The European Court of Human Rights has overturned the criminal conviction by French courts of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigners. The pro-Palestinian activists were convicted "for incitement to economic discrimination, on account of their participation in actions aimed at boycotting products imported from Israel."
Tineke Strik, the Green MEP responsible for overseeing the passage through the European Parliament of the 'recast Return Directive', which governs certain common procedures regarding the detention and expulsion of non-EU nationals, has prepared a report on the implementation of the original 2008 Return Directive. It criticises the Commission's emphasis, since 2017, on punitive enforcement measures, at the expense of alternatives that have not been fully explored or implemented by the Commission or the member states, despite the 2008 legislation providing for them.
Dozens of civil society organisations have called on the EU institutions to reverse proposed cuts to the EU's Rights and Values Programme.
"The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply concerned about persistent reports of pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, in some cases violent, at the European Union (EU) border between Greece and Turkey. International media reports and footage showing the use of marine rescue equipment to expel migrants across the Eastern Aegean Sea are especially disturbing."
"Thousands of people have taken to Europe’s streets not only to protest the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the US but to denounce police brutality and structural racism, which is an issue on this side of the Atlantic as well."
"A European privacy body said it "has doubts" that using facial recognition technology developed by U.S. company Clearview AI is legal in the EU."
"The European Union accused the United Kingdom Wednesday of seeking to maintain a relationship with the bloc similar to that of an EU member after Brexit. The EU said they found this idea unacceptable."
An internal note by the EU's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, published here in full.
Over 100 organisations have signed a call for the EU to take action to end SLAPPs - Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - which are being used against civic activists and journalists across the continent.
The full-text of the new 'Memorandum of Understanding' between Malta and Libya, along with reports from the Times of Malta.
ECRE give an overview of the ongoing violent situation at the Croatian borders.
Janet Alder explains the similarities between the case of George Floyd and that of her brother, Christopher Alder, who died in police custody in Hull in 1998.
Journalist Daniel Trilling explores the EU's interoperability initiative and the construction of the enormous 'Common Identity Repository' database.
Four ongoing members of National Action - a neo-Nazi group that was proscribed by the UK government in 2016 - have been sent to prison for their membership of the group.
Reprieve highlight yet more cases of torture potentially involving the UK authorities.
Drone Wars UK has published a new report examining UK-USA cooperation in the field of drone warfare.
The uncertainty that the Covid-19 outbreak has brought to every sphere of life has had a major impact on already vulnerable groups, such as undocumented migrants. People who, for whatever reason, lack official authorisation to stay, live and work in a particular state usually live with constant fear of being detained or receiving an expulsion order after a spontaneous stop by the police. Among the different measures approved by European countries under states of emergency, some have addressed the situation of migrant populations. This article looks at the cases of Portugal, Italy and Spain, which have been praised by the general public for appearing to offer regularisation, or an end to detention. However, the positive tone - probably exacerbated by the need for good news - has set aside details that suggest a less optimistic outcome.
A letter sent by the Greek ambassador in Finland to a group of academics studying the "hotspots" appears to herald governmental persecution of civil society actors beyond what is already the case and intimidation of researchers, by suggesting they should primarily rely on information from Greek authorities and be careful about voicing criticism.
The UK's proposed "test and trace" system may be inaccessible to those who do not pass credit checks or who do not want them carried out.
"A black man has died in British police custody after “becoming unresponsive” in a cell."
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.
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. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.