NEWS BY NUMBERS 520 16% 3,500+ million
children live within 5km of fossil fuel infrastructure
of global fossil fuel infrastructure is sited on Indigenous territories
Source: Amnesty’s Extraction Extinction report HONG KONG Jimmy Lai convicted
An emergency UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela, 5 January
VENEZUELA US actions set dangerous precedent
US military action in Venezuela in January, which saw the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, has further destabilised an already dire human rights situation. Amnesty condemns the use of force by the USA in Venezuela as an act of aggression, and opposes any future use of force – covert or overt – in violation of the UN Charter. The charter says the use of force by one state inside another is generally prohibited except in limited circumstances such as self-defence. Such actions by a permanent UN Security Council member signal an international system run by military force, threats and intimidation, and increases the risk of copycat actions by other countries. Amnesty has also warned of a heightened risk of further human rights violations, whether through additional US military operations or retaliatory actions by the Venezuelan authorities.
At the same time, our research shows Venezuela’s long-standing policy of repression remains firmly intact despite leadership changes. The release on 8 January of several people arbitrarily detained – including prisoner of conscience Rocío San Miguel, journalist Biagio Pilieri, political leader Enrique Márquez and Spanish nationals Jose María Basoa and Andrés Martínez – does not go far enough. Ana Piquer, Amnesty’s Americas director, said: ‘Hundreds of people continue to be arbitrarily detained for political reasons, including human rights defenders such as Kennedy Tejeda, Javier Tarazona, Eduardo Torres and Carlos Julio Rojas.’
The conviction of newspaper founder Jimmy Lai on national security charges on 15 December sounded the ‘death knell’ for press freedom in Hong Kong, Amnesty has warned.
Hong Kong’s High Court found the pro-democracy activist guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to commit
sedition. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty’s China director, said: ‘This verdict is not just about one man; it is the latest step in a systematic crackdown on freedom of expression in Hong Kong: targeting not only protests and political parties, but the very idea that people can – indeed, should – hold power to account.’
CAMBODIA Thousands vulnerable without support
Footage has emerged from Cambodia that appears to show the mass release and attempted escape of people from hellish compounds used for online scams – where torture, human trafficking and child labour are rife. There are fears there are now thousands of vulnerable people stranded in the country without support, putting them at risk of being re-trafficked into other compounds.
Last year, Amnesty’s I was someone else’s property report highlighted the scale of human rights abuses in these compounds. Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s regional research director, said: ‘The Cambodian government must provide support for these people and help bring all victims who remain inside scamming compounds to safety, as well as ensure their access to justice and remedy.’
fossil fuel
infrastructure sites are proposed, in development or under construction globally
An Indonesian man who was trafficked and forced to work in a Cambodia scamming compound, 15 October 2024
SPRING 2026 AMNESTY 9
© Wang Fan/China News Service/ VCG via Getty Images
© Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
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