With hundreds of thousands fleeing war and poverty across the Middle East and Africa, the priority must be to protect lives rather than creating an impenetrable fortress.

10/09/2014 – On 8 September around a dozen police officers raided the offices of two NGOs, Ökotárs and Demnet, and confiscated files and computer servers. The raids come after a string of recent government statements and actions which have sought to discredit the work of civil society organizations in Hungary.

The Ukrainian authorities must not replicate the lawlessness and abuses that have prevailed in areas previously held by separatists.

29/08/2014 – In its submission, Ammesty International takes the position that the general measures the Polish Government reports having taken do not adequately execute the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment with respect to its obligation to ensure access to lawful abortion.

Italian Navy vessel Virginio Fasan, performing search and rescue activities in the Central Mediterranean as part of the Mare Nostrum operation, August 2014 © Amnesty International

Photo by Giuseppe Matese. Property of End FGM European Network.

This makes a mockery of the law. How are courts ever to investigate allegations of rendition if governments are simply going to play the ‘act of state’ card

European member states are building their walls higher and higher. This is at the expense of the rights and lives of refugees and migrants.

For the first time, UK intelligence agencies will have to answer for their activities and defend their indefensible policy for mass surveillance

Amnesty International  

EU countries are basically paying neighbouring countries to police their borders for them.  The problem is that many of these countries are frequently incapable of guaranteeing the rights of refugees and migrants that are trapped there. Many end up destitute, exploited, harassed and unable to access asylum 

04/07/2014 – Last week, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan attended the third part of the 2014 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. This was the first visit of the Azerbaijani President to the Council of Europe (CoE) since the country took over the Chairmanship of the organisation’s decision-making body – the Committee of Ministers on 14 May 2014.