Press Releases

The first EU-Morocco summit: Don’t forget human rights in Western Sahara

(05/03/2010) In a letter to the Spanish EU presidency, Amnesty International is urging for the inclusion of a specific human rights item on the agenda for the first EU-Morocco summit in Grenada on 7 March.  Amnesty International wants that EU leaders at the summit to address the growing intolerance of Sahrawi human rights defenders and others in Morocco who are favouring the self-determination of Western Sahara. (versión española disponible) read more

Ashton must visit Gaza - Call ahead of informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

(04/03/2010) The EU’s foreign ministers and its High Representative for foreign affairs must insist on their right to visit the Gaza Strip, say 17 European human rights and development organisations on the eve of the informal ‘Gymnich’ meeting of EU foreign ministers in Córdoba on 5 and 6 March. The groups are calling on foreign ministers to take a united stance not to bow to Israel’s recent practice of refusing entry to Gaza by foreign high-level representatives and to make going to Gaza part of every visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. They are, in particular, calling on HR Ashton to visit Gaza on her first trip to the Middle East in mid-March, to see for herself the devastating impact of the two and half year old blockade of the Strip on its civilian population. (version española disponible) read more

Face the truth about EU member states’ involvement in rendition and secret detention programme

(25/02/2010) Amnesty International calls on the EU to make human rights protection the cornerstone of the proposed Internal Security Strategy (ISS), to be discussed at the JHA Council on 25-26 February. In a letter to the Spanish EU presidency, Amnesty International underlines the need to seek accountability for EU member states alleged complicity in the CIA-led rendition and secret detention programme. (versión española disponible) read more