The international community’s failure to respond to the world’s worst displacement crisis since World War II is shameful.

27/11/2014 – Write for Rights was first launched in 2001 as a 24-hour letter writing marathon in Poland. By 2013 it had grown into a global campaign with hundreds of thousands of people from 140 countries taking part.

Careful, detailed analysis is needed – not fast-tracking and grandstanding.

26/11/2014 – On 20 – 21 November 2014, almost 20 years since its last review, Romania again appeared in front of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). NGOs present during the review sessions are deeply concerned over discriminatory statements by the Romanian representatives and the government’s failure to engage in a constructive dialogue with the UN Committee as to the extent of which civil society organizations consider that Romania has failed to meet its international obligations prescribed by the Covenant.

The root causes of gender-based violence and restrictions of women and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are the same – systematic gender discrimination rooted in patriarchal structures that control women and girls’ choices and freedoms.

A request to the European Court must be lodged within the next two weeks. The clock is ticking.

24/11/2014 – Amnesty International is deeply concerned over reports of excessive use of force and misuse of less-lethal weapons against protesters, ill-treatment of bystanders and attacks against photojournalists and journalists by riot police during and after demonstrations in Athens on 13 and 17 November 2014.

19/11/2014 – In just over three years, over 3.2 million women, men and children have fled violence, persecution and other intolerable hardships in Syria for the hope of safety and security outside of the country. Neighbouring states have disproportionately shouldered the responsibility to receive Syrian refugees. As of October 2014, Lebanon has 1.13 million registered Syrian refugees, Jordan is hosting 619,000 Syrian persons of concern, while at least 1.6 million refugees from Syria reside in Turkey.

The humanitarian assistance offered by the international community has been pitifully low, but Turkey also needs to do more to request and facilitate it.

13/11/2014 – Tomorrow marks seven years since the European Court of Human Rights found the Czech Republic to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights with respect to unlawful discrimination of Romani pupils in the Czech education system. Seven years on, these violations of the right to education and discrimination have not been addressed and Roma pupils continue to experience segregated education across the country.

These continuing civilian deaths – a predictable result of such attacks – are inexcusable and those responsible on both sides must be held accountable.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL