Amnesty International
Media Advisory
4 December 2014
During the course of the last Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of Italy’s EU Presidency (4 – 5 December), Amnesty International will release a briefing documenting the pitiful efforts at resettlement of Syrian refugees by EU member states and the wider international community.
Iverna McGowan, acting director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said: “The international community’s failure to respond to the world’s worst displacement crisis since World War II is shameful.”
“Europe cannot sit idly by whilst millions are left struggling on our doorstep.”
‘Left Out in the Cold: Syrian refugees abandoned by the international community’ will be released on Friday 5 December, shedding light on the high numbers of Syrians hosted by neighbouring countries, as Europe sits back. Of the approximately 4 million Syrians forced to seek refuge in other countries, 95 per cent now reside in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
This briefing comes as EU member states’ justice and home affairs ministers gather in Brussels to discuss migration into Europe.
Ahead of the JHA Council, Amnesty International sent a letter to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, calling for greater resettlement pledges and the opening up of more safe and legal routes into Europe.
As many continue to be forced to take dangerous sea routes into Europe, Amnesty International also reiterates its call for the EU to collectively ensure robust search and rescue capabilities in the Mediterranean.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Stefanie Mair
Media and Communications Assistant
Amnesty International European Institutions Office
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +32 (0)2 548 27 73
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook