Human rights

Cubans along the Balkan route: an interview

21/06/2022 -  Nicola Zordan

A little more than two months after an article on the journey of Cuban exiles to the EU, we return to the subject with the voices of those directly involved gathered in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. With a specific focus: the LGBT community

Turkey, even music must be silenced

10/06/2022 -  Kenan Behzat Sharpe Istanbul

In recent weeks, Turkey has seen numerous cancellations of concerts and music festivals by authorities linked to President Erdogan's AKP: political repression against opposition and minorities now also affects music

Femicides in Turkey: a film honours Bergen, the "Woman of Sorrow"

12/05/2022 -  Kenan Behzat Sharpe Istanbul

As violence against women continues to rise in Turkey and the government targets activist organisations seeking to prevent femicide, a blockbuster film about a slain 1980s singer is forcing the country to grapple with its past and present abuse of women’s rights

Is the EU's asylum system ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees?

07/04/2022 -  Eva BelmonteÁngela BernardoMiguel Ángel GavilanesCarmen TorrecillasDavid Cabo Madrid

Ukrainian refugees now enter the EU under the aegis of the ultra-fast special protection system, but regular reception centres across the Union are piling up hundreds of thousands of applications and rejecting many. EU members states' asylum systems average more than 15 months of delay

Surveillance and abuse: a European Parliament inquiry commission to shed light on the Pegasus scandal

28/04/2022 -  Rossella Vignola

The European Parliament approved by a large majority the establishment of a commission of inquiry to shed light on the abuse of Pegasus and other digital surveillance tools against journalists, critical voices, and opposition figures in the countries of the European Union

A conversation on surveillance in journalism

22/03/2022 -  Dimitri BettoniFederico Caruso

From the Pegasus spyware investigation to mass surveillance: a dialogue with researcher Philip Di Salvo to understand the impact of new technologies for all those involved in journalism and beyond

Putin, the Russians and the Ukrainian war

11/03/2022 -  Jeremy Morris

It’s high time we recognized that the Russian people are more than their authoritarian president

Greece: going to jail for saving lives?

11/02/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Twenty-four volunteers involved in rescuing migrants and refugees at sea are on trial in Greece. A controversial case, which targets that part of Greek and European civil society committed to saving lives in the Mediterranean

Albania, civil society on the move

08/02/2022 -  Davide Sighele

In the last thirty years in Albania, only the main parties have managed to bring people to the streets to protest, with some notable exceptions. An interview with researcher Klodiana Beshku

Sezen Aksu, freedom of expression denied in Turkey

04/02/2022 -  Kenan Sharpe Istanbul

A recent intimidation campaign against Sezen Aksu, the queen of Turkish music, has highlighted how artists as well as politicians, journalists, and activists are subjected to censorship and pressure from power in the country

Covid-19 and prisons: painful closures and encouraging innovations

04/02/2022 -  Lorenzo Ferrari

An interview with Alessio Scandurra, director of the European Prison Observatory, to understand the impact of the pandemic on European prisons, in terms of both healthcare and opportunities for inmates.

Azerbaijan: according to the Council of Europe, the new media law violates human rights

25/01/2022

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović writes to the President of Azerbaijan, inviting him to act in order to bring the law in line with international and European standards on freedom of expression and media freedom

Early childhood in Kosovo: learning from food

18/01/2022 -  Davide Sighele

Food is culture, memory but also chemistry, anthropology, mathematics. And kitchens can – and should – be the focus of the educational project of preschools. We interviewed Paola Cavazzoni, managing director of Pause Atelier dei Sapori, after her experience in Kosovo

North Macedonia and migrants, a story of solidarity

03/01/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In recent years, thousands of refugees and migrants have crossed North Macedonia towards the heart of the EU. Many received help from Lence Zdravkin, who transformed her home in Veles into an oasis of solidarity and comfort

Syria, Armenia, Ukraine: wars and refugees

31/12/2021 -  Armine Avetysian

After 10 years of violence, bombings, terrorist attacks, the fire in Syria has ceased, but human suffering is not over yet. There are still millions of people living as refugees. Some of these people, who have lost everything, dream of returning to Syria, some are settling elsewhere

Assisted reproduction in 43 European countries: not for all

23/12/2021 -  Eva BelmonteMaría Álvarez Del VayoÁngela BernardoCarmen TorrecillasAntonio Hernández Madrid

Access to assisted reproduction is very difficult for trans, intersex people, and single women in Europe. In addition to the legal barriers, they face economic stumbling blocks: most public health systems cover only part of the costs, they have very long wait lists or narrow access criteria

The impact of the pandemic on prisons in Europe

22/12/2021 -  Kira Schacht Berlin

Prisons make fertile breeding grounds for viruses, yet administrations have revealed little about Covid-19 cases, deaths and vaccinations in Europe’s prisons. Data from 32 countries show the pandemic’s impact on prisons

From India to Armenia: violations of the labour law

21/12/2021 -  Armine Avetysian

There are not a few foreign workers who arrive in Armenia in search of a better situation and to help their families. However, this is not always what they find

Dying on the border

16/12/2021 -  Stefano Lusa Koper

Yet another victim on the border between Croatia and Slovenia. This time, a girl lost her life trying to reach Slovenia by crossing the Dragonja River together with her mother and siblings. In the last 4 years, 23 migrants have died in Slovenia

Slovenia, the European Parliament and the rule of law

16/12/2021 -  Juan Torregrosa Rodriguez

On 17 November, the results of a monitoring mission on the rule of law carried out in Slovenia in October by some members of the European Parliament were presented

ASGI delegation rejected outside the European Union

03/12/2021

A group of members of the Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration (ASGI) was taken into custody by a mixed patrol of Greek policemen, border police and Frontex agents during a technical-legal visit at the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni, in Greece, was brought back to the border crossing point and forced to return on foot to Macedonian territory

Bulgaria, lagging behind in disabled people’s rights

02/12/2021 -  Juan Torregrosa Rodriguez

Despite European funding and new measures undertaken by the Sofia authorities, Bulgaria lags behind in safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities who continue to experience high levels of poverty and social marginalization

SLAPP: open dialogue with the Commission

15/12/2021 -  Paola Rosà

A public consultation on gag complaints is open until 10 January. In a meeting on the subject with organisations from all over Europe, which we attended on Thursday 25 November, Vice President of the European Commission Vera Jourova renewed her call for numerous contributions from all countries of the EU

Unicef Montenegro, the pandemic is a child-rights crisis

26/11/2021 -  Giovanni Vale

Difficulties in accessing online education, increasing inequalities between rich and poor families, fewer outdoor activities and increased risk of domestic violence. Children's lives in the pandemic era become more difficult. In Montenegro the situation is serious. We spoke with Juan Santander, UNICEF director in Montenegro

Serbia: economic development at the expense of workers

30/11/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

The case of the Chinese company Linglong in Zrenjanin exposes the terrible exploitation of workers and the inhumane conditions in which they live. The government tries to downplay the scandal, but this is not the first time that foreign investment has been accompanied by the exploitation of workers

Breaking (Into) Fortress Europe: Are Bottom-Up Migration Policies Still Possible?

19/11/2021 -  Federico Alagna

The EU approach to migration is based on strongly government-centred, restrictive policies, impervious to the external motions of grassroots actors. Yet, there might still be room for a systemic change from below

Turkey: Global appeal marks 2000 days in prison for Nedim Türfent

03/11/2021 -  Paola Rosà

We co-signed a call to release Nedim Türfent, behind bars for terrorism after a clearly unfair trial

Integration of migrants in European rural areas also means development

02/11/2021 -  Gianluca De Feo

The MATILDE research project recently published its first report, in which it aims to offer an alternative view of migration in Europe’s rural and mountain areas.

Remembering Georgi Vanyan

28/10/2021 -  Onnik James Krikorian Tblisi

Peacebuilder and true activist, anti-nationalist Georgi Vanyan died at the age of 58 on October 15th. He is especially remembered for the enormous effort to bring Azerbaijani and Armenians to dialogue

Dunja Mijatović: : European states must stand up against pushbacks and the attempt to legalise them

21/10/2021

Ahead of the EU Council meeting that will discuss migration related topics, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has released a statement warning against the legalisation of pushbacks, a practice which violates well-established human rights norms and case-law