Simon Adams
@simonadams.bsky.social
Professor of Human Rights. Former President & CEO of Center for Victims of Torture @CVT.org. Also, @Globalr2p.org and @Skateistan.bsky.social
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...
As Pres/CEO of @CVT.org it was always inspiring to meet refugees and asylum seekers who were torture survivors. The fact that ICE has now abducted 6 of CVT’s Minnesota-based clients is immoral, illegal and unconscionably cruel. www.startribune.com/rash-they-fl...
Rash: They fled torture in their home countries. Now they’ve been held by ICE.
Six clients of the Center for Victims of Torture, all legally living in Minnesota, were detained as part of Operation Metro Surge, writes columnist John Rash.
www.startribune.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:44 AM
As Pres/CEO of @CVT.org it was always inspiring to meet refugees and asylum seekers who were torture survivors. The fact that ICE has now abducted 6 of CVT’s Minnesota-based clients is immoral, illegal and unconscionably cruel. www.startribune.com/rash-they-fl...
The predatory RSF militia in #Sudan, looted and destroyed one of Africa’s leading universities, and then literally turned it into a mass grave. sudantribune.com/article/310390
Sudan University reports $258 million in war losses and campus mass graves - Sudan Tribune
February 7, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan University of Science and Technology sustained losses estimated at $258 million following an invasion of its campuses by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a universit...
sudantribune.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:45 AM
The predatory RSF militia in #Sudan, looted and destroyed one of Africa’s leading universities, and then literally turned it into a mass grave. sudantribune.com/article/310390
The Obamas as Apes video is the logical end point of “birtherism” and the whole “MAGA agenda.” This was never about the suffering of “forgotten Americans.” This was always about race. Always.
www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
Trump Posts, Then Deletes Video Depicting Obamas as Apes
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, one of the highest-ranking Black Republicans in Washington, called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
www.wsj.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:43 AM
The Obamas as Apes video is the logical end point of “birtherism” and the whole “MAGA agenda.” This was never about the suffering of “forgotten Americans.” This was always about race. Always.
www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
Reposted by Simon Adams
By its own admission, #Iran suppressed the recent mass protests by gunning down thousands of civilians. But thousands more remain in detention and are at extreme risk of torture. www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
Iran: Thousands Detained Over Protests At Risk Of Torture - Amnesty International
Thousands of people arbitrarily detained in relation to the nationwide uprising in Iran are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, and grossly unfair trials leading to ...
www.amnesty.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:35 AM
By its own admission, #Iran suppressed the recent mass protests by gunning down thousands of civilians. But thousands more remain in detention and are at extreme risk of torture. www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
Reposted by Simon Adams
Until recently I worked at @CVT.org. Now 6 of CVT’s clients - survivors of torture - have been abducted by ICE. All are in the US legally. These are people who fled authoritarianism, only to have masked thugs seize them in Minneapolis. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Asylum-seekers at the Center for Victims of Torture say ICE reminds them of what they escaped
The torture rehabilitation clinic has pivoted to helping people process trauma from Operation Metro Surge.
www.mprnews.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Until recently I worked at @CVT.org. Now 6 of CVT’s clients - survivors of torture - have been abducted by ICE. All are in the US legally. These are people who fled authoritarianism, only to have masked thugs seize them in Minneapolis. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Until recently I worked at @CVT.org. Now 6 of CVT’s clients - survivors of torture - have been abducted by ICE. All are in the US legally. These are people who fled authoritarianism, only to have masked thugs seize them in Minneapolis. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Asylum-seekers at the Center for Victims of Torture say ICE reminds them of what they escaped
The torture rehabilitation clinic has pivoted to helping people process trauma from Operation Metro Surge.
www.mprnews.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Until recently I worked at @CVT.org. Now 6 of CVT’s clients - survivors of torture - have been abducted by ICE. All are in the US legally. These are people who fled authoritarianism, only to have masked thugs seize them in Minneapolis. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
By its own admission, #Iran suppressed the recent mass protests by gunning down thousands of civilians. But thousands more remain in detention and are at extreme risk of torture. www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
Iran: Thousands Detained Over Protests At Risk Of Torture - Amnesty International
Thousands of people arbitrarily detained in relation to the nationwide uprising in Iran are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, and grossly unfair trials leading to ...
www.amnesty.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:35 AM
By its own admission, #Iran suppressed the recent mass protests by gunning down thousands of civilians. But thousands more remain in detention and are at extreme risk of torture. www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
These are war crimes, plain and simple. And those who have command and control over the forces committing these crimes in #Ukraine belong in handcuffs at The Hague. That includes President Putin and all his top Generals.
Over one million Ukrainians are enduring freezing temperatures with intermittent heat, water, and electricity due to Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Russia should cease targeting Ukraine’s energy grid and inflicting inhumane conditions on civilians.
Russia should cease targeting Ukraine’s energy grid and inflicting inhumane conditions on civilians.
February 4, 2026 at 12:34 AM
These are war crimes, plain and simple. And those who have command and control over the forces committing these crimes in #Ukraine belong in handcuffs at The Hague. That includes President Putin and all his top Generals.
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” - George Orwell, 1984.
Trump orders removal or changing of Native American signage at Little Bighorn national park in Montana.
That's the place where Custer got Siouxed.
Maybe soon Trump will also want the signs to say that Custer & 7th Cavalry won the battle that day. www.ktvq.com/news/local-n...
That's the place where Custer got Siouxed.
Maybe soon Trump will also want the signs to say that Custer & 7th Cavalry won the battle that day. www.ktvq.com/news/local-n...
Trump orders removal or changing of Native American signage at national park
The Trump administration has flagged two exhibits at Montana's Little Bighorn National Monument as non-compliant, targeting displays that honor tribal sacrifices
www.ktvq.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:24 AM
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” - George Orwell, 1984.
@amnesty.org @cvt.org and more than 1000 other organizations in the USA call for an end to ICE’s onslaught on human rights and American democracy. www.amnestyusa.org/blog/letter-...
Letter From 1,025 Organizations Asks Congress to Halt Funds for ICE and Border Patrol
Amnesty joined over 1,000 national, state and local organizations in a letter to Congress to demand accountability and halt funding for ICE and Border Patrol.
www.amnestyusa.org
February 3, 2026 at 12:12 AM
@amnesty.org @cvt.org and more than 1000 other organizations in the USA call for an end to ICE’s onslaught on human rights and American democracy. www.amnestyusa.org/blog/letter-...
ICE out! ICE out of Minneapolis and everywhere else. This paramilitary gang is a threat to human rights and democracy in the US🇺🇸.
January 31, 2026 at 6:57 AM
ICE out! ICE out of Minneapolis and everywhere else. This paramilitary gang is a threat to human rights and democracy in the US🇺🇸.
#Iran’s malevolent theocracy is not content to just murder thousands of protesters at home, they also export jet fuel to #Myanmar to assist the military dictatorship there in its war against its own people.
A Reuters investigation maps how Iranian-linked ships secretly moved vast quantities of jet fuel and a key explosives ingredient to Myanmar — and how those supplies fed the junta's expanded air war reut.rs/4k6fpN6 @specialreports
January 31, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Reposted by Simon Adams
As CVT clients are taken by ICE, Sara Nelson tells @cnn.com they may get administratively canceled and deported. If deported, they may be a target once again for having fled their home country originally. “People are going to die, to be totally frank,” she said.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/u...
They were asylum seekers and refugees in Minnesota. Still, ICE detained and flew them to Texas to face deportation | CNN
Dozens of asylum seekers, as well as refugees who passed a rigorous, years-long vetting process before being admitted to the United States, have been arrested in Minnesota in recent weeks, immigration...
www.cnn.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:09 PM
As CVT clients are taken by ICE, Sara Nelson tells @cnn.com they may get administratively canceled and deported. If deported, they may be a target once again for having fled their home country originally. “People are going to die, to be totally frank,” she said.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/u...
5 years since the 1 Feb 2021 military coup in #Myanmar. What was true then remains so - robust international action is needed to hold the Generals accountable. That means sanctions, prosecutions, and diplomatic support for the NUG. Time to end the dictatorship. www.globalr2p.org/countries/my...
Myanmar (Burma) - Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Populations in Myanmar are facing crimes against humanity and war crimes perpetrated by the military and armed groups following the February 2021 coup.
www.globalr2p.org
January 31, 2026 at 2:21 AM
5 years since the 1 Feb 2021 military coup in #Myanmar. What was true then remains so - robust international action is needed to hold the Generals accountable. That means sanctions, prosecutions, and diplomatic support for the NUG. Time to end the dictatorship. www.globalr2p.org/countries/my...
Reposted by Simon Adams
A new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked Israel as the third worst jailer of journalists in the world, behind only China and Myanmar, in a damning indictment of the state’s escalating war on press freedom.
Read: www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260129-des...
Read: www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260129-des...
January 29, 2026 at 7:10 PM
A new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked Israel as the third worst jailer of journalists in the world, behind only China and Myanmar, in a damning indictment of the state’s escalating war on press freedom.
Read: www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260129-des...
Read: www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260129-des...
Reposted by Simon Adams
“Abolish ICE” is not a radical demand. It is a reasonable response to a violent militia that has murdered US citizens, kidnapped children, and is destabilising democracy. 🇺🇸#StandWithMinnesota
January 27, 2026 at 11:57 AM
“Abolish ICE” is not a radical demand. It is a reasonable response to a violent militia that has murdered US citizens, kidnapped children, and is destabilising democracy. 🇺🇸#StandWithMinnesota
Reposted by Simon Adams
Where we explain our investigation process and why we don't post on X anyone - In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”
Partnerships with local news outlets help "bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most."
www.niemanlab.org
January 27, 2026 at 8:46 AM
Where we explain our investigation process and why we don't post on X anyone - In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
The best way to honour the memory of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, is to ensure no people face similar atrocities today - regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion or identity. #HolocaustRemembranceDay #R2P
January 28, 2026 at 6:28 AM
The best way to honour the memory of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, is to ensure no people face similar atrocities today - regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion or identity. #HolocaustRemembranceDay #R2P
Iran’s theocratic rulers should face international justice. UN member states should exercise universal jurisdiction to prosecute Iranian officials responsible for the recent deadly massacres of protesters. 🇮🇷⚖️ www.globalr2p.org/countries/ir...
Iran - Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Iranian authorities are committing possible crimes against humanity through mass killings and arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters. Various populations, including women, girls and members of ethni...
www.globalr2p.org
January 28, 2026 at 5:45 AM
Iran’s theocratic rulers should face international justice. UN member states should exercise universal jurisdiction to prosecute Iranian officials responsible for the recent deadly massacres of protesters. 🇮🇷⚖️ www.globalr2p.org/countries/ir...
Reposted by Simon Adams
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
“Abolish ICE” is not a radical demand. It is a reasonable response to a violent militia that has murdered US citizens, kidnapped children, and is destabilising democracy. 🇺🇸#StandWithMinnesota
January 27, 2026 at 11:57 AM
“Abolish ICE” is not a radical demand. It is a reasonable response to a violent militia that has murdered US citizens, kidnapped children, and is destabilising democracy. 🇺🇸#StandWithMinnesota
Reposted by Simon Adams
ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.
We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.
We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.
January 26, 2026 at 10:14 PM
ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.
We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.
We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.
There was no real “election” in #Myanmar. The junta carefully choreographed some voting for selected pro-military candidates. The entire international community must deny Myanmar’s murderous Generals the recognition they desperately crave. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar apnews.com/article/myan...
Myanmar holds its last election round with the army already certain to keep control over government
Voting was held Sunday in the final round of Myanmar’s general election, concluding a monthlong process.
apnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 12:34 AM
There was no real “election” in #Myanmar. The junta carefully choreographed some voting for selected pro-military candidates. The entire international community must deny Myanmar’s murderous Generals the recognition they desperately crave. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar apnews.com/article/myan...
Reposted by Simon Adams
“Executions in the streets. Abductions by masked security forces at gunpoint. Mass detention in an abusive & unaccountable system. Disinformation campaigns to justify it all. These are the tools & tactics of the world’s most repressive regimes,” writes CVT's Scott Roehm www.cvt.org/statements/s...
January 26, 2026 at 8:48 PM
“Executions in the streets. Abductions by masked security forces at gunpoint. Mass detention in an abusive & unaccountable system. Disinformation campaigns to justify it all. These are the tools & tactics of the world’s most repressive regimes,” writes CVT's Scott Roehm www.cvt.org/statements/s...
The US Congress has the power to end this. There should be not one more cent in funding for ICE until there is justice for Alex Jeffrey Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Not one more cent until ICE have been withdrawn from Minnesota. Accountability is an antidote to authoritarianism.
January 27, 2026 at 12:22 AM
The US Congress has the power to end this. There should be not one more cent in funding for ICE until there is justice for Alex Jeffrey Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Not one more cent until ICE have been withdrawn from Minnesota. Accountability is an antidote to authoritarianism.