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Europe Newsletter August 2026
Here is our latest newsletter with updates and actions.
Türkiye
Two of the 5 Gezi Prisoners of Conscience relocated: New addresses for solidarity messages
On 20 July, without prior warning, information or official justification, the Gezi PoCs Çiğdem Mater and Mine Özerden were transferred from Bakırköy Women’s prison to Izmir Şakran prison over 400km away from Istanbul. Despite their attempts, the lawyers were not informed of the reasons for this sudden transfer to a prison so far away from their families and lawyers and where conditions are reportedly very bad for prisoners generally. Çiğdem and Mine were placed in a 9sqm cell with only limited time outdoors and in very hot conditions.
Following various protests, including by Amnesty International and opposition MPs in the Turkish parliament they were transferred again back to Istanbul on Saturday 25 July but this time to Marmara prison (formerly Silivri) where the other three Gezi PoCs Osman Kavala, Can Atalay and Tayfun Karaman are also held. This is of course relief for their families and loved ones for whom the initial tranfer was a huge worry.
Çiğdem and Mine are held together and you can find their new address for solidarity letters below . They are unable to respond to all letters due to the cost but they send occasional short messages to say how much they appreciate receiving them so please renew your efforts ……or if you haven’t sent them messages so far use the summer postcard season to let them know they are not forgotten.
Marmara Kadın Kapalı Ceza İnfaz Kurumu
10 Nolu – B9
Semizkumlar Mahallesi,
Çanta Caddesi,
No:162/2, Marmara Ceza İnfaz Kurumları Kampüsü,
Silivri
İstanbul
Osman Kavala’s case with European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber on 25 August
On 25 August, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will hand down its ruling on Osman Kavala’s application which was subject to a public hearing on 25 March this year. Together with partner organisations, Amnesty are planning a joint statement and a reaction to what we expect to the Court’s final word on his baseless prosecution and conviction for attempting to overthrow the government. The application was referred to the European Court’s Grand Chamber and therefore the judgment will be final ie not subject to a further referral.
The Court is expected to find that Osman Kavala’s fair trial rights were violated (Art 6). They may also repeat the finding of Art 18 violation, namely the prohibition of limitations on rights for purposes other than those for which they have been prescribed (prohibition of political motivation in the individual’s treatment). The consequence of such a ruling should be that Osman Kavala is released from prison immediately though, as you know, the two previous judgments remain unimplemented. ECHR Committee of Ministers have set an unusual implementation deadline of the end of August for Turkiye’s Constitutional Court where Osman Kavala’s two applications are pending since 2022 and 2023 respectively, calling on the CC to hand down its decisions by the deadline. [Read more…]
South America Newsletter August 2026
This month we bring you news from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
Highlights are:
- In Argentina, President Javier Milei has signed an emergency decree allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people accused of inciting hatred against Argentina or its people
- For Venezuela, Amnesty continues with its Urgent Action calling for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela
- Protests have intensified in Bolivia over government plans to open protected areas and Indigenous territories to mining and agribusiness, with communities warning of deforestation and land dispossession
- The area of Brazil’s rainforest burnt in 2025 was smaller than previous years, although critics still note the government’s decision to approve oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon river.
- More than 50 years after the kidnapping, torture and murder of Chilean folk singer and human rights activist Víctor Jara, retired army colonel Nelson Haase Mazzei has been jailed for 25 years.
- Human Rights Watch has called US-Ecuador Security Cooperation “a dangerous partnership”, noting that co-operation was “deepening at a moment when both governments have engaged in serious human rights violations fuelled by their insistence on framing their confrontations with organised crime groups as a kind of war”
- Amnesty has issued a media release in support of the demand from the Guerreras por la Amazonía (Women Warriors for the Amazon) that the Ecuadorian Government fully implement the landmark court ruling of 5 years ago requiring Ecuador to eliminate oil industry gas flares located near populated areas and provide reparations to affected communities. Amnesty has also called for an investigation into the role of the United States in an attack on an Ecuadorian vessel.
- Amnesty has denounced the Peruvian Government’s enactment of a Law which allows alleged crimes committed by members of the Armed Forces and the Police to be investigated and tried by military and police courts
- Amnesty continues with its Urgent Action calling for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela
ARGENTINA
President Javier Milei has signed an emergency decree allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people accused of inciting hatred against Argentina or its people. This follows controversy during the World Cup over the behaviour of players and fans. Milei claimed there was an international “anti-Argentina” campaign, with many labelling the country as racist. Amnesty Argentina has acknowledged racism in the country but criticised those “reducing the country to a stereotype”. There are concerns that the broad wording of the decree could be used to restrict freedom of expression. [Read more…]
Europe Newsletter July 2026
Dear Amnesty activists and supporters,
Here is our latest newsletter with updates and actions.
United Kingdom
Appointment of Country Coordinator
For the first time in the history of Amnesty UK a Country Coordinator for the United Kingdom has been appointed and we are delighted to welcome Elena Fowler to this role as part of the Europe Team. Below is Elena’s first contribution to this newsletter together with a link to a new UK Human Rights Newsletter that she will be regularly producing.
Why do we need a Coordinator for the UK you might ask, and why now? Here’s why! – There is increasing evidence that human rights in the UK are under serious threat and there is a worrying steady slide towards authoritarianism that threatens our democracy. We have evidence of: –
• Increasing restriction and criminalisation of protest.
•Erosion of democracy with increasing use of secondary legislation and statutory instruments taking power away from Parliament and giving it to the Executive.
• Increasing use of multiple big databases where our highly personal information is gathered and shared. We can’t know who accesses it, what exactly is on it or what it is being used for.
• Facial recognition and surveillance used alongside AI to inform decisions made about us, despite well documented flaws in the technology.
• A rise in racism which is becoming “normal” and is seldom challenged. We need to know about these frightening developments. We need to help others to know what is going on. We need to turn our concerns into actions. You or your local group can opt in on the Amnesty website and Community Platform to receive Actions, Campaigns and Updates on the UK. We need to turn our concerns into actions, and for that we will need your help. Click on this link download the full UK Human Rights Newsletter. For more information contact Elena Fowler, United Kingdom Country Coordinator
Greece
New campaign against the use of stun guns at demonstrations and public protests
Protests Are Not Battlefields -Patterns of Unlawful Use of Force by Police and Impunity in Greece
[Read more…]
South America Newsletter July 2026
This month, we bring you news from:
- Colombia: There are two Urgent Actions, one calling for an investigation into threats and attacks against members of the NGO CREDHOS, the other calling for an investigation into crimes committed against women searchers.
- Ecuador: Amnesty has welcomed the Armed Forces’ apology for the “enforced disappearance” of four boys and called on the government to reverse its militarised approach to public security policy.
- Venezuela: Amnesty has called on the Venezuelan authorities and the international community to do all they can to provide relief to those affected by the recent earthquakes
- Argentina: Amnesty Argentina has filed a lawsuit to stop the application of a municipal protocol that hinders access to voluntary and legal abortion.
- Brazil: Amnesty Brazil has denounced the request to close the investigation into the death of human rights defender Pedro Henrique Cruz.
- Chile: Human rights organisations, victims’ groups and supporters have marched in Santiago to oppose proposals to pardon individuals convicted of human rights crimes.
- Peru: The UNHCR has urged the Peruvian government not to adopt a law that would enable human rights violations to be investigated and prosecuted by military jurisdictions.
- Bolivia: The IACHR has expressed concern over the escalation of social conflict and has called on the Bolivian State and all social sectors involved to prioritise dialogue.
COLOMBIA
URGENT ACTION #1: On 1 June, a leaflet supposedly signed by the armed group Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN) was publicly distributed, declaring several people in Puerto Wilches to be “military objectives” of the group and ordering them to leave the municipality within 48 hours. Those threatened included members of CREDHOS’s municipal human rights committee.
This threat is one in a series of threats and attacks committed in recent months by armed groups in the Magdalena Medio region, including the Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia (EGC). These attacks have targeted members of CREDHOS and directly affected their work defending the human rights of communities across the municipalities of Santander, Bolívar and Antioquia that form part of the Magdalena Medio region.
Amnesty is calling on the Attorney General to investigate the threats and attacks against members of CREDHOS, establish who is responsible for ordering and carrying out these acts, and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials. Effective investigations are essential to prevent further attacks against human rights defenders in the Magdalena Medio region. Please click here to take action!
URGENT ACTION #2: On 8 June, human rights defender Cleiner Almanza was coerced into meeting with unknown individuals in an isolated area of Cartagena, where she was attacked, tortured, subjected to gender-based violence, and nearly killed. Cleiner is a woman searching for her brother, who was forcibly disappeared in 1998 in the Montes de María region, in northern Colombia. She is a recognised defender of women’s rights and has previously been attacked because of her work.
Amnesty is calling on the Attorney General’s Office to fulfil its commitment to women searchers by conducting a prompt, thorough, and effective investigation into the crimes committed against Cleiner Almanza. Please click here to take action! [Read more…]
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