Amnesty International Urges to "Confront Brutal Forces" Instead of "Appeasing Them"

SadaNews - Amnesty International stated in its annual report released today, Tuesday, that many leaders demonstrated "fear" in facing "brutal forces" in 2025, while they should have "confronted them" instead of adopting a "policy of appeasement."

According to the NGO, political leaders such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu act in defiance of the rules and international organizations established after World War II, creating a world where "wars prevail, instead of diplomacy."

During the presentation of the annual report in London, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, stated, "Throughout 2025, ravenous brutal forces lurked over the global shared resources, seizing spoils unjustly. Political leaders like Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, and many others executed their incursions aimed at economic and political dominance through widespread destruction, oppression, and violence."

She added, "However, instead of confronting these brutal forces, most governments in 2025 opted for a policy of appeasement, including most European countries. Some governments even sought to mimic these brutal forces, while others sought shelter under them, with only a few choosing to confront them."

The report noted that the United States is conducting "extrajudicial killings and illegal attacks in Venezuela and Iran, and threatening to seize Greenland."

Callamard mentioned that during this time, the Trump administration did "everything possible to undermine years and decades of efforts" to defend women's rights, emphasizing that the American and Russian presidents share a vision of a world that is "extremely racist and masculine."

She added, "The genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza continues, despite the so-called ceasefire" that was reached in October, according to the report.

In the face of all this, "only a few countries dared to raise their voices in rejection of the roar of cannons over diplomatic efforts," according to the report, which noted the joining of "some countries to The Hague Group, a coalition of states committed to 'coordinating legal and diplomatic measures' among themselves in defense of international law, and solidarity with the Palestinian people."

The report continued, "Other countries joined the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel, Canada called on middle powers to unite and work on enhancing collective resilience, and a few countries, such as Spain, condemned the dismantling of standard controls."

"A Slippery Slope Toward Law Ignorance"

According to Amnesty International, international institutions have witnessed the worst attacks since 1948, through American sanctions imposed on some judges and prosecutors in the International Criminal Court, and the United States' withdrawal from dozens of agreements.

Callamard pointed out that the current conflict in the Gulf illustrates "the slippery slope toward law ignorance," starting from "the initial illegal attacks executed by the United States and Israel" to Iran's "blind responses."

She noted that this conflict came after Iranian protesters faced "what may be considered the largest mass killing in modern Iranian history since the beginning of 2026."

The report also talked about human rights violations in Burma, where "the armed conflict escalated further five years after the military coup... a record number of airstrikes during military attacks, including several major attacks on schools that killed dozens of students."

The report mentioned Sudan, where "women and girls faced widespread and systematic sexual violence related to the conflict" from Rapid Support Forces during the 18-month siege of Al-Fasher, before the fall of the city in October.

Regardless of all this, the organization saw a glimmer of hope in this grim picture; the establishment of a special war court for Ukraine, and the transfer of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accused of crimes against humanity, to the International Criminal Court.

The organization also welcomed the actions of port workers in Spain, France, and Morocco, to "hinder the shipping of arms to Israel," and the commitment of American citizens who opposed the operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sometimes at the cost of their lives.

Callamard also expressed hope that the refusal of some European countries to join the attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran could be a sign of the beginning of a "rise."

She warned that this is not just "another 'difficult time.' It is a moment of crisis that threatens to destroy everything that has been built over the past 80 years. And we, the general public, will rise to confront this historical moment."