Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in Libya are at the mercy of Libyan authorities, militias, armed groups and smugglers often working seamlessly together for financial gain.
By funding, equipping and instructing Libyan authorities responsible for serious human rights violations against refugees and migrants, EU countries, and Italy in particular, have become complicit in their abuse.
Brutal implements of torture like spiked batons and weighted leg irons were supposed to have been banned for good in the EU. So why are they for sale in Paris today
In their determination to increase the number of deportations, European governments are implementing a policy that is reckless and unlawful.
05/07/2017 – A perfect storm: The failure of European policies in the Central Mediterranean finds that by ceding the lion’s share of responsibility for search and rescue to NGOs and by increasing cooperation with the Libyan coastguard, European governments are failing to prevent drownings and turning a blind eye to abuse, including torture and rape.
27/02/2017 – This submission summarises and updates a report by Amnesty International “Fast-Track to Torture: Abductions and Forcible Returns from Russia to Uzbekistan”, published in April 2016. It focuses on the most pressing issues of concern to the organization, also reflected in the decision on individual and general measures adopted by the Committee at its 1250th meeting (8-10 March 2016)
02/12/2016 – Speech delivered by Amnesty International European Institutions Office director Iverna McGowan, to the EU – NGO forum on 2 December 2016, on how the EU can work towards the eradication of torture.
The global market is rife with sinister equipment like leg chains and spike batons which can easily be turned into tools of torture. Introducing tighter EU restrictions on the sale, brokering and promotion of these devices will bring us a step closer to eradicating this shameful trade
Egyptians mourn over a body wrapped in shrouds at a mosque in Cairo on August 15, 2013, following a crackdown on the protest camps of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi the previous day. ©MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images
Leg-cuffs displayed by French firm at Eurosatory international defence fair, Paris, July 2008.
The European Parliament has sent a strong message today challenging the inconsistencies within the EU’s approach to stamping out torture. If the EU is serious about leading the charge to eradicate torture and abolish the death penalty, the member states must now follow suit