Exposing abuses around the world
For more than 60 years, Amnesty has shone a light on darkness, uncovered injustice and held perpetrators to account. Together we work tirelessly to document abuses, right wrongs, and show how things can be better. We use evidence to raise public awareness and persuade governments to act.
© Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images
A President in the dock
We challenge human rights abuses wherever they happen, no matter who is responsible.
For decades our teams have documented murder and other human rights abuses by the Philippines police - part of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ overseen by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In March 2025, Duterte was arrested and charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Duterte is the first Filipino President to face an international tribunal and the first leader from Asia to face trial before the ICC.
Our investigations will form crucial evidence in the ICC’s case. After decades of human rights abuses, Duterte’s arrest marks "a monumental step for justice," says Amnesty International Secretary General, Agnès Callamard.
“No one is above the law. When we come together, we hold those in power to account and prove that no matter where you are, human rights abuses can’t be ignored.”
Technology on our side
© Getty
New technology opens up new ways for us to stand up for human rights here and around the world.
Increasingly, we are using digital research tactics, such as analysis of satellite imagery, videos and photos, to complement our on-the-ground investigations and expose previously hidden abuses.
In 2024, we examined hundreds of online videos of fighting in Sudan’s civil war.
We enlarged the images so we could see the serial numbers of the weapons being used and cross-referenced this information with nearly 2000 records of arms shipments to Sudan.
Our efforts allowed us to trace weapons and components back to France, the United Arab Emirates, China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Yemen – breaking the arms embargo in the region.
Armed with this information, we met with staff from the US government, the Office of the US Special Envoy on Sudan, the UK Foreign Office, the UN, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and French- Sudanese parliamentary groups.
“Our work drove change. Our evidence led to the US government sanctioning some companies involved in arms exports to Sudan.”
Our work drove change. Our evidence led to the US government sanctioning some companies involved in arms exports to Sudan. We’re now urging the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo beyond the Darfur region to the whole of Sudan.
Similarly, using videos, photographs and satellite imagery, we exposed the massacre by army soldiers of at least 56 demonstrators in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Our subsequent report reconstructed the exact sequence of events and identified three army officers who should be investigated.
Together we’re more powerful
We don’t just bear witness, we also support people in their fight for justice.
In Lithuania we have backed refugees and migrants in a class action against the state, after more than 4,000 people from Iraq, Syria, Sri Lanka, India, Nigeria and other countries were illegally held in prison-like conditions.
In December 2024, the Lithuanian Supreme Court ruled that the lower courts must hear the case.
No one is above the law. When we come together, we hold those in power to account and prove that no matter where you are, human rights abuses can’t be ignored.
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