Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union,

Ahead of the 4 September meeting between Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands to discuss progress on plans to deport people to so-called “return hubs” in countries outside Europe where they may never have set foot, likely be to centres or facilities funded by EU member states, Eve Geddie, Director of the European Institutions Office of Amnesty International, said:

Dear President von der Leyen,

Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 February 2026, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) wrote to High Representative Kaja Kallas and EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, urging them to act for civilians caught in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The fall of Uvira, the second largest city in South Kivu province, to the Rwandan-backed armed group March 23 Movement (M23) on 10 December must catalyse the European Union (EU) and its member states’ response to the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Our organizations – Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) – call on the EU and its member states to redouble action on the conflict in eastern DRC, putting human rights and accountability for violations at the centre of their response.

Dear African and European leaders,

On 9 November 2025, the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC) will meet for their biennial EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta, Colombia. Amnesty International urges the EU and CELAC leaders to seize the opportunity to move beyond rhetoric on long-standing partnership and shared values and interests to take concrete actions on human rights in both regions and worldwide, at a crucial time when human rights are under attack globally.

As Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza escalates, enabled by US military and political support, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on prominent Palestinian human rights organizations, Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. This represents a grave assault on human rights standards, the global pursuit of justice and respect for international law. 

Dear President von der Leyen,

Two years after the start of the devastating conflict in Sudan, Amnesty International and 12 civil society organizations call on the EU and other international actors to act meaningfully to protect civilians under attack.

Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 February 2025, Amnesty International wrote to High Representative Kaja Kallas and EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, urging them to act on the escalating human rights crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Dear High Representative Borrell,