09/05/2014 – Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on Monday 12 May, Amnesty International calls on you to ensure that, in line with previous FAC decisions, all transfers of equipment that can be used for “internal repression” will remain suspended to Egypt and Ukraine until the relevant authorities have taken appropriate measures to address the concerns which have led to the suspensions.

A caged activist at a protest in Vienna symbolizes the many prisoners of conscience still detained in Azerbaijan, May 2014. © Amnesty International

Those in power continue to show an absolute disregard for any dissenting voices in Azerbaijan. The international community including members of the Council of Europe must remind Azerbaijan on all occasions of its human rights obligations.

06/05/2014 – Amnesty International’s report “Behind bars: Silencing dissent in Azerbaijan” records human rights violations in Azerbaijan and particularly an increased clampdown on freedom of expression, assembly, and association following the 9 October 2013 elections. The important role that Azerbaijan is about to assume comes with significant responsibilities to lead the Council of Europe’s work for the defence and promotion of human rights across the continent. It is a role which must, inevitably, expose its bearer to greater scrutiny of its human rights record. The organisation therefore urges the Committee of Ministers to give this matter its critical attention and urge the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all 19 prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan, and fully respect and protect the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

06/05/2014 – New Directive marks important step towards ensuring EU companies “know and show” respect for human rights, but member states still need to demonstrate true commitment to business and human rights protections

06/05/2014 – On 14 May 2014, Azerbaijan will take on the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Thirteen years of Council of Europe membership have done little to improve the respect for civil and political rights in the country. Its progress towards becoming a pluralist democracy and consolidating the rule of law has not just stalled – it has gone into reverse in recent years.

The Finnish investigation is a classic example of too little, too late. Victims of CIA renditions and secret detention operations must have access to an effective remedy. While the Ombudsman worked hard to uncover the truth, the Finnish process is incomplete and inconclusive, leaving potential victims with no access to justice

30/04/2014 – Amnesty International published several reports, in which the organisation raises serious concerns about the persistent practice of push-backs in Greece, and police abuse in Spain and Greece. Amnesty International urges Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland to ensure that the Council of Europe raises allegations of push-backs and ill-treatment at Greece’s border with Turkey with the Greek authorities, and to effectively address the issue of police violence and abuse in his dialogue with the Greek and Spanish authorities.

There are cases where they have been stripped naked, had their possessions stolen, and even held at gunpoint before being pushed back across the border to Turkey

29/04/2014 – The responsibility for monitoring and curbing the abuses of Greek policemen and coast guards is not limited to Greek authorities, however. Greek migration and asylum policies are intimately tied to processes and policies decided in Brussels.