Ahead of the College of Commissioners’ visit to India, Amnesty International and 11 other NGOs urge EU leaders to step up their engagement with their Indian counterparts in light of the profound human rights crisis in the country. Dear President von der Leyen, Dear Commissioners, As the College of Commissioners prepares to visit India amid…
Dear High Representative / Vice-President Borrell, We, the undersigned civil society organisations, are writing to reiterate our request for the European Union to suspend its human rights dialogue with China, and to consider other, more impactful measures at the EU’s disposal to address the Chinese government’s assault on human rights at home and abroad. While appreciative of…
Amnesty International issued a letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner McGuinness, calling for EU action in light of India’s weaponization of laws against civil society. This letter follows up on Amnesty International’s briefing, Weaponizing Counterterrorism: India’s exploitation of terrorism financing assessments to target civil society, which highlights how…
Ahead of the European Council of 29-30 June 2023, Amnesty International and 11 other NGOs urge President of the European Council Charles Michel and EU Heads of State to ensure that human rights remain at the core of a robust and ambitious European Union (EU) approach to relations with the government of China. This year,…
Ahead of the informal “Gymnich” meeting of EU Foreign Affairs ministers on 12 May, Amnesty International and 7 other NGOs urge the EU and its member states to ensure that their review and recalibration of the EU’s strategy on its relations with China results in concrete, strategic and strengthened actions on human rights. The EU-China…
Bold Actions Needed on China’s Human Rights Record The European Union should suspend its upcoming human rights dialogue with the Chinese government, given the magnitude of China’s rights crisis, including its potential responsibility for crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang region, ten human rights groups said today. “The EU’s human rights dialogues with China have…
The undersigned organisations call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested one year ago on November 22, 2021 on politically motivated terrorism and other charges. Parvez, the Coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Chairperson of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances…
Amnesty International is writing to share our concerns and recommendations ahead of the forthcoming European Union (EU) – China summit. While we understand that the main topic of discussions will be the Ukraine crisis and the Chinese government’s position on it, we urge you to dedicate adequate time to also discuss those authorities’ assaults on…
Ahead of the informal meeting of the European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers in Slovenia in September, Amnesty International, Civicus, International Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), wrote an open letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Josep…
In recent years, human rights defenders in China have faced increasing intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention and attacks. China represses severely a range of human rights, including the rights to: freedom of expression; seek, receive and impart information; freedom of association and peaceful assembly; freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief; fair trial and freedom from…
The European Union (EU) and its member states are falling short on their commitment to support and protect human rights defenders (HRDs) who are facing mounting deadly threats and attacks, a new Amnesty International report out today shows. The report ‘Defending Defenders? An Assessment of EU Action on HRDs’ reveals that EU support can and does offer vital protection to HRDs worldwide, but it is…