Press releases
Council of Europe
Ground-breaking step for human rights protection
05/04/2013Today in Strasbourg negotiators from Council of Europe member states and the European Union have reached agreement on the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights following nearly three years of negotiations. The Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg must now give an opinion on the draft agreement.
Second-class education for Czech Republic’s Roma children
11/12/2012The Council of Europe has called on the Czech Republic to end the segregation of Romani school children. Meeting last week, the Committee of Ministers urged the Czech Government swiftly to provide information about substantive results on the ground. Five years after the European Court of Human Rights condemned the disproportionate placement of Romani children in schools which teach only a limited curriculum, the situation remains largely unchanged. The Court found this practice, which is still in use, to be discriminatory.
How Cyprus EU presidency is doing on human rights
16/10/2012Before the start of Cyprus’s six-month presidency of the EU, Amnesty International recommended how it might best promote human rights. At the mid-point of the presidency’s term, the organisation has issued its observations on progress.
Russia held to account for serious human rights breaches
03/10/2012Following yesterday’s adoption by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly of a resolution urging Russia to honour its obligations and resolving to continue monitoring the country, Amnesty International has urged the Russian Government to fulfill its human rights obligations by implementing the Assembly’s calls. The organisation has also pressed the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to send Russia an urgent political signal to stop abusing human rights.
Amnesty International and ILGA-Europe statement to support the 2012 Belgrade Pride
02/10/2012Amnesty International and ILGA-Europe today issued a message of support to the 2012 Belgrade Pride, which begins with a week of cultural and political meetings and activities culminating in a Pride march on 6 October and ends the following day.
Dying on Europe’s doorstep: EU should focus on saving migrants’ lives
19/07/2012As Amnesty International prepares to carry out a major action on the Italian island of Lampedusa tomorrow, it will call on the EU to focus on rescuing and helping people who arrive sick and destitute on its shores, rather than constantly reinforcing its borders in an attempt to keep them out. The organisation has also criticised Italy for reinstating a controversial agreement with Libya on handling migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers and is pressing the EU finally to stop its member states from flouting their obligations under international law.
Categories
Spotlight
Unlock the truth: Time to come clean on secret CIA prison in Poland
12/06/2013 Poland and the European Union must ensure that the country urgently investigates long-standing accusations that it hosted a CIA-run secret prison where suspects were tortured between 2002 and 2005.
Forty-one years of solitude in Louisiana’s Angola prison
03/06/2013 How long do you think you would cope if you were confined to a cupboard-sized room of just six square metres, 23 hours a day? An hour? A day? A week? How about 41 years and counting? Forty-one years ago, three young black ...