• 2012 Nobel Peace Prize

    The Nobel Peace Prize should prompt the European Union and its members to do more to defend rights at home and abroad, stand up for victims, expose abusers, and ensure justice for serious crimes.  To date, the EU and member states have often proved unwilling to tackle human rights abuses at home, including inadequate protection for migrants, discrimination against Roma, deteriorating media freedom, and racist violence. On foreign policy, the EU can and should be a much more forceful defender of human rights around the world. 27 EU foreign ministers committed to do exactly that when they adopted a comprehensive human rights package in June.

  • Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron appears before the Commons Liason Committee at parliament in London December 11, 2012. Cameron on Tuesday defended plans for secret court hearings citing national security.
    © 2012 Reuters
    UK: Scrap Secret Courts Plan
    The British Parliament should reject proposals to expand the use of secret court hearings in civil cases. The House of Commons is scheduled to debate the measure, contained in the Justice and Security Bill, on December 18, 2012.
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Human Rights in the European Union

  • EU: Provide Protection for Syrian Refugees
    Dec 23, 2012
    The European Union and its member states should do more to help the thousands of Syrian asylum seekers trying to reach Europe as the Syrian crisis worsens and winter sets in.
  • UK: Scrap Secret Courts Plan
    Dec 18, 2012
    The British Parliament should reject proposals to expand the use of secret court hearings in civil cases. The House of Commons is scheduled to debate the measure, contained in the Justice and Security Bill, on December 18, 2012.
  • Hungary: Abide by Ruling on Homelessness
    Dec 7, 2012
    The Hungarian government should carry out, without delay, the November 12, 2012 Constitutional Court decision that the law criminalizing homelessness is unconstitutional.
  • Greece: Drop Blasphemy Investigation Over Play
    Nov 19, 2012
    The Athens public prosecutor’s office should drop its criminal blasphemy investigation relating to a play depicting Jesus Christ and his apostles as gay.
  • Russia: Merkel Should Press Putin on Rights
    Nov 13, 2012
    Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany should urge President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to end the crackdown on his country’s civil society when the two leaders meet on November 16, 2012.
  • Greece: Strengthen Proposal for Hate Crime Units
    Nov 13, 2012
    New police units to address racist violence need a strong mandate, proper staff, and clear guidelines, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the Greek minister for public order and citizen protection, Nikos Dendias.
  • Greece: Letter to Greek Minister of Public Order on Specialized Hate Crime Units
    Nov 13, 2012
    We write to provide our support for your initiative to create special police units to address racist violence. We take this opportunity to share our observations on the draft decree and to recommend the crucial steps we believe are necessary to ensure these units are effective in curbing the alarming phenomenon of xenophobic violence in Greece.
  • Belgium: Abused Migrant Women Fear Deportation
    Nov 8, 2012
    The risk of deportation prevents many migrant women who experience domestic violence in Belgium from getting the protection they need, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report was released in advance of Women’s Day in Belgium, November 11, 2012.
  • Turkmenistan: Test of European Parliament’s Resolve
    Oct 31, 2012
    When it votes on a partnership and co-operation agreement with Turkmenistan, the European Parliament should do what member states have not done – consider human rights.
  • EU/US: Press Rights Issues on Balkans Visit
    Oct 29, 2012
    United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should emphasize the importance of improving human rights records in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia and Kosovo during their Western Balkan tour.
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