Latest news with #AgnesCallamard
Saba Yemen
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Amnesty International: Israel's Interception of "Madeleine" violates Intel law
Gaza – Saba: Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard affirmed on Monday that the Israeli authorities' interception of "Madeleine" ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. Callamard explained in a statement on X platform that the ship was carrying unarmed civilians on a humanitarian mission, aiming to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. She noted that its interception constitutes a violation of Israel's obligations as an occupying power, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice. She emphasized that international law obliges Israel to ensure adequate food and medicine for civilians in Gaza, and that it should have allowed "Madeleine" to reach its humanitarian destination. Callamard called for the immediate lifting of the blockade on Gaza, stressing that Israel's continued closure of the Strip and denial of aid entry constitutes a violation of the International Court of Justice's orders, which called for an end to the genocide, facilitation of humanitarian access, and the entry of international fact-finding missions. The Secretary General of Amnesty International added: "There is an ongoing genocide, a military occupation, and an apartheid regime. Palestinians in Gaza are being starved, humanitarian workers are being targeted, and humanitarian aid is being denied." The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (an organization that launched a campaign against the blockade on Gaza and attempted to break the blockade by boat) said that "the Israeli occupation army boarded its ship, the Madeleine, which was heading to Gaza, and contact with it was lost." In a statement issued Monday morning, the coalition accused Israeli enemy forces of "kidnapping the volunteers on board the Madeleine." Israeli Army Radio quoted a military source as saying that "the Madeleine is being taken to the port of Ashdod after being seized." The Israeli occupation army broadcast footage of the moment all foreign activists aboard the Madeleine were arrested. Earlier, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that "sirens sounded on board its Madeleine, and that gunboats approached and surrounded it, coinciding with the hovering of a drone and the dropping of an unknown white liquid on the ship." For her part, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, announced that "Israeli speedboats reached the Madeleine." Albanese added that "the ship's crew informed soldiers from the occupation army that they were carrying humanitarian aid and that they would leave safely." The Madeleine had set sail earlier this month from the Italian port of Catania toward the Gaza Strip, on a voyage aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade. This ship is carrying 12 activists of various nationalities, in addition to humanitarian aid including food, medicine, and medical equipment. The Madeleine is the 36th ship in the Freedom Flotilla coalition, which aims to break the blockade imposed by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip since 2007. The ship is named after Madeleine Kullab, the first Palestinian female fisherman in the Gaza Strip. She lost her father and her livelihood after the Israeli aggression began in October 2023. With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has been committing genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 54,927 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 126,615 others. To date, the death toll is incomplete, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulance and rescue crews. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Kuwait Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Russia's ban on Amnesty won't deter group's work: Official
ODESA: A woman walks past burnt cars in the courtyard of a building damaged as a result of a drone attack in Odesa in this file photo. — AFP LONDON: Amnesty International said Monday that it would keep up investigations on Russia despite Moscow declaring the rights group an 'undesirable organization', effectively banning its operations and exposing supporters to prosecution. 'This decision is part of the Russian government's broader effort to silence dissent and isolate civil society,' Amnesty secretary general Agnes Callamard said in a statement. Amnesty said the move would not deter its efforts to document rights abuses, including alleged war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine. Russia's prosecutor general accused the London-headquartered body of being a 'center for the preparation of global Russophobic projects, paid for by accomplices of the Kyiv regime.' Moscow has outlawed dozens of international civil society groups amid a years-long crackdown on dissent and criticism that has escalated since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It said the group had 'been doing everything possible to intensify the military confrontation in the region, justifying the crimes of the Ukrainian neo-Nazis, calling for increased funding for them and supporting the political and economic isolation of our country.' Kyiv, the West and independent experts have repeatedly rejected Moscow's claims that it is fighting to 'de-Nazify' Ukraine as baseless Kremlin propaganda. On its website, Amnesty calls Russia's military offensive on Ukraine a 'war of aggression'. 'The rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association remained severely restricted,' it adds, detailing 'arbitrary persecution' of several groups. 'Dissenters faced arbitrary prosecutions, unfair trials, heavy fines and lengthy prison terms under a plethora of laws that failed to meet international human rights standards,' Amnesty stated. Groups labelled 'undesirable' are banned from operating in Russia. Anybody accused of 'cooperating' with them can face fines or a lengthy jail sentence. Groups designated 'undesirable' are banned from operating in Russia and individuals who cooperate with them risk administrative fines or criminal prosecution — including prison terms of up to six years for repeat offences. Amnesty has warned that the Moscow decision puts Russian partners, journalists and others perceived to support the organization at risk. The designation comes three years after Russian authorities blocked access to Amnesty's website and shut down its Moscow office. — AFP
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
US strike on Yemen migrant centre may constitute humanitarian 'violation'
By AFP - May 19,2025 - Last updated at May 19,2025 Rights group Amnesty International urged the United States on Monday to investigate possible violations of international law in a deadly strike on a migrant detention facility in rebel-held Yemen (AFP photo) DUBAI — Rights group Amnesty International urged the United States on Monday to investigate possible violations of international law in a deadly strike on a migrant detention facility in rebel-held Yemen. Last month's attack, which prompted international alarm and was part of the US bombardment campaign against the Iran-backed Huthis, killed 68 people held at a centre for irregular migrants in Saada, the rebel authorities said at the time. Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary-general, said that "the US attacked a well-known detention facility where the Huthis have been detaining migrants." The dead were all migrants from African countries, the Huthis had said. To Callamard, "the major loss of civilian life in this attack raises serious concerns about whether the US complied with its obligations under international humanitarian law." "The US must conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into this air strike," she added. A US defence official had told AFP in the aftermath of the strike that the military launched "battle-damage assessment and inquiry" into "claims of civilian casualties related to the US strikes in Yemen". Amnesty cited people who work with migrants and refugees in Yemen and visited two hospitals that treated the victims, saying that they had seen "more than two dozen Ethiopian migrants" with severe injuries including amputations. The morgues at both hospitals had run out of space, the witnesses told Amnesty. In mid-March, the United States began an intense, near-daily military campaign against the Huthis after they had renewed threats to attack vessels in the vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes. The campaign ended with a US-Huthi ceasefire agreement earlier this month. The Huthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, began firing on Israel and Israeli-linked shipping in November 2023, weeks into the Gaza war triggered by an attack by the Yemeni rebels' Palestinian ally Hamas. Amnesty said it had analysed satellite imagery and footage from the site of last month's strike on Saada, in Yemen's north. The group said it was "unable to conclusively identify a legitimate military target" within the targeted prison compound, citing Huthi restrictions on independent investigations. "Any attack that fails to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and legitimate military targets on the other, even within the same compound, constitutes an indiscriminate attack and a violation of international humanitarian law," Amnesty said.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.S. strike on Yemen migrant centre may constitute humanitarian 'violation': Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International urged the United States on Monday (May 19, 2025) to investigate possible violations of international law in a deadly strike on a migrant detention facility in rebel-held Yemen. Last month's attack, which prompted international alarm and was part of the U.S. bombardment campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis, killed 68 people held at a centre for irregular migrants in Saada, the rebel authorities said at the time. Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary-general, said that 'the U.S. attacked a well-known detention facility where the Houthis have been detaining migrants.' 'The dead were all migrants from African countries,' the Houthis had said. To Ms. Callamard, 'the major loss of civilian life in this attack raises serious concerns about whether the U.S. complied with its obligations under international humanitarian law.' 'The U.S. must conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into this air strike,' she added. A U.S. defence official had told AFP in the aftermath of the strike that the military launched 'battle-damage assessment and inquiry' into 'claims of civilian casualties related to the U.S. strikes in Yemen'. Amnesty cited people who work with migrants and refugees in Yemen and visited two hospitals that treated the victims, saying that they had seen 'more than two dozen Ethiopian migrants' with severe injuries including amputations. The morgues at both hospitals had run out of space, the witnesses told Amnesty. In mid-March, the United States began an intense, near-daily military campaign against the Houthis after they had renewed threats to attack vessels in the vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes. The campaign ended with a U.S.-Houthi ceasefire agreement earlier this month. The Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, began firing on Israel and Israeli-linked shipping in November 2023, weeks into the Gaza war triggered by an attack by the Yemeni rebels' Palestinian ally Hamas. Amnesty said it had analysed satellite imagery and footage from the site of last month's strike on Saada, in Yemen's north. The group said it was 'unable to conclusively identify a legitimate military target' within the targeted prison compound, citing Houthi restrictions on independent investigations. 'Any attack that fails to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and legitimate military targets on the other, even within the same compound, constitutes an indiscriminate attack and a violation of international humanitarian law,' Amnesty said.
Middle East Eye
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US strike on Yemen migrant centre may constitute humanitarian 'violation': Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International urged the United States on Monday to investigate possible violations of international law in a deadly strike on a migrant detention facility in rebel-held Yemen. Last month's attack, which prompted international alarm and was part of the US bombardment campaign against the Iran-backed Huthis, killed 68 people held at a centre for irregular migrants in Saada, the rebel authorities said at the time. Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary-general, said that "the US attacked a well-known detention facility where the Huthis have been detaining migrants". The dead were all migrants from African countries, the Huthis had said. To Callamard, "the major loss of civilian life in this attack raises serious concerns about whether the US complied with its obligations under international humanitarian law". "The US must conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into this air strike," she added. Reporting by AFP
