Launched in 1999 and updated regularly, Statewatch News includes our own reporting and writing as well as articles, announcements, documents and analyses from elsewhere on civil liberties, EU policies and state practices. You can receive updates in your inbox by signing up to our mailing list, or use our RSS feed to get instant alerts.
"(Brussels) – European Union policies contribute to a cycle of extreme abuse against migrants in Libya, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The EU and Italy’s support for the Libyan Coast Guard contributes significantly to the interception of migrants and asylum seekers and their subsequent detention in arbitrary, abusive detention in Libya."
"In 2018, more refugees were transferred from Germany to other EU member states than ever before, according to an Interior Ministry report obtained by German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. The report was a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party."
"About 170 people are feared to have died in two separate Mediterranean shipwrecks, the UNHCR says."
"EP wants to triple the budget for the Rights and Values Programme - Fast-track procedure to support democratic dialogue where EU values are at risk"
The Irish government has obtained an opt-out from what would have been a requirement for the fingerprinting of all holders of the country's passport card, which can be used as a more convenient alternative to the standard passport book.
"Germany's domestic intelligence will step up monitoring for political extremism of the far-right AfD [Alternative für Deutschland, Alternative for Germany] party, sources said Tuesday, a blow to the party in a busy election year."
"The Souq al Khamis detention centre in Khoms, Libya, is so close to the sea that migrants and refugees can hear waves crashing on the shore. Its detainees – hundreds of men, women and children – were among 15,000 people caught trying to cross the Mediterranean in flimsy boats in 2018, after attempting to reach Italy and the safety of Europe."
"A woman subjected to a "degrading" strip search by police in London is challenging a decision not to punish the officer who authorised it."
"The number of rapes, murders and other serious crimes committed by offenders on parole has risen by more than 50% since reforms to probation were introduced four years ago, according to official data that has triggered calls for the government to rethink its plans for another shake-up of the service."
"In today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Mãtãsaru v. the Republic of Moldova (application no. 69714/16) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been: a violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights."
"The State is to ask the Supreme Court to hear its appeal against a High Court ruling that sections of the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 are inconsistent with EU law."
According to analyses published earlier this month by the website Verfassungsblog, the Bulgarian and Hungarian governments are undermining the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary whilst obtaining nominal approval for their actions from institutions such as the European Commission, the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe's Venice Commission (formally known as the European Commission for Democracy through Law).
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