Dear Amnesty activists and supporters, here is our latest newsletter with updates and actions.
Right to Protest
Across the globe Amnesty activists have been protesting against the arrest of peaceful protesters in the United Kingdom. Amnesty Researcher and Campaigner Catrinel Motoc said:
We thank all sections who have been pushing the action targeting the prosecutorial authorities in the UK in relation to the arrest of over 2,100 peaceful protesters and charges formalised against at least 170 people with terrorism-related offences related to their peaceful protests against the banning of Palestine Action.
- It is a violation of the UK’s international
- It is disproportionate to the point of
- It simply can’t go
To date, there have been 137,000 online actions world- wide which is an incredible result. Add your name to this important, emblematic action:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/end-prosecution-peaceful-protestors-uk
Poland
They have youth, skills and the desire to work: so why can’t Poland harness the potential of its refugee population?
In Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are struggling to rebuild their lives under precarious conditions. With only minimal state support, limited language classes and few real opportunities for integration, many are forced to take poorly paid jobs that come with long hours and the constant risk of being dismissed from one day to the next. Those who manage to secure decent working conditions are the exception rather than the rule. Most dream of rebuilding their lives in a way that reflects their aspirations and potential.
https://www.equaltimes.org/they-have-youth-skills-and-the?lang=en
Here’s why Poland’s birth rate is falling
Marta Zboralska highlights the country’s abortion laws and says women are scared that if they experience complications, they will not receive adequate care. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/27/heres-why-polands-birth-rate-is-falling
16 Days of Activism: Voices of Resistance
Join Amnesty International UK Europe Team for a powerful event advocating for human rights for all women.
As part of Amnesty International UK’s 16 Days of Activism, this event, Voices of Resistance, brings together courageous women from around the world who are standing up against oppression, violence, and injustice.
Through conversation, testimony, and reflection, our speakers will explore what it means to resist, to raise your voice, even when it’s dangerous to do so, and how global solidarity can spark change.
Speakers include:
- Olga Borisova (from Pussy Riot) – Artist, activist, and member of the world- renowned feminist protest collective Pussy Riot, speaking on resistance, art, and dissent in Russia.
- Homira May – Afghan human rights activist advocating for women’s education and safety under the Taliban
- Łucja Jastrzębska-Hawking – Country Co-ordinator for Amnesty International UK, actor and campaigner for bodily autonomy in
Together, they will discuss the realities of activism under authoritarianism, the personal costs of resistance, and the collective power of speaking out.
Get your tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/16-days-of-activism-voices-of-resistance-tickets-1967661077250?
THE HUMAN FRAME PODCAST
This 16 Days of Activism, our Central Europe Country- Coordinator, Lucja, is launching The Human Frame Podcast.
Her work, as an actor and human rights campaigner, sits at the crossroads of human rights and the arts, exploring how creativity can reveal the deeper truths of what it means to be human. Through The Human Frame, she brings together artists, activists, and thinkers to explore how performance can become a form of resistance, empathy, and change. Lucja has interviewed leading activists and creatives, including Olga Borisova (from Pussy Riot), Homira May (an Afghan activist who escaped the Taliban), Nuria (a Uyghur activist) and 13 others.
Follow the launch of the podcast on the 25th of November.
Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2552626
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-human-frame/id1850736235
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IPqSt0zivytyfaqtNvhBg?si=1bcadc8cda46458a
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_humanframe?igsh=NWd3dzZwdXo0MW4wCutm_soure=qr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humanframepodcast
Greece by Ulrike Schmidt
Saving Lives is not a crime!
Since 2018, human rights defender Seán Binder has faced an unfair prosecution in Greece due to his work as a trained volunteer rescuer helping refugees and migrants on the island of Lesvos. He and other humanitarian workers have been accused of serious charges including facilitation of irregular entry of third-country nationals, aggravated by allegations of committing these acts as part of a 3 criminal organization, as well as money laundering, fraud, espionage, disclosure of state secrets, unlawful use of radio frequencies, and forgery. The misdemeanour charges, including espionage and forgery, were dropped in August 2023, but Seán Binder and the other defendants remain on trial for the felony charges of facilitation of irregular entry, membership of a criminal organization, and money laundering. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. He was arrested in August 2018 and spent more than 100 days in detention before being released on bail in December 2018. Seán Binder’s case was featured in Amnesty International’s 2019 Write for Rights (W4R) campaign and the 2020 report Punishing Compassion: Solidarity on Trial in Fortress Europe.
Europe: Punishing compassion: Solidarity on trial in Fortress Europe
Amnesty International believes that the charges against Seán Binder are based on an abusive interpretation of anti-smuggling legislation, are unfair and baseless, and has called for all such charges to be dropped. An extensive analysis of this assessment can be found in the Punishing Compassion report cited above.
In an attempt to deter people from seeking safety in Europe, authorities have increasingly cracked down not only on refugees and migrants but also on the people who help them. By prosecuting Seán Binder for saving lives at sea, the Greek authorities exemplify a broader pattern of governments hampering support for refugees and migrants.
In December 2025, Seán will go on trial and risks facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Humanitarian workers should never be prosecuted for showing such humanity and saving lives. The charges against Seán Binder are baseless and must be dropped. Since 2018, Greece has also attempted to prosecute other humanitarian and NGO workers and has imposed restrictions on NGOs assisting migrants and refugees, stifling solidarity.
Attempts to criminalise humanitarian workers like Seán Binder should send alarm bells to all of us, as they undermine our ability to act according to conscience and our shared humanity.
Join us and demand that Greece upholds humanity and drops the charges against Seán Binder
Take Action !
Make and hold placards with the key messages and take photos of yourself, your Amnesty group, friends and family and members of the public. Please post them on-line with the hash tags :
#StandWithSeán #DropTheCharges
Key Messages: • Greece must drop the charges against Seán Binder. • Seán Binder is a human rights defender who acted to help others in need. • The charges against Seán Binder are baseless and should never have been brought. • Helping people in distress is the human thing to do. This prosecution is part of a wider crackdown on people assisting refugees and migrants in Europe. 8 • Solidarity is on trial in Greece, which is an assault on all of us and on our very humanity. • Humanity must win. Greece must drop the charges against Seán Binder.
Social Media Visibility and Solidarity
Seán Binder and Free Humanitarians have a
significant following on Instagram, making it a key platform to engage supporters and
boost positive visibility around the trial. We will adopt an “Instagram first”
communications strategy to maximize impact. To show support online, we encourage
Amnesty accounts, activists, and allies to follow and engage with: Free Humanitarians •
Instagram: @freehumanitarians/ 30.9k followers • X: @FrHumanitarians 2,549 followers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freehumanitarians/https://www.facebook.com/freehumani
tarians/ 2,549 followers Seán Binder • Instagram: @binderdoneit 11.8k followers • X:
@Seán _binder_4800 followers Hashtags: #StandWithSeán #DropTheCharges
#FreeHumanitarians #solidarityontrial? Supporters are encouraged to post messages of
solidarity, share campaign visuals, or provide updates, especially around the trial dates
in December. All messaging should focus on Seán Binder and the broader cause of
defending humanitarian work.
Here a message from Sean Binder himself :
Dear Amnesty Activists,
You may remember supporting me during Amnesty’s 201S Write for Rights campaign. Since 2018, I have been facing unfair prosecution in Greece after volunteering as a trained rescuer helping refugees and migrants at sea on Lesvos. My trial is set to begin in December, and I risk facing up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. I am writing to ask for your support once more. What I was doing in Greece was helping people in need. But in a dangerous and cruel attempt to deter people from seeking safety in Europe, authorities have been cracking down not just on refugees and migrants, but also on those who help them. This pattern of silencing humanitarian support is how I have found myself facing prosecution. I am wrongly accused of serious crimes, including smuggling, money laundering, and membership of a criminal organization. When I was first arrested in 2018, it was devastating to realize I was in prison for nothing more than trying to assist people who were at risk. Even more frightening was seeing other humanitarians across Europe facing similar intimidation and harassment, indicating that my case is part of a wider pattern of states criminalising humanitarian work.
Solidarity is on trial in Greece. These tactics are being used to control migration and have had a chilling effect on civil society. In this environment of increasing hostility, some NGOs supporting refugees and migrants have withdrawn their operations from Lesvos. Humanitarian workers like me should not be prosecuted for saving lives. As European states push to restrict access to asylum, and violence at borders is prevalent, humanitarian work should be protected and enabled, not sanctioned and stigmatised. Helping people in need is simply the human thing to do. Please support me by demanding that Greece endorses humanity and drops the charges. Humanity must win.
You can help by sharing my story on your channels ahead of the trial starting on 4 December 2025.
Use hashtags: #StandWithSeán #FreeHumanitarians #DropTheCharges.
Having your support makes it feel like I won’t be alone in that courtroom, which means so much. Thank you for standing in solidarity,
Seán Binder
Finally Justice for Pylos!
In June 2023 a fishing vessel packed with 750 refugees sank near the coast of Pylos Greece. More than 600 people, including over 100 children drowned. For more than 15 hours distress calls had been ignored by the Greek authorities. Finally a patrol boat of the Hellenic coastguard was dispatched to the stricken vessel. This boat was far too small for a rescue. The patrol boat attached a rope to the packed fishing boat and pulled at high speed towards Italy. The fishing vessel capsized and sank. Then patrol boat cut the line and moved away, returning much later after most of the refugees had drowned. We have been campaigning for justice for more than 2 years. Finally some of those responsible have been brought to justice.
Greek coastguard chief to be prosecuted over deadly migrant shipwreck
6 November 2025
Four senior figures in the Greek coastguard, including its current commander, are to face criminal prosecution for negligent manslaughter in connection with a 2023 migrant boat disaster in which up to 650 people are thought to have drowned.
The fishing boat Adriana went down off the Greek coast near Pylos. Survivors told the BBC that the vessel capsized after coastguards made a botched attempt to tow it.
Greek authorities have always denied any wrongdoing over the shipwreck.
Now a prosecutor at the naval appeal court in Piraeus has recommended that the current head of the Hellenic coastguard, Vice Adm Tryfon Kontizas, and three other senior o^icers should go on trial.
Among the charges cited by the court of appeal are manslaughter by negligence in international waters but within Greece’s rescue zone, exposure by negligence with a legal obligation to rescue people that resulted in death and repeated exposure by omission of other people to danger.
The Adriana had left Libya for Italy in June 2023 and was monitored by a Greek patrol vessel for some 15 hours o^ Pylos before it went down. Some of the 104 survivors later revealed that a coastguard vessel had caused the boat to sink by towing the boat away too fast when the boat was unbalanced.
Although only 82 bodies were recovered, hundreds more people are believed to have died.
Prosecutors at the maritime court in Piraeus decided earlier this year that 17 members of the Greek coastguard should face charges, including the captain of the coastguard ship, the-then head of the coastguard Vice Adm Giorgos Alexandrakis and the supervisor of the national search and rescue centre.
However, they cleared Tryfon Kontizas and three other senior officers of blame. Vice Adm Kontizas had been appointed coastguard chief a few weeks before the court’s decision.
That decision not to prosecute the four officers was then challenged by lawyers for survivors and relatives of the victims.
Greece has always maintained it fully respects human rights and has rescued more than 250,000 people at sea in the past decade.
Hungary
Pecs Pride organiser risking criminalization
Following a successful Pride in the city of Pecs in October, as some of you have seen and queried, the Pride organiser is now subject to a criminal investigation. We are monitoring the developments and we are working towards an Urgent Action which we intend to publish in coming days. Relevant updates will be shared with you all as soon as we finalise the UA and the internal guidance, alongside key contacts to email for queries and feedback.
This is a very alarming escalation of the crackdown on the rights of LGBTI and right to protest in Hungary and we hope sections will be able to support the action, when launched.
Türkiye
Draft Law Threatens LGBT People with Prison
Human Rights Watch has reported that a government proposal would pave the way to bring criminal charges against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Türkiye in what they say is one of the most alarming rollbacks of rights in decades,
A draft of the proposed law, referred to as the 11th Judicial Package, was leaked to the media, revealing plans to amend the Turkish penal code and civil code with new articles that threaten the rights of LGBT people. One would criminalize behaviour deemed “contrary to biological sex and general morality,” including its so-called “promotion.” Another would sharply restrict access to gender-a^irming health care, raising the minimum age to 25 and imposing onerous eligibility conditions. A third would allow for criminal charges against both transgender people and medical professionals who provide care outside these new limits.
“Bringing criminal charges against people for their gender identity or sexual orientation is a profound violation of human dignity and amounts to state-sanctioned oppression, say Human Rights Watch. They are calling on the Turkish government to drop plans to introduce these amendments, which blatantly violate international law and would leave LGBT people in constant fear of arrest and prosecution.
Go to the following link to see the full report:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/29/turkiye-draft-law-threatens-lgbt-people-with-prison
Gezi Prisoners of Conscience: Osman Kavala
1st November marked the 8th anniversary of the jailing of Amnesty PoC, Osman Kavala in Türkiye. In advance of this Günal Kurşun Lawyer, Amnesty International Türkiye Board Member visited him in prison. Here is shorten version of their conversation together with the link to the full article.
Osman Kavala: Hope for his country, quietly hopeless about his chances for freedom.
A conversation with Prisoner of Conscience Osman Kavala, by Amnesty International Türkiye’s Günal Kurşun
1st November marked the 8th anniversary of the jailing of Amnesty PoC, Osman Kavala in Türkiye. In advance of this Günal Kurşun Lawyer, Amnesty International Türkiye Board Member visited him in prison. Here is shorten version of their conversation together with the link to the full article.
A few weeks ago, as we approached the sombre milestone of Osman Kavala’s eighth year of unjust imprisonment, I visited him in the high security wing of Istanbul’s infamous jail, colloquially known as “the Silivri dungeon”.
Sitting in the room reserved for lawyers’ visits, I sat face-to-face to Osman Kavala. We looked at each other through a thick pane of glass, rusted around its metal edges. I began by passing on greetings from many individual human rights defenders, together with collective greetings from colleagues at many civil society organizations. “Please convey my greetings to everyone,” replied Kavala, clear and resolute. And so began a conversation that would flow like water across the space between us.
Kavala remains hopeful about Türkiye’s future; he believes that law and the public conscience will, sooner or later, find their way to the truth. For his own future, however, he is less optimistic: “It is hard to expect any change for me in the near future,” he says.
In the stillness of that room, two sentiments hang side by side—hope for his country and a quiet hopelessness about the prospect of his own freedom.
To be a bystander to this injustice and oppression makes us feel that not only Osman Kavala, but all of us, are prisoners
During my visit, the word “hope” circulated less as a private feeling than as a civic virtue. Kavala observed that diverse segments of society still show a will to live together; that young people’s ties with the wider world have not been severed; that the institutional ground of law, despite everything, has not been entirely razed; and Türkiye’s tradition of opposition has not been lost. Even through this prolonged darkness, a culture of solidarity has endured.
His view of his own situation is less positive.
“What I am facing is not a matter of one individual; it is a matter of the rule of law and the right to a fair trial. My personal freedom is, of course, important; but the core issue is the evidentiary standards on which judgments rest and the independence of the judiciary from political influence,” he tells me. “Keeping the legal debate within the language of law is the soundest contribution we can make to our shared future.” On the prison system more broadly, he points out that compulsory transfers have “become a kind of torture for both the prisoners and their families… Even in the period following the 1980 coup, when physical torture was widespread, our judges were more independent than they are today.”
Osman Kavala was detained in 2017 and – despite a complete failure by prosecuting authorities to provide any evidence to substantiate the baseless charges laid against him – sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Despite two binding judgements by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ordering his immediate release, Türkiye’s highest court upheld the life sentence for Osman Kavala in September 2023. Two Constitutional Court applications he made following his conviction, and after it was upheld, are still pending a decision.
In 2022, Amnesty International named Osman Kavala a prisoner of conscience and made clear that each day he spends behind bars is an affront to the concept of justice and human rights, principles that the Turkish state has committed itself to upholding.
Three years on, Kavala remains deprived of his liberty. His case is widely regarded as a test of Türkiye’s obligations within the ECtHR system and an indictment of the system itself. The ongoing failure by Turkish authorities to give effect to clear and binding judgments speaks to the Turkish judiciary’s posture toward international legal obligations not just in Türkiye but for other Council of Europe member states too.
On Saturday, dozens of prominent figures from the fields of journalism, academia, civil society and politics (including former President Abdullah Gül) shared messages of solidarity with Osman Kavala on the anniversary of his imprisonment. Writer Orhan Pamuk wrote: “To be a bystander to this injustice and oppression makes us feel that not only Kavala, but all of us, are prisoners.”
We must keep pursuing the truth, insist on the language of law, and keep solidarity alive
Türkiye now faces a painfully slow infringement procedure for its failure to comply with the ECtHR judgment. In the meantime, Osman Kavala is deprived of his liberty, alone in a cell in the dungeon.
As we parted, Kavala expressed his belief that Türkiye will find its way through law, reason and dialogue; yet he is realistic about the timetable of his own freedom: “In prison, one learns time differently. I try to anchor hope not to calendar pages but to principles,” he tells me.
Key among these principles is the right to a fair trial, reasonable suspicion, proportionate measures and judicial independence. But in Türkiye today, these principles are being tested for everyone. Only correct decisions in critical cases today will translate into legal security for us all tomorrow.
Before Osman Kavala is led back to his cell, he asked me to send his greetings to all human rights defenders and to everyone dismissed by emergency decrees after the failed 2016 coup. His message is more than a greeting. It is a call to action. “We must keep pursuing the truth, insist on the language of law, and keep solidarity alive.”
Günal Kurşun
An extended version of this article was first published here by Bianet
Please continue to write solidarity messages to the Gezi Prisoners of Conscience using the information sent with previous newsletters
Norway
Help Ellinor protect her ancestral lands (see Write for Rights 2025)
The Norwegian government is trying to introduce industrial wind-power projects that threaten Sámi reindeer-herding communities’ lands and way of life. Ellinor is fighting to ensure Sámi voices are heard and their rights are respected, but time is running out. Sign the petition and help Ellinor protect their land and way of life.
What’s the problem?
Ellinor Guttorm Utsi is an Indigenous Sámi woman, and a passionate leader fighting to protect her community’s ancient reindeer-herding way of life in northern Norway. As a spokesperson, she speaks out for her family and her people who have followed seasonal migration routes across the Arctic for generations. They rely on summer grazing lands in Čorgaš, lands now under urgent threat.
In 2023, several hundred wind turbines were suddenly proposed across Sámi territory, with many planned directly on Ellinor’s summer grazing lands. These huge projects would bring hundreds of turbines, roads and power lines that would break up the land, disrupt reindeer migration and destroy a way of life deeply connected to nature.
Despite fierce opposition from Sámi groups and environmental organisations, Norwegian authorities are rushing approvals. Ellinor is tirelessly working to ensure Sámi voices are heard and their rights respected, but time is running out.
Send a message of support and solidarity to: Ellinor Guttorm Utsi
c/o Aili Keskitalo
Amnesty International Norway, PO box 702 Sentrum, 0106 Oslo, Norway akeskitalo@amnesty.no
or, urge the prime minister to halt the development of wind farms in Čorgaš and respect the Sámi community’s right to free, prior and informed consent regarding land-use decisions.
Write to
Jonas Gahr Støre
Prime Minister of Norway
Statsminister
Postboks 8001 Dep.
0030 Oslo
Norway
FROM THE EUROPE TEAM
Türkiye : Chris Ramsey
Central Europe: Lucja Jastrzebska
Western and Northern Europe: Jovana Bosnjak
South East Europe: Ulrike Schmidt
Don’t forget to follow us for campaigns, actions and news on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/AmnestyUKEurope
https://twitter.com/AmnestyUKEurope
