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Simon Adams

@simonadams.bsky.social
469 followers 145 following 767 posts

Professor of Human Rights. Former President & CEO of Center for Victims of Torture @CVT.org. Also, @Globalr2p.org and @Skateistan.bsky.social

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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Despite diplomatic achievements, every UN Secretary General is judged on their ability to halt atrocities that shock the conscience of humanity. With Antonio Guterres, the verdict of history will be harsh. (My latest ⬇️) theconversation.com/after-a-deca...
theconversation.com
After a decade, the UN’s Antonio Guterres is stepping down. His legacy will be mixed, at best
The long-standing UN secretary general could have done more to protect the world’s most vulnerable people.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The UN Convention Against Torture, ratified by the US Senate, bars the govt from deporting people to countries where they face the threat of torture. Not doing so is consistent with international law, US law, and basic human decency. edition.cnn.com/2026/09/24/p...
edition.cnn.com
Trump urges Supreme Court to restart deportations to countries with poor human rights records | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump’s administration urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to remove migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them an opportunity to raise human righ...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Since Trump reentered the White House, 90% of LGBTQ+ rights groups around the world have lost their funding. They were the first target of his gutting of international aid for vulnerable populations.🏳️‍🌈 outrightinternational.org/funding-our-...
outrightinternational.org
Funding Our Freedom
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"the Security Council has failed to respond with the resolve these situations require, falling short in its responsibility to protect civilians most in need." — foreign ministers of Finland and Australia on atrocities in Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, etc. www.politico.eu/article/midd...
politico.eu
Middle powers can’t be bystanders as the UN falters
Finland and Australia are seeking Security Council seats with a message: The rules-based order needs countries willing to fight for it.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good to see "middle powers" like Australia and Finland refusing to be bystanders. The protection of human rights, humanitarianism and international law are investments in our collective security, and humanity’s future.🦘🇫🇮 www.politico.eu/article/midd...
politico.eu
Middle powers can’t be bystanders as the UN falters
Finland and Australia are seeking Security Council seats with a message: The rules-based order needs countries willing to fight for it.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thinking of friends and former colleagues in Tigray and across Ethiopia as this new war breaks out. Distressing and disturbing news. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Ethiopia and Tigray accuse each of launching offensives, fuelling fears of new war
The local authorities reportedly seize Tigray's airports following reports of recent drone strikes.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
President Trump’s threat to “annihilate” Iran is an open threat to commit genocide. These are the unconscionable and immoral rantings of a man whose cognitive decline makes him a threat to world peace.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
157 of 193 UN members recognize the State of Palestine. It also has official UN observer status. Banning Palestinian leaders from attending UN General Assembly makes the US look weak. It does nothing to contribute to peace, security or democracy in the Middle East. www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
amnesty.org
US State Department must reverse decision to ban Palestine delegation from attending UNGA session in New York
Responding to the US State Department’s announcement in a statement yesterday that it has, for the second consecutive year, barred the high-level delegation of the State of Palestine, including Palest...
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Reposted by Simon Adams
Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a prison for women and girls. Not allowed to study, to work, leave their home, or walk in the park without a male guardian. This gender apartheid is destroying the future of 22 million people.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a prison for women and girls. Not allowed to study, to work, leave their home, or walk in the park without a male guardian. This gender apartheid is destroying the future of 22 million people.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The LRA were the stuff of nightmares. I had the honour of working with survivors of their atrocities in Uganda. I'll be speaking at the Perth screening of this amazing documentary film, "The Comfort Dogs of Uganda." Details⬇️🇺🇬
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There are currently 117 million people in the world displaced by persecution, conflict and atrocities - a number that is soaked in tears. The deserve our compassion, not barbed wire and vilification.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
On 3 September Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, unveiled a plan to forcibly displace 2 million Palestinians from Gaza. That would constitute ethnic cleansing, plain and simple. www.globalr2p.org/publications...
globalr2p.org
Atrocity Alert No. 493: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan and Education Under Attack - Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Atrocity Alert is a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect highlighting situations where populations are at risk of, or are enduring, mass atrocity crimes. ISRAELI O...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There are currently 117 million people in the world displaced by persecution, conflict and atrocities - a number that is soaked in tears. The deserve our compassion, not barbed wire and vilification.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We should never forget the horror of 9/11. But it also triggered US detention and “rendition” programs that used torture. A moral and legal reckoning is long overdue. www.commondreams.org/opinion/9-11...
commondreams.org
25 Years Ago, 9/11 Triggered a US Crusade of Torture | Common Dreams
The lack of accountability set a template. And the impunity of those who orchestrated and carried out these crimes is one of the darkest legacies of the so-called "war on terror" that will forever hau...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The UK govt has placed legal sanctions on those responsible for "settler terrorism" on the West Bank and condemned the ongoing "ethnic cleansing" of occupied #Palestine. 🇵🇸
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Reposted by Simon Adams
Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Refugee Student Resettlement Scheme helps brilliant young scholars to get out of the camps and start a new life in Australia. Proud that @MurdochUni will welcome its first RSSP group in 2027. www.skillpath.org.au
skillpath.org.au
Skill Path
Building a workforce ready for the future. Empowering refugees to access higher education, training, and professional recognition in Australia.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
ICE is force-feeding detainees who are on hunger strike. Such practices are widely considered to constitute torture. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
ICE given permission to force-feed Cuban hunger striker with gastric tube
Exclusive: court orders seen by Guardian show agency given approval to fit Texas detainee with tube without his consent
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Same world but with a more accurate perspective.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Refugee Student Resettlement Scheme helps brilliant young scholars to get out of the camps and start a new life in Australia. Proud that @MurdochUni will welcome its first RSSP group in 2027. www.skillpath.org.au
skillpath.org.au
Skill Path
Building a workforce ready for the future. Empowering refugees to access higher education, training, and professional recognition in Australia.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This wasn’t an “immigration operation” it was a military occupation. It was an authoritarian flex of power and prejudice.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
36,000 people in 34 countries surveyed. Over 90% want increased international cooperation for the protection of human rights. The rise of authoritarian parties & govts threatens us all. 🌍 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Around the world, people are rejecting divisive and dangerous politics. We can – and must – build on that | Gordon Brown
The vast majority of the global public supports international cooperation on human rights, climate and AI. Like-minded countries must stand together to deliver, says former UK prime minister Gordon Br...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Florida TV actor and accused Venezuelan torturer deported from US. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/w...
nytimes.com
A Venezuelan Colonel Turned Actor Is Deported From Florida
A former lieutenant colonel in Venezuela’s National Guard living in Florida was deported, interrupting a lawsuit that accused him of ordering violent raids and torture.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Spent today campaigning against Hanson’s One Nation in the Secret Harbour by-election, south of Perth. Having lived in the US under Trump, I don’t want to watch another cheap MAGA imitation divide communities, scapegoat immigrants, and undermine democracy.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić is dead. He was criminally responsible for genocide at Srebrenica. Today I’m thinking of this mother and son I met in the graveyard on the 20th anniversary. The suffering Mladic inflicted should never be diminished or denied.🇧🇦
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The #Rohingya genocide never ended, it just slowed down. 9 years of atrocities, ongoing persecution, displacement and denial of justice in #Myanmar. www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
aljazeera.com
What would justice look like if there were no Rohingya left in Myanmar?
Nine years after the 2017 atrocities, Rohingya are still being forced to flee because the genocide has never stopped.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Fatally beating detainees was unconscionable when Assad’s torturers did it, and should have no place in a democratic #Syria. Accountability and justice are essential. 🇸🇾 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Death and alleged torture of man in detention sparks protests in Syria
Picture showing White Helmets volunteer unconscious and with bruises on his body went viral
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The United States’ democratic backsliding has led to a measurable decline in human rights. The data ⬇️ theconversation.com/the-united-s...
theconversation.com
The United States’ human rights practices are taking a nosedive
New data from a global rights-tracking project shows the country had large declines in 2025 on 8 of the 9 civil and political rights it measures.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
9️⃣ years later, #Rohingya genocide survivors are still waiting for justice. And still the UN Security Council has not passed a single resolution to name the crime, or hold the perpetrators accountable.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Over 100 French and British former diplomats have said Palestine is being erased in front of the world’s eyes and called for urgent action including arms sales bans on Israel. aje.news/9vfmsr
aje.news
Over 100 ex-diplomats urge France, UK to sanction Israel over Palestine
An open letter demands a ban on arms transfers and a freeze on EU-Israel and UK-Israel trade agreements.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The destruction and trauma inflicted by the LRA in northern Uganda is still painfully evident. ⁦‪Local @CVTorg‬⁩ staff have played an extraordinary role proudly serving these communities. www.cvt.org/articles/cvt...
cvt.org
CVT Uganda: Supporting Survivors as They Rebuild Lives and Communities
The CVT Uganda team has been enormously effective for many years providing healing to survivors, training psychosocial professionals in trauma-informed skills, and opening new pathways for survivors t...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Orwellian "electric shock gloves" are ready made for torture and abuse against protesters and detainees. I agree with @cvt.org, they should be banned from policing. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
The Orwellian Company Behind ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves
“With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.” That makes it hard for victims to sue.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Been “off the grid” for a few days in the remote wheatbelt region of Western Australia - just hanging out with the kangaroos, emus and desert wildflowers. Back online now.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Come on #Clacton, save the UK and the planet, #VoteBinface !! 1️⃣🗳️✅
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Cranes were used to publicly hang 3 young protesters in Isfahan, #Iran. Since January Iran has executed at least 27 people in cases linked to the mass protests in January. Iran may have won its war with the US, but it has lost the support of its people. abcnews.com/Internationa...
abcnews.com
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
As #Zambia prepares for crucial elections, @amnesty documents an "alarming regression into authoritarian practices that undermine human rights." 🇿🇲🗳️ www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
amnesty.org
Authoritarian practices eating away at human rights in Zambia: Escalating crackdown on human rights ahead of the 2026 general elections - Amnesty International
As Zambia approaches the 2026 general elections, Amnesty International documents an alarming regression into authoritarian practices that undermine human rights and participation in government. Despit...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The only people who are ‘winning’ this senseless war are weapons manufacturers, oil companies and supporters of theocracy and authoritarianism in both Iran and the United States. www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/us-a...
ipsnews.net
US Arms Stockpiles Hit by Iran War
The highly- unpredictable five-month-old US-Iran war has been plagued by on-again, off-again peace agreements
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Right now extremist Israeli settlers are trying to eradicate the last Christian village in the West Bank of Palestine. And yet there is a deafening silence from evangelicals and right wing pundits in the West. www.vaticannews.va/en/church/ne...
vaticannews.va
West Bank parish priest calls for action to preserve Christian presence - Vatican News
The Palestinian village of Taybeh is facing the possible construction of a new Israeli settlers' outpost, prompting renewed concern for the future of ...
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
“Trump’s war of choice against #Iran has not only impacted weapons stockpiles, it has depleted the ability of some in Washington DC to see people and places on a map as more than targets and annoyances that can impact petrol prices.” www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/us-a...
ipsnews.net
US Arms Stockpiles Hit by Iran War
The highly- unpredictable five-month-old US-Iran war has been plagued by on-again, off-again peace agreements
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“The only people who are ‘winning’ this senseless war are weapons manufacturers, oil companies and supporters of theocracy and authoritarianism in both Iran and the United States.” (My comments on 🇮🇷🇺🇸 war below ⬇️) www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/us-a...
ipsnews.net
US Arms Stockpiles Hit by Iran War
The highly- unpredictable five-month-old US-Iran war has been plagued by on-again, off-again peace agreements
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Stan Lee couldn’t make this up. www.bbc.com/news/world-u...
bbc.com
US government lists fictional nation Wakanda as trade partner
Officials say it was an error to add the fictional nation from Black Panther to the list.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“The only people who are ‘winning’ this senseless war are weapons manufacturers, oil companies and supporters of theocracy and authoritarianism in both Iran and the United States.” (My comments on 🇮🇷🇺🇸 war below ⬇️) www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/us-a...
ipsnews.net
US Arms Stockpiles Hit by Iran War
The highly- unpredictable five-month-old US-Iran war has been plagued by on-again, off-again peace agreements
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I know Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti. She is a professional career diplomat. US pressure to force her out of Washington DC because Trump wants to interfere in Brazil's elections are a textbook case of "gringo interventionism." www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
US revokes Brazil ambassador's visa as diplomatic tensions escalate
It comes after the Brazilian government refused to grant visas for two US state department officials.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Thinking of Nadia Murad and all my #Yazidi friends on this sad day. The work continues to build a world where no other people—Yazidi or otherwise—faces persecution or extermination. All Yazidi survivors deserve justice.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
5 years of girls being denied access to education. 5 years of gender apartheid in #Afghanistan. www.hrw.org/feature/2026...
hrw.org
Afghanistan: 5 Years Under Taliban Rule
August 15, 2026 will mark five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Over the last five years, the Taliban’s increasingly draconian policies have made Afghanistan one of the world’...
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Reposted by Simon Adams
Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Thailand is rolling out the red carpet for Min Aung Hlaing - a corrupt war criminal and the General accused of overseeing the Rohingya genocide. Shame. 🇹🇭🇲🇲 english.dvb.no/the-red-carp...
english.dvb.no
The red carpet to nowhere: Min Aung Hlaing's upcoming visit to Thailand - DVB
Guest contributor Kannikar Petchkaew Thailand has every reason to roll out the red carpet. It has fewer reasons to expect miracles from the man walking over it.  When Min Aung Hlaing returns to Bangko...
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Reposted by Simon Adams
Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Describing civilian deaths in airstrikes as a “mistake” or “collateral damage” does not exonerate you. All potential war crimes require investigation and accountability.
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Thailand is rolling out the red carpet for Min Aung Hlaing - a corrupt war criminal and the General accused of overseeing the Rohingya genocide. Shame. 🇹🇭🇲🇲 english.dvb.no/the-red-carp...
english.dvb.no
The red carpet to nowhere: Min Aung Hlaing's upcoming visit to Thailand - DVB
Guest contributor Kannikar Petchkaew Thailand has every reason to roll out the red carpet. It has fewer reasons to expect miracles from the man walking over it.  When Min Aung Hlaing returns to Bangko...
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Reposted by Simon Adams
Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Kenya will face a crucial election in 2027. In these times of creeping authoritarianism globally, Kenya can play a crucial role in promoting and protecting human rights and humanitarianism. (My comments on @citizentvkenya) 🇰🇪
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Simon Adams @simonadams.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Activists in #Myanmar face long prison sentences for urging a boycott of the military’s fake election of a faux president. Free speech is protected in Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.🇲🇲🇺🇳 www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...
aljazeera.com
Myanmar court sentences activists to 37 years over election protest
Nine activists face prison terms of up to 37 years for protesting the military-backed December elections.
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