On 11 October, Amnesty International shared a letter with EU leadership, heads of EU governments and EU foreign affairs ministers, as they prepared to discuss the situation in the Middle East at the 14 October Foreign Affairs Council and the 17-18 October European Council. Dear President Michel, Dear President von der Leyen, Dear HR/VP Borrell,…
This submission details Amnesty International’s human rights concerns in relation to Türkiye and outlines key recommendations that the EU should prioritize in the framework of Türkiye’s EU accession process as well as in its broader bilateral relations with the country. Indeed, whether in the framework of the EU accession process or the EU-Türkiye association agreement,…
One year on from the start of the conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023, and as the Foreign Affairs Council meets on Sudan on 22 April 2024, Amnesty International and 10 other NGOs call on the European Union (EU) and its member states to take urgent, strategic and concrete steps to respond to the…
Ahead of the European Union’s (EU) leaders meeting with the Egyptian president in Cairo (17 March 2024), Amnesty International called for all leaders to ensure that respect for human rights is at the centre of all ties between the EU and Egypt. “As EU leaders seek to strengthen their ties with Egypt, they must not…
An Amnesty International France and Omega Research Foundation investigative team discovered Chinese companies marketing illegal law enforcement equipment capable of inflicting torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, at Milipol, a military and police trade fair taking place this week in Paris. The import and export of a range of torture equipment…
Attempting to legalize pushbacks of asylum seekers at Lithuania’s borders would green-light torture, Amnesty International said today ahead of this week’s expected vote in the Lithuanian Parliament on a bill that aims to legalize summary returns under domestic legislation. If passed, amendments to the Lithuanian Law on the State Border and its Protection would effectively…
Law enforcement officials sent to police the region devastated by Türkiye’s 6 February earthquakes have beaten, tortured, and otherwise ill-treated people they suspect of theft and looting, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. One person died in custody after being tortured. In some instances, law enforcement officials have also failed to intervene to…
Solitary confinement is being used in ways that violate the rights of those awaiting trial, including being applied to people with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses Some suspects held in isolation for almost two months in violation of their human rights Iceland is vastly overusing solitary confinement in pre-trial detention, violating the prohibition of torture…
On 12 July 2022, Amnesty International, along with eight other international human rights NGOs sent a letter to the High Representative of the European Union and the 27 EU Foreign Ministers, calling on the European Union to initiate, table and foster broad support for a resolution to create a mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on…
Fresh evidence of harrowing violations, including sexual violence, against men, women and children intercepted while crossing the Mediterranean Sea and forcibly returned to detention centres in Libya, highlights the horrifying consequences of Europe’s ongoing cooperation with Libya on migration and border control, said Amnesty International in a report published today. ‘No one will look for…
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 severe crackdown on civil society in Saudi Arabia, especially since 2011 and more acutely since May 2018, has not been matched by a clear or resolute EU strategy to ensure the support and protection of HRDs. The policies of the EU and its member states have instead been characterized by restraint and a lack…