The Dutch government should suspend its discriminatory “integration test abroad” – an exam on Dutch language and society – that is required for family migrants from some non-Western countries following a July 15 court ruling that the test is unlawful, Human Rights Watch said today.

We are writing in reaction to two letters, sent in your name and the name of the State Secretary of Justice to the Chairperson of the Lower Chamber on June 17, 2008. The letters were prompted by questions to the government from members of parliament Boris van der Ham (D66) and Sadet Karabulut (SP) regarding our recent briefing paper on the Netherlands—“Discrimination in the Name of Integration,” requesting an official response to the paper.

The Netherlands should abolish the overseas “integration test” that discriminatorily targets only migrants of certain nationalities trying to join their families, while citizens from other, “western” countries are exempt, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. People of Moroccan and Turkish origin – two of the three largest “non-western” migrant communities in the Netherlands – have been especially affected.

The first session of the new country review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council was undermined by inconsistencies and the timidity of some governments in reviewing others, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 18, 2008 the council concluded a two-week session in which it examined the records of 16 countries as part of the new Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

The UN Human Rights Council will begin a new review process on April 7, 2008. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is the most innovative and ambitious instrument of the council and was set up to assess the human rights performance of all 192 UN member states over a four-year cycle.

We are writing in advance of the upcoming Article 36 Committee
meeting in Brussels, at which you will discuss the EU Network of contact points in respect of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (EU Network).

We are writing this public letter to commend your government’s principled stand in refusing to sign the Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia in the absence of its full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). We also appreciate your government’s clear definition of full cooperation with the Yugoslav tribunal: Serbia must hand over the remaining fugitives to the ICTY before the European Union (EU) will sign the SAA.

The Geuzen Medal, established by the Geuzen Resistance 1940–1945 Foundation (Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940-45) in honor of the Geuzen Dutch resistance to the Nazis, was presented to Human Rights Watch today at a ceremony in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. In accepting the award, given for its work in exposing rights violations and pushing for action to end abuses, Human Rights Watch urged the Dutch government to take a lead in protecting human rights worldwide.