As we mark three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and amid the recently accelerated discussions on ending the war, Amnesty International wrote a letter to EU leaders, urging them to take concerted action to influence and shape the terms of any proposed ‘peace negotiations’ and to ensure that they are firmly grounded in…
In a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Amnesty International joined 162 civil society organizations and trade unions in calling on the EU to ban trade and business with Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to comply with its legal obligations as laid out by the International Court of…
On 11 October, Amnesty International shared a letter with EU leadership, heads of EU governments and EU foreign affairs ministers, as they prepared to discuss the situation in the Middle East at the 14 October Foreign Affairs Council and the 17-18 October European Council. Dear President Michel, Dear President von der Leyen, Dear HR/VP Borrell,…
This submission details Amnesty International’s human rights concerns in relation to Türkiye and outlines key recommendations that the EU should prioritize in the framework of Türkiye’s EU accession process as well as in its broader bilateral relations with the country. Indeed, whether in the framework of the EU accession process or the EU-Türkiye association agreement,…
Ahead of the European Union’s (EU) leaders meeting with the Egyptian president in Cairo (17 March 2024), Amnesty International called for all leaders to ensure that respect for human rights is at the centre of all ties between the EU and Egypt. “As EU leaders seek to strengthen their ties with Egypt, they must not…
In a judgment issued today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Russian authorities have failed to properly investigate the murder of Natalia Estemirova, a prominent human rights defender who was abducted and killed in Chechnya in 2009. Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Acting Director, said: “This judgment exposes…
March 2021 This paper outlines Amnesty International’s key recommendations to the EU and EU member states participating in the Brussels V Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. Millions of Syrian refugees are unable to return to the country due to ongoing violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law…
This paper outlines Amnesty International’s key recommendations to the EU and EU member states participating in the Brussels IV Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. Over the past year, parties to the conflict in Syria have continued to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law with impunity. Between May 2019 and…
People’s rights are being violated by governments in Europe and Central Asia, who are cracking down on protests and seeking to erode the independence of the judiciary to avoid accountability, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region. The organization praised those brave people who took to…
From 2014 onward, Burundian HRDs, journalists and civil society came under ever-greater pressure in a fast-onset crisis that culminated in an almost total absence of HRDs and civil society space at the time of writing in April 2019. Accelerating harassment and arbitrary detention of HRDs and journalists were the canary in the coal mine for…
In recent years, human rights defenders in China have faced increasing intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention and attacks. China represses severely a range of human rights, including the rights to: freedom of expression; seek, receive and impart information; freedom of association and peaceful assembly; freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief; fair trial and freedom from…