In a horrifying escalation of police human rights violations at the Croatian border with Bosnia, a group of migrants and asylum seekers was recently bound, brutally beaten and tortured by officers who mocked their injuries and smeared food on their bleeding heads to humiliate them, Amnesty...

This briefing is submitted in accordance with Rule 9(2) of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers for the supervision of the execution of judgments, in advance of the 1377th meeting (June 2020) (DH) of the Ministers’ Deputies on the execution of judgments. Amnesty International seeks to...

Amnesty International letter sharing concerns about the treatment of Roma communities in Bulgaria and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic and requesting the Council of Europe and European Commission’s support in taking these issues up with the national authorities. Under extraordinary...

Democracy – Inclusion – Justice – Solidarity – Sustainability The COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrating all too well that unequal societies go hand-in-hand with human suffering, fragile economies and delicate democracies. Solidarity must be the bedrock of Europe’s response to this crisis: to fighting...

People’s rights are being violated by governments in Europe and Central Asia, who are cracking down on protests and seeking to erode the independence of the judiciary to avoid accountability, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region. The...

100 groups call for urgent measures to safeguard access to abortion Poland prepares to debate draconian law to further restrict abortion European governments should urgently guarantee safe and timely access to abortion care for women and girls in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, 100...

Since 2012, an ongoing institutional reform has centralized court administration in Hungary as the government aims to weaken checks of the executive power and restrict established powers of independent institutions. While judges feel they still can adjudicate relatively freely, the institutional...

Helping other people is normal. And it is the right thing to do. What is the problem? In recent years, compassion has been turned into a crime across Europe. People who have helped refugees and migrants have been threatened, smeared, intimidated, harassed, and dragged through the courts to face...

Reacting to today’s European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in Ismayilova v. Azerbaijan, in favour of journalist Khadia Ismayilova, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Denis Krivosheev, said: “The case of Khadija Ismayilova – a prominent journalist...

This briefing is submitted in accordance with Rule 9(2) of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers for the supervision of the execution of judgments, in advance of the 1369th (Human Rights) meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on the execution of judgments. Considering Turkey’s obligations...

The decision to detain Osman Kavala on new charges merely hours after a court ordered his release must be immediately reversed and he must immediately set free, said Amnesty International. “This decision smacks of deliberate and calculated cruelty. To have been granted release after almost...

Following the acquittal of Osman Kavala and eight other defendants in the so-called ‘Gezi trial’, Amnesty International’s Turkey Campaigner, Milena Buyum said: “Today’s decision is hugely welcome and confirms what has been clear to the entire world for more than two years. “The only just verdict in...