

bloggers and independent journalists faced accused Umida Niyazova on social media of

politically motivated prosecutions for denigrating Uzbekistan9s reputation.

reporting on allegations of corruption and In July, OSCE experts expressed concern

human rights abuses, including violations of that the most recent revised draft of the

housing and labour rights. Torture and other Information Code contained overly broad and

ill-treatment remained routine and discriminatory restrictions on the right to

pervasive, with impunity commonplace for freedom of expression, such as prohibiting

those suspected of criminal responsibility. the dissemination of information that

LGBTI people faced intimidation, physical promotes <separatism= and <religious

assault, defamation on social media and extremism= and shows disrespect towards

arbitrary detention on false criminal the state and society. The draft code was

charges. Many victims of forced evictions pending adoption at the end of December.

and expropriations remained without In July, ethnic Tajik journalist Salim

effective legal redress. Inomzoda was arrested and charged with

disseminating <information threatening public

BACKGROUND safety= for reposting on Facebook in 2022 a

No genuine political opposition parties took traditional Tajik song, which the authorities

part in the parliamentary elections in October. found to be <separatist=. He faced up to eight

The ruling party won a majority of seats. years9 imprisonment.

New amendments to the law on the status

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION of foreigners and stateless persons, signed in

The authorities continued to tighten their November, granted the authorities the power

control over the right to freedom of to designate as <undesirable= any foreigner

expression and the media, suffocating any found to be damaging the reputation, culture,

genuinely independent outlets. In the values, traditions or history of Uzbekistan.

absence of free media, bloggers and social Penalties included ûnes and a ûve-year ban

on entering the country.

392 Amnesty International Report

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION assistance, and he had limited access to his

In February the Supreme Court designated lawyer and family.

Alga Karakalpakstan, an unregistered political

opposition party advocating for the RIGHT TO HOUSING

independence of the Autonomous Republic Following his visit to Uzbekistan in August,

of Karakalpakstan, as <extremist= and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to

banned it. adequate housing warned that there was a

On 30 May a court sentenced Parakhat large gap between law and practice regarding

Musapbarov to six years9 imprisonment for the right to housing. He noted that <judicial

alleged membership of Alga Karakalpakstan. independence remain[ed] a challenge= and

The conviction was based solely on his forced that <an overwhelming majority of cases

<confession= in pre-trial detention, which he involving developers and residents seem[ed]

retracted in court, and comments he had to be decided in favor of developers=. The

posted on social media while living in special rapporteur also expressed concern

neighbouring Kazakhstan. that victims of forced evictions, housing rights

defenders, lawyers, bloggers and journalists

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT reporting about arbitrary housing demolitions

Torture and other ill-treatment remained had been intimidated, prosecuted or

routine and pervasive in places of detention, detained on dubious grounds.

and impunity was commonplace for those On 5 January a court decided to transfer

suspected of criminal responsibility. There Shahida Salomova, who had been an

was no progress on proposals by the outspoken critic of human rights abuses in

Prosecutor General9s Ofûce on establishing urban development and had defended

independent mechanisms for monitoring victims of forced evictions, from an open to a

torture and conditions of detention, and the closed psychiatric hospital. She was

authorities continued to stall relevant legal forbidden contact with her relatives and

reforms that they had promised to a number lawyer and subjected to compulsory medical

of international monitoring bodies. treatment. She had been conûned to a

The parliamentary commission set up in psychiatric institution in 2022 after accusing

2022 to investigate the violent repression of the president and his family of corruption on

protests in Karakalpakstan, including the social media. The special rapporteur

alleged torture of dozens of detained expressed regret that he had not been

protesters, ûnally presented a report to allowed to visit Shahida Salomova and called

parliament in December. The full text had not for an independent international medical

been made public by year9s end. The assessment of her condition.

authorities ignored calls for an international

independent investigation. LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS

In August, human rights defenders LGBTI people continued to be at risk of

reported that the health of Karakalpakstan human rights violations and abuses by law

lawyer and editor Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, enforcement ofûcials and private individuals.

was deteriorating. He had been sentenced to They faced intimidation, physical assault,

16 years9 imprisonment after an unfair trial defamation on social media and arbitrary

for his alleged role in the July 2022 protests. detention on false criminal charges.

According to his mother, who had visited him The government persisted in refusing to

in prison, he was forced to work in a lime decriminalize consensual sexual relations

factory in dangerous conditions without any between men. Responding in April to the UN

protective clothing, had lost weight, had Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural

difûculty eating and breathing, and had Rights, the authorities stated that the

rashes on his hands and face. The authorities decriminalization of such relations

failed to provide the necessary medical contradicted <the traditions of the multi-

ethnic people of Uzbekistan, the values of the

Uzbekistan 393
institution of the family and national crimes against humanity. Journalists

customs.= remained at risk of arbitrary detention and

The authorities also warned of the danger harassment and the government continued

of <homosexual propaganda= and insisted its attempts to obstruct independent media.

that sexual orientation and gender identity Human rights NGOs were threatened with

could not be included as protected closure and human rights defenders

characteristics in anti-discrimination û
remained at signi cant risk. By the end of
legislation because they contradicted <the the year more than 7.89 million

values of the institution of the family=. Venezuelans had üed the country. Oil spills
û
at El Palito re nery in Carabobo state

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT severely impacted marine fauna. High levels

Uzbekistan remained vulnerable to the of poverty persisted and people lacked

consequences of climate change, overuse of access to adequate food, water and

water for agricultural purposes, desertiûcation healthcare. Violence against women

and air pollution. persisted and abortion remained

The capital city, Tashkent, ranked among criminalized. There was no progress in

the 10 most polluted cities in the world. A ensuring the rights of LGBTI people. Illegal

World Bank study found that 83% of its mining and violence threatened Indigenous

inhabitants were exposed to levels of air Peoples9 rights in the Orinoco Mining Arc

pollution six times greater than the WHO9s area. OHCHR staff were expelled from the

recommended levels, accounting for around country. The mandate of the UN Fact-

3,000 premature deaths annually. Dust from Finding Mission on Venezuela was renewed.
construction sites and roads contributed to

more than half of airborne pollutants. BACKGROUND

In a bid to slow encroaching The presidential election in July was fraught

desertiûcation, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with controversy. Opposition parties to the

initiated a programme to sow drought- government of Nicolás Maduro faced

resistant seeds over arid areas, including numerous obstacles to participating in the

Karakalpakstan which had been particularly election, including obstructed registration,

affected by the drying out of the Aral Sea. arbitrary detention of their members and

torture.

Despite international pressure on the

VENEZUELA electoral authorities to publish detailed

electoral results, including from the EU and

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela other states in the region, such as Brazil and

Colombia, the government rejected any form

Protests following the announcement of the of inquiry and continued persecuting political

results of the presidential election in July opponents.

were violently repressed with excessive use The Supreme Tribunal of Justice validated

of force and possible extrajudicial the appointment of Nicolás Maduro for a new

executions. Thousands of arbitrary arrests term as president. Presidential candidate

were carried out against political Edmundo González Urrutia, who had

opponents, human rights defenders and contested the results, üed the country in

journalists; hundreds of children were September and was granted asylum in Spain.

among those detained. Detainees including In February, staff of the , the UN human

women and children were allegedly rights ofûce, OHCHR were expelled from the

tortured. Detention conditions continued to country after reporting on Rocío San Miguel9s

deteriorate. Impunity prevailed for human disappearance. By the end of the year, a

rights violations. The ICC authorized the small team of OHCHR staff had been

resumption of the investigation into alleged readmitted into Venezuela.

394 Amnesty International Report

The mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission detainees were denied information about

on Venezuela was renewed for two years by their whereabouts for several days, including

the UN Human Rights Council, although the in cases where children were detained. The

authorities had not granted access to the detainees were charged with generic

country by the end of the year. In October the terrorism-related offences and the hearings

mission published a report denouncing the were conducted by counterterrorism courts,

continuation of a repression-state policy and which lacked impartiality and independence.

crimes against humanity, with emphasis on As of December, 221 women were still in

the electoral and post-electoral crisis. detention.

Jesús Armas and Luis Tarbay, activists

RIGHT TO LIFE from the opposition political party Vente

Between 28 July and 1 August, immediately Venezuela, were arbitrarily arrested by

after the presidential election, at least 24 unidentiûed individuals in Caracas on 11 and

people died as a result of the government9s 24 December respectively. By the end of the

repression of protests against the year around 160 members of Vente

appointment of Nicolás Maduro. Most of Venezuela and 34 members of Primero

these killings could amount to extrajudicial Justicia, another opposition political party,

executions. Two of the victims were children were in detention or forcibly disappeared.

and one police ofûcer was reportedly killed. Between April and the end of the year, six

All but one of the deaths resulted from members of Vente Venezuela requested

gunshot wounds. Human rights organizations asylum in the Argentinian embassy in the

pointed at the Bolivarian National Guard, capital, Caracas. In August, after the

Bolivarian National Police, army and pro- government ceased diplomatic relations with

government civilian armed groups known as Argentina, the Brazilian government took over

<colectivos= as the perpetrators of these the protection of the premises. By the end of

killings. the year, Venezuela had not granted safe

conduct to the individuals to leave the

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR country.

TRIALS The government launched a new function

Since the announcement of the presidential in its mobile application VenApp to enable

election results, the authorities intensiûed users to report government critics in the

their policy of repression, including aftermath of the July presidential election.

widespread arbitrary detentions on political Denunciations via VenApp were supposedly

grounds, enforced disappearances and responsible for many of the detentions after
1
torture. According to ofûcial ûgures, more the election-related protests.

than 2,000 people were detained after 28 The Attorney General announced the

July. By October, the NGO Foro Penal arrest of a prosecutor on charges of

conûrmed more than 1,900 of the detentions, <intentional delay or omission of functions=

of which 129 were of children. By the end of for refusing to prosecute detainees for

the year, the government had freed 1,369 terrorism crimes following post-election

people and detained 15 others. However, protests.

hundreds of people remained arbitrarily

deprived of their liberty, including three TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

children. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela

These mass arrests were carried out reported allegations of torture of people

without either warrants or those detained detained before and after the presidential

being caught committing an illegal act. Many election.

detainees were subjected to enforced Human rights organizations denounced

disappearance for several days. They were torture and other ill-treatment in detention

forced to have court-appointed lawyers who centres, including beatings, suffocation,

lacked independence. Families of the

Venezuela 395
electric shocks and threats, and sexual Venezuela was ranked lowest globally

violence against women. (142nd) in the World Justice Project Rule of

Children arbitrarily detained after the Law Index 2024.

election were tortured to force them to

incriminate themselves by stating on video RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND

that they had participated in the protests, REPARATION

according to relatives. In many cases The Appeals Chamber of the ICC rejected the

children were detained with adults. Venezuelan authorities9 appeal and conûrmed

Searches at a women9s prison, the the <decision authorizing the resumption of

National Institute for Women9s Guidance, the investigation= into alleged crimes against

were reported. Videos shared on social media humanity committed since at least 2014.

in August, recorded from outside the Despite the lack of progress, the ICC Ofûce of

detention centre, captured the sound of the Prosecutor inaugurated a new in-country

women screaming that they were being ofûce in Caracas <focused on

tortured. Human rights organizations complementarity activities and engagement

reported allegations of ill-treatment in La with the national authorities=.

Crisálida detention centre, where women In September, a federal appeals court in

were detained after the post-election protests. Argentina ordered the arrest of President

Nicolás Maduro and minister of interior

INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS Diosdado Cabello, among others, for alleged

Prison conditions continued to deteriorate. crimes against humanity committed since

The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory reported 2014.

that inmates in Tocorón prison received only

two glasses of water per day. Police cells FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY

continued to be used as prisons and, by Throughout the year protests demanding

September, overall prison overcrowding had economic and social rights occurred across

exceeded 184% of capacity. the country. According to the Venezuelan

Protests continued to take place in pretrial Observatory on Social Conüict, between 29

detention centres due to procedural delays, and 30 July, 915 protests were registered, of

overcrowding and lack of healthcare, which 138 were violently repressed. The

according to NGOs. presence of colectivos attacking and

threatening protesters was recorded.

IMPUNITY In the weeks before and after the

Impunity for human rights violations and presidential election, the authorities

crimes under international law remained increasingly criticized demonstrations to

widespread. A report from the UN Fact- generate fear and crush dissent.

Finding Mission on Venezuela expressed At least 12 journalists were arbitrarily

deep concerns about the state9s lack of detained and attacks continued against

willingness to prosecute those suspected of independent media. The NGO Public Space

criminal responsibility. registered 507 violations of the right to

According to the civil society organization freedom of expression from January to

Venezuelan Programme for Education Action September. The government continued

on Human Rights, six ofûcers of the shutting down radio stations and hindering

Bolivarian National Police Special Actions access to social media platforms such as X

Force were sentenced in June for (formerly Twitter). The authorities reportedly

participating in an extrajudicial execution ûve continued hacking and phishing the

years previously. There were still no Instagram accounts of journalists and

convictions for 95% of killings during citizens.

peaceful demonstrations between 2014 and

2024.

396 Amnesty International Report

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Frequent oil spills at El Palito reûnery in

Human rights defenders remained seriously Carabobo state severely impacted marine

at risk. Parliament passed legislation allowing fauna. The lack of environmental public

the government to control, monitor, and policies to address the spills and the opacity

ultimately close down human rights NGOs. of information from the authorities was

The law entered into force in December highlighted by activists and affected groups.

imposing deadlines on NGOs to register and

fulûl the requirements of the law in order to ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

be able to work in the country legally. Venezuela9s humanitarian crisis continued

Human rights defender Javier Tarazona and economic, social and cultural rights were

remained in detention. In February, human systematically violated. Poverty levels

rights defender Rocío San Miguel was forcibly increased and the situation was aggravated

disappeared for three days alongside by high fuel costs and scarcity of electricity

members of her family. She was later and drinking water.

charged with terrorism, denied access to Electricity supply failure persisted.

legal representation, and remained in According to press reports, a blackout in

detention at the end of the year. Activist, August left 80% of the country without

human rights defender and journalist Carlos electricity; some areas were without power for

Julio Rojas was detained in April and 10 hours. There was no ofûcial technical

remained in detention at year9s end. report on the reasons for the blackout.

Three human rights defenders 3 Kennedy The CERD Committee reported high pupil

Tejeda, Edward Ocariz and Henry Gómez 3 dropout rates and a lack of qualiûed

were detained after the election. Kennedy schoolteachers in its review on Venezuela in

Tejeda remained in detention at the end of August.

the year.

The NGO Centre for Defenders and Justice Right to health

recorded 979 attacks and security incidents The CERD Committee denounced the limited

against human rights defenders during 2024, access to high-quality healthcare, mainly in

an increase compared with 524 such events rural areas or areas with a predominantly

in 2023. Indigenous population.

Treatment and access to health services

REFUGEES9 AND MIGRANTS9 RIGHTS for those suffering chronic diseases remained

More than 7.89 million people had üed the extremely precarious. The National Hospitals

country by the end of the year. Survey, carried out in July by the civil society

The CERD Committee denounced the organization Doctors for Health, recorded that

administrative detention of refugees and 57% of the monitored health centres lacked

migrants in Venezuela pending deportation a regular water supply in critical areas such

without access to legal assistance or a as emergency, intensive care and operating

procedure to access international protection. rooms. Scarcity of medical equipment and

Refugees and migrants in the country also supplies was also reported in hospitals, with

faced administrative, economic and shortages of approximately 35%. People

geographical barriers to access their personal living with HIV continued to face scarcity of

documentation. the resources necessary for their treatment,

including diagnostic and infection control

RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT tests and breast milk substitutes for HIV-

Despite requests from civil society exposed infants.

organizations, Venezuela again failed to sign Health-sector NGOs warned of the need to

its accession to the Escazú Agreement, which expand the coverage of vaccinations under

aims to guarantee the rights to information, the Expanded Plan of Immunization, and to

public participation and justice in guarantee and strengthen the Global Plan of

environmental matters. Action published by the Pan American

Venezuela 397
Health Organization, to prevent the women had suffered psychological violence

reappearance of preventable diseases. and 41% physical violence in 2024.

Right to food INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

By December a basic food basket for a The Inter-American Commission on Human

household of ûve cost the equivalent of USD Rights expressed concern about the ongoing

498.47, while the monthly minimum wage impacts of illegal mining on the life, health

was only USD 2.36, leaving the majority of and survival of the Yanomami People,

the population facing severe food insecurity. speciûcally in the Orinoco Mining Arc. The

In February, the UN Special Rapporteur on commission warned that Indigenous Peoples

the right to food visited Venezuela. He were facing an acute health crisis due to

reported that nearly 82% of the population water contamination by mercury in the

were living in poverty and 53% were exposed Amazon region. This impacted hunting and

to extreme poverty with insufûcient income to ûshing and as a consequence increased

purchase a basic food basket. He reported malnutrition.

that people were having to reduce portion

sizes, skip meals and buy less nutritious food

items as a result of poverty. He also stated 1. <Venezuela: Tech companies set dangerous precedent with app for

that women were disproportionately affected reporting anti-government protesters=, 7 August ±

by food poverty since they were often the

caregivers for their families and communities

while working for a wage. Some women VIET NAM

resorted to exchanging sex for food. Pregnant

and breastfeeding women and girls were Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

particularly at risk of undernourishment.

Human rights defenders, journalists and

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS people detained for political reasons faced
No progress was made in improving sexual torture and inhumane prison conditions.
and reproductive rights, and abortion The government used counterterror laws
remained criminalized. The humanitarian
against activists and Montagnards from the
emergency in Venezuela continued to
Dak Lak region, resulting in arbitrary arrests
obstruct women9s and girls9 access to sexual
and detentions. New laws were introduced
and reproductive rights. According to ûgures to police social media and further silence
from the NGO Network of Women dissent. High levels of pollution persisted.
Peacebuilders, 40% of women of Death sentences continued to be imposed
reproductive age did not use contraceptive and there was heightened concern over an
methods due to the high cost and lack of
intensifying crackdown on civil society
access.
space.

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS BACKGROUND

LGBTI rights continued to be neglected. The Four different presidents during the year

Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence reüected the internal tumult within the

reported that 68 LGBTIQ+ women had been Communist Party. A concurrent anti-
victims of discrimination or violence.
corruption drive targeted high-proûle political

as well as business ûgures. Viet Nam9s

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE human rights record was examined by the
During the ûrst half of the year, the Centre for UN. A deadly attack on two police posts in

Justice and Peace documented 58 femicides Dak Lak region in June 2023 elicited a

and 27 attempted femicides. The Network of furious response from the government in

Women Peacebuilders reported that 71% of March. The Montagnard Indigenous Peoples

398 Amnesty International Report

continued to face decades-long systemic the Hanoi People9s Court after he was

repression and discrimination, rooted in a accused of making and spreading

complex history of marginalization and lack of information aimed at opposing the Socialist

protection of their traditional land rights and Republic of Vietnam. Granted refugee status

freedom of religion. in Thailand in 2019,  ±ßng Vn Thái went

missing in Bangkok on 13 April 2023. The

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT circumstances of his disappearance

Imprisoned human rights defenders, suggested Vietnamese state agents may have

journalists and activists continued to be been involved in capturing him and taking

subjected to torture and other ill-treatment him back to Viet Nam, according to witness

including denial of adequate healthcare. testimony and audio recordings on ûle with

In October, human rights defenders Tr nh ß Amnesty International.

Bá T ± ¿
and Bùi Vn Thu n, both serving eight-

year prison sentences for <anti-state FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

propaganda=, began a hunger strike at Nghe In September, Viet Nam refused to adopt

±
An prison No 6. T , a land rights defender, numerous recommendations linked to

had previously reported on prison conditions freedom of expression issued by the UN9s

during his detention. His mother and brother UPR procedure. According to Amnesty

were held in different prisons, facing similar International9s records, at least 45 journalists,

¿
conditions. Thu n, a former teacher and a human rights defenders and citizens have

member of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa been arrested, often on spurious charges,

Binh province, protested about human rights since April 2023. The situation for civil

violations and environmental issues. society worsened amid a more general

After 21 days, T ± ¿
and Thu n ended their political tightening. Civicus, an NGO

hunger strike when authorities agreed to monitoring global civic space, rated Viet Nam

improve conditions, including opening the as <closed=, the lowest possible ranking.

<tiger cage= used to hold imprisoned activists

in solitary conûnement in Nghe An province. Digital surveillance

A <tiger cage= is a torture device made of iron On 9 November the government issued a

bars, providing a space of only 1m (3.3 feet) decree which targeted social media operators

wide in which to move around. Prisoners 3 including Meta9s Facebook and Alphabet9s

were reportedly locked in these cages for Google 3 requiring Vietnamese users to

months at a time. authenticate accounts by providing a mobile

phone or personal identiûcation number. It

Journalists requires operators to provide details on

In November the family of journalist Lê H u ÿ Vietnamese users to the Ministry of

¿
Minh Tu n described his health as rapidly Information and Communications and the

declining, fearing an untreated cancer. Tu n ¿ Ministry of Public Security, and remove

is a member of the Vietnam Independent content at either Ministry9s request.

Journalists9 Association (IJAVN), serving an This decree continued the strict policing of

11-year prison sentence for making, storing online freedom of expression by the Ministry

and disseminating information <for the of Public Security.

purpose of opposing the State of Socialist

Republic of Vietnam=, under Article 117 of INDIGENOUS PEOPLES9 RIGHTS

the Criminal Code. Two others imprisoned In January, more than 100 Montagnard

¿
from the IJAVN, Ph m Chí Ding (15-year people were convicted on terrorism-related

sentence) and Nguy n T ß ±ßng ÿ

Th y (11-year charges connected to the 2023 attack on

sentence), also reported their health police posts. The UN condemned the use of

degradation. counterterrorism laws against the

In October, blogger and YouTuber  ±ßng Montagnards.

Vn Thái was given a 12-year sentence by

Viet Nam 399

In August, UN Special Rapporteurs accused Saigon Commercial Bank. Lan was

the government of <inciting civilian vigilantes sentenced to death, although she may avoid

from a majority ethnic group to hunt down this outcome if she can return some of the

suspects believed to be Montagnard embezzled assets. Her case was perceived as

Indigenous Peoples= following the 2023 the highest proûle in the <Blazing Furnaces=

attack. Bkm By, one of those arrested, died anti-corruption campaign.

in custody on 8 March after being tortured.

Two Montagnards told Amnesty International

they were tortured by authorities to force YEMEN

confessions after being arbitrarily arrested

following the attack. Republic of Yemen

RIGHT TO HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT ü

All parties to the con ict, which controlled
In June, UN representatives from WHO, different parts of Yemen, continued to
UNDP and UNICEF called for stronger action arbitrarily detain, forcibly disappear and
to counter Viet Nam9s pollution problem. This unjustly prosecute human rights defenders,
followed IQAir9s annual survey, released in journalists, human rights and humanitarian
March, which named Viet Nam the second workers, and people critical of the
most polluted country in the ASEAN region, authorities9 human rights records and
with the 22nd worst air quality globally. policies. Courts across Yemen sentenced
According to Ember, a global energy think people to death, sometimes after grossly
tank, Viet Nam generated 42% of its unfair trials. All parties to the con ict ü
electricity from non-fossil fuel sources, higher arbitrarily restricted delivery of
than the global average of 39%. However, humanitarian aid. The Huthi de facto
coal use, imports and coal-ûred emissions all authorities continued to ban women from
climbed to record levels. travelling without a male relative,
¿
Detained environmental activist  ng ình undermining their right to work and other
Bách, a leader of the climate change human rights. All parties to the con ict ü
movement in Viet Nam that had sought a just failed to protect women9s right to privacy
transition from fossil fuels, began a third online and to provide redress to survivors of
hunger strike early in the year. He was technology-facilitated gender-based
protesting against his detention conditions, violence. Prosecutions of LGBTI people
which were described by the UN in February continued. All parties to the con ict ü
as <deplorable=. Initially arrested on 24 June contributed to environmental degradation.
2021, he was sentenced to ûve years in

prison for <tax evasion= and held in a prison BACKGROUND

wing reserved for imprisoned activists in The de facto continuation of the UN-brokered

Nghe An Province. The UN Working Group nationwide ceaseûre contributed to a further

on Arbitrary Detention had deemed his decline in ûghting and cross-border attacks.

detention to be arbitrary. However, all parties to the conüict continued

to sporadically attack civilian areas and

DEATH PENALTY frontlines including in Ta9iz, Sa9adah and

The government made no observable Bayda governorates.

progress to end its use of the death penalty, The Huthi armed forces attacked at least

including for economic crimes and drug- 57 commercial and military vessels in the

related offences. Its use remained shrouded Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian

in secrecy. Ocean, claiming they were linked to Israel,

±¡ng
Tr Mÿ Lan, a well-known business the USA or the UK. On 6 March, Huthi

ûgure and the chairwoman of property giant armed forces attacked the MV True

¿ ß
V n Th nh Phát, was found guilty in April of û
Con dence in the Gulf of Aden, killing three

fraud and embezzling billions of dollars from

400 Amnesty International Report

crew members and injuring at least four minorities and people critical of the

others. They continued to arbitrarily detain authorities9 human rights records and

the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader, policies.

which they seized on 19 November 2023.

US armed forces conducted naval and air Huthi de facto authorities

strikes, some jointly with UK armed forces, On 2 January the Huthi security and

against Huthi targets with the declared intelligence service arrested judge

purpose of degrading the Huthis9 capabilities Abdulwahab Mohammad Qatran for his

to threaten maritime trade and personnel. online criticism of the Huthi de facto

The Huthis carried out missile and drone authorities. He was arbitrarily detained at the

attacks against Israel on at least 48 Huthi-controlled security and intelligence

occasions, with the stated aim of supporting detention centre in the capital, Sana9a, for

Palestinians in Gaza. On 19 July a civilian more than ûve months, during which he was

was killed and four others injured in a drone denied his right to a lawyer and spent more

attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. In than one month in prolonged solitary

retaliation, on 20 July, Israel carried out air conûnement. He was released on 12 June

strikes on Hodeidah port, critical for after pledging not to publish his views on
1
delivering humanitarian aid and food, and social media.

Ras Kathnib power station in Hodeidah In June the Huthi security forces arbitrarily

governorate, reportedly killing at least six detained 13 UN staff and dozens of staff
2
civilians and injuring at least 80 others. The from local and international NGOs. In

strikes targeted two port cranes and fuel December, Huthi authorities reportedly

storage facilities. released three of the detainees. Their arrests

On 29 September, Israel carried out air coincided with a Huthi-led media campaign

strikes on the ports of Hodeidah and Ras accusing human rights and humanitarian

Issa, as well as al-Hali and Ras Kathnib organizations and their staff of <conspiring=

power stations, in Hodeidah governorate, against Yemen9s interests.

reportedly killing ûve civilians and injuring at Between June and August the Huthi de

least 57 others. facto authorities released the remaining ûve

In December the Huthis claimed 17 members of the Baha9i religious minority who

attacks against Israel. On 21 December, a had been arbitrarily detained with 12 others

missile attack hit a playground in Jaffa, for more than a year without charge. They

reportedly injuring 16 civilians. Israel were detained after Huthi armed forces

conducted air strikes on 19 and 26 stormed a peaceful gathering in a private

3
December on ports in Hodeidah governorate, residence in Sana9a on 25 May 2023. As a

power stations in Hodeidah and Sana9a condition of their release, some were forced

governorates, and Sana9a International to sign pledges that they would refrain from

Airport. The air strikes reportedly killed at engaging in Baha9i-related activities.

least 13 civilians, injured dozens and caused

damage to ports and the airport. Southern Transitional Council

Extreme weather caused deaths, destroyed The Southern Transitional Council (STC) de

homes and livelihoods, exacerbated internal facto authorities continued to unlawfully and

displacement and increased food insecurity. arbitrarily restrict the work of civil society

organizations and human rights defenders in

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION the southern governorate of Aden.

AND ASSEMBLY On 26 May a group of armed men

All parties to the conüict continued to crush accompanying women from the STC-

dissent and stiüe civil society. Among those supported Southern Women Union forcibly

targeted were political opponents, human took over the Yemeni Women Union centre,

rights defenders, journalists, human rights an independent civil society organization in

and humanitarian workers, religious Sira district, Aden. The armed men denied

Yemen 401
the staff access to the centre, preventing the 2015. He was held without charge or trial for
4
provision of protective services to women. In around four years and was sentenced in

June the centre9s staff were able to regain 2022 by the Sana9a SCC to eight years in

access and resume activities after agreeing to prison on spying charges following a grossly

allow the Southern Women Union to operate unfair trial.

from within the centre.

Southern Transitional Council

Government of Yemen On 28 May the Aden Specialized Criminal

The internationally recognized government of Court sentenced journalist Ahmad Maher to

Yemen continued to harass, arbitrarily detain four years in prison following a grossly unfair

and prosecute journalists in areas under its trial on charges of disseminating false and

control, including in Ta9iz, Ma9rib and misleading news and forging identity
6
Hadramout governorates. documents. Security forces afûliated with

According to Marsadak, a Yemeni the STC arrested him in Aden in August 2022

observatory for media freedoms, on 5 May and subjected him to torture and other ill-

the Public Funds Court in Hadramout treatment during interrogations at Dar Sa9ad

governorate sentenced journalist Ali Salmeen police station to force him to <confess= to

al Awbathani to a six-month suspended involvement in an attack on the police station

prison term for publishing content criticizing in March 2022. He was denied the rights to

a public institution. adequate defence, a lawyer of his choosing,

presumption of innocence and not to self-

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL incriminate. On 25 December the Aden

Huthi de facto authorities Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal

acquitted Ahmad Maher, but he continued to

The Huthi de facto authorities continued to
be detained after the Specialized Criminal
use the Huthi-controlled Specialized Criminal
Prosecution conditioned his release on
Court in Sana9a (Sana9a SCC) as a tool for
providing a guarantor with a <commercial
political repression by sentencing people to
guarantee=, a condition the family could not
prolonged prison terms and the death penalty
meet.
following grossly unfair trials. The Huthis9

prosecutorial authorities continued to use

DENIAL OF HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
charges of <spying= to prosecute political
Access to food, safe drinking water, a healthy
opponents and silence peaceful dissent.
environment and adequate health services
On 1 June the Sana9a SCC sentenced 44
remained highly restricted. More than 2.7
people to death, 16 of them in their absence,
million children were acutely malnourished
on trumped-up spying charges following an
according to UNICEF. According to OCHA,
unfair mass trial. According to their lawyer,
18.2 million people were in need of
the 28 detained defendants were forcibly
humanitarian assistance and protection
disappeared for nine months following their
services and almost half of the population
arrest and subjected to torture and other ill-
faced food and nutrition insecurity. Yemen
treatment to extract forced <confessions=.
experienced another outbreak of acute
Human rights defender Fatma al-Arwali
watery diarrhoea and cholera, with hundreds
remained at risk of execution after the Sana9a
of cases reported daily.
SCC convicted her of <aiding an enemy
Parties to the conüict continued to impose
country= and sentenced her to death on 5
arbitrary administrative and bureaucratic
December 2023 following a grossly unfair
constraints on the delivery of humanitarian
5
trial.
assistance. The Huthi de facto authorities
On 20 August the Sana9a SCC extended
intensiûed their restrictions on the work of
the sentence of journalist Nabil al-Sidawi by
humanitarian organizations. Their arbitrary
one year. Huthi security and intelligence
detention in June of dozens of UN and local
services had detained him on 21 September
and international NGO staff (see above)

402 Amnesty International Report

reduced these organizations9 ability to provide or presumed gender identity and/or sexual

humanitarian aid and protection services. In orientation.

September the UN suspended all non- On 23 January the Huthi-afûliated criminal

lifesaving or sustaining activities in Huthi- court in Dhamar in northern Yemen

controlled areas to minimize the risk to aid sentenced nine men to death 3 seven by

workers. stoning and two by cruciûxion 3 while 23

In August the Huthi-run Supreme Council other men were handed prison sentences of

for Management and Coordination of between six months and 10 years on various

Humanitarian Affairs and International charges including <homosexuality=,

Cooperation reiterated the Huthis9 restrictive <spreading immorality= and <immoral acts=.

policies on humanitarian activities in On 1 February the court of ûrst instance in

meetings with UN and INGO staff. Ibb in southern Yemen handed death

The fragmentation of power in southern sentences to 13 male students and

Yemen, which left some ministries under the sentenced three others to üogging on charges
8
control of the internationally recognized of <spreading homosexuality=.

government and others under the control of

the STC, continued to slow the approval of RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

aid projects and travel permits, disrupting aid The Huthis9 maritime attacks and the Israeli

delivery. attacks on Hodeidah port posed signiûcant

environmental risks, threatening marine life

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED and the livelihoods of coastal communities,

DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Women continued to face online blackmail On 18 February the Huthis attacked the

and harassment on Facebook, facilitated by MV Rubymar. On 2 March it sank

the authorities9 failure to take adequate approximately 26km west of the port of

measures to protect women9s right to privacy Mocha, in eastern Yemen. The vessel was

online or to provide redress to survivors of carrying some 21,000 tonnes of ammonium

technology-facilitated gender-based violence. phosphate sulphate fertilizer, which posed an

This was facilitated by insufûcient preventive environmental risk in the Red Sea.

action by Meta, Facebook9s owner, to ensure On 12 June the Huthis attacked the MV

that its reporting mechanisms for online Tutor. It sank on 18 June with its cargo of

violence were accessible and culturally 80,000 tonnes of coal.

sensitive to socially conservative contexts On 16 July the Huthis attacked the oil
7
including Yemen. tanker Chios Lion. An oil slick initially

The Huthi de facto authorities continued to measuring 220km long was seen near the

restrict women9s right to freedom of site of the strike, threatening the Farasan

movement without the accompaniment or marine sanctuary, according to the Conüict

written approval of a male guardian and Environment Observatory.

(mahram). Among its effects, this restricted On 20 July, Israeli air strikes on Hodeidah

women9s right to work and the ability of port and Ras Kathnib power station in

Yemeni women humanitarian workers to Hodeidah governorate targeted fuel storage

conduct ûeldwork and deliver aid. facilities, setting them ablaze for at least four

Humanitarian workers reported that the days. The strike on Hodeidah port caused

mahram requirement was also increasingly fuel spills into the harbour to the detriment of

enforced on an ad hoc basis in government- its marine environment.

held areas, including Ta9iz and Ma9rib The mismanagement of oil infrastructure

governorates. by the government in Shabwa governorate

continued to cause severe pollution. In July,

LGBTI PEOPLE9S RIGHTS damage to an oil pipeline caused large

Parties to the conüict continued to target and quantities of crude oil to spill across

prosecute LGBTI people solely for their actual

Yemen 403
hundreds of meters of coastline near the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

village of Ayn Bamabad. AND ASSEMBLY

Opposition members and government critics

were arrested for exercising their rights to

1. Yemen: Further Information: Judge Released From Arbitrary freedom of expression and peaceful

Detention: Abdulwahab Mohammad Qatran, 20 June ± assembly.

2. <Yemen: Huthi authorities must immediately release arbitrarily On 25 May, independent MP Emmanuel

detained staff from UN and civil society organizations=, 4 July ± Banda was abducted in the capital, Lusaka,

3. Yemen: Further Information: Four Arbitrarily Detained Baha9is by unidentiûed men. He was found the next

Released, 6 September ± day on a farm approximately 43km from

4. <Yemen: STC de facto authorities must ensure safety of women9s Lusaka and hospitalized because of alleged

shelter following takeover of Yemeni Women Union centre=, 6 June torture during his abduction. Five people,

± including two opposition MPs, who alleged on

5. Yemen: Woman Human Rights Defender at Risk of Execution: social media that the government was

Fatma al-Arwali, 1 February ± involved in the abduction were arrested and

6. Yemen: Further Information: Journalist Sentenced to Four Years in charged with <espionage= and <spreading

Jail: Ahmad Maher, 25 June ± hate speech=.

7. Yemen: <My Life Was Completely Destroyed=: Technology- In July, O9Brien Kaaba, a lecturer and

Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Yemen, 5 November ± former commissioner of the Anti-Corruption

8. <Yemen: Huthis must stop executions and release dozens facing Commission (ACC), was sued for defamation

LGBTI charges=, 9 February ± by the Solicitor-General and another former

ACC director over a newspaper article he

wrote alleging corruption within the ACC.

ZAMBIA On 8 August, Fred M9membe, president of

the opposition Socialist Party, was arrested

Republic of Zambia and charged with <seditious practices= in

relation to an article on his Facebook page

Opposition political party members and exposing allegations of corruption in

government critics were arrested, and their government. He was released on bail on 12

August.
rights to freedom of expression and
In October, investigative journalist Thomas
peaceful assembly severely restricted. While

û
more children bene ted from free Zgambo was arrested following the

education, overcrowded classrooms publication of an article he wrote which was

compromised educational standards. perceived as critical of government ofûcials.

Drought heightened food insecurity and the He was charged with criminal libel ûve days

president declared a national emergency. A later.

Police restricted opposition political rallies

national human rights body expressed
and dispersed other demonstrations.
concerns about reports of torture and other
In June, heavily armed police stopped a
ill-treatment by the police. LGBTI people9s
rights were increasingly under threat. Socialist Party rally in Kitwe, Copperbelt

Persons with albinism had limited access to Province, after initially authorizing it.

necessary sunscreen aids for the prevention Also in June, police stood by while cadres

of skin cancer. Food shortages and ûnancial belonging to the ruling United Party for

û
dif culties were believed to have led to an National Development wielded weapons and

threatened violence against people attending

increase in child abuse and gender-based
a rally organized by the opposition New
violence.
Heritage Party. In the same month, President

Hakainde Hichilema publicly condemned

political violence by those who claim to

support him or his party saying that he would

not allow any individual to hide behind a

404 Amnesty International Report

political party, church or civil society: <You headed households, meaning their diet was

break the law, the police take you.= less diverse.

In July, four people were arrested in In August, UNHCR, the UN refugee

Lusaka for planning a protest against the agency, reported that drought had

Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation9s signiûcantly reduced food availability for the

ongoing schedule of planned electricity most vulnerable populations.

blackouts. They were charged with <idle and

disorderly conduct=. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL TREATMENT

The Zambia Human rights Commission

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS (ZHRC) expressed concerns about cases of

In May, Raphael Nakacinda, secretary torture and other ill-treatment by the police.

general of the opposition Patriotic Front party, In February a suspected child offender was

was sentenced to 18 months9 imprisonment handcuffed and subjected to kampelwa 3

for <defaming the president=, although the being hung upside down from a metal rod 3

law under which he was convicted was while being interrogated by ofûcers to extract

repealed in 2021. a <confession= and identify or locate others

believed to be connected to the alleged

RIGHT TO EDUCATION offence.

The government9s programme of free primary In April the ZHRC called for an

and secondary school education, introduced investigation into an incident described in a

in 2021, led to an increase in new video circulated on social media in which a

enrolments during the year. However, a lack woman said she suffered a broken spine

of infrastructure to support the increase led when she was beaten by police ofûcers in

to overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of Mpongwe District. She said she was attacked

teachers, desks and textbooks. In response, after she complained about the acquittal of a

the government increased the education police ofûcer accused of sexual assault

budget from 13.9% to 15.4% of the national against her 14-year-old daughter.

budget and announced plans to hire a further

5,400 teachers. DISCRIMINATION

LGBTI people

RIGHT TO FOOD
Increasing intolerance towards LGBTI people
In February, President Hichilema declared a
by the government and religious groups
national emergency because of severe
further threatened their rights. In May the
drought caused by El Niño weather
Zambian Civil Liberties Union petitioned the
conditions, affecting 9.4 million people in 84
Constitutional Court seeking to have Section
of 116 districts. Approximately 1 million
155(a)(c) of the Penal Code, which
hectares of maize were destroyed by drought.
criminalizes sexual acts against the <order of
The Integrated Food Security Phase
nature=, declared unconstitutional. In August,
Classiûcation estimated that 5.8 million
religious leaders opposed the petition stating
people were likely to experience heightened
that <homosexuality= had no place in
hunger between October 2024 and March
Zambia. President Hichilema also reafûrmed
2025. The government increased the budget
his position on consensual same-sex sexual
for social protection to ZMK 73 billion (more
acts during a speech at a Lusaka church
than USD 2.6 million) in the 2025 national
saying, <the country shall remain&
budget to address urgent needs in drought-
Christian=.
affected communities. In March the Food
Despite calls on the government to release
Security Cluster Joint Rapid Assessment
a gay man who was sentenced to 14 years9
Report revealed that female-headed
hard labour for <sodomy= in 2021, he
households were more likely to have a poor
remained in jail without access to healthcare.
consumption score compared to male-

Zambia 405
Persons with albinism weakened the ofûcial exchange rate from ZiG

Concerns persisted about the limited access 13.9 to ZiG 24.4 to the US dollar.

for persons with albinism to necessary

sunscreen aids to prevent skin cancer, to FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION

which they are particularly vulnerable. While AND ASSEMBLY

there remained no ofûcial record in Zambia By October, the Private Voluntary

of the number of persons with albinism living Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill 2024

with skin cancer, the NGO Albinism had passed through the National Assembly

Multipurpose Organisation recorded 16 cases and the Senate. However, in November it was

since 2018, 11 of whom had died. returned to the Senate for reconsideration

after it was noted that some amendments

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE made by the National Assembly during the

In July the Zambia Police Service said it committee stage process had not been

recorded 9,318 cases of gender-based incorporated.

violence nationwide in the second quarter of The government said the PVO Bill aimed to

2024 (including 36 femicides), in <curb money-laundering and [the] ûnancing

comparison to 9,988 cases recorded in the of terrorism= and ensure that NGOs <do not

same period of 2023. In contrast, social undertake political lobbying.= The lapse in

workers reported that food shortages and progress of the original PVO Amendment Bill

household ûnancial difûculties led to a rise in 2021 in August 2023, following parliament9s

child abuse and to gender-based violence. dissolution ahead of elections, raised hopes

that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had

duly considered submissions from civil

ZIMBABWE society organizations raising concerns that

the bill fell short of international human rights

Republic of Zimbabwe standards and provisions in the Constitution.

However, the new Bill maintained provisions

A bill that threatened the existence and that could adversely affect civic space and

work of civil society organizations remained threaten the very existence and operations of
1
before parliament. There was an increase in civil society organizations.

violations of the rights to freedom of Authorities continued to use repressive

expression, association and peaceful tactics, including via the justice system, to

assembly, particularly before the Southern silence dissent and criminalize opposition

African Development Community summit members.

when the use of arbitrary arrests and In January, Job Sikhala, a former leader of

detentions escalated. The economy the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)

continued to deteriorate in the context of an opposition party, was released from prison

El Niño-induced drought, and 7.6 million after being given a two-year suspended

people faced food insecurity. Authorities sentence and ûne for <incitement to

facilitated treatment for women with violence=. He had spent 595 days in pre-trial

obstetric ûstula. Legislation outlawing the detention. In February he was given a nine-

practice of early and child marriage was month suspended sentence and ûned on

enacted. A bill to abolish the death penalty charges of <publishing or communicating

was passed into law. false statements prejudicial to the state= 3

offences that the Constitutional Court

BACKGROUND declared void in 2014. The charges related to

The economic crisis deepened. In September a video circulated on Facebook in which it

the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe devalued the was claimed that a police ofûcer killed a

ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold) 3 the country9s latest baby. In July the High Court of Zimbabwe
2
currency 3 by 43%. The devaluation acquitted him of the charges. Former CCC

lawmaker Fadzayi Mahere, who had been

406 Amnesty International Report

convicted in 2023 for <communicating from a plane and arrested by state agents.

falsehoods= after posting the video on X The four were held for eight hours without

(formerly Twitter) was acquitted in February access to their lawyer and denied bail.

2024 by the High Court following appeal. Robson Chere was tortured in detention,

suffering extensive physical injuries.

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS On 1 August, 13 activists, including former

There was an increase in the use of arbitrary legislator John Houghton, the former mayor

detention against and prosecution of human of Kariba, George Masendu, and activist Farai

rights defenders, political opposition Mageva, were arrested in Kariba for staging

members and supporters, activists, an <unsanctioned protest= demanding the

journalists and others expressing dissenting release of opposition leader Jameson Timba

views or exercising their right to peaceful and 77 other activists. They were detained at

assembly. Kariba police headquarters before being

In particular, the government intensiûed its released on bail on 2 September. On 2

crackdown against opposition and civil August, Kelvin Gonde and opposition leader

society members ahead of the Summit of Jacob Ngarivhume were arrested and

Heads of State and Government of the charged with participating in an unlawful

Southern African Development Community gathering and disorderly conduct. On 16

held on 17 August in the capital, Harare. August, police in Gokwe arrested 12 people

Police arrested more than 160 people for allegedly participating in an anti-

including elected ofûcials, opposition government demonstration.

members, union leaders, students and

3
journalists. RIGHT TO INFORMATION

On 16 June, police raided the home of The Media Institute of Southern Africa

CCC party leader Jameson Timba during a Zimbabwe, an independent organization,

private gathering, arresting 78 people. They recorded six violations that undermined press

were held in custody for more than 48 hours freedom and prevented journalists from

before being brought to court, in violation of fulûlling their constitutional duty to inform the

Zimbabwean law, and charged with public.

<gathering with intent to promote public In February the Minister of State for

violence and disorderly conduct=. On 4 Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Midlands

September, 12 of those arrested were province banned Sydney Mubaiwa, bureau

acquitted after the court found that they were chief of the Mirror Midlands newspaper, and

not involved in the gathering. On 27 Stephen Chadenga, a journalist on NewsDay

November, after 160 days in detention, newspaper, from reporting on government

Jameson Timba and 34 of his co-accused functions in the area. They were attending a

were convicted and given suspended prison meeting organized by the Zimbabwe Gender

sentences. Commission when they were singled out and

On 24 June, 44 Zimbabwe National barred from attending government events.

Students Union members were arrested in In the same month, NewsHawks, an online

Harare and charged with <disorderly investigative publication, said it had dropped

conduct= before being released. On 29 June, further reporting on three army generals after

members of the National Democratic Working it received <subtle threats and direct

Group, a social justice movement, were pressure= from state security agents.

arrested at a private residence in Harare Also in February, journalist Admire

during a meeting to raise funds for Chitsungo was arrested and detained brieüy

impoverished families, a gathering deemed at Kadoma Central Police Station after

by authorities to be <unsanctioned=. photographing local police conûscating

On 31 July, activists including Namatai vendors9 wares in Kadoma.

Kwekweza, Robson Chere, Samuel Gwezi On 4 June, 16 journalists were barred from

and Vusumuzi Moyo were forcibly removed covering the signing of the <Integrity Pledge=

Zimbabwe 407
by the new Reserve Bank Governor, John government set aside resources for a

Mushayavanhu, and his staff at the bank9s quantitative study to determine the numbers

ofûces in Harare. of people at risk of statelessness, and that

In August a senior police ofûcer ordered employees of the Civil Registry department

Nunurai Jena, a correspondent for the Studio be trained to offer quality services to stateless

7 news station, to leave an inter-district people.

meeting held by the Mashonaland West

branch of the ruling Zimbabwe African WOMEN9S AND GIRLS9 RIGHTS

National Union 3 Patriotic Front party in the Teenage pregnancy, child abuse, early and

Chinhoyi municipality. The order was given child marriage, and early school dropout

on grounds of his association with Studio 7. rates among girls remained prevalent. A local

Later the same month, police handcuffed media source reported that at least 16 girls at

Herald newspaper journalist Charles Monozi Primary School (serving pupils up to

Muchakagara and tried to conûscate his 13 years old) in Mbire District failed to sit

camera when he photographed a trafûc their Grade Seven examinations due to

accident in Harare. pregnancy.

Women participating in informal cross-

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS border trade in Zimbabwe continued to face

The El Niño-induced drought and the gender-based violence and economic

protracted economic decline adversely exploitation, impeding their ability to exercise

affected access to nutrition, health, water and their human rights, including the right to
4
sanitation, education, social protection, decent work. They frequently faced physical

shelter, agriculture, energy and infrastructure. assault, sexual harassment and intimidation,

According to UNICEF, 7.6 million people often perpetrated by state ofûcials, including

(50% of the population) faced food border authorities.

insecurity. In April the government declared Notable progress was made in the

the drought to be a national disaster. In May, provision of maternal healthcare through the

authorities issued a joint üash appeal, costed treatment of obstetric ûstula. During the year

at USD 3.9 billion, which included USD 2 the government and its partners established

billion for immediate response to the drought three treatment centres providing free care

and the rest for ongoing resilience-building. for women living with the condition.

The authorities continued to take

measures to contain a cholera outbreak that CHILDREN9S RIGHTS

began in 2023. According to the WHO, by 31 In September, President Mnangagwa

July, Zimbabwe had recorded a total of assented to the Criminal Laws Amendment

34,549 cholera cases, with 718 associated (Protection of Children and Young Persons)

deaths, yielding a case fatality rate of 2.1% Bill 2024, which raised the age of consent

across 63 districts and 10 provinces. On 30 from 16 to 18. The act includes provisions to

July the Ministry of Health and Child Care protect young people from sexual abuse and

declared the end of the outbreak, after an 18 early and child marriage. The law followed a

month-long response, with the last cholera Constitutional Court ruling in 2022 which

case being reported on 30 June. found that the Criminal Law Code did not

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on adequately protect children aged 16 to 18

Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and from sexual exploitation.

War Veterans9 Affairs undertook public

hearings to establish whether and to what DEATH PENALTY

extent people in Zimbabwe were affected by On 31 December, President Mnangagwa

statelessness. Noting the effects of signed into law the Death Penalty Abolition

statelessness on the full enjoyment of Bill. The Act abolished the death penalty for

economic, social and cultural rights, the all crimes by prohibiting courts from

committee recommended that the

408 Amnesty International Report

imposing the punishment, amending the

Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to

delete references to the death penalty, and

repealing sections that set out how the

penalty should be imposed and carried out,

5
among other things. It also includes

provisions for the re-sentencing of those

under sentence of death at the time of

abolition. However, a new provision in the

Defence Act introduced by the Death Penalty

Abolition Act 2024 allows for the

reinstatement of the death penalty if a state

of public emergency is declared under

section 113 of the Constitution.

1. Zimbabwe: Further Information: Civil Society Under Attack With

New Draft Law, 19 April ±

2. Zimbabwe: Further Information: Former Opposition Leader9s

Convictions Quashed: Job Sikhala, 31 July ±

3. <Zimbabwe: Authorities must end massive crackdown on dissent

before SADC summit=, 9 August ±

4. <Southern Africa: Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe failing to

protect the human rights of women working in informal, cross-

border trade=, 8 March ±

5. <Africa: Countries on the cusp of abolition must take a stand

against the death penalty=, 10 October ±

Zimbabwe 409
 THE STATE OF

THE WORLD9S

HUMAN RIGHTS

APRIL 2025
Despite some positive changes to laws and policies in certain countries,

human rights have been under attack across the world. Authoritarian

practices have spread and existing protections for human rights have

been pushed aside, ignored or trampled.

The 2025 edition of Amnesty International9s annual report, The State of

the World9s Human Rights, assesses national, regional and global

developments across a wide range of human rights themes. It identi es û

ü
world trends related to violations in armed con icts, repression of

dissent, discrimination, economic and climate injustice, and the

misuse of technology to infringe on human rights. It also highlights how

powerful states have deliberately undermined the international rules-

based system, hindering the resolution of problems that affect the lives

of millions. Many of these trends represent setbacks that risk being

aggravated in 2025 and beyond.

The report documents human rights concerns during 2024 in 150

countries, connecting global and regional issues and looking to the

future. It includes calls for action by governments and others to

improve people's lives. It is essential reading for government leaders,

policymakers, advocates, activists and anyone interested in human

rights.

amnesty.org