Bulgarian authorities have started fixing the reception facilities and increasing the capacity to process asylum applications. But there are still systemic deficiencies including the detention of asylum seekers, overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate provision of food

01/04/2014 – Amnesty International’s submission on France on the occasion of ECRI’s fifth country monitoring cycle mainly focuses on the discrimination, violence and harassment experienced by Roma migrants. Our research has shown that Roma in France continue to experience widespread discrimination. They are not only forcibly evicted, denied equal access to housing, segregated in schools and given a substandard education, but are also targets of harassment and violence. The document also provides information on the existence and implementation by France of legal provisions relevant to ECRI’s mandate and contains Amnesty International’s concerns about discrimination against Muslims on the ground of religion or belief and against transgender individuals in France.

27/03/2014 – 2013 was marked by some challenging setbacks on the journey to abolition of the death penalty. Four countries – Indonesia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Viet Nam – resumed executions and there was a significant rise in the number of people executed during the year compared with 2012, driven primarily by increases in Iraq and Iran.

The long-term trend is clear – the death penalty is becoming a thing of the past. We urge all governments who still kill in the name of justice to impose a moratorium on the death penalty immediately, with a view to abolishing it

26/03/2014 – At today’s Summit, the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) must put human rights at the centre of their dialogue and action. The EU-US summit represents a crucial opportunity for both sides to explicitly address several key issues of cooperation in relation to their human rights records.

Mikhail Kosenko’s only transgression was to peacefully protest and speak his mind. The gross injustice done to this man must be rectified and he must be released immediately and unconditionally.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

The decision to block Twitter is an unprecedented attack on internet freedom and freedom of expression in Turkey. The draconian measure, brought under Turkey’s restrictive internet law, shows the lengths the government is prepared to go to prevent anti-government criticism

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE

20/03/2014 – Since the beginning of the Euromaydan protest on 21November 2013, Amnesty International has documented numerous cases of human rights abuses, including violations of the right to peaceful assembly, repeated excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, harassment of those who dared to complain, torture, abductions, unfair trials, and finally shooting at unarmed protesters.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ADVISORY

It is shameful to think that within the EU people who have committed no crime are being held in harsh prison-like conditions for prolonged periods, in some cases for up to 18 months or longer. Amnesty International is concerned that Cyprus is using the systematic detention of migrants to intimidate and deter potential immigrants and asylum-seekers