STRICTLY EMBARGOED 0800HRS BRUSSELS TIME FRIDAY, 31 MAY 2003

STRICTLY EMBARGOED 0800HRS BRUSSELS TIME FRIDAY, 30 MAY 2003

28/05/2003 – On the eve of the European Summit meeting with the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg (31 May 2003), Amnesty International calls on EU to urge President Vladimir Putin to put human rights at the heart of the agenda for peace in Chechnya

Amnesty International has today sent an urgent letter to the President of the European Council, George Papandreou, calling on the European Union and EU Member States on the United Nations Security Council, to actively support the inclusion of the following human rights provisions in the Draft UN Security Council Resolution on Iraq.

As the European Union prepares to launch a major programme this Thursday (EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, Brussels) to repatriate refugees to Afghanistan, Amnesty International calls on the EU to pull back from any plans for the moment. (document available link at end of page: “Amnesty International Briefing on the EU Return Plan to Afghanistan”).

06/05/2003 – Amnesty International Briefing on the EU Return Plan to Afghanistan for the EU-JHA Council, 8 May 2003

Amnesty International has today released a Memorandum to the European Union and EU member states (available see 1 & 2 at end of page) calling for the EU’s urgent attention to the plight of human rights defenders, during a series of meetings with Latin American and Caribbean ministers this week.

Amnesty International Memorandum to the European Union and EU Member States: addressing dangers and difficulties faced by human rights defenders in Latin America and Caribbean States.

(Brussels 5 March) Amnesty International today called on the European Union through its Police Mission in Bosnia to give more concrete direction to the Bosnian authorities to tackle the vast number of outstanding cases of ‘disappearances’ in the war-torn country outlined in a new 63-page report (Bosnia-Herzegovina: Honouring the ghosts: Confronting impunity for “disappearances”) available, see link at end of page.

Amnesty International calls on European Union leaders to seize the chance to show unity on Iraq by putting the plight of the people of Iraq and surrounding countries at the top of their agenda for Monday’s emergency EU summit.

Russian Federation: Update on human rights in Chechnya and Russia’s response to the hostage incident

EU-Putin Summit and Chechnya: A Test Of EU Credibility