Dear President von der Leyen,

To the attn. of:Mr Mihai Popșoi, Chairperson of the Committee of MinistersMinisters of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Justice of Council of Europe member States Permanent Representatives to the Council of EuropeMr Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of EuropeMs Petra Bayr, President of the Parliamentary AssemblyMr Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human RightsMr Michael O’Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights

As we mark four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 12 years since its initial military intervention, Amnesty International issued the following letter to High Representative Kallas and EU Foreign Ministers, outlining our key calls to the European Union and its member states.

Ahead of India’s 77th Republic Day Parade celebrations on 26 January and the EU-India Summit taking place the following day, Amnesty International urges the European Union and India to work together to counter global attacks on human rights.

Responding to EU home affairs ministers’ position on the EU Return Regulation agreed in Brussels today, Olivia Sundberg Diez, EU Advocate on Migration and Asylum at Amnesty International, said:

Amnesty International and 8 international human rights organisations express profound concerns regarding the Georgian government’s all-out assault on human rights and civil society organisations in the country and call on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally end all persecution of civil society and media groups for their peaceful and legitimate work. The European Union, its member states and the broader international community should take urgent and coordinated measures to respond to and end this crackdown.

Reacting to today’s ruling by the European Union (EU) Court of Justice (ECJ) that Italy’s rules on designating certain countries of origin as ‘safe’ for people seeking asylum was incompatible with EU law, Adriana Tidona, Migration Researcher at Amnesty International, said:

Ahead of the upcoming EU-China Summit in China on July 24–25, 17 organizations wrote to President Costa and President von der Leyen, urging them to prioritize human rights and use the Summit as an opportunity to ensure justice for victims and survivors of Beijing’s violations. We call on the EU and its member states to confront a growing human rights crisis, which increasingly impacts not only people across China but also people worldwide.

Ahead of a visit by EU Migration Commissioner Brunner and EU ministers to Libya to discuss migration cooperation on 8 July, Eve Geddie, the Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said:

Ahead of the forthcoming discussions on Ukraine at the 26-27 June European Council, Amnesty International wrote to President Costa and EU Heads of state or government, urging them to use the European Council to agree on concerted EU action aimed at shaping diplomatic negotiations on Ukraine and to ensure that broader EU efforts in pursuit of a ‘just and lasting peace’ are firmly grounded in respect for international humanitarian and human rights law and a commitment to international justice and accountability.

Reacting to the EU’s decision to initiate a review of Israel’s compliance with its obligations under international law under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Eve Geddie the Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said:

Responding to the European Commission’s proposal to amend the ‘safe third country’ concept by allowing EU member states to forcibly send people seeking asylum to countries where they have no connection, without the possibility to appeal from the EU, Olivia Sundberg Diez, Amnesty International’s EU Advocate on Migration and Asylum, said: