“Two years after this scheme was agreed, most EU member states have fundamentally failed refugees and asylum-seekers, shirking their responsibilities and leaving thousands abandoned in Italy and Greece,”

The EU must urgently step up its support for human rights and those of us who defend them in the region

This is a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. In her first comments on the crisis, instead of promising concrete action to protect the people in Rakhine state, Aung San Suu Kyi appears to be downplaying the horrific reports coming out of the area.

The Hungarian and Slovakian governments’ appeal to ECJ was a baseless attempt to make ‘refugee free zones’ of their countries. Member states must show solidarity with each other, and with asylum seekers who are seeking protection in Europe.

26/07/2017 – Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International write to urge the European Commission to re-evaluate its Implementing Decision 2016/1250 on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield on the basis that the United States of America (United States) does not ensure a level of fundamental rights protection regarding the processing of personal data that is essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the European Union (EU).

The absurd case against Idil Eser is not based on any nefarious activities but instead rests entirely upon the legitimate work of Amnesty International. If this work is criminalised, it is hard to see how the organization – or indeed the wider human rights movement in Turkey – can continue to function.

We expect her to raise their cases with Ministers Çavuşoğlu and Çelik in the context of growing concerns about the deterioration of the respect for the rule of law and human rights in Turkey

It is partly thanks to people power that this alarming scenario has been averted. Since these reforms were announced, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Poland to defend their freedoms, and President Duda’s unexpected announcement is a tribute to the power of public protest.

Governments across the world have called for the release of human rights defenders in Turkey. I will press upon Federica Mogherini that she must do the same

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The consequences of this for the future integrity of Polish justice are far reaching and deeply concerning.

There is a real danger that concerns over Egypt’s human rights record could be swept under the carpet as the EU prioritizes security, migration and trade at the expense of human rights.