Simon Adams
@simonadams.bsky.social
President & CEO of The Center for Victims of Torture (@cvt.org). Human rights, humanitarianism, international justice n’ stuff.
Pinned
Simon Adams
@simonadams.bsky.social
· May 1
After 100 days, the toll of Trump’s foreign aid cuts has begun to sink in
Here’s how programs on the ground in countries around the world have been upended by President Donald Trump’s swift dismantling of most U.S. international aid.
www.washingtonpost.com
It has been “enormously hard to communicate to staff, to clients, to people whose lives are at stake — the outcome of these deliberations that are happening in darkened offices somewhere in Washington D.C.” (Me on @CVTorg and the US aid cuts)⬇️ www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
The US govt believes “the military regime in #Myanmar has carried out atrocities against its own citizens, including… appalling human rights violations and abuses.” So why is it denying Temporary Protective Status to desperate people who fled from there? www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Myanmar is Safe?
Is it safe to return to a country wracked by an abusive armed conflict, widespread atrocities, and targeted ethnic violence, including war crimes and crimes against humanity?
www.hrw.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The US govt believes “the military regime in #Myanmar has carried out atrocities against its own citizens, including… appalling human rights violations and abuses.” So why is it denying Temporary Protective Status to desperate people who fled from there? www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Colleagues from @amnesty.org @Omega_RF recently discovered Chinese companies marketing illegal torture equipment at the Milipol security trade fair in Paris. @cvt.org condemns this illegal trade in human cruelty. omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/milipol...
Milipol trade fair bans the presence of torture instruments on Chinese stands - Omega Research Foundation
omegaresearchfoundation.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Colleagues from @amnesty.org @Omega_RF recently discovered Chinese companies marketing illegal torture equipment at the Milipol security trade fair in Paris. @cvt.org condemns this illegal trade in human cruelty. omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/milipol...
Reposted by Simon Adams
“Democracy does not always expire with a single event, like a military coup. Sometimes it slides slowly into the darkness, corroding norms and corrupting independent modes of thought along the way.” Honoured to give this speech for @cvt.org @MurdochUni @RadioNational www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism - ABC listen
The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecutio...
www.abc.net.au
November 20, 2025 at 12:54 PM
“Democracy does not always expire with a single event, like a military coup. Sometimes it slides slowly into the darkness, corroding norms and corrupting independent modes of thought along the way.” Honoured to give this speech for @cvt.org @MurdochUni @RadioNational www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Good morning from the Bay Ridge ferry to downtown Manhattan
November 24, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Good morning from the Bay Ridge ferry to downtown Manhattan
Reposted by Simon Adams
NEW: “ . . . we’ve been downscaling and had to shut down programs providing essential care to people. And that’s heartbreaking,” said @simonadams.bsky.social in the @startribune.com. He adds, “But what keeps me awake at night is I fear they also cost us lives.” www.startribune.com/give-to-the-...
November 20, 2025 at 1:02 PM
NEW: “ . . . we’ve been downscaling and had to shut down programs providing essential care to people. And that’s heartbreaking,” said @simonadams.bsky.social in the @startribune.com. He adds, “But what keeps me awake at night is I fear they also cost us lives.” www.startribune.com/give-to-the-...
Reposted by Simon Adams
This is a must listen on ABC Radio National's BIG IDEAS wherever you pick up your favourite podcasts. Thanks Simon, and welcome back to Australia.
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism.
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism - ABC listen
The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecutio...
www.abc.net.au
November 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This is a must listen on ABC Radio National's BIG IDEAS wherever you pick up your favourite podcasts. Thanks Simon, and welcome back to Australia.
“Democracy does not always expire with a single event, like a military coup. Sometimes it slides slowly into the darkness, corroding norms and corrupting independent modes of thought along the way.” Honoured to give this speech for @cvt.org @MurdochUni @RadioNational www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism - ABC listen
The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecutio...
www.abc.net.au
November 20, 2025 at 12:54 PM
“Democracy does not always expire with a single event, like a military coup. Sometimes it slides slowly into the darkness, corroding norms and corrupting independent modes of thought along the way.” Honoured to give this speech for @cvt.org @MurdochUni @RadioNational www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Reposted by Simon Adams
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism.
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism - ABC listen
The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecutio...
www.abc.net.au
November 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism.
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Saudi government agents didn't just murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi. They trapped him, murdered him, dismembered his corpse, and then tried to secretly dispose of his remains. Inside a Saudi embassy. All because he criticized the Saudi monarchy.
Seven years ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia couldn’t visit Washington.
When he arrived at the White House Tuesday, he got F-35s stealth fighters, the world’s fastest chips and the central role in the remaking of the Middle East.
When he arrived at the White House Tuesday, he got F-35s stealth fighters, the world’s fastest chips and the central role in the remaking of the Middle East.
Once a Pariah, Saudi Prince Resets U.S. Relations on His Own Terms
Seven years ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman couldn’t visit Washington. When he arrived at the White House on Tuesday, he got F-35s, the world’s fastest chips and the central role in the remaking of the Middle East.
nyti.ms
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Saudi government agents didn't just murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi. They trapped him, murdered him, dismembered his corpse, and then tried to secretly dispose of his remains. Inside a Saudi embassy. All because he criticized the Saudi monarchy.
Reposted by Simon Adams
Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children.
f24.my/BZLM
f24.my/BZLM
‘Their rights are being violated’: Ukrainian families call for return of their stolen children
Family members of Ukrainian children deported from Kherson by Russia made a rare public appeal for their return on Monday in Paris. Since the start of its full-scale invasion, Moscow has deported Ukra...
f24.my
November 19, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children.
f24.my/BZLM
f24.my/BZLM
The Trump administration deported people to an El Salvadorian prison where they knew they would probably be tortured. Unconscionable and illegal. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds
Human rights groups accuse Trump officials of complicity and draw comparison with scandal at Abu Ghraib prison
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The Trump administration deported people to an El Salvadorian prison where they knew they would probably be tortured. Unconscionable and illegal. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
NEVER STOP PUSHING - a global fundraiser by Skateistan - Donate now!
YouTube video by Skateistan
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The upcoming sham elections in #Myanmar are intended to provide legitimacy to a military junta that continues to commit atrocities and imprisons its opponents. Every UN member state should declare that these "elections" are illegitimate.
November 18, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The upcoming sham elections in #Myanmar are intended to provide legitimacy to a military junta that continues to commit atrocities and imprisons its opponents. Every UN member state should declare that these "elections" are illegitimate.
Reposted by Simon Adams
Desperate people forced to risk their lives to escape war and persecution - let's rob them of all they've got left!
This is the sick thinking of human traffickers, not decent governments.
This is the sick thinking of human traffickers, not decent governments.
November 17, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Desperate people forced to risk their lives to escape war and persecution - let's rob them of all they've got left!
This is the sick thinking of human traffickers, not decent governments.
This is the sick thinking of human traffickers, not decent governments.
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism.
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism - ABC listen
The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecutio...
www.abc.net.au
November 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism.
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
(Where I ask the question, what would George Orwell or Hannah Arendt expect of us?)
Thanks @natashamitchell.bsky.social from Big Ideas at @RadioNational in Australia for broadcasting this. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Reposted by Simon Adams
New York unveils portal for public to share ICE footage after four US citizens arrested buff.ly/9WzOzTt
New York unveils portal for public to share ICE footage after four US citizens arrested
Attorney general Letitia James urges residents to share video and photos amid outcry over Chinatown raid
buff.ly
November 16, 2025 at 3:30 AM
New York unveils portal for public to share ICE footage after four US citizens arrested buff.ly/9WzOzTt
Massacres. Starvation. Mass rape. How many more atrocities in El Fasher, Sudan, before the international community will hold the RSF (and their UAE sponsors) accountable for these crimes against humanity?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Dire warnings over aid and hunger following RSF’s capture of Sudanese city
Fears rise for displaced civilians as UN reports deteriorating situation and MSF warns of ‘staggering’ malnutrition
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Massacres. Starvation. Mass rape. How many more atrocities in El Fasher, Sudan, before the international community will hold the RSF (and their UAE sponsors) accountable for these crimes against humanity?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Since Sept the US has killed 80 civilians in military strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats. But international law prohibits extrajudicial killings—even of suspected criminals—who do not pose an imminent threat. These are the actions of a rogue state. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Tracking U.S. Military Killings in Boat Attacks
In two months, the Trump administration has killed dozens of people it accused of smuggling drugs aboard boats. Here are the acknowledged strikes so far.
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Since Sept the US has killed 80 civilians in military strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats. But international law prohibits extrajudicial killings—even of suspected criminals—who do not pose an imminent threat. These are the actions of a rogue state. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Israeli soldiers speak out re: killing civilians in Gaza. 83% of 69,000 Palestinians killed by IDF in Gaza were civilians, a historic high for modern conflicts. Collective punishment and indiscriminately killing are war crimes. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians
IDF soldiers tell documentary of opening fire unprovoked and arbitrary designations of who was an enemy
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Israeli soldiers speak out re: killing civilians in Gaza. 83% of 69,000 Palestinians killed by IDF in Gaza were civilians, a historic high for modern conflicts. Collective punishment and indiscriminately killing are war crimes. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
"Look at all this work. Look at this genocide.” Intoxicated by impunity, RSF fighters brag about their atrocities in el-Fasher. www.bbc.com/news/article...
'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre in el-Fasher
BBC Verify tracks how the RSF killed unarmed people in a massacre that humanitarian officials believe left 2,000 dead.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:52 AM
"Look at all this work. Look at this genocide.” Intoxicated by impunity, RSF fighters brag about their atrocities in el-Fasher. www.bbc.com/news/article...
“Trump’s aid cuts are killing far more Nigerian Christians than Islamic terrorists are.” Some uncomfortable truths from @NickKristof www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Opinion | Trump Aid Cuts Kill More Christians Than Jihadists Do
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:53 PM
“Trump’s aid cuts are killing far more Nigerian Christians than Islamic terrorists are.” Some uncomfortable truths from @NickKristof www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
It’s strangely appropriate that Britain’s Imperial War Museum is housed in “Bedlam” - a notorious former mental asylum. Humanity is still failing to learn from the bloody wars, industrialized mass murder and atrocities of the last century.
November 8, 2025 at 3:39 PM
It’s strangely appropriate that Britain’s Imperial War Museum is housed in “Bedlam” - a notorious former mental asylum. Humanity is still failing to learn from the bloody wars, industrialized mass murder and atrocities of the last century.
Getting caffeinated, cultured, and catching up with Ryan D’Souza all at once inside the British Museum (the most impressive collection of stolen goods in the world).
November 6, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Getting caffeinated, cultured, and catching up with Ryan D’Souza all at once inside the British Museum (the most impressive collection of stolen goods in the world).
Always great to catch up with @amnesty.org colleagues in London. Amnesty International are an essential component of the global struggle to uphold human rights and humanitarianism.
November 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Always great to catch up with @amnesty.org colleagues in London. Amnesty International are an essential component of the global struggle to uphold human rights and humanitarianism.
Reposted by Simon Adams
Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."