Amnesty International statement

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EU OFFICE

As the European Commission and the President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika prepare to initial an EU-Algeria Association Agreement in Brussels tomorrow (Wednesday 19 December), Amnesty International says the fact this event is going ahead shows the EU’s human rights clause is now clearly not worth the paper it is written on.

Letter to Mr Louis Michel, President of the Council of the European Union and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium.

Security and refugee protection: the human rights agenda for the Laeken Summit and Appeal by Amnesty International

The continued deterioriation of the human rights situation in Tunisia – Joint letter by human rights organizations to Louis Michel, President-in-office of the Council and Belgian Foreign Minister.

At this crucial time, with global tensions running high, Amnesty International in Brussels today launched an appeal to EU leaders to show greater moral and political leadership to safeguard the international protection of refugees. The appeal coincides with this week’s Justice and Home Affairs Council (27-28 th September) which is due to discuss key issues regarding the EU’s asylum procedures.

As Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi arrives in Brussels today for talks on a proposed Cooperation Agreement with the European Union, Amnesty International has called on the EU to ensure that the human rights clause in such an agreement is given real substance, given the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

Amnesty International says EU leaders must tell the US President he is on a collision course with Europe and much of the rest of the world, on key human rights issues such as the death penalty and the establishment of the International Criminal Court.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, AVOCATS SANS FRONTIÈRES, EURO-MED HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (FIDH), HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, INTERNATIONAL SERVICE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, OBSERVATORY FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS, WORLD ORGANIZATION AGAINST TORTURE (OMCT)

As EU leaders prepare to meet the Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit in Stockholm, Amnesty International demands that they send the Russian leader home with a clear message.