Originally published in Politico. By Nils Muižnieks, Europe Regional Office Director, Amnesty International and Rita Patrício, Senior Executive Officer for the Council of Europe, Amnesty International Today, for only the fourth time since its foundation in 1949, the heads of state of the Council of...

This blog is authored by Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney; Campaign Manager Human Rights & Climate, Center for International Environmental Law, Amy Jacobsen, Legal Counsel Communications, Greenpeace International, Katharina Rall, Senior Researcher in the Environment and Human...

Ahead of a visit of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to Serbia from 3 to 7 April 2023, Amnesty International made a submission to the Council of Europe’s monitoring body. Amnesty International raised concerns on the implementation of the new Law on Social Cards and...

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 findings by Europe’s top anti-torture body that authorities across Europe have used practices which amount to torture to target refugees and migrants who tried to cross Europe’s borders, strengthen calls for urgent change, said Amnesty International. The report released today by the Council of...

Ahead of the 4th Council of Europe Summit to be held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023, Amnesty International provided recommendations for the future of the Council of Europe, in response to a call for consultations launched by the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. Amnesty...

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...

Amnesty International has today welcomed calls to the UK government from the Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic to withdraw its widely opposed Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and ensure victims’ rights and needs are at centre of the legacy process. The calls follow the...

Ahead of a court hearing on Monday in Istočno Sarajevo, Amnesty International urges BUK, a  hydropower company owned by Belgian-based Green Invest to drop their defamation suits against two local activists who publicly expressed concerns about the potential environmental impact of the...

Amid rising Islamophobia in Europe, amplified by politicians using anti-Muslim rhetoric, parliamentarians from 46 countries will vote in a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on a resolution that accuses authorities in several European states of normalizing...

Muslim communities in Europe are estimated to account for approximately 25.8 million people or roughly 4.9% of the region’s total population. Amnesty International has long been concerned about racial and religious discrimination and its specific impact on Muslim people’s human rights across...

Letter ahead of the EU General Affairs Council’s meeting on 23 May 2022, on the situation of the rule of law and other Article 2 TEU values in Hungary. The hearing takes place at a time when the importance of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights across Europe is in ever sharper focus....