Brussels (30 Sept.) As EU foreign ministers meet today to decide the EU’s response to US bilateral agreements aimed at exempting US personnel from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International has handed the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moller, the results of its global petition calling on all governments to refuse to enter into any agreement that grants effective immunity from prosecution for crimes under international law.

With the launch today by Amnesty International and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights of a major report on the ill-treatment of detainees and excessive use of force in Greece, Amnesty International sends an urgent plea to the European Union to act more decisively on human rights abuses within its borders.

Amnesty International + International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Amnesty International report: “People’s Republic of China: serious human rights violations and the crackdown on dissent continue” (AI index AFR 17/047/2002).

On the eve of the summit in Copenhagen between European Union leaders and the Chinese prime minister Zhu Rongji, Amnesty International calls on the EU to put an end to the situation where the so-called dialogue on human rights is in effect a monologue which China ignores. Amnesty International urges the Danish EU Presidency to convey to the Chinese leadership that it will no longer accept a dialogue that produces no results whatsoever.

As the European Commission finalizes its 2002 progress reports on EU Candidate Countries, Amnesty International releases a new report showing that systematic torture in Turkey is continuing despite recent legal reforms. Amnesty International calls on the EU to urge Turkey to set a date for the abolition of incommunicado detention.

Click here to link to the Amnesty International document, “Turkey: Systematic torture continues in 2002”, (AI index EUR 44/040/2002), September 2002.

Click here to link to document “Concerns in Europe: January-June 2002” (AI index EUR 01/007/2002).

Amnesty International’s concerns regarding the discussion paper issued by the Danish Presidency concerning recognition rates on Convention refugees and persons in need of protection in Member States and (the road towards) a common understanding of international protection,

Amnesty International’s concerns regarding amendments to the draft report on the proposal for a Council directive on a minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection (PE 310.971/52-176)

Amnesty International’s observations regarding the “Discussion Paper of key elements for a future Repatriation/ Return program on the basis of the Commission Green Paper” in relation to returns to Afghanistan

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES DETAILED LEGAL ANALYSIS TO EU COUNCIL