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...
Venezuela’s Maduro is a corrupt dictator who has used mass detention and torture to repress opposition. But the US unilaterally bombing and kidnapping a foreign leader is an extreme violation of international law. This is a deeply dangerous moment. www.bbc.com/news/live/c5...
Venezuela latest: Trump says US has 'captured' President Maduro in strikes on country - live updates
The US attorney general says Maduro will face
www.bbc.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Venezuela’s Maduro is a corrupt dictator who has used mass detention and torture to repress opposition. But the US unilaterally bombing and kidnapping a foreign leader is an extreme violation of international law. This is a deeply dangerous moment. www.bbc.com/news/live/c5...
Israeli army’s own database suggests at least 83% of Gaza dead were civilians. Who will be held responsible for this historic massacre? www.972mag.com/israeli-inte...
IDF database suggests 83% of Gaza dead were civilians
Classified intelligence reveals Israel killed 8,900 militants by May, indicating an almost unparalleled proportion of civilian slaughter.
www.972mag.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Israeli army’s own database suggests at least 83% of Gaza dead were civilians. Who will be held responsible for this historic massacre? www.972mag.com/israeli-inte...
“Art illuminates dark times.” It might be a freezing -6 C outside, but it’s not too cold to stop and appreciate some George Orwell subway art.
January 3, 2026 at 1:20 AM
“Art illuminates dark times.” It might be a freezing -6 C outside, but it’s not too cold to stop and appreciate some George Orwell subway art.
Reposted by Simon Adams
“We know for sure that our survivors we are no longer able to serve are suffering,” said Scott Roehm, CVT sr director of global justice & accountability, in this NYT article that accounts for how little was saved by DOGE cuts this year, and just how much was lost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
“We know for sure that our survivors we are no longer able to serve are suffering,” said Scott Roehm, CVT sr director of global justice & accountability, in this NYT article that accounts for how little was saved by DOGE cuts this year, and just how much was lost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Reposted by Simon Adams
The cruelty is the point.
Trump tells asylum seekers to apply for refuge elsewhere
Trump tells asylum seekers to apply for refuge elsewhere
The effort represents the latest attempt by the Trump administration to curtail immigration and meet its ambitious annual deportation goal.
dlvr.it
December 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM
The cruelty is the point.
#Myanmar’s military junta is holding a national “election” at gunpoint. Here’s why it is a sham…
www.globalr2p.org/countries/my...
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 2, 2026 at 12:48 PM
#Myanmar’s military junta is holding a national “election” at gunpoint. Here’s why it is a sham…
www.globalr2p.org/countries/my...
www.globalr2p.org/countries/my...
Reposted by Simon Adams
.@zeteo news is not playing around with their end of year “honours”.
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
December 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
.@zeteo news is not playing around with their end of year “honours”.
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
Let’s stand up for human rights in 2026. We need a lot more humanitarianism, and a lot less authoritarianism, impunity and injustice in the world. #HappyNewYear2026
January 1, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Let’s stand up for human rights in 2026. We need a lot more humanitarianism, and a lot less authoritarianism, impunity and injustice in the world. #HappyNewYear2026
.@zeteo news is not playing around with their end of year “honours”.
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
December 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
.@zeteo news is not playing around with their end of year “honours”.
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
“War Criminal of the Year” (2025)
A sham election with a predetermined outcome. Another failed attempt by #Myanmar’s corrupt and venal Generals to legitimise military rule. 🇲🇲 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Polls close in first phase of Myanmar elections widely condemned as a sham
Turnout appears low for vote in which most candidates seen as allies of junta and large areas excluded by war
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:47 PM
A sham election with a predetermined outcome. Another failed attempt by #Myanmar’s corrupt and venal Generals to legitimise military rule. 🇲🇲 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
A message from the village of Saugerties, upstate NY.
December 28, 2025 at 1:53 AM
A message from the village of Saugerties, upstate NY.
Christmas blessings to all, but especially to Christians in Palestine, the birthplace of Jesus. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”— Matthew 5:6
December 25, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Christmas blessings to all, but especially to Christians in Palestine, the birthplace of Jesus. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”— Matthew 5:6
Reposted by Simon Adams
“It is unconscionable that companies are allowed to promote these products inside the EU. It is grotesque that such products even exist. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.” @simonadams.bsky.social on the need to ban goods used for torture.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
The World’s Right-Handed and Left-Handed Torturers
Jeanne Kirkpatrick, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, once made a highly-debatable distinction between “friendly” right-wing “authoritarian” regimes (which were mostly U.S. and Western a...
www.ipsnews.net
December 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
“It is unconscionable that companies are allowed to promote these products inside the EU. It is grotesque that such products even exist. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.” @simonadams.bsky.social on the need to ban goods used for torture.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
At CVT we work with traumatized torture survivors every day. Many are refugees who have come from countries where security forces use the sort of devices that were on sale at the Paris trade fair. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
The World’s Right-Handed and Left-Handed Torturers
Jeanne Kirkpatrick, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, once made a highly-debatable distinction between “friendly” right-wing “authoritarian” regimes (which were mostly U.S. and Western a...
www.ipsnews.net
December 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM
At CVT we work with traumatized torture survivors every day. Many are refugees who have come from countries where security forces use the sort of devices that were on sale at the Paris trade fair. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
Film shoot for a documentary this frosty Brooklyn morning…
December 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Film shoot for a documentary this frosty Brooklyn morning…
I’ve done a lot of TV interviews over the years, but this might be my favourite improvised studio - using a laptop balanced on top of a Lego box in a friend’s Brooklyn apartment.
December 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I’ve done a lot of TV interviews over the years, but this might be my favourite improvised studio - using a laptop balanced on top of a Lego box in a friend’s Brooklyn apartment.
Torturer and war criminal from #DRCongo found guilty of crimes against humanity in a French court. Universal jurisdiction and international justice matter! www.bbc.com/news/article...
Roger Lumbala trial: French court sentences former DR Congo rebel leader to 30 years in jail
In a landmark trial, Roger Lumbala faced accusations about atrocities committed during the Second Congo war.
www.bbc.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Torturer and war criminal from #DRCongo found guilty of crimes against humanity in a French court. Universal jurisdiction and international justice matter! www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mozambique is the new frontline in the war against ISIS-affiliated armed extremists. The govt is struggling to uphold its responsibility to protect civilians.
Violence in northern #Mozambique displaced more than 100,000 people in November, the majority of them children. Essential services are overstretched and children are at risk of disease and violence. UNICEF is delivering life-saving support but urgent additional support is needed.
December 16, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Mozambique is the new frontline in the war against ISIS-affiliated armed extremists. The govt is struggling to uphold its responsibility to protect civilians.
There are already 30,000+ political prisoners in #Myanmar. The upcoming sham elections are supposed to provide legitimacy to this military dictatorship. The whole world should reject the results.
Political repression intensified in #Myanmar in November as the military pushed ahead with elections set for 28 Dec. Authorities used the Election Protection Law to detain 7 people over online anti-election content & sentenced 2 protesters to nearly 50 years in prison. acleddata.com/update/asia-...
December 16, 2025 at 1:01 PM
There are already 30,000+ political prisoners in #Myanmar. The upcoming sham elections are supposed to provide legitimacy to this military dictatorship. The whole world should reject the results.
Reposted by Simon Adams
Horrified by the Bondi Sydney terrorist attack. The perpetrators want to divide us by religion. This hero - Ahmed al Ahmed - saved countless lives. He represents the best of Australia and humanity.
Wow! This man is a hero.
Watch him wrestle the rifle from one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
Watch him wrestle the rifle from one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
December 14, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Horrified by the Bondi Sydney terrorist attack. The perpetrators want to divide us by religion. This hero - Ahmed al Ahmed - saved countless lives. He represents the best of Australia and humanity.
Horrified by the Bondi Sydney terrorist attack. The perpetrators want to divide us by religion. This hero - Ahmed al Ahmed - saved countless lives. He represents the best of Australia and humanity.
Wow! This man is a hero.
Watch him wrestle the rifle from one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
Watch him wrestle the rifle from one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
December 14, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Horrified by the Bondi Sydney terrorist attack. The perpetrators want to divide us by religion. This hero - Ahmed al Ahmed - saved countless lives. He represents the best of Australia and humanity.
Killing children in a kindergarten feels horrifically “on brand” for the predatory RSF militia in #Sudan. When will their UAE sponsors stop funding these atrocities? www.globalr2p.org/publications...
Atrocity Alert No. 462: Sudan, Haiti and Mozambique - 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. HUNDREDS ...
www.globalr2p.org
December 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Killing children in a kindergarten feels horrifically “on brand” for the predatory RSF militia in #Sudan. When will their UAE sponsors stop funding these atrocities? www.globalr2p.org/publications...
Under Pres Assad, #Syria operated an industrial system of detention, torture, death and disappearance. The true scale of these atrocities is only beginning to be fully documented.
www.icij.org/investigatio...
www.icij.org/investigatio...
Assad’s archive of death
Photographs of more than 10,000 regime victims capture a campaign of torture and mass murder in haunting, meticulous detail.
www.icij.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Under Pres Assad, #Syria operated an industrial system of detention, torture, death and disappearance. The true scale of these atrocities is only beginning to be fully documented.
www.icij.org/investigatio...
www.icij.org/investigatio...
I have visited Minneapolis 26 times since I became President and CEO of @cvt.org in 2021. But this will be my last visit before I step down in January. CVT has served torture survivors and other refugees in this city for 40 years. Proud to be part of that history.
December 11, 2025 at 3:48 AM
I have visited Minneapolis 26 times since I became President and CEO of @cvt.org in 2021. But this will be my last visit before I step down in January. CVT has served torture survivors and other refugees in this city for 40 years. Proud to be part of that history.