https://observatoryfordefenders.org Thu, 21 May 2026 16:32:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-OB-eye-orange-32x32.png https://observatoryfordefenders.org 32 32 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/russian-federation-russian-authorities-designate-the-world-organisation-against-torture-omct-as-an-undesirable-organisation/ Thu, 21 May 2026 16:31:36 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24736 Geneva-Paris, 20 May 2026 - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH) has been informed about the designation of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the world’s largest network of organisations working against torture, as an “undesirable organisation” by the Russian authorities. The designation constitutes yet another step in the Russian authorities’ systematic efforts to isolate the Russian population and local civil society from the international human rights movement and to perpetuate the climate of fear that silences organisations documenting torture, repression, and other serious human rights violations. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH) has been informed about the designation of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the world’s largest network of organisations working against torture, as an “undesirable organisation” by the Russian authorities. According to the information received, on 17 April 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation declared OMCT an “undesirable organisation”, and on 6 May 2026, the Ministry of Justice formally added OMCT to the official registry of banned entities. Under the repressive law on “undesirable organisations”, adopted in 2012 and subsequently expanded, the Russian Federation’s Prosecutor General’s Office has the power to declare as “undesirable” any foreign or international organisation deemed to pose “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defence capability of the country or the security of the state”. Following such designation, organisations are effectively “Undesirable organisations” prohibited from carrying out any activities in the country, including disseminating information, publishing materials, organising events, conducting financial transactions, and providing financial or other assistance to local organisations and individuals. Any person or organisation cooperating with an organisation declared “undesirable” by Russia – including from outside Russia –may face administrative sanctions and criminal liability under the Russian law. Under Articles 20.33 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences and 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, individuals and legal entities may face fines, and individuals risk prison sentences of up to six years for participating in, financing, or allegedly facilitating the activities of such organisations. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe has expressed serious concerns regarding the legislation on “undesirable organisations”, citing the lack of legal certainty, the discretionary powers granted to prosecutorial authorities, and the absence of prior judicial review. In practice, the vague and overly broad wording of the law has resulted in the prosecution of individuals merely for reposting materials published by organisations later designated as “undesirable”, including content shared prior to the designation. OMCT has for decades worked on the situation in Russia and on the countries affected by Russia’s aggression to document torture, support victims of grave human rights violations, protect human rights defenders at risk and promote accountability under international law. OMCT’s Global Torture Index ranks the Russian Federation at a very high risk for torture, identifying the nation as among the most severe for systemic police brutality, prison abuses, and total impunity. Similarly, OMCT’s project SOS Defenders has documented cases of human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained in Russia and pushing for their immediate and unconditional releases. The Observatory underlines all of these activities constitute legitimate human rights work. The Observatory notes that the designation of OMCT takes place in the broader context of an escalating crackdown on independent civil society, human rights defenders, and international cooperation. Several organisations connected to OMCT’s work have previously been targeted under the same legislation, including Amnesty International in May 2025, ProtectDefenders.eu in August 2025, as well as Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP) in November 2025, and earlier this year Trial International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). The list of “undesirable organisations”, maintained by the Russian Ministry of Justice, now includes more than 350 organisations, among them independent media outlets, international NGOs, and human rights groups. The Observatory condemns in the strongest terms the designation of OMCT as an “undesirable organisation”, which constitutes a blatant attempt to obstruct legitimate human rights work, intimidate those cooperating with international civil society organisations, especially in the fight against torture. The Observatory reiterates that the application of this legislation constitutes a clear violation of the right to freedom of association protected under Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Observatory urges the Russian authorities to immediately reverse this decision, repeal the legislation on “undesirable organisations” and related repressive laws, including the “foreign agents” law, and ensure in all circumstances that human rights organisations, including foreign and international NGOs, are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals. The Observatory further calls on the international community and international civil society to stand in solidarity with the organisations and human rights defenders targeted under these repressive frameworks, and to continue supporting efforts aimed at documenting violations and ensuring accountability for torture and other grave human rights abuses.]]> Geneva-Paris, 20 May 2026 - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH) has been informed about the designation of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the world’s largest network of organisations working against torture, as an “undesirable organisation” by the Russian authorities. The designation constitutes yet another step in the Russian authorities’ systematic efforts to isolate the Russian population and local civil society from the international human rights movement and to perpetuate the climate of fear that silences organisations documenting torture, repression, and other serious human rights violations. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH) has been informed about the designation of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the world’s largest network of organisations working against torture, as an “undesirable organisation” by the Russian authorities. According to the information received, on 17 April 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation declared OMCT an “undesirable organisation”, and on 6 May 2026, the Ministry of Justice formally added OMCT to the official registry of banned entities. Under the repressive law on “undesirable organisations”, adopted in 2012 and subsequently expanded, the Russian Federation’s Prosecutor General’s Office has the power to declare as “undesirable” any foreign or international organisation deemed to pose “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defence capability of the country or the security of the state”. Following such designation, organisations are effectively “Undesirable organisations” prohibited from carrying out any activities in the country, including disseminating information, publishing materials, organising events, conducting financial transactions, and providing financial or other assistance to local organisations and individuals. Any person or organisation cooperating with an organisation declared “undesirable” by Russia – including from outside Russia –may face administrative sanctions and criminal liability under the Russian law. Under Articles 20.33 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences and 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, individuals and legal entities may face fines, and individuals risk prison sentences of up to six years for participating in, financing, or allegedly facilitating the activities of such organisations. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe has expressed serious concerns regarding the legislation on “undesirable organisations”, citing the lack of legal certainty, the discretionary powers granted to prosecutorial authorities, and the absence of prior judicial review. In practice, the vague and overly broad wording of the law has resulted in the prosecution of individuals merely for reposting materials published by organisations later designated as “undesirable”, including content shared prior to the designation. OMCT has for decades worked on the situation in Russia and on the countries affected by Russia’s aggression to document torture, support victims of grave human rights violations, protect human rights defenders at risk and promote accountability under international law. OMCT’s Global Torture Index ranks the Russian Federation at a very high risk for torture, identifying the nation as among the most severe for systemic police brutality, prison abuses, and total impunity. Similarly, OMCT’s project SOS Defenders has documented cases of human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained in Russia and pushing for their immediate and unconditional releases. The Observatory underlines all of these activities constitute legitimate human rights work. The Observatory notes that the designation of OMCT takes place in the broader context of an escalating crackdown on independent civil society, human rights defenders, and international cooperation. Several organisations connected to OMCT’s work have previously been targeted under the same legislation, including Amnesty International in May 2025, ProtectDefenders.eu in August 2025, as well as Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP) in November 2025, and earlier this year Trial International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). The list of “undesirable organisations”, maintained by the Russian Ministry of Justice, now includes more than 350 organisations, among them independent media outlets, international NGOs, and human rights groups. The Observatory condemns in the strongest terms the designation of OMCT as an “undesirable organisation”, which constitutes a blatant attempt to obstruct legitimate human rights work, intimidate those cooperating with international civil society organisations, especially in the fight against torture. The Observatory reiterates that the application of this legislation constitutes a clear violation of the right to freedom of association protected under Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Observatory urges the Russian authorities to immediately reverse this decision, repeal the legislation on “undesirable organisations” and related repressive laws, including the “foreign agents” law, and ensure in all circumstances that human rights organisations, including foreign and international NGOs, are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals. The Observatory further calls on the international community and international civil society to stand in solidarity with the organisations and human rights defenders targeted under these repressive frameworks, and to continue supporting efforts aimed at documenting violations and ensuring accountability for torture and other grave human rights abuses.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/thailand-authorities-must-release-hong-kong-pro-democracy-zhang-xinyan-uphold-principle-of-non-refoulement/ Thu, 14 May 2026 10:54:31 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24716 BANGKOK, Thailand (14 May 2026) – We, the undersigned civil society organizations, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH), strongly condemn the Thai authorities’ arrest and detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and United Nations-recognized refugee Zhang Xinyan. The case raises concerns over transnational repression and the protection of human rights defenders. Zhang Xinyan is currently held in detention and her future remains uncertain. If forcibly deported to China, she is at grave risk of arbitrary detention, limited legal protections, and an unfair trial. Call to action We urge Thai authorities to immediately release Zhang Xinyan from detention and to refrain from deporting or forcibly returning her to China, pending third-country resettlement. The Thai Government must uphold its obligations under international human rights law. We call on authorities to grant the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and proper legal counsel full and unimpeded access to Zhang Xinyan while she remains in detention. Any deportation or transfer of Zhang Xinyan would violate the principle of non-refoulement and the Thai Government’s obligations under international law. Who is Zhang Xinyan Zhang Xinyan is a Chinese national. She moved to Thailand following years of alleged persecution based on her Falun Gong practice, a spiritual movement banned in China. She holds a refugee status issued by the UNHCR, following the cancellation of her Chinese passport, according to Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch. Zhang Xinyan was among the 19 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists—based overseas—who were issued with arrest warrants by the Hong Kong police in July 2025 for alleged subversion under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Their bounties ranged from HKD 200,000 to 1 million (approx. USD 25,000-127,000). The group was accused of organizing unofficial polls outside Hong Kong in order to form a shadow legislature to advance the principle of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong." The National Security Law (NSL), enacted in June 2020 and imposed by Beijing directly without going through Hong Kong's own legislature—bypassing the city's democratic institutions and marking a fundamental shift in the "one country, two systems" framework—criminalizes several offences, including secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. In March 2024, Hong Kong enacted the Article 23 legislation, a domestic national security law that significantly expanded the existing framework established by the NSL. The new law introduced additional offences including sedition, espionage, and external interference, with penalties of up to life imprisonment. In practice, the NSL is frequently used to criminalize human rights advocacy or dissent, and has been widely condemned by UN human rights experts as incompatible with international human rights law. What happened On 8 May 2026, Thai immigration authorities reportedly detained Zhang Xinyan at her residence in Bangkok. She was then transferred to the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre. Zhang Xinyan was arrested on charges of overstaying her visa and working without proper documentation. Prior to the arrest, the Embassy of China in Thailand reportedly confiscated her passport when she sought to renew it. Rendered effectively stateless and unable to leave the country without a valid travel document, she remained in Thailand with no legal pathway out. We are deeply concerned that Zhang Xinyan’s detention exposes her to a heightened risk of refoulement and politically motivated persecution. We urge the international community to closely monitor the case and take appropriate action with both Thai and Chinese authorities.]]> BANGKOK, Thailand (14 May 2026) – We, the undersigned civil society organizations, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH), strongly condemn the Thai authorities’ arrest and detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and United Nations-recognized refugee Zhang Xinyan. The case raises concerns over transnational repression and the protection of human rights defenders. Zhang Xinyan is currently held in detention and her future remains uncertain. If forcibly deported to China, she is at grave risk of arbitrary detention, limited legal protections, and an unfair trial. Call to action We urge Thai authorities to immediately release Zhang Xinyan from detention and to refrain from deporting or forcibly returning her to China, pending third-country resettlement. The Thai Government must uphold its obligations under international human rights law. We call on authorities to grant the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and proper legal counsel full and unimpeded access to Zhang Xinyan while she remains in detention. Any deportation or transfer of Zhang Xinyan would violate the principle of non-refoulement and the Thai Government’s obligations under international law. Who is Zhang Xinyan Zhang Xinyan is a Chinese national. She moved to Thailand following years of alleged persecution based on her Falun Gong practice, a spiritual movement banned in China. She holds a refugee status issued by the UNHCR, following the cancellation of her Chinese passport, according to Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch. Zhang Xinyan was among the 19 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists—based overseas—who were issued with arrest warrants by the Hong Kong police in July 2025 for alleged subversion under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Their bounties ranged from HKD 200,000 to 1 million (approx. USD 25,000-127,000). The group was accused of organizing unofficial polls outside Hong Kong in order to form a shadow legislature to advance the principle of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong." The National Security Law (NSL), enacted in June 2020 and imposed by Beijing directly without going through Hong Kong's own legislature—bypassing the city's democratic institutions and marking a fundamental shift in the "one country, two systems" framework—criminalizes several offences, including secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. In March 2024, Hong Kong enacted the Article 23 legislation, a domestic national security law that significantly expanded the existing framework established by the NSL. The new law introduced additional offences including sedition, espionage, and external interference, with penalties of up to life imprisonment. In practice, the NSL is frequently used to criminalize human rights advocacy or dissent, and has been widely condemned by UN human rights experts as incompatible with international human rights law. What happened On 8 May 2026, Thai immigration authorities reportedly detained Zhang Xinyan at her residence in Bangkok. She was then transferred to the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre. Zhang Xinyan was arrested on charges of overstaying her visa and working without proper documentation. Prior to the arrest, the Embassy of China in Thailand reportedly confiscated her passport when she sought to renew it. Rendered effectively stateless and unable to leave the country without a valid travel document, she remained in Thailand with no legal pathway out. We are deeply concerned that Zhang Xinyan’s detention exposes her to a heightened risk of refoulement and politically motivated persecution. We urge the international community to closely monitor the case and take appropriate action with both Thai and Chinese authorities.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/israel-greece-raid-by-israeli-forces-on-global-sumud-flotilla-off-crete/ Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:09:59 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24679 In the early hours of 30 April 2026, the Israeli Navy intercepted vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing off the coast of Crete carrying humanitarian aid. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, denounce this raid and call on the Israeli authorities to immediately release all the activists illegally detained, and call on the Greek authorities to act immediately to secure the activists’ safe release.   Athens-Paris-Geneva, 30 April 2026 - The assaults, interceptions of vessels, seizures, abductions, enforced disappearances of activists, and damage inflicted by Israeli naval forces on the vessels of the humanitarian mission, as reported based on available information, constitute serious unlawful acts in international waters, as they undermine the internationally protected freedom of navigation and endanger human life, in breach of international maritime law obligations, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention and the 1979 SAR Convention. It is a primary obligation of the Greek authorities to provide assistance to persons in distress within their Search and Rescue (SAR) zone and to conduct the necessary rescue operations to prevent risks to human life and ensure maritime safety, as well as to ensure that survivors are disembarked at a place of safety where their basic needs are met. While, according to available information, the vessels of the humanitarian mission had repeatedly issued distress signals (SOS), no rescue operation appears, at this stage, to have been undertaken by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Humanitarian flotilla missions operate within the framework of international humanitarian law, under which vessels carrying humanitarian aid, when not participating in hostilities, retain protected status, as well as under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas. In conjunction with binding United Nations Security Council resolutions requiring the removal of obstacles to humanitarian assistance, such missions constitute legally grounded efforts to provide aid to civilian populations. It should be noted that the ongoing genocide in Gaza, alongside the blockade, which has been going on for almost 20 years, affecting the entire population, are prohibited under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Hague Conventions and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as other instruments of humanitarian law. The attack against the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces, 650 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip, off Crete, on the high seas and within the Greek SAR zone, constitutes a continuation of Israel’s unlawful actions, in violation of international criminal law and international humanitarian law provisions concerning the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the prohibition of starvation of civilians. It also gravely infringes the fundamental human rights of the disappeared activists, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, the right to a fair trial, and the right to humane conditions of detention. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, stress the obligation of the Greek authorities to carry out rescue operations and to ensure the protection of human life at sea. Greece cannot remain in a position of inaction. Silence or passivity in the face of such practices is not a neutral stance; it fosters impunity, weakens international law, and politically and institutionally exposes those states that choose not to act. The signatory organisations urgently call on the Israeli authorities to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of all the peaceful activists arrested and to immediately and unconditionally release all those illegally detained. HLHR and the Observatory further urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from any further harassment or intimidation against human rights defenders, whether domestic or international, who seek to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold the human rights of all Palestinians. The signatory organisations call on the Greek government to act immediately: to seek full clarification from the Israeli authorities, to demand the safe release and protection of the members of the mission, to activate all available diplomatic and legal means, and to formally inform the competent international bodies of the incident that took place within Greece’s Search and Rescue area of responsibility. They further call on the competent international and European bodies to intervene without delay to investigate the events, ensure the protection of the mission’s members, and guarantee the respect of international law and international maritime In the early hours of 30 April 2026, the Israeli Navy intercepted vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing off the coast of Crete carrying humanitarian aid. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, denounce this raid and call on the Israeli authorities to immediately release all the activists illegally detained, and call on the Greek authorities to act immediately to secure the activists’ safe release.   Athens-Paris-Geneva, 30 April 2026 - The assaults, interceptions of vessels, seizures, abductions, enforced disappearances of activists, and damage inflicted by Israeli naval forces on the vessels of the humanitarian mission, as reported based on available information, constitute serious unlawful acts in international waters, as they undermine the internationally protected freedom of navigation and endanger human life, in breach of international maritime law obligations, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention and the 1979 SAR Convention. It is a primary obligation of the Greek authorities to provide assistance to persons in distress within their Search and Rescue (SAR) zone and to conduct the necessary rescue operations to prevent risks to human life and ensure maritime safety, as well as to ensure that survivors are disembarked at a place of safety where their basic needs are met. While, according to available information, the vessels of the humanitarian mission had repeatedly issued distress signals (SOS), no rescue operation appears, at this stage, to have been undertaken by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Humanitarian flotilla missions operate within the framework of international humanitarian law, under which vessels carrying humanitarian aid, when not participating in hostilities, retain protected status, as well as under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas. In conjunction with binding United Nations Security Council resolutions requiring the removal of obstacles to humanitarian assistance, such missions constitute legally grounded efforts to provide aid to civilian populations. It should be noted that the ongoing genocide in Gaza, alongside the blockade, which has been going on for almost 20 years, affecting the entire population, are prohibited under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Hague Conventions and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as other instruments of humanitarian law. The attack against the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces, 650 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip, off Crete, on the high seas and within the Greek SAR zone, constitutes a continuation of Israel’s unlawful actions, in violation of international criminal law and international humanitarian law provisions concerning the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the prohibition of starvation of civilians. It also gravely infringes the fundamental human rights of the disappeared activists, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, the right to a fair trial, and the right to humane conditions of detention. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, stress the obligation of the Greek authorities to carry out rescue operations and to ensure the protection of human life at sea. Greece cannot remain in a position of inaction. Silence or passivity in the face of such practices is not a neutral stance; it fosters impunity, weakens international law, and politically and institutionally exposes those states that choose not to act. The signatory organisations urgently call on the Israeli authorities to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of all the peaceful activists arrested and to immediately and unconditionally release all those illegally detained. HLHR and the Observatory further urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from any further harassment or intimidation against human rights defenders, whether domestic or international, who seek to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold the human rights of all Palestinians. The signatory organisations call on the Greek government to act immediately: to seek full clarification from the Israeli authorities, to demand the safe release and protection of the members of the mission, to activate all available diplomatic and legal means, and to formally inform the competent international bodies of the incident that took place within Greece’s Search and Rescue area of responsibility. They further call on the competent international and European bodies to intervene without delay to investigate the events, ensure the protection of the mission’s members, and guarantee the respect of international law and international maritime law and the unimpeded provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.]]> In the early hours of 30 April 2026, the Israeli Navy intercepted vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing off the coast of Crete carrying humanitarian aid. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, denounce this raid and call on the Israeli authorities to immediately release all the activists illegally detained, and call on the Greek authorities to act immediately to secure the activists’ safe release.   Athens-Paris-Geneva, 30 April 2026 - The assaults, interceptions of vessels, seizures, abductions, enforced disappearances of activists, and damage inflicted by Israeli naval forces on the vessels of the humanitarian mission, as reported based on available information, constitute serious unlawful acts in international waters, as they undermine the internationally protected freedom of navigation and endanger human life, in breach of international maritime law obligations, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention and the 1979 SAR Convention. It is a primary obligation of the Greek authorities to provide assistance to persons in distress within their Search and Rescue (SAR) zone and to conduct the necessary rescue operations to prevent risks to human life and ensure maritime safety, as well as to ensure that survivors are disembarked at a place of safety where their basic needs are met. While, according to available information, the vessels of the humanitarian mission had repeatedly issued distress signals (SOS), no rescue operation appears, at this stage, to have been undertaken by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Humanitarian flotilla missions operate within the framework of international humanitarian law, under which vessels carrying humanitarian aid, when not participating in hostilities, retain protected status, as well as under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas. In conjunction with binding United Nations Security Council resolutions requiring the removal of obstacles to humanitarian assistance, such missions constitute legally grounded efforts to provide aid to civilian populations. It should be noted that the ongoing genocide in Gaza, alongside the blockade, which has been going on for almost 20 years, affecting the entire population, are prohibited under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Hague Conventions and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as other instruments of humanitarian law. The attack against the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces, 650 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip, off Crete, on the high seas and within the Greek SAR zone, constitutes a continuation of Israel’s unlawful actions, in violation of international criminal law and international humanitarian law provisions concerning the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the prohibition of starvation of civilians. It also gravely infringes the fundamental human rights of the disappeared activists, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, the right to a fair trial, and the right to humane conditions of detention. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, stress the obligation of the Greek authorities to carry out rescue operations and to ensure the protection of human life at sea. Greece cannot remain in a position of inaction. Silence or passivity in the face of such practices is not a neutral stance; it fosters impunity, weakens international law, and politically and institutionally exposes those states that choose not to act. The signatory organisations urgently call on the Israeli authorities to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of all the peaceful activists arrested and to immediately and unconditionally release all those illegally detained. HLHR and the Observatory further urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from any further harassment or intimidation against human rights defenders, whether domestic or international, who seek to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold the human rights of all Palestinians. The signatory organisations call on the Greek government to act immediately: to seek full clarification from the Israeli authorities, to demand the safe release and protection of the members of the mission, to activate all available diplomatic and legal means, and to formally inform the competent international bodies of the incident that took place within Greece’s Search and Rescue area of responsibility. They further call on the competent international and European bodies to intervene without delay to investigate the events, ensure the protection of the mission’s members, and guarantee the respect of international law and international maritime In the early hours of 30 April 2026, the Israeli Navy intercepted vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing off the coast of Crete carrying humanitarian aid. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, denounce this raid and call on the Israeli authorities to immediately release all the activists illegally detained, and call on the Greek authorities to act immediately to secure the activists’ safe release.   Athens-Paris-Geneva, 30 April 2026 - The assaults, interceptions of vessels, seizures, abductions, enforced disappearances of activists, and damage inflicted by Israeli naval forces on the vessels of the humanitarian mission, as reported based on available information, constitute serious unlawful acts in international waters, as they undermine the internationally protected freedom of navigation and endanger human life, in breach of international maritime law obligations, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention and the 1979 SAR Convention. It is a primary obligation of the Greek authorities to provide assistance to persons in distress within their Search and Rescue (SAR) zone and to conduct the necessary rescue operations to prevent risks to human life and ensure maritime safety, as well as to ensure that survivors are disembarked at a place of safety where their basic needs are met. While, according to available information, the vessels of the humanitarian mission had repeatedly issued distress signals (SOS), no rescue operation appears, at this stage, to have been undertaken by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Humanitarian flotilla missions operate within the framework of international humanitarian law, under which vessels carrying humanitarian aid, when not participating in hostilities, retain protected status, as well as under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas. In conjunction with binding United Nations Security Council resolutions requiring the removal of obstacles to humanitarian assistance, such missions constitute legally grounded efforts to provide aid to civilian populations. It should be noted that the ongoing genocide in Gaza, alongside the blockade, which has been going on for almost 20 years, affecting the entire population, are prohibited under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Hague Conventions and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as other instruments of humanitarian law. The attack against the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces, 650 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip, off Crete, on the high seas and within the Greek SAR zone, constitutes a continuation of Israel’s unlawful actions, in violation of international criminal law and international humanitarian law provisions concerning the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the prohibition of starvation of civilians. It also gravely infringes the fundamental human rights of the disappeared activists, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, the right to a fair trial, and the right to humane conditions of detention. The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, stress the obligation of the Greek authorities to carry out rescue operations and to ensure the protection of human life at sea. Greece cannot remain in a position of inaction. Silence or passivity in the face of such practices is not a neutral stance; it fosters impunity, weakens international law, and politically and institutionally exposes those states that choose not to act. The signatory organisations urgently call on the Israeli authorities to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of all the peaceful activists arrested and to immediately and unconditionally release all those illegally detained. HLHR and the Observatory further urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from any further harassment or intimidation against human rights defenders, whether domestic or international, who seek to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold the human rights of all Palestinians. The signatory organisations call on the Greek government to act immediately: to seek full clarification from the Israeli authorities, to demand the safe release and protection of the members of the mission, to activate all available diplomatic and legal means, and to formally inform the competent international bodies of the incident that took place within Greece’s Search and Rescue area of responsibility. They further call on the competent international and European bodies to intervene without delay to investigate the events, ensure the protection of the mission’s members, and guarantee the respect of international law and international maritime law and the unimpeded provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/tunisie-le-journaliste-independant-mourad-zeghidi-doit-etre-libere/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:45:39 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24663 Mourad Zeghidi, journaliste politique tuniso-français indépendant, engagé en faveur de la liberté d’expression et du pluralisme médiatique en Tunisie, dont l’audience en appel a été ajournée au 28 avril 2026 devant la chambre criminelle près la Cour d’appel de Tunis. Le 14 avril 2026, le procès en appel de Mourad Zeghidi pour « blanchiment d’argent » et « évasion fiscale » s’est ouvert devant la Cour d’appel de Tunis. Au cours de cette audience, et à la demande des avocats de Mourad Zeghidi, la chambre criminelle a décidé de reporter l’examen de l’affaire au 28 avril 2026. Sa demande de libération provisoire ayant été refusée, il reste en détention dans l’attente de cette nouvelle audience. Le 22 janvier 2026, la chambre criminelle du tribunal de première instance de Tunis a condamné Mourad Zeghidi à trois ans et demi de prison, dont trois ans pour « blanchiment d’argent » et six mois pour « évasion fiscale » sur le fondement de la loi organique n° 2015-26 du 7 août 2015, relative à la lutte contre le terrorisme et à la répression du blanchiment d’argent. Cette condamnation fait suite à l’ouverture d’une information judiciaire ayant conduit à l’émission, le 3 décembre 2024, de mandats de dépôt contre M. Mourad Zeghidi dans le cadre d’une enquête portant sur ces accusations. La condamnation prononcée le 22 janvier 2026 est également assortie d’une amende d’un montant de 80 000 TND (approximativement 23 000 Euros), de la confiscation de ses avoirs financiers ainsi que de la saisie de ses parts sociales au profit du Trésor tunisien. Mourad Zeghidi a interjeté appel de cette condamnation et, le 7 avril 2026, la chambre criminelle près la Cour d’appel de Tunis a fixé l’ouverture du procès en appel au 14 avril 2026, reporté à son tour au 28 avril 2026 Au cours de l’instruction, les investigations menées pendant plus d’un an auprès de la Banque centrale, d’Interpol et d’autorités européennes n’ont pas permis d’établir la véracité des accusations portées à l’encontre de Mourad Zeghidi. Aucune transaction illicite, anormale ou illégale n’a été identifiée. Ces accusations ne reposaient en réalité que sur une déclaration fiscale présentée comme incomplète, M. Zeghidi ayant par ailleurs lui-même sollicité une conciliation fiscale en janvier 2025, acceptée par les autorités tunisiennes en décembre 2025, et ayant permis depuis de régulariser une large partie de sa situation fiscale au cours de sa détention. Au moment de la publication de cet appel urgent, M. Zeghidi est toujours détenu dans l’attente du verdict de son procès en appel à la prison de Mornaguia, en périphérie de Tunis, L’Observatoire rappelle que ce procès en appel s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un acharnement judiciaire continu visant Mourad Zeghidi depuis son arrestation le 11 mai 2024, date à laquelle les autorités tunisiennes l’ont arrêté à son domicile à Tunis avant de le placer en garde à vue. Il y a été interrogé pendant plusieurs heures au sujet de plusieurs interventions médiatiques critiques portant sur la situation politique tunisienne, y compris ses interventions dans “L'émission impossible” sur Radio IFM, ainsi que d’une publication Facebook dans laquelle il a critiqué des dépenses et déplacements effectués aux frais du ministère des Affaires religieuses par une responsable de ce ministère. Le 15 mai 2024, M. Zeghidi a été placé sous mandat de dépôt pour « diffusion de fausses nouvelles » et « attribution de faits non réels dans le but de diffamer autrui », sur le fondement de l’article 24 du décret-loi n°54 du 13 septembre 2022. Le 22 mai 2024, le tribunal de première instance de Tunis a condamné M. Zeghidi à un an de prison ferme, avant que sa peine ne soit réduite à huit mois d’emprisonnement par la Cour d’appel de Tunis le 26 juillet 2024. Alors qu’il devait être libéré en janvier 2025 après avoir purgé sa peine, les autorités ont engagé contre lui une nouvelle procédure judiciaire fondée sur des accusations financières et fiscales en décembre 2024. Les poursuites fiscales concernent également son collègue Borhen Bssaies, animateur de “L'émission impossible” sur Radio IFM condamné dans la même affaire, sans qu’un lien fiscal direct entre les deux journalistes n’ait été établi. Tous deux ont été arrêtés le 11 mai 2024, poursuivis dans le cadre du même dossier fondé notamment sur le décret-loi n°54, condamnés à des peines identiques, puis ont vu leurs peines réduites de manière similaire en appel. Le même jour, l’avocate et chroniqueuse Sonia Dahmani, également collaboratrice de la même émission, a été arrêtée. Libérée sous conditions en novembre 2025, elle a été condamnée à une peine d’un an et demi de prison ferme le 13 avril 2026 et est toujours en liberté pour le moment. L’Observatoire rappelle également que les poursuites engagées contre M. Mourad Zeghidi s’inscrivent dans un contexte plus large de restriction croissante de l’espace civique et de répression des voix critiques en Tunisie, marqué par la multiplication des poursuites judiciaires contre des journalistes, avocat·es, défenseur·es des droits humains et opposant·es politiques. L’Observatoire exprime également son inquiétude face à la tendance générale de restrictions à la liberté d’opinion et d’expression depuis l’adoption du décret-loi 54 en septembre 2022. Largement contesté sur le plan national et international, un groupe de rapporteur·es spéciaux·ales des Nations unies a exprimé en janvier 2023 ses profondes préoccupations quant à la compatibilité de ce décret-loi avec les normes et standards relatifs aux droits à la liberté d’expression, de la presse, de l’indépendance des avocat·es, d’association et à la vie privée. L’Observatoire rappelle enfin que la Tunisie, en tant qu’État partie au Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques (PIDCP), est tenue de garantir le droit à un procès équitable (Article 14), ainsi que le droit à la liberté d’expression (Article 19). L’Observatoire exprime sa plus vive inquiétude face à cet acharnement judiciaire et procédural à l’encontre de Mourad Zeghidi, qui ne semble viser qu’à sanctionner l’exercice légitime de son activité journalistique et de son droit à la liberté d’expression. L’Observatoire appelle les autorités tunisiennes à libérer immédiatement et sans conditions Mourad Zeghidi, à abandonner l’ensemble des charges retenues contre lui, et à mettre un terme à tout acte de harcèlement, y compris au niveau judiciaire, à son encontre ainsi qu’à celle de tou·tes les journalistes et défenseur·es des droits humains dans le pays.]]> Mourad Zeghidi, journaliste politique tuniso-français indépendant, engagé en faveur de la liberté d’expression et du pluralisme médiatique en Tunisie, dont l’audience en appel a été ajournée au 28 avril 2026 devant la chambre criminelle près la Cour d’appel de Tunis. Le 14 avril 2026, le procès en appel de Mourad Zeghidi pour « blanchiment d’argent » et « évasion fiscale » s’est ouvert devant la Cour d’appel de Tunis. Au cours de cette audience, et à la demande des avocats de Mourad Zeghidi, la chambre criminelle a décidé de reporter l’examen de l’affaire au 28 avril 2026. Sa demande de libération provisoire ayant été refusée, il reste en détention dans l’attente de cette nouvelle audience. Le 22 janvier 2026, la chambre criminelle du tribunal de première instance de Tunis a condamné Mourad Zeghidi à trois ans et demi de prison, dont trois ans pour « blanchiment d’argent » et six mois pour « évasion fiscale » sur le fondement de la loi organique n° 2015-26 du 7 août 2015, relative à la lutte contre le terrorisme et à la répression du blanchiment d’argent. Cette condamnation fait suite à l’ouverture d’une information judiciaire ayant conduit à l’émission, le 3 décembre 2024, de mandats de dépôt contre M. Mourad Zeghidi dans le cadre d’une enquête portant sur ces accusations. La condamnation prononcée le 22 janvier 2026 est également assortie d’une amende d’un montant de 80 000 TND (approximativement 23 000 Euros), de la confiscation de ses avoirs financiers ainsi que de la saisie de ses parts sociales au profit du Trésor tunisien. Mourad Zeghidi a interjeté appel de cette condamnation et, le 7 avril 2026, la chambre criminelle près la Cour d’appel de Tunis a fixé l’ouverture du procès en appel au 14 avril 2026, reporté à son tour au 28 avril 2026 Au cours de l’instruction, les investigations menées pendant plus d’un an auprès de la Banque centrale, d’Interpol et d’autorités européennes n’ont pas permis d’établir la véracité des accusations portées à l’encontre de Mourad Zeghidi. Aucune transaction illicite, anormale ou illégale n’a été identifiée. Ces accusations ne reposaient en réalité que sur une déclaration fiscale présentée comme incomplète, M. Zeghidi ayant par ailleurs lui-même sollicité une conciliation fiscale en janvier 2025, acceptée par les autorités tunisiennes en décembre 2025, et ayant permis depuis de régulariser une large partie de sa situation fiscale au cours de sa détention. Au moment de la publication de cet appel urgent, M. Zeghidi est toujours détenu dans l’attente du verdict de son procès en appel à la prison de Mornaguia, en périphérie de Tunis, L’Observatoire rappelle que ce procès en appel s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un acharnement judiciaire continu visant Mourad Zeghidi depuis son arrestation le 11 mai 2024, date à laquelle les autorités tunisiennes l’ont arrêté à son domicile à Tunis avant de le placer en garde à vue. Il y a été interrogé pendant plusieurs heures au sujet de plusieurs interventions médiatiques critiques portant sur la situation politique tunisienne, y compris ses interventions dans “L'émission impossible” sur Radio IFM, ainsi que d’une publication Facebook dans laquelle il a critiqué des dépenses et déplacements effectués aux frais du ministère des Affaires religieuses par une responsable de ce ministère. Le 15 mai 2024, M. Zeghidi a été placé sous mandat de dépôt pour « diffusion de fausses nouvelles » et « attribution de faits non réels dans le but de diffamer autrui », sur le fondement de l’article 24 du décret-loi n°54 du 13 septembre 2022. Le 22 mai 2024, le tribunal de première instance de Tunis a condamné M. Zeghidi à un an de prison ferme, avant que sa peine ne soit réduite à huit mois d’emprisonnement par la Cour d’appel de Tunis le 26 juillet 2024. Alors qu’il devait être libéré en janvier 2025 après avoir purgé sa peine, les autorités ont engagé contre lui une nouvelle procédure judiciaire fondée sur des accusations financières et fiscales en décembre 2024. Les poursuites fiscales concernent également son collègue Borhen Bssaies, animateur de “L'émission impossible” sur Radio IFM condamné dans la même affaire, sans qu’un lien fiscal direct entre les deux journalistes n’ait été établi. Tous deux ont été arrêtés le 11 mai 2024, poursuivis dans le cadre du même dossier fondé notamment sur le décret-loi n°54, condamnés à des peines identiques, puis ont vu leurs peines réduites de manière similaire en appel. Le même jour, l’avocate et chroniqueuse Sonia Dahmani, également collaboratrice de la même émission, a été arrêtée. Libérée sous conditions en novembre 2025, elle a été condamnée à une peine d’un an et demi de prison ferme le 13 avril 2026 et est toujours en liberté pour le moment. L’Observatoire rappelle également que les poursuites engagées contre M. Mourad Zeghidi s’inscrivent dans un contexte plus large de restriction croissante de l’espace civique et de répression des voix critiques en Tunisie, marqué par la multiplication des poursuites judiciaires contre des journalistes, avocat·es, défenseur·es des droits humains et opposant·es politiques. L’Observatoire exprime également son inquiétude face à la tendance générale de restrictions à la liberté d’opinion et d’expression depuis l’adoption du décret-loi 54 en septembre 2022. Largement contesté sur le plan national et international, un groupe de rapporteur·es spéciaux·ales des Nations unies a exprimé en janvier 2023 ses profondes préoccupations quant à la compatibilité de ce décret-loi avec les normes et standards relatifs aux droits à la liberté d’expression, de la presse, de l’indépendance des avocat·es, d’association et à la vie privée. L’Observatoire rappelle enfin que la Tunisie, en tant qu’État partie au Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques (PIDCP), est tenue de garantir le droit à un procès équitable (Article 14), ainsi que le droit à la liberté d’expression (Article 19). L’Observatoire exprime sa plus vive inquiétude face à cet acharnement judiciaire et procédural à l’encontre de Mourad Zeghidi, qui ne semble viser qu’à sanctionner l’exercice légitime de son activité journalistique et de son droit à la liberté d’expression. L’Observatoire appelle les autorités tunisiennes à libérer immédiatement et sans conditions Mourad Zeghidi, à abandonner l’ensemble des charges retenues contre lui, et à mettre un terme à tout acte de harcèlement, y compris au niveau judiciaire, à son encontre ainsi qu’à celle de tou·tes les journalistes et défenseur·es des droits humains dans le pays.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/russia-russian-human-rights-organisation-memorial-designated-as-an-extremist-organisation/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:44:52 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24659 recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Founded in the late 1980s, Memorial documents human rights violations and supports victims of political repression in Russia. On 9 April 2026, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation accepted a request from the Ministry of Justice to designate the so-called “International Public Memorial Movement” as an “extremist organisation”. The court hearing was held behind closed doors, and no lawyers representing Memorial were allowed to participate in the proceedings. As a result, it remains unclear on what specific grounds Memorial was designated as an “extremist organisation”. This decision effectively bans and criminalises any activities of organisations that form part of “Memorial” in Russia. Organisation leaders face up to ten, and staff members face up to six years of imprisonment (Article 282.2 of Russia’s Criminal Code); likewise, almost any form of support – including sharing and liking content or donating money to “Memorial” – can be punishable by up to six years of imprisonment under the same Article. The Observatory recalls that there is no organisation registered as “International Public Memorial Movement”: “Memorial” (or “Memorial International”) was originally established in the late 1980s in the Soviet Union as a movement to record Stalinist-era crimes and to preserve the memory of the victims of the repressions. One of its founders was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov. In 1993, several members of “Memorial International“ founded the “Memorial Human Rights Center” (“HRC Memorial”), a human rights organisation and FIDH member, which has documented human rights violations committed by the Russian authorities, including crimes committed by the Russian Armed Forces in Chechnya and Georgia. At the same time, local organisations bearing the name “Memorial” were established in many cities across Russia, working to collect information and preserve the memory of victims of Stalinist repression in their respective regions. In total, more than 80 such organisations exist across Russia and abroad, including in Germany, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Observatory further recalls that since 2013, Russian authorities have consistently targeted “Memorial International” and HRC Memorial, including by labelling them as “foreign agents”, imposing heavy fines, and conducting unjustified searches of their premises. Both organisations have paid millions of rubles in fines stemming from alleged violations of the “Foreign Agent” Law, which has been found to violate both international and domestic law. In particular, the long-awaited judgement “Ecodefence and others v. Russia” of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), published in 2022, concluded that Russia had breached the rights of 73 Russian NGOs after their activities were restricted on the basis of the “Foreign Agents” legislation, and stated that attaching the label of “foreign agent” to NGOs had been “unjustified and prejudicial”, with the possibility to have a “strong deterrent and stigmatising effect on their operations”. This campaign finally culminated in the liquidation of HRC Memorial by the Moscow City Court for allegedly violating the “Foreign Agent” Law on 29 December 2021, just one day after the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation had ordered the liquidation of “Memorial International” on the same grounds, ignoring an order of the ECtHR to “suspend” the enforcement of the decisions to liquidate both “Memorial International” and HRC Memorial under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court. Following the liquidation of HRC Memorial, its staff and supporters established the “Memorial Human Rights Defence Center”, which has since operated largely in exile and remains a member organisation of FIDH. On 1 March 2024, the Russian authorities labelled “Memorial Human Rights Defence Center” a “foreign agent”, and designated further associated organisations, such as the Swiss-based “International Memorial Association” and “Zukunft Memorial”, as “undesirable organisations” in 2026. The Observatory strongly condemns the designation of the “International Public Memorial Movement” as an “extremist organisation”, which is only aimed at sanctioning all organisations associated with Memorial for their legitimate human rights activities and their exercise of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression. The Observatory urges the Russian authorities to immediately repeal this decision and to put an end to any act of harassment against all Memorial organisations and their members as well as against all organisations defending human rights in the country. The Observatory also strongly condemns the trend of designating unregistered “public international movements” as “extremist” to facilitate the persecution of human rights organisations and defenders.]]> recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Founded in the late 1980s, Memorial documents human rights violations and supports victims of political repression in Russia. On 9 April 2026, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation accepted a request from the Ministry of Justice to designate the so-called “International Public Memorial Movement” as an “extremist organisation”. The court hearing was held behind closed doors, and no lawyers representing Memorial were allowed to participate in the proceedings. As a result, it remains unclear on what specific grounds Memorial was designated as an “extremist organisation”. This decision effectively bans and criminalises any activities of organisations that form part of “Memorial” in Russia. Organisation leaders face up to ten, and staff members face up to six years of imprisonment (Article 282.2 of Russia’s Criminal Code); likewise, almost any form of support – including sharing and liking content or donating money to “Memorial” – can be punishable by up to six years of imprisonment under the same Article. The Observatory recalls that there is no organisation registered as “International Public Memorial Movement”: “Memorial” (or “Memorial International”) was originally established in the late 1980s in the Soviet Union as a movement to record Stalinist-era crimes and to preserve the memory of the victims of the repressions. One of its founders was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov. In 1993, several members of “Memorial International“ founded the “Memorial Human Rights Center” (“HRC Memorial”), a human rights organisation and FIDH member, which has documented human rights violations committed by the Russian authorities, including crimes committed by the Russian Armed Forces in Chechnya and Georgia. At the same time, local organisations bearing the name “Memorial” were established in many cities across Russia, working to collect information and preserve the memory of victims of Stalinist repression in their respective regions. In total, more than 80 such organisations exist across Russia and abroad, including in Germany, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Observatory further recalls that since 2013, Russian authorities have consistently targeted “Memorial International” and HRC Memorial, including by labelling them as “foreign agents”, imposing heavy fines, and conducting unjustified searches of their premises. Both organisations have paid millions of rubles in fines stemming from alleged violations of the “Foreign Agent” Law, which has been found to violate both international and domestic law. In particular, the long-awaited judgement “Ecodefence and others v. Russia” of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), published in 2022, concluded that Russia had breached the rights of 73 Russian NGOs after their activities were restricted on the basis of the “Foreign Agents” legislation, and stated that attaching the label of “foreign agent” to NGOs had been “unjustified and prejudicial”, with the possibility to have a “strong deterrent and stigmatising effect on their operations”. This campaign finally culminated in the liquidation of HRC Memorial by the Moscow City Court for allegedly violating the “Foreign Agent” Law on 29 December 2021, just one day after the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation had ordered the liquidation of “Memorial International” on the same grounds, ignoring an order of the ECtHR to “suspend” the enforcement of the decisions to liquidate both “Memorial International” and HRC Memorial under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court. Following the liquidation of HRC Memorial, its staff and supporters established the “Memorial Human Rights Defence Center”, which has since operated largely in exile and remains a member organisation of FIDH. On 1 March 2024, the Russian authorities labelled “Memorial Human Rights Defence Center” a “foreign agent”, and designated further associated organisations, such as the Swiss-based “International Memorial Association” and “Zukunft Memorial”, as “undesirable organisations” in 2026. The Observatory strongly condemns the designation of the “International Public Memorial Movement” as an “extremist organisation”, which is only aimed at sanctioning all organisations associated with Memorial for their legitimate human rights activities and their exercise of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression. The Observatory urges the Russian authorities to immediately repeal this decision and to put an end to any act of harassment against all Memorial organisations and their members as well as against all organisations defending human rights in the country. The Observatory also strongly condemns the trend of designating unregistered “public international movements” as “extremist” to facilitate the persecution of human rights organisations and defenders.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/turkey-continued-judicial-harassment-against-pinar-selek/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:56:32 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24650 Paris-Geneva-Istanbul, 17 April 2026 – The trial of Turkish and French sociologist and human rights defender Pınar Selek was once again postponed on 2 April 2026, with the Istanbul  15th High Criminal Court requiring her physical presence at the hearings and reiterating its request for her immediate detention. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership  between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and the French League of Human Rights (LDH) strongly condemn the ongoing judicial harassment targeting Pınar Selek and call on the Turkish authorities to drop all charges against her. On 2 April 2026, the seventh hearing of the fifth trial against Pinar Selek was held. Despite four prior acquittals and the absence of any substantive evidence against her, the Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court reiterated its request for her immediate imprisonment and her physical presence at the next hearing, scheduled on 18 September 2026. This decision forms part of an ongoing pattern of judicial harassment against Ms Selek for nearly three decades. The case dates back to 1998, when Ms Selek was arbitrarily arrested and accused, without any credible evidence, of involvement in an explosion at the Istanbul Spice Bazaar. The current proceedings stem from the same case, which has been repeatedly reopened despite four acquittals (2006, 2008, 2011 and 2014). In June 2022, the Turkish Court of Cassation overturned the last acquittal and called for a life sentence. Her fifth trial began on 31 March 2023, and has been repeatedly adjourned . Ms Selek is currently residing in France, where she has obtained citizenship, and is the subject of an international arrest warrant accompanied by a request for extradition. However, Interpol states that no Red Notice has been issued against her. The Observatory and the LDH recall that, under international law, particularly Articles 3 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, no individual should be extradited to a country where they face a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, or an unfair trial. Given the lack of evidence, the repeated reopening of proceedings despite four acquittals, the acts of torture and ill-treatment suffered by Ms Selek during her detention in 1998, and the broader deterioration on judicial guarantees in Turkey, these risks are particulary serious. The Observatory and the LDH further recall that this persistent judicial harassment reflects a broader pattern of repression of critical voices in Turkey, particularly targeting human rights defenders, academics and those working on minority rights. Therefore, the Observatory and the LDH strongly condemn the repeated calls for Ms Selek’s immediate imprisonment, which appears to be solely aimed at silencing her academic work on the repression of the Kurds and human rights activities. The signatory organisations call on the Turkish authorities to put an end to this judicial harassment and to fully comply with their international obligations regarding fair trial guarantees and the protection of human rights defenders.]]> Paris-Geneva-Istanbul, 17 April 2026 – The trial of Turkish and French sociologist and human rights defender Pınar Selek was once again postponed on 2 April 2026, with the Istanbul  15th High Criminal Court requiring her physical presence at the hearings and reiterating its request for her immediate detention. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership  between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and the French League of Human Rights (LDH) strongly condemn the ongoing judicial harassment targeting Pınar Selek and call on the Turkish authorities to drop all charges against her. On 2 April 2026, the seventh hearing of the fifth trial against Pinar Selek was held. Despite four prior acquittals and the absence of any substantive evidence against her, the Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court reiterated its request for her immediate imprisonment and her physical presence at the next hearing, scheduled on 18 September 2026. This decision forms part of an ongoing pattern of judicial harassment against Ms Selek for nearly three decades. The case dates back to 1998, when Ms Selek was arbitrarily arrested and accused, without any credible evidence, of involvement in an explosion at the Istanbul Spice Bazaar. The current proceedings stem from the same case, which has been repeatedly reopened despite four acquittals (2006, 2008, 2011 and 2014). In June 2022, the Turkish Court of Cassation overturned the last acquittal and called for a life sentence. Her fifth trial began on 31 March 2023, and has been repeatedly adjourned . Ms Selek is currently residing in France, where she has obtained citizenship, and is the subject of an international arrest warrant accompanied by a request for extradition. However, Interpol states that no Red Notice has been issued against her. The Observatory and the LDH recall that, under international law, particularly Articles 3 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, no individual should be extradited to a country where they face a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, or an unfair trial. Given the lack of evidence, the repeated reopening of proceedings despite four acquittals, the acts of torture and ill-treatment suffered by Ms Selek during her detention in 1998, and the broader deterioration on judicial guarantees in Turkey, these risks are particulary serious. The Observatory and the LDH further recall that this persistent judicial harassment reflects a broader pattern of repression of critical voices in Turkey, particularly targeting human rights defenders, academics and those working on minority rights. Therefore, the Observatory and the LDH strongly condemn the repeated calls for Ms Selek’s immediate imprisonment, which appears to be solely aimed at silencing her academic work on the repression of the Kurds and human rights activities. The signatory organisations call on the Turkish authorities to put an end to this judicial harassment and to fully comply with their international obligations regarding fair trial guarantees and the protection of human rights defenders.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/china-authorities-must-release-arbitrarly-detained-human-rights-lawyer-yu-wensheng-at-the-end-of-his-sentence-and-ensure-his-full-freedom/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:26:13 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24640 Paris-Geneva, 9 April 2026 – Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng is expected to be released on 13 April after completing a three-year sentence following his baseless conviction for “inciting subversion of state power”. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), together with other civil society organisations, expresses deep concern about his wellbeing and urges the Chinese authorities to ensure his immediate release after serving his sentence, allow him to reunite with his family in Beijing, and guarantee his ability to freely exercise his human rights. Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan are prominent advocates for rule of law and human rights in China. As a result, they have faced government harassment for many years, this is the second time since 2018 that Yu has been arbitrarily deprived of his liberty. As a human rights lawyer, Yu represented victims in many sensitive human rights cases, including representing 709 Crackdown lawyers, and publicly called for constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening checks on state power. His efforts to defend victims of human rights violations, challenge government overreach and promote meaningful legal reforms have been met with harsh retaliation. The authorities should investigate the targeting, ill-treatment and arbitrary detention of Yu Wensheng and bring to justice in fair trial those suspected of being responsible. Authorities should provide Yu Wensheng and his family with access to justice and effective remedies in line with China’s own laws and their human rights obligations and commitments. Yu and Xu were taken into police custody while on their way to meet European Union officials in Beijing on 13 April 2023. They were initially held at Beijing Shijingshan Detention Centre, where they were deprived of prompt access to counsel of their choosing and charged by the local procuratorate with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Authorities added new charges of “inciting subversion of state power” around June 2023. UN experts have repeatedly raised concerns about how the authorities have used both of those crimes to target human rights defenders, have noted their noncompliance with international human rights standards and have called for their repeal. During the first roughly six months of detention in Beijing, Xu Yan reportedly lost 14kg. She was also subjected to ill-treatment, including being intimidated by police who threatened to arrest her son if he undertook advocacy on behalf of her and Yu’s case. The conditions of her detention may have amounted to torture and other ill-treatment. In January 2024, Xu and Yu were transferred to Suzhou Detention Centre in Jiangsu province, some 1, 000km away from their regular place of residence in Beijing. UN experts raised concerns in April 2024 about their detentions, and the impact on their son. In August 2024, their cases were heard at the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court. Diplomats from several foreign missions and activists had planned to attend the trial but were reportedly denied entry to the courtroom to observe the proceedings. On 29 October 2024, Suzhou Intermediate Court sentenced Yu Wensheng to three years in prison and Xu Yan to one year and nine months in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”. Their son, who turned 18 just before their detention, has faced a serious deterioration of his mental health since Yu’s first arrest in 2018; this was exacerbated by his isolation during the time both his parents were imprisoned. Xu Yan was released in January 2025, but has said that she and her son still face unlawful surveillance and harassment by the authorities, a common extralegal tactic used against human rights defenders and their families. She has spent over a decade studying to pass her legal professional qualifications and has completed all the necessary requirements. Ten days after her detention in 2023, Xu was notified that she had passed; however, to this day the authorities have not yet issued Xu her formal certificate. This has hampered her ability to continue her human rights advocacy, and to earn an income for the family. Conditions at Zhenjiang Prison for Yu Wensheng are reportedly harsh and may constitute ill-treatment. According to sources close to him, prison authorities have not provided adequate heat or nutrition and have refused to facilitate his purchase of daily necessities. Additionally, Xu Yan’s repeated requests that the authorities transfer Yu back to a Beijing prison to facilitate visits were ignored by the authorities. As a result, they had no choice but to travel some 1,000 km each way, each month, to visit him. We believe that the authorities’ use of the criminal justice system to harass Yu Wensheng and his family is intended to deter human rights defenders in China and discourage their legal and constructive interactions with civil society groups and diplomatic representatives in the country. Despite the authorities’ heavy-handed response, many human rights defenders in China refuse to be silenced. Ahead of Yu’s release date, the undersigned organisations call on the Chinese authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations, including under the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The organisations urge the authorities to:

• Ensure Yu Wensheng is released and can reunite with his family in Beijing on time after serving his sentence and without any additional restrictions;
• Ensure Yu can freely exercise his human rights including his rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression, and that he is able to communicate with any individual or institution he may choose; and
• End all forms of unlawful surveillance and harassment targeting Yu Wensheng, Xu Yan, their family or their friends, and ensure that their right to health is fully protected.

Background Following his first arrest in January 2018, prominent human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng was in 2020 sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and “deprivation of political rights”, on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power”, solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. Yu Wensheng is the winner of the 2018 Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law and the 2021 Martin Ennals Award, an annual prize for human rights defenders. This recognition honours not only his important role in the Chinese human rights community, but also the tireless efforts of his wife Xu Yan to call for the release of her husband. He was released from prison at the conclusion of his sentence on 1 March 2022. The range of human rights violations in this case – from the criminalisation of human rights advocacy and the work of human rights lawyers to unfair trials, poor detention conditions, lack of access to counsel and alarming detrimental impacts on family members – paint a grim picture for respect for the rule of law and those who seek to defend it in China. This point was reiterated by the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers in a letter to Chinese authorities in July 2025. She expressed “deep concerns about the allegations that patterns of repression and criminalization of legal professionals, as previously outlined in communication AL CHN 1/2024, have not ceased.” Other UN experts have repeatedly called for the repeal of Article 105(2) of China’s Criminal Law that provides for the crime of ’inciting subversion of state power.’ In addition, in 2020, they asserted that the criminal provision of ’picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ violates due process and the principle of legality underpinned in article 11 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights explicitly called for the repeal of the vague and overly broad crime of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles”. Research from civil society organisations monitoring the human rights situation in China, including many signatories to this letter, has shown that Chinese courts have consistently applied these provisions to cases of human rights defenders – like Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan – in ways that criminalize the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, authorities have failed to act on recommendations to end the violations of fair trial rights and other rights, including the imposition of “supplemental” sentences under the Criminal Law which are incompatible with international human rights standards.]]> Paris-Geneva, 9 April 2026 – Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng is expected to be released on 13 April after completing a three-year sentence following his baseless conviction for “inciting subversion of state power”. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), together with other civil society organisations, expresses deep concern about his wellbeing and urges the Chinese authorities to ensure his immediate release after serving his sentence, allow him to reunite with his family in Beijing, and guarantee his ability to freely exercise his human rights. Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan are prominent advocates for rule of law and human rights in China. As a result, they have faced government harassment for many years, this is the second time since 2018 that Yu has been arbitrarily deprived of his liberty. As a human rights lawyer, Yu represented victims in many sensitive human rights cases, including representing 709 Crackdown lawyers, and publicly called for constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening checks on state power. His efforts to defend victims of human rights violations, challenge government overreach and promote meaningful legal reforms have been met with harsh retaliation. The authorities should investigate the targeting, ill-treatment and arbitrary detention of Yu Wensheng and bring to justice in fair trial those suspected of being responsible. Authorities should provide Yu Wensheng and his family with access to justice and effective remedies in line with China’s own laws and their human rights obligations and commitments. Yu and Xu were taken into police custody while on their way to meet European Union officials in Beijing on 13 April 2023. They were initially held at Beijing Shijingshan Detention Centre, where they were deprived of prompt access to counsel of their choosing and charged by the local procuratorate with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Authorities added new charges of “inciting subversion of state power” around June 2023. UN experts have repeatedly raised concerns about how the authorities have used both of those crimes to target human rights defenders, have noted their noncompliance with international human rights standards and have called for their repeal. During the first roughly six months of detention in Beijing, Xu Yan reportedly lost 14kg. She was also subjected to ill-treatment, including being intimidated by police who threatened to arrest her son if he undertook advocacy on behalf of her and Yu’s case. The conditions of her detention may have amounted to torture and other ill-treatment. In January 2024, Xu and Yu were transferred to Suzhou Detention Centre in Jiangsu province, some 1, 000km away from their regular place of residence in Beijing. UN experts raised concerns in April 2024 about their detentions, and the impact on their son. In August 2024, their cases were heard at the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court. Diplomats from several foreign missions and activists had planned to attend the trial but were reportedly denied entry to the courtroom to observe the proceedings. On 29 October 2024, Suzhou Intermediate Court sentenced Yu Wensheng to three years in prison and Xu Yan to one year and nine months in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”. Their son, who turned 18 just before their detention, has faced a serious deterioration of his mental health since Yu’s first arrest in 2018; this was exacerbated by his isolation during the time both his parents were imprisoned. Xu Yan was released in January 2025, but has said that she and her son still face unlawful surveillance and harassment by the authorities, a common extralegal tactic used against human rights defenders and their families. She has spent over a decade studying to pass her legal professional qualifications and has completed all the necessary requirements. Ten days after her detention in 2023, Xu was notified that she had passed; however, to this day the authorities have not yet issued Xu her formal certificate. This has hampered her ability to continue her human rights advocacy, and to earn an income for the family. Conditions at Zhenjiang Prison for Yu Wensheng are reportedly harsh and may constitute ill-treatment. According to sources close to him, prison authorities have not provided adequate heat or nutrition and have refused to facilitate his purchase of daily necessities. Additionally, Xu Yan’s repeated requests that the authorities transfer Yu back to a Beijing prison to facilitate visits were ignored by the authorities. As a result, they had no choice but to travel some 1,000 km each way, each month, to visit him. We believe that the authorities’ use of the criminal justice system to harass Yu Wensheng and his family is intended to deter human rights defenders in China and discourage their legal and constructive interactions with civil society groups and diplomatic representatives in the country. Despite the authorities’ heavy-handed response, many human rights defenders in China refuse to be silenced. Ahead of Yu’s release date, the undersigned organisations call on the Chinese authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations, including under the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The organisations urge the authorities to:

• Ensure Yu Wensheng is released and can reunite with his family in Beijing on time after serving his sentence and without any additional restrictions;
• Ensure Yu can freely exercise his human rights including his rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression, and that he is able to communicate with any individual or institution he may choose; and
• End all forms of unlawful surveillance and harassment targeting Yu Wensheng, Xu Yan, their family or their friends, and ensure that their right to health is fully protected.

Background Following his first arrest in January 2018, prominent human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng was in 2020 sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and “deprivation of political rights”, on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power”, solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. Yu Wensheng is the winner of the 2018 Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law and the 2021 Martin Ennals Award, an annual prize for human rights defenders. This recognition honours not only his important role in the Chinese human rights community, but also the tireless efforts of his wife Xu Yan to call for the release of her husband. He was released from prison at the conclusion of his sentence on 1 March 2022. The range of human rights violations in this case – from the criminalisation of human rights advocacy and the work of human rights lawyers to unfair trials, poor detention conditions, lack of access to counsel and alarming detrimental impacts on family members – paint a grim picture for respect for the rule of law and those who seek to defend it in China. This point was reiterated by the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers in a letter to Chinese authorities in July 2025. She expressed “deep concerns about the allegations that patterns of repression and criminalization of legal professionals, as previously outlined in communication AL CHN 1/2024, have not ceased.” Other UN experts have repeatedly called for the repeal of Article 105(2) of China’s Criminal Law that provides for the crime of ’inciting subversion of state power.’ In addition, in 2020, they asserted that the criminal provision of ’picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ violates due process and the principle of legality underpinned in article 11 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights explicitly called for the repeal of the vague and overly broad crime of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles”. Research from civil society organisations monitoring the human rights situation in China, including many signatories to this letter, has shown that Chinese courts have consistently applied these provisions to cases of human rights defenders – like Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan – in ways that criminalize the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, authorities have failed to act on recommendations to end the violations of fair trial rights and other rights, including the imposition of “supplemental” sentences under the Criminal Law which are incompatible with international human rights standards.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/egypt-civil-society-organisations-worldwide-call-for-the-immediate-release-of-ahmed-douma/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:19:25 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24634 8 April 2026 - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, together with the undersigned civil society organisations from around the world, call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release prominent activist, poet and political writer Ahmed Douma from pretrial detention and to stop their systematic campaign of judicial harassment against him. On 6 April 2026, many in Egypt started the day with hopeful news following Egyptian authorities’ long over-due release of a number of detainees in political cases. Meanwhile, Ahmed Douma headed to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) following a summons that he had received a few days prior. As has become the norm, he was not informed of the accusations being made about him or the subject of his interrogation. Hours into the interrogation, Ahmed’s lawyers learned that he was being accused of “publishing false news and statements inside and outside the country with the intent to disturb public peace and spread panic,” in relation to an article he had published in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “From a Prison Within the State to a State Within the Prison,” which uses examples from around the world to present an argument on why political imprisonment is destabilising for the state. He was ordered into pretrial detention for four days pending Case No. 2449 of 2026 and has been in Egyptian authorities’ custody since. Ahmed Douma has already spent over a decade in prison on politicised charges. In custody, he has been held in prolonged solitary confinement, denied adequate medical care, and subjected to treatment that Amnesty International described as torture. His detention was found to be arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Though Ahmed was finally released in August 2023 on a presidential pardon, authorities have not relented, depriving him of the chance to rebuild his life. Since his release, Ahmed has been summoned by prosecutors on at least seven occasions for his social media posts, writings, and activism. He has been made to pay bail, totalling 230,000 Egyptian Pounds. For Egyptian authorities to intensify their judicial harassment campaign of Ahmed by re-arresting him following a sustained campaign of seven interrogations is a severe escalation at a time during which Egyptian authorities should be doing the opposite — releasing the thousands long-held in pretrial detention and stopping the prosecution of those exercising their rights to free expression, assembly, and association. At a time when Egypt is purporting to be a mediator in global conflicts, it cannot continue to pursue these retaliatory prosecutions and these sustained campaigns to silence its population over critical content. The Observatory and the undersigned organisations, call on Egyptian authorities to course correct and immediately release Ahmed Douma, drop all charges against him, and close Case No. 2449 of 2026 in its entirety. The organisations also call on Egyptian authorities to lift the travel ban that remains imposed on him, end all ongoing prosecutions, and stop exercising its arrest and prosecution powers to silence him for his exercise of free expression and defense of human rights.]]> 8 April 2026 - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, together with the undersigned civil society organisations from around the world, call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release prominent activist, poet and political writer Ahmed Douma from pretrial detention and to stop their systematic campaign of judicial harassment against him. On 6 April 2026, many in Egypt started the day with hopeful news following Egyptian authorities’ long over-due release of a number of detainees in political cases. Meanwhile, Ahmed Douma headed to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) following a summons that he had received a few days prior. As has become the norm, he was not informed of the accusations being made about him or the subject of his interrogation. Hours into the interrogation, Ahmed’s lawyers learned that he was being accused of “publishing false news and statements inside and outside the country with the intent to disturb public peace and spread panic,” in relation to an article he had published in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “From a Prison Within the State to a State Within the Prison,” which uses examples from around the world to present an argument on why political imprisonment is destabilising for the state. He was ordered into pretrial detention for four days pending Case No. 2449 of 2026 and has been in Egyptian authorities’ custody since. Ahmed Douma has already spent over a decade in prison on politicised charges. In custody, he has been held in prolonged solitary confinement, denied adequate medical care, and subjected to treatment that Amnesty International described as torture. His detention was found to be arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Though Ahmed was finally released in August 2023 on a presidential pardon, authorities have not relented, depriving him of the chance to rebuild his life. Since his release, Ahmed has been summoned by prosecutors on at least seven occasions for his social media posts, writings, and activism. He has been made to pay bail, totalling 230,000 Egyptian Pounds. For Egyptian authorities to intensify their judicial harassment campaign of Ahmed by re-arresting him following a sustained campaign of seven interrogations is a severe escalation at a time during which Egyptian authorities should be doing the opposite — releasing the thousands long-held in pretrial detention and stopping the prosecution of those exercising their rights to free expression, assembly, and association. At a time when Egypt is purporting to be a mediator in global conflicts, it cannot continue to pursue these retaliatory prosecutions and these sustained campaigns to silence its population over critical content. The Observatory and the undersigned organisations, call on Egyptian authorities to course correct and immediately release Ahmed Douma, drop all charges against him, and close Case No. 2449 of 2026 in its entirety. The organisations also call on Egyptian authorities to lift the travel ban that remains imposed on him, end all ongoing prosecutions, and stop exercising its arrest and prosecution powers to silence him for his exercise of free expression and defense of human rights.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/indonesia-hold-perpetrators-of-acid-attacks-against-human-rights-defender-andrie-yunus-accountable/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:07:21 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=24629 Andrie Yunus, human rights defender and Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), in which he sustained serious injuries. On 12 March 2026 at 11:37 pm, two unidentified individuals attacked Andrie Yunus by throwing acid at him while he was riding his motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I–Talang Street in Jakarta, after he had left the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), where he had recorded a podcast on the topic of “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia.” The podcast was referring to the revised Military Law and broader concerns regarding militarisation and democratic oversight in Indonesia. The perpetrators fled on a motorbike immediately after the attack. This acid attack struck the right side of his body - particularly his eye, face, neck, and chest - and both hands. Despite his injuries Mr Yunus managed to leave the scene and was taken by his housemates to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta, where he received emergency treatment. Medical examinations indicated that Mr Yunus sustained burns covering approximately 20% of his body, while confirming severe chemical trauma to the right eye, including 40% corneal damage due to acid penetration. Mr Yunus has undergone multiple medical procedures, including the removal of dead skin tissue and surgery on his eye. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, Mr Yunus remained in intensive care at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM). In the days preceding the attack, between 9 and 11 March 2026, Mr Yunus received repeated calls from several unknown phone numbers, to which he did not respond. In addition, Mr Yunus had previously experienced acts of intimidation, particularly following the “Fairmont Protest Action” in Jakarta in March 2025, when he and other members of civil society protested against the closed-door deliberations on revisions to Indonesia’s Military Law. Early on 12 March, Mr Yunus attended a meeting at the office of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) to discuss the investigative report of the Fact-Finding Commission on the August 2025 protests, in which Mr Yunus had been actively involved. He then went to the YLBHI office, where he remained until approximately 11:00 pm. CCTV footage later showed that individuals suspected of being involved in the attack had already begun monitoring Mr Yunus while he was still at the YLBHI office, from approximately 8:40 pm. After the attack, police appeared at the RSCM to collect testimonies from Mr Yunus and his colleagues and then proceeded to the site of the incident. On 13 March 2026, a police report was filed and investigators from the Central Jakarta Metro Police formally upgraded the case from a preliminary inquiry to a criminal investigation and initiated the investigation, including the collection and analysis of CCTV footage and the questioning of witnesses. On 18 March 2026, military authorities announced they had arrested four members of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and placed them in military custody. However, at the time of publication of this urgent appeal, it remained unclear whether all those responsible, including additional suspects identified by the police and those potentially involved in planning, coordinating, or ordering the attack, had been charged with any offenses. On 18 March 2026, Indonesian law enforcement authorities publicly presented initial findings of the investigation, indicating that between two and four perpetrators were involved. On 25 March 2026, BAIS head Lt Gen Yudi Abrimantyo resigned, describing this as a form of institutional accountability. However, Mr. Yunus’ representatives stressed that such a resignation cannot substitute for an effective and independent investigation into the entire chain of responsibility. According to the findings of an independent investigation conducted by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), a coalition of civil society organisations and human rights lawyers in Indonesia, which were released on 30 March 2026, this acid attack against Mr Yunus should not be understood as an isolated act of only two perpetrators, as it was initially thought by the authorities, but rather as a planned and organised operation that may have involved up to 16 individuals. They include the two assailants who carried out the acid attack, as well as surveillance operatives, trackers, site scouts, and a field coordinator. In light of these elements, TAUD formally requested that the attack be investigated as attempted premeditated murder under Article 459 in conjunction with Articles 17 and 20 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The Observatory notes with serious concern that the acid attack against Mr Yunus may amount to an attempted premeditated murder carried out in reprisal for his legitimate work as a human rights defender. The Observatory is also deeply worried by the growing indications that the attack may have involved multiple actors and possible links to state security structures, as well as by the risk of impunity if the case is not thoroughly and independently investigated. The Observatory expresses its concerns regarding the fact that some of the identified suspects may be linked to the BAIS and calls for an immediate and full investigation to track all those responsible for the attack. The Observatory recalls that this attack is part of an ongoing pattern of intimidation and harassment against KontraS and its members, including surveillance of offices, repeated threatening phone calls, attempted break-ins, the presence of military vehicles around its premises and judicial harassment. The Observatory further recalls that Indonesia currently holds the Presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council and must therefore act in an exemplary manner in complying with its international human rights obligations, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a state party. The Indonesian government must ensure the protection of human rights defenders, as enshrined in Articles 28C and 28G of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, and Articles 100 and 101 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. The Observatory condemns the assault on Andrie Yunus, which seems to be only aimed at silencing him for his legitimate work as a human rights defender, and urges the Indonesian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough and independent investigation to bring all those responsible to justice.]]> Andrie Yunus, human rights defender and Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), in which he sustained serious injuries. On 12 March 2026 at 11:37 pm, two unidentified individuals attacked Andrie Yunus by throwing acid at him while he was riding his motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I–Talang Street in Jakarta, after he had left the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), where he had recorded a podcast on the topic of “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia.” The podcast was referring to the revised Military Law and broader concerns regarding militarisation and democratic oversight in Indonesia. The perpetrators fled on a motorbike immediately after the attack. This acid attack struck the right side of his body - particularly his eye, face, neck, and chest - and both hands. Despite his injuries Mr Yunus managed to leave the scene and was taken by his housemates to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta, where he received emergency treatment. Medical examinations indicated that Mr Yunus sustained burns covering approximately 20% of his body, while confirming severe chemical trauma to the right eye, including 40% corneal damage due to acid penetration. Mr Yunus has undergone multiple medical procedures, including the removal of dead skin tissue and surgery on his eye. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, Mr Yunus remained in intensive care at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM). In the days preceding the attack, between 9 and 11 March 2026, Mr Yunus received repeated calls from several unknown phone numbers, to which he did not respond. In addition, Mr Yunus had previously experienced acts of intimidation, particularly following the “Fairmont Protest Action” in Jakarta in March 2025, when he and other members of civil society protested against the closed-door deliberations on revisions to Indonesia’s Military Law. Early on 12 March, Mr Yunus attended a meeting at the office of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) to discuss the investigative report of the Fact-Finding Commission on the August 2025 protests, in which Mr Yunus had been actively involved. He then went to the YLBHI office, where he remained until approximately 11:00 pm. CCTV footage later showed that individuals suspected of being involved in the attack had already begun monitoring Mr Yunus while he was still at the YLBHI office, from approximately 8:40 pm. After the attack, police appeared at the RSCM to collect testimonies from Mr Yunus and his colleagues and then proceeded to the site of the incident. On 13 March 2026, a police report was filed and investigators from the Central Jakarta Metro Police formally upgraded the case from a preliminary inquiry to a criminal investigation and initiated the investigation, including the collection and analysis of CCTV footage and the questioning of witnesses. On 18 March 2026, military authorities announced they had arrested four members of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and placed them in military custody. However, at the time of publication of this urgent appeal, it remained unclear whether all those responsible, including additional suspects identified by the police and those potentially involved in planning, coordinating, or ordering the attack, had been charged with any offenses. On 18 March 2026, Indonesian law enforcement authorities publicly presented initial findings of the investigation, indicating that between two and four perpetrators were involved. On 25 March 2026, BAIS head Lt Gen Yudi Abrimantyo resigned, describing this as a form of institutional accountability. However, Mr. Yunus’ representatives stressed that such a resignation cannot substitute for an effective and independent investigation into the entire chain of responsibility. According to the findings of an independent investigation conducted by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), a coalition of civil society organisations and human rights lawyers in Indonesia, which were released on 30 March 2026, this acid attack against Mr Yunus should not be understood as an isolated act of only two perpetrators, as it was initially thought by the authorities, but rather as a planned and organised operation that may have involved up to 16 individuals. They include the two assailants who carried out the acid attack, as well as surveillance operatives, trackers, site scouts, and a field coordinator. In light of these elements, TAUD formally requested that the attack be investigated as attempted premeditated murder under Article 459 in conjunction with Articles 17 and 20 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The Observatory notes with serious concern that the acid attack against Mr Yunus may amount to an attempted premeditated murder carried out in reprisal for his legitimate work as a human rights defender. The Observatory is also deeply worried by the growing indications that the attack may have involved multiple actors and possible links to state security structures, as well as by the risk of impunity if the case is not thoroughly and independently investigated. The Observatory expresses its concerns regarding the fact that some of the identified suspects may be linked to the BAIS and calls for an immediate and full investigation to track all those responsible for the attack. The Observatory recalls that this attack is part of an ongoing pattern of intimidation and harassment against KontraS and its members, including surveillance of offices, repeated threatening phone calls, attempted break-ins, the presence of military vehicles around its premises and judicial harassment. The Observatory further recalls that Indonesia currently holds the Presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council and must therefore act in an exemplary manner in complying with its international human rights obligations, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a state party. The Indonesian government must ensure the protection of human rights defenders, as enshrined in Articles 28C and 28G of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, and Articles 100 and 101 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. The Observatory condemns the assault on Andrie Yunus, which seems to be only aimed at silencing him for his legitimate work as a human rights defender, and urges the Indonesian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough and independent investigation to bring all those responsible to justice.]]>