EU leaders must publicly condemn the brutal and protracted crackdown on human rights defenders and journalists in Turkey, and stand firmly on the side of human rights

18/10/2017 – Ahead of the European Council meeting on 19 October Amnesty International raises concerns on Turkey and requests Donald Tusk show leadership in ensuring strong Council Conclusions on Turkey that reflect the dire human rights situation in the country.

By Katharine Derderian, EU Human Rights Foreign Policy Expert, Amnesty International

The EU has historically led the international response on human rights in Myanmar. Silence now, as a scorched-earth campaign rages, would be deafening – and will not go unnoticed worldwide.

One hundred days ago our colleagues were locked up for standing up for human rights. Every passing day further exposes the long reach of the post-coup crackdown and the deep flaws in Turkey’s justice system

This outrageous indictment contains no new evidence but instead repeats absurd allegations against some of Turkey’s most prominent human rights defenders.

03/10/2017 – Letter to HRVP Mogherini calling on her to take action for human rights in Myanmar.

In their determination to increase the number of deportations, European governments are implementing a policy that is reckless and unlawful.

“Two years after this scheme was agreed, most EU member states have fundamentally failed refugees and asylum-seekers, shirking their responsibilities and leaving thousands abandoned in Italy and Greece,”

The EU must urgently step up its support for human rights and those of us who defend them in the region

This is a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. In her first comments on the crisis, instead of promising concrete action to protect the people in Rakhine state, Aung San Suu Kyi appears to be downplaying the horrific reports coming out of the area.

The Hungarian and Slovakian governments’ appeal to ECJ was a baseless attempt to make ‘refugee free zones’ of their countries. Member states must show solidarity with each other, and with asylum seekers who are seeking protection in Europe.