COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT NOT GIVING THE WHOLE STORY SAYS AMNESTY: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVILIANS STILL UNDER THREAT

LE GOUVERNEMENT COLOMBIEN NE DIT PAS TOUT  : DES DEFENSEURS DES DROITS HUMAINS ET DES CIVILS SONT TOUJOURS MENACES

With EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers expected to revisit the issue of sending asylum seekers to “safe third countries” (JHA Council Dublin 22-23 January), Amnesty International has released an analysis paper expressing its concerns that common EU standards may be agreed which breach international refugee and human rights law, and which shift responsibility to countries outside the EU without proper safeguards.

With EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers expected to revisit the issue of sending asylum seekers to “safe third countries” (JHA Council Dublin 22-23 January 2004), Amnesty International has released an alaysis paper expressing its concerns that common EU standards may be agreed which breach international refugee and human rights law, and which shift responsibility to countries outside the EU without proper safeguards.

Lors du Conseil Justice et Affaires intérieures qui doit se réunir à Dublin les 22 et 23 janvier 2004, les ministres de la Justice et de l’Intérieur de l’Union européenne devraient se pencher une nouvelle fois sur la question de l’envoi des demandeurs d’asile dans des ” pays tiers sûrs “.

Amnesty International today called on the EU Council of Ministers to develop ways in which accountability at EU level for human rights abuses within EU borders can be addressed, following the release today of a new report alleging abuses by police officers in Germany.

Amnesty International report:

14/01/2004 – Amnesty International report: “Back in the Spotlight: Allegations of police ill-treatment and excessive use of force in Germany” (AI index EUR 23/001/2004 dated 14 January 2004)

Amnesty International document:

(Dublin/Brussels 12 January 2004) As the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern prepares to address the European Parliament this week on how Ireland intends to guide the EU through the next six months, Amnesty International is calling for serious improvements in EU human rights policy inside Europe.

Dublin/Bruxelles – Alors que le Premier ministre irlandais, Bertie Ahern, doit s’adresser cette semaine au Parlement européen pour dévoiler la façon dont l’Irlande entend conduire l’Union européenne (UE) dans les six mois à venir, Amnesty International demande que l’UE mène une politique en matière des droits humains propre à assurer un meilleur respect des droits fondamentaux au sein même de l’Europe.