Amnesty International has accused the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) of cowardice and blatant double standards. This is for its refusal to suspend Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
Amnesty International: EBU’s refusal to ban Israel ‘an act of cowardice’
The rights group’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, issued the blistering attack. This comes just days before the competition’s semi-finals, in which Israel is set to perform.
Callamard said the failure of the EBU to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice. She added that it is an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel.
She argued that the EBU has handed Israel an international stage. This is even as the country continues to commit genocide in Gaza, unlawful occupation, and apartheid.
“Instead of sending a clear message that there is a cost for Israel’s atrocity crimes against the Palestinian people, the EBU has betrayed the values of the Eurovision Song Contest,” Callamard added.
She noted that those values include freedom from intolerance, hate speech, and discrimination. She also accused the broadcasting union of ignoring protests from its own members in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland.
Amnesty’s chief further warned that Israel’s presence at Eurovision offers the country a platform to deflect attention from its actions in Gaza.
She pointed to decades of decisions by international courts and United Nations resolutions that have repeatedly condemned Israel for multiple and egregious violations.
Spain, Ireland, Netherlands among five broadcasters boycotting Eurovision
The EBU organises the annual Eurovision Song Contest. In December 2025, public broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland announced they would boycott the 2026 edition in response to Israel’s participation.
The contest’s final will take place in Vienna on May 16, with two semi-finals scheduled for May 12 and 14. Amnesty International’s ongoing research shows that, despite a ceasefire agreement in October 2025, Israel’s alleged genocide against Palestinians in Gaza continues.
According to the rights group, Israeli forces are still deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about Palestinians’ physical destruction. Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 760 Palestinians since the ceasefire.
The EBU has previously defended Israel’s right to participate, arguing that the contest is a non-political event. The union had not issued an immediate response to Amnesty’s latest remarks at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, thousands of detainees in Iran face a serious risk of torture and sexual violence, Amnesty International has warned. The arrests followed nationwide protests that began in late December 2025 and escalated in January.