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According to press reports, the Danish government is claiming that Damascus is 'safe' and is now undertaking a review of the residence permits of some 900 Syrian refugees from the city.
The German Council Presidency has asked member states whether they are using passenger data collected by airline companies to track people infected with COVID-19, with an eye to expanding the scope of EU legislation on the issue. Currently EU rules are limited to using passenger data for "preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting terrorist offences and serious crime."
Martha Spurrier, Director of Liberty, calls for the repeal of the UK's draconian Coronavirus Act, 100 days after it passed into law.
Press release from Oxfam and the Greek Council for Refugees.
A study on the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) commissioned by the European Parliament's civil liberties commitee (LIBE) concludes that it "has simplified and sped up handover procedures, including for some high-profile cases of serious crime and terrorism," but that there are ongoing challenges "concerning judicial independence, the nature of mutual recognition and its relationship with international and EU law and values, constitutional principles and additional harmonisation measures."
KISA, a human rights organisation based in Cyprus, was recently convicted by the Supreme Court of “defamation” and “harmful forgery” over a 2010 document calling on the government to rescind the appointment of Christos Clerides and Xenis Xenofontos to the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
Wired reports on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the justice system, where the vast majority of hearings in magistrates' courts are now being conducted by videolink.
The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that restrictions imposed by Hungary on civil society organisations - which require registration, declaration and publication for certain categories of groups receiving funds from abroad - are "discriminatory and unjustified", on the grounds that they restrict the free movement of capital and unjustifably impunge upon the fundamental rights to privacy, data protection and freedom of association.
The Swiss Committee for the Defence of the Rights of Migrants has called on the UN Committee Against Torture to launch an inquiry into Italy's role in 'pull-backs' to Libya. A formal inquiry by the Committee would be able to establish the legal facts surrounding Italy's practices.
A new report from Amnesty International looks at how police forces across Europe have enforced lockdown restrictions - and finds that ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups have been disproportionately targeted.
London, 29 June 2020 - The civil liberties organisation Statewatch has today delivered an open letter [1] with hundreds of signatories to Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of International Maritime Organization (IMO), calling on him to revoke the Libyan maritime search and rescue (SAR) zone [2] in order to prevent the so-called Libyan Coast Guard undertaking 'pull-backs' of migrants to Libya, where they face violence, abuse and mistreatment.
The Council of Europe issues a strong statement on World Refugee Day calling for an end to "blatant violations of refugees' rights."
Updated statistics from the Institute of Race Relations lay bare the degree of impunity for the deaths in custody of black, ethnic minority, migrant and refugee persons.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, protests across the Netherlands call for the government to take in 500 unaccompanied child refugees stuck in appalling conditions on Greek islands.
African states have requested an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council.
A new report from Alarm Phone, Borderline Europe, Mediterranea and Sea-Watch.
An open letter coordinated by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).
A new report, Race and Racism in English Secondary Schools, argues that increasing the number of police in schools has particularly negative affects on black and other ethnic minority pupils.
Since May 2018, EU institutions have been discussing changes to the Visa Information System (VIS), a large-scale database that holds data on tens of millions of applicants for short-stay Schengen visas. The proposed changes would introduce a number of new features, including a direct role for Europol in decision-making, if the Commission and Council get their way. This would be a significant extension of the agency's powers. There are further concerns about the agency becoming a "black box" for data from third countries that might be used against travellers to the EU.
The approval of the new Frontex Regulation in November 2019 implied an increase of competences, budget and capabilities for the EU's border agency, which is now equipping itself with increased means to monitor events and developments at the borders and beyond, as well as renewing its IT systems to improve the management of the reams of data to which it will have access.
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