Today, for only the fourth time since its foundation in 1949, the heads of state of the Council of Europe (CoE) will come together in Reykjavik, Iceland. And with Europe in the middle of a human rights crisis, and large-scale war raging on the Continent, this meeting of Europe’s top human rights organization is vital.
This blog is authored by Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney; Campaign Manager Human Rights & Climate, Center for International Environmental Law, Amy Jacobsen, Legal Counsel Communications, Greenpeace International, Katharina Rall, Senior Researcher in the Environment and Human Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, and Chiara Liguori, Climate Justice Policy Adviser and Researcher, Amnesty International.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard has sent an open letter calling on the Rapporteurs and members of leading committees on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) to prohibit the use of certain artificial intelligence (AI) systems which are incompatible with human rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the AI Act.
Amnesty International is presenting this submission to the European Commission ahead of the preparation of its 2023 Enlargement Package, including the Opinion on application for Serbia’s membership in the European Union.
Ahead of a visit of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to Serbia from 3 to 7 April 2023, Amnesty International made a submission to the Council of Europe’s monitoring body.
Law enforcement officials sent to police the region devastated by Türkiye’s 6 February earthquakes have beaten, tortured, and otherwise ill-treated people they suspect of theft and looting, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. One person died in custody after being tortured. In some instances, law enforcement officials have also failed to intervene to prevent individuals from violently assaulting other people they allegedly suspected of crimes.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 unleashed numerous war crimes, generated a global energy and food crisis and further disrupted a weak multilateral system. It also laid bare the hypocrisy of European countries, which reacted forcefully to the Kremlin’s aggression but condoned or were complicit in grave violations committed elsewhere. Commendably, they immediately put in place legal protections for Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, whilst simultaneously blocking others fleeing conflict and repression in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said as it launched Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights.
This briefing outlines Amnesty International’s main concerns and recommendations to EU leaders, ahead of the20 March Foreign Affairs Council and 23-24 March European Council discussion on Russia’s aggression inUkraine.
On 20 March, the European Commission and the Swedish EU presidency will host a high-level conference in Brussels aimed at coordinating the response of international donors and raising funds for early recovery and relief efforts in both Türkiye and Syria. The conference will be attended by EU member states, candidate countries and potential candidates, neighbouring and partner countries, G20 members, Member States of the Gulf Cooperation, as well as the UN, international organisations, humanitarian actors, and international and European financial institutions. This paper outlines Amnesty International’s key recommendations to the EU, EU member states and other countries participating in the “Donors’ Conference for the people of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquake”.
Joint NGO statement to the European Parliament and EU Member States
Responding to yesterday’s tragic shipwreck off the coast of Steccato di Cutro, in which at least 62 migrants, including children, lost their lives, Eve Geddie, Amnesty International’s Europe Director of Advocacy, said:
Ahead of the 4th Council of Europe Summit to be held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023, Amnesty International provided recommendations for the future of the Council of Europe, in response to a call for consultations launched by the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.