Statewatch
News online: Archive
for year 2002
December 2002
EU issues updated list of "terrorist organisations
and persons": Report
EU's operational plan for 2003: Report
Exclusive:
EU: All
refugee status to be temporary and terminated as soon as possible:
Report
& analysis
Denmark: Border checks for people "suspected
of intending to carry out disturbances": Report
EU-USA: Proposed exchange of personal data between
Europol and USA evades EU data protection rights and protections:
Special
report
UK: Parliament scrutiny
committee savages EU arrest warrant proposals: Report
European Commission Communication
on "Integrating migration issues in the EU's relations with
third countries": Report
European Committee for the Prevention
of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(CPT) report on Greece: Report
November 2002
EU: “safe and dignified”,
voluntary or “forced” repatriation to “safe”
third countries: Statewatch
report and analysis
Institute of Race Relations
launches "IRR news network": Report
Making up the rules:
Interception versus privacy from buro jansen & janssen: Report
Switzerland: Voters narrowly
reject asylum curbs: Report
Italy: 19 activists arrested
for "subversive association": Report
Four leading NGOs submit
report to the Convention on the future of the EU calling for
effective and transparent
judicial, parliamentary and public scrutiny and human rights
protections to be put in place to safeguard freedoms and liberties:
Press release & report
UK: Extradition Bill, implementing the European
arrest warrant published: Full-text
Future sub-lethal, incapacitating
and paralysing technologies, by Dr Steve Wright, Director of
the Omega Foundation: Report
UNHCR: Swiss referendum on total rejection
of refugees: Report
October 2002
EU issues updated list
of "terrorist organisations and persons": Report
France: PLSI: draft law on internal security - the "age
of suspicion": Report
No charges against Swedish
Young Left donation to PLFP: Report
Update: Mystery document
appears on EU Council register: Report
Campaign and petition
launched to defend Professor Sison: Report
EU seeking readmission (repatriation)
agreements with 11 countries: Report
European Commission publishes
Communication on a "Community return policy on illegal residents,
14.10.2002, COM(2002) 564 final: Full text (pdf) Statewatch analysis
of Green
Paper
EU Ministers declare
applicant countries "safe" to send back asylum-seekers:
Report
Mystery document appears
on EU Council register: Report
"Secrecy and Openness
in the European Union" by
Tony Bunyan - a new case study from freedominfo.org: Press
release
European Ombudsman calls
on Commission to clarify data protection rules: Report
EU condemned for failing
to stand up to US on International Criminal Court: Report
French Ligue des droits
de l´Homme criticises Persichetti extradition: Report
September 2002
EU: UK setting up "Mobile
Detection Unit" for external border controls: "cutting-edge technology"
includes "heart beat detectors" to find migrants: Report
Danish EU Presidency to investigate role
of officials: Report
France to extradite Italian
exiles: Report
"Arbitrary"
EU anti-terrorist laws tested by Swedish Young Left: Report
European Conference of Data Protection
Commissioners opposes proposed EU Framework Decision on data
retention: statement
Informal EU Justice and Home Affairs
Council, 13-14 September 2002 (revised 18.9.02)
EU rubber stamps work in progress - more cooperation with US; fast-track expulsion of migrants from the EU: Statewatch analysis and extensive documentation
Immigration and asylum
in the EU after 11 September 2001: Analysis (Statewatch analysis
no 14 - full
list of analyses)
The “war on freedom
and democracy”: a 5,000 word analysis of the effects on
civil liberties and democratic culture in the EU by Statewatch editor,Tony Bunyan: Analysis
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) publish
assessment:11 September 2001 11 September 2002 - The Internet
on probation: Report (pdf)
Amnesty International report: "Rights
Denied: the UK's response to 11 September 2001: Report
Secret EU-US agreement being negotiated:
Special
Statewatch Report
Secret agreement on criminal matters,
investigative procedures and joint teams being negotiated without
the the European or national parliaments being consulted. Statewatch
refused access to full-text of document because: “the interest
of protecting the Council’s objectives outweighs the interest
in “democratic control”"
Amnesty International
calls for the rejection of US demand for immunity from the ICC:
AI
August 2002
UK activates "voluntary"
scheme to collect personal data on passengers pending further
consultation: Report
EU Presidency issues statement on data
retention: - statement does nothing to refute the existence of
a binding draft Framework Decision: Report
EU surveillance of communications: data
retention to be "compulsory" for 12-24 months - draft
Framework Decision leaked to Statewatch - revised 21.8.02
with press coverage: Special report
Spain: Police raid migrant
occupation: Report
UK court acquits 11 September
"scapegoat": Report
UK: Home Office
publishes Codes on "Covert Surveillance" and "Covert
Human Intelligence Sources": Report
July 2002
UK: Special Immigration
Appeals Commission says anti-terrorist law is unlawful: Report
"Terror,
security and the media" by Martin Bright (Observer):
describes how unofficial MI5 and MI6 press officers brief journalists:
"MI5 then uses the
reports of its own briefings as independent corroboration of
the need for internment":
Report
Expelling migrants from
the EU: Fast-track legislation and sham consultation - new plans being rushed
through pose
a huge risk of violation
of fundamental human rights: Special Statewatch report and
analysis
"Secret Europe": Denied EU document reveals issues of
public interest: Report
- document refused on grounds it concerned the "campaign
against terrorism" contains further far-reaching proposals
on surveillance, particularly of immigrants, including: "preventive
information gathering"
EU Presidency proposal
on security screening of all immigrants: Statewatch analysis
Genoa 19/21 July 2001: One year
on
The first report
of the: "International
Inquiry Committee for the protection of basic human rights in
the face of globalisation into events in Genoa"
Statewatch
Observatory on EU asylum and immigration: the EU summit
(European Council) in Seville adopted far-reaching EU policies
regarding illegal immigration, with potential huge impact on
human rights, asylum-seekers and developing countries (updated)
International Federation
of Journalists Report Confirms Fear for Journalism After September
11: Report
Police to provide the "news"
during Danish EU Presidency: Report
UK: new nuclear police force planned:
Report
UK: Government demands that airlines collect personal
data on every passenger: UK takes the lead in EU on meeting USA
demand that every passenger is security vetted before being allowed
to get on a plane thorugh "pre-boarding intervention"
to exclude "inadmissibles": Report
European Ombudsman:
EU Commission secrecy around Transatlantic Business Dialogue
is "Maladministration": Report
UK: Government wants
to introduce compulsory ID cards: Report
USA: American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) opposes: ID
plan
Spanish Prime Minister
Aznar questioned on Spanish border incident: Report
EU Framework Decision
on combating terrorism comes into force: Report
June 2002
26
July 2000 - the day of the infamous "Solana Decision" - how did Mr Solana reply to a letter he had not
received? Report
UK government publishes "Extradition
Bill": Report
Netherlands: Judge
orders Indymedia to remove internet links: Report
Seville European Council: 21 and 22 June 2002:(revised 24.6.02)
Presidency
Conclusions
(in full, 42 pages, pdf)
Asylum
and immigration
EU amends lists of terrorist organisations: Report
EU NGOs comes out against plans on "illegal"
immigration to be adopted by the EU Summit in Seville: Report
European
Court of Human Rights finds Bulgaria in breach of European human
rights standards in police abuse case: Report
UK government forced to delay new surveillance
powers: government withdraws order to extend powers to 1,039
public authorities; Chief Surveillance Commissioner admits: "I
clearly cannot carry out any meaningful oversight of so many
bodies without assistance": Report
Statewatch
complaints
against the Council on access to documents goes before the European
Parliament: Report
Statewatch new "Observatory on EU asylum and immigration":
the EU summit (European Council)
in Seville is due to adopt far-reaching EU policies regarding
illegal immigration, with potential huge impact on human rights,
asylum-seekers and developing countries: Observatory
Northern Ireland: special Statewatch analysis
on the state of policing, the role of the Special Branch and
of British army intelligence agencies like the Force Research
Unit (FRU, now renamed the Joint Support Group, JSG): Report
EU to adopt "security" guidelines
to combat protests: Report
May 2002
Europol document confirms
that the EU plans a "common EU law enforcement viewpoint
on data retention": Report
EU surveillance of telecommunications:
The vote in the European Parliament to accept data retention
and surveillance by the law enforcement agencies: Report
& Analysis
International
Federation of Journalists: IFJ Warns of Threats to Liberty if
European Union Agrees to “Charter for Official Snooping”:
Press
release
Northern Ireland: Critique of Ombudsman’s
report on Plastic Bullets - Pat Finucane Centre: Report
European Parliament caves
in on data retention: Report
The "unholy
alliance" of the PSE/socialist group and the PPE/conservative
group - who together have a large majority in the parliament
- today, 30 May, joined forces with the Spanish Presidency of
the EU and voted to accept the demands of EU governments and
law enforcement agencies to place telecommunications under surveillance.
The rapporteur (M Cappato), the ELDR (Liberals), Green/EFA group
and the GUE (United Left) voted against.
Responses by civil society groups to Ms. Paciotti (PSE MEP, socialist
group) letter of 28 May 2002: Responses by civil society groups (updated 31.5.02)
EU surveillance of communications:
UK European Scrutiny Committee - a letter from the Minister:
Report
European Parliament to cave in on data
retention?
- the
PSE/socialist group have joined the EPP/conservative group and
accepted the demands of EU governments and law enforcement agencies
to place communications under surveillance: Report
Swedish TextTV 27/5 2002: Great Britain
rules EU list of terrorist groups: Report
UK arrests and detentions
under terrorism laws: Report
Coalition asks European Parliament to
vote against data retention (updated 27.5.02): Report
European Parliament committee
chair tries to reach a "deal" with the Council on the
surveillance of communications: Report
EU wants identification system for users of prepaid
telephone cards: Link
"Fortress Europe
- Stage 2": EU Border Police proposed: Report
Exclusive: EU governments are
secretly drafting a binding Framework Decision to introduce the
universal surveillance of telecommunications (updated 9.5.02): Report
- European Parliament
faces crucial vote on 29 May to reject the governments' demands
on the retention of data and access by the law enforcement agencies
EU adds the PKK to list
of terrorist organisations (updated 4.5.02): Report
EU to adopt arbitrary
powers to freeze assets and seize evidence: Special
Statewatch report
- freezing
of evidence: "will not depend on there being any particular
suspect, indeed the investigation maybe be at an early stage
with no particular offence established" (UK Home Office
Minister)
German railway company
sues Dutch websites over protest instructions: Report
April 2002
The war against
terrorism is boosting the European far-Right - special report
from the Institute of Race Relations: Report
EU surveillance of telecommunications:
Mystery of the missing minutes which surface nearly a year late:
Report
Surveillance of telecommunications in
the EU: narrow vote in European Parliament on data retention:
Report
EU Presidency defies EU Treaties, ECJ
case law and Council Legal Service to put the case for private
security: Report
Irish government not consulted on European
arrest warrant proposal: Report
Switzerland to join Schengen: Report
Nigerian deported
from Ireland in coma: Report
UK: New visa
regime to match that of the USA: Report
- UK "Warnings
Index": "lists people with adverse immigration histories
or who are of other interest to the Government. Every visa applicant
is checked against this database"
USA puts three Swedish
citizens on UN terrorist list: Report
Schengen Information
System (SIS II) takes ominous shape: Report
- SIS set to become
the EU's "Big Brother" database
- EU security and intelligence agencies to have access to all
SIS data
Statewatch bulletin:
Creation of a Northern "axis"? Details
- EU-US to establish
common area on asylum and exclusion of "inadmissibles"
- EU-US to exchange Europol strategic analysis and personal data
- EU-US to have mutual assistance agreement covering criminal
and judicial matters
Underneath the well-reported apparent disagreements between the
United States and the EU (and a number of its governments) over
tactics in the "war against terrorism" (for example,
extending the "war" to Iraq) a much deeper change is
taking shape
March 2002
Statewatch: Comments
on the Commission's White Paper on Governance: Report
UK: Police threaten
Mayday web hosts: Report
Europol to be given
access to the S.I.S., then custody? Europol to be allowed to
amend and add to records on the Schengen Information System:
Report
26 July 2000 - the day of the infamous
"Solana Decision" - the Solana/Robertson exchange of
letters: Report
Five Belgian police officers
sent to trial over death of asylum seeker Semira Adamu: Report
UK: 1995 and 1996
Conventions on Extradition come into effect: Report
Speech by Mary Robinson,
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on counter-terrorism and
human rights: Speech
EU decisions on terrorism and European
arrest warrant: strong parliamentary objections in Sweden: Report
Spain: State agencies put protestors
under extensive internet surveillance: Report
European Ombudsman
publishes code on administrative behaviour: Report
Council of the European
Union disagrees on giving access to the public of positions taken
by EU governments: Report
Commission dodges democratic control
of Europol: Report
EU negotiating secret
agreement with US on judicial cooperation in criminal matters:
Report
Germany: NATO security conference protests
quashed by police: Report
UK opts out of agreement
to early implementation of European arrest warrant: Report
February 2002
Indymedia centres raided
across Italy - updated 28.2.02: Report
Statewatch critique of
Commission report on asylum and "safeguarding internal security"
post 11 September, which:
- displays a flagrant disregard for basic
human rights obligations
- suggests solutions that are not coherent
- and would apply to situations wholly unrelated to terrorism:
Report
Text of European arrest warrant: Report
EU terrorist situation report: Anarchists
to be targeted as "terrorists" alongside Al Qaeda:
Report
EU Presidency present
draft Council Decision to target protestors as "terrorists":
Report
Denmark: Hard times
for asylum seekers and refugees: Report
UK: Two "terrorist"
suspects, held for months in prison, freed by the court for lack
of evidence: Report
Six EU governments agree
early implementation of European arrest warrant: Report
Doubts on EU Presidency
proposal to target protestors as "terrorists": Report (please see later story
20.2.02: Report
Secret US-EU meeting
on asylum: the construction of a common EU-US area of migration,
asylum and borders? Report
Moroccan G8 protestor
expelled from Italy - and after protests allowed back: Report
European Parliament
supports EU definition of terrorism and European arrest warrant:
Report
Belgium, found guilty
of mass expulsion of Roma: European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)
welcomes Landmark Decision by Strasbourg Court: Report
Amsterdam police raid
linked to ETA - and "Eurojust": Report (updated, 7.2.02)
New report from Statewatch:
"The activities and development of Europol - towards an
unaccountable "FBI" in Europe: Europol
January 2002
"Common criteria
to be applied to arms exports": document finally released
to Heidi Hautala MEP after five year court battle: Report
Telephone-tapping and mail-opening warrants
for 2000 in Britain, plus full figures for 1937-2000 (compiled by Statewatch) (updated
6.2.02): Report
EU data protection working party calls
for a balanced response to terrorism: Report
Italy: Moroccan G8 protestor
expelled: Report
US government
vetoes Statewatch access to EU-US agendas
- Council of European
Union says it has no choice but to back US veto
- Refusal of access follows two successful complaints to the
European Ombudsman
- Decision would exclude from access any document on international
policy vetoed by third parties
New EU
Regulation on access to documents
- the first major
problem is going to be what will, and what not, be on the public
registers of documents
- the second will be the exclusion of "internal documents"
- the third will be the right of "third parties" (like
the US) to veto access to EU documents
EU announces first
list of terrorists
* All refugees to be vetted for any connection
with "terrorism"
* Four measures by-pass any democratic accountability
* Application of measures not legally accountable
* Measures adopted by "written procedure"
back to Statewatch News
online: 2003
Statewatch News archive:
2000 2001
Statewatch News online | Join Statewatch news e-mail list | If you use this site regularly, you are encouraged to make a donation to Statewatch to support future research | Subscribe to Statewatch online just £10 a year
© Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X.Material may be used providing the source is acknowledged. Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement.