The emergency powers currently being rushed through parliament provide for a sweeping extension of executive powers at the expense of essential human rights safeguards. They must be used only when strictly necessary and should not become a permanent addition to France’s anti-terror arsenal

In the wake of this tragedy, the failure to extend solidarity to people seeking shelter in Europe, often after fleeing the very same kind of violence, would be a cowardly abdication of responsibility and a tragic victory for terror over humanity

17/11/2015 – The European Union’s (EU) determination to seal off its external borders is fuelling a range of human rights abuses while doing nothing to halt the influx of desperate refugees, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.

Europe’s security is not best served by turning its back on a global refugee crisis, but by ensuring the orderly, organised and humane admission of those fleeing similar horrors.

With the EU seemingly intent on enlisting African nations as proxy gatekeepers, the Valletta summit is likely to result in a one-sided border control contract dressed up as a cooperation agreement. Refugees and migrants deserve and are entitled to better

Amnesty International

As winter looms, the sight of thousands of refugees sleeping rough as they make their way through Europe represents a damning indictment of the European Union’s failure to offer a forward thinking and coordinated response to the refugee crisis

If EU member states race to the bottom in terms of how they deal with the refugee crisis it could spark a domino effect with drastic consequences for thousands of people arriving daily

19/10/2015 – Following the first known case of a fatal shooting on EU’s border, Amnesty International calls on the Bulgarian Minister of Interior to ensure that the investigation opened in the death of the Afghan asylum-seeker at the Bulgarian – Turkish border on the night of 15 October is carried out independently, thoroughly and effectively and the results are made public.

Angela Merkel must insist that Turkey cleans up its act before treating it as a reliable partner in the EU’s border management

Instead of rising to the challenge of this unprecedented crisis, many governments have been busy devising ways to keep people outside their borders while thousands are dying at sea or enduring squalid conditions in the shadow of razor-wire fences. This is moral bankruptcy of the highest order.