• Human Rights in the European Union

    In the face of a political and economic crisis affecting the European Union and many of its member states, protection of human rights is rarely a priority – especially when those negatively affected were marginalized or unpopular groups, such as Roma, migrants, and asylum seekers. Despite deteriorating rights in Hungary and elsewhere, EU institutions largely failed to live up to the promise of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, with the European Council particularly reluctant to hold member states to account for abuse.

     

  • European Union flags fly in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels
    © Reuters 2012
    EU: Provide Protection for Syrian Refugees
    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.
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  • 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. Twenty-seven EU foreign ministers committed to do exactly that when they adopted a comprehensive human rights package in June.

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Human Rights in the European Union

  • Spain’s Attacks on Fighting Back
    May 17, 2013
    The Spanish government's violent campaign against the grassroots Platform for Mortgage Victims is a dangerous turn against freedom of speech and association. These attacks must stop.
  • Hungary: Rule of Law Under Threat
    May 16, 2013
    The systemic changes to Hungary’s legal framework introduced by the government since 2010 weaken legal checks on its authority, interfere with media freedom, and undermine human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
  • Xenophobia in Greece
    May 13, 2013
    Last year was very tough for Greece, and there for few prospects that 2013 will be easier. Millions of people have been directly affected by the sweeping austerity measures arising from the economic crisis. The country is convulsed by political tensions, with the rise of the far-right Golden Dawn party the most worrying example. And there are severe social problems, linked in part to the huge influx in recent years of irregular migrants from outside the European Union.
  • Time for the UK to Show It Takes Torture Seriously
    May 6, 2013
    The United Nations Committee Against Torture will look at the United Kingdom’s record on May 7 for the first time since 2004.
  • If all options are open, why not prosecute Abu Qatada in the UK?
    Apr 25, 2013
    Listening to Theresa May’s statement to Parliament today, it seems the British government is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to deport Abu Qatada to Jordan to face terrorism charges.
  • China: EU Commitments Demand Tough Response
    Apr 24, 2013
    European Union (EU) High Representative Catherine Ashton should publicly raise concerns over ongoing and persistent human rights violations in China when she visits Beijing later this week, Human Rights Watch said today. Ashton’s visit to China will take place on April 25 and 26, and is the Head of the EU’s External Action Service’s first official visit since the new Chinese leadership assumed power.
  • Submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture on the United Kingdom
    Apr 19, 2013
  • With new leadership, Italy has a real chance for asylum reform
    Apr 1, 2013
    Italy has changed in the last three decades from a country of emigration to one of immigration and asylum. Its reaction has been chaotic and confused, and sometimes downright cruel. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in Italy’s response to boat migration.
  • New UK Media Curbs May Please Beijing
    Mar 25, 2013
    British journalism often looks impressive from afar, with trusted media organizations like the BBC and Economist springing to mind. Closer up, its image is far more tarnished, particularly for newspapers, with a murky stew of phone-hacking, bribery and insider influence.
  • EU Failing to Tackle Hungary’s Constitutional Missteps
    Mar 15, 2013
    “The Constitution is not a game!” crowds chanted during a March 9 demonstration in Budapest against constitutional changes adopted on March 11. Hopefully those chants were heard in Brussels. It’s high time the EU took resolute action to hold the Hungarian government accountable for their ongoing assault on human rights and the rule of law.
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