A member of the Slovenian army observes migrants walking towards the Austrian border near the village of Sentilj, Slovenia, October 24, 2015. © Leonhard Foeger/REUTERS
Action against the flogging of the blogger Raif Badawi. ©Henning Schacht/Amnesty International
Every letter, email and petition signature that authorities receive is a chink in an armour that would otherwise be impenetrable, chipping away at the power of those authorities who commit human rights abuses.
This is yet another example of Europe’s wholesale failure to deal with the current refugee crisis. From Greece, Turkey and across the Balkan states, the plight of refugees and migrants will only worsen unless states grasp the nettle and provide a coordinated response.
17/11/2015 – The European Union’s (EU) determination to seal off its external borders is fuelling a range of human rights abuses while doing nothing to halt the influx of desperate refugees, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.
These images give a deeper sense of the speed and scale of Hungary’s operation to seal its borders, which culminated in a dire situation for refugees and asylum-seekers left in limbo.
The Serbian authorities and the European Union knew this was going to happen and yet failed to respond adequately, meaning hundreds of the most vulnerable people are now stuck between razor wire and the abyss of not knowing what comes next.
24/05/2015 – Amnesty International is writing to urge you to raise key human rights concerns during the European Union (EU) – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting on 24 May. Following President Obama’s meeting with GCC leaders last week, this week’s ministerial meeting offers you a unique opportunity to advocate for an end to repression and human rights violations within each GCC country.
Today we have seen the European Commission take a first step in shifting its Fortress Europe attitude towards the refugee crisis, but it will need to be implemented expansively and with the full backing of all EU member states.
European leaders must ensure that refugees and migrants fleeing conflict and human rights abuses are never pushed back to Libya.
07/05/2015 – ‘Libya is full of cruelty’: Stories of abduction, sexual violence and abuse from migrants and refugees exposes the full horror and plight of refugees and migrants in Libya, many of whom are driven to risk their lives in treacherous sea crossings in a desperate attempt to reach sanctuary in Europe.
23/04/2015 – Last week, we published our report ‘Behind the Rhetoric: Human rights abuses in Bahrain continue unabated’, which highlights how, despite assurances towards the international community, the Bahraini government has intensified its crackdown on dissenting voices in recent months.