Annual Report 2011
The state of the world's human rights

Regional News

from Europe and central asia

21 December 2011
Vaclav Havel’s human rights legacy an inspiration

Havel led the human rights movement Charter 77, was repeatedly jailed, and adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.

20 December 2011
Ukrainian President must honour commitment to police reform ahead of Euro 2012

Amnesty International is calling on Ukraine to immediately establish an independent agency to investigate police abuses ahead of Euro 2012

16 December 2011
EU must press Ukraine at summit to stop police abuses

The EU should use an upcoming summit in Kyiv to pressure Ukraine to stop its epidemic of police criminality.

16 December 2011
Russia must act to protect journalists in Dagestan

Russian authorities must promptly investigate the murder of courageous Dagestan journalist Khadzhimurad Kamalov.

13 December 2011
Spain: Discrimination condoned by the authorities

Report exposes extent of identity checks by Spanish police based on ethnic and racial characteristics and the consequences for ethnic minorities.

09 December 2011
Romania must come clean over secret prisons

The Romanian authorities must re-open an investigation into CIA secret detention centres on its territory after new evidence of secret prisons was revealed by a German newspaper.

09 December 2011
Over 250,000 people call on Belarus to end executions

Amnesty International were turned away from delivering a global petition to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, calling for an end to executions in Belarus.

07 December 2011
Russian authorities must stop mistreatment of peaceful protesters

Since demonstrations started, there have been numerous reports of beatings of peaceful protesters by the police and denial of medical treatment.

05 December 2011
Hundreds held in Russian election protests

More than 300 peaceful protesters detained amid allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections.

30 November 2011
Belarus: Two sentenced to death over Minsk metro bombing

There are concerns the two men were ill-treated and forced to confess before facing a deeply flawed trial and death sentences.

29 November 2011
Italy needs to make things right for the Roma

An illegal "Nomad Emergency" law in Italy has allowed authorities to unleash a wave of forced evictions, making hundreds of Roma families homeless in Milan.

29 November 2011
Azerbaijan fails again to ensure justice for Jabbar Savalan

Azerbaijan's Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of activist Jabbar Savalan on politically motivated charges.

25 November 2011
Serbia must stop evicting Roma

Serbian authorities must stop a long-term policy of forced evictions of Roma families and introduce legislation to ban the practice.

24 November 2011
Belarus activist conviction “politically motivated”

Ales Bialiatski, head of the rights NGO Viasna, was sentenced to four and a half years for financial crimes after assisting detained activists

18 November 2011
Russia: St. Petersburg urged to halt draconian anti-gay bill

A homophobic law proposed in Russia's second city would threaten freedom of expression and fuel discrimination.

18 November 2011
Italy: Decrees that discriminated against Roma are ruled unlawful

The Italian Council of State has ruled to end the "Nomad Emergency", which has exposed Roma communities to serious human rights violations.

17 November 2011
Belarus: Jailed presidential candidate denied access to lawyer

Belarusian authorities have repeatedly transferred prisoner of conscience Andrei Sannikau, apparently to intimidate him.

16 November 2011
International community must act on Azerbaijan crackdown

In recent months Azerbaijani authorities have stepped up intimidation and arrests of protesters and representatives of NGOs and independent media.

08 November 2011
Denmark: Review of US rendition flights over Greenland “toothless”

Denmark's independent review of CIA rendition flights will not be allowed to compel witness testimony or request any new information.

03 November 2011
Belarus activist facing jail over “politically motivated” tax charges

A Belarus human rights activist faces up to seven years in jail on 'politically motivated' charges of tax evasion.

Human rights news by region

World Regions Asia PacificMidde East and North AfricaAmericasEurope and Central AsiaAfrica
Burundi: Freedom of...
A draft law that includes new press-related crimes and exorbitant...
Africa »
Haiti: Forced evictions...
Forced evictions in Haiti are worsening the already desperate...
Americas »
'There are no human rights...
In Sri Lanka, a climate of intolerance and fear continues to sweep...
Asia And The Pacific »
Turkey: Legal reforms fall...
A Turkish reform bill passed into law today fails to meet the...
Europe And Central Asia »
Saudi Arabia moves to...
Four founding members of a nascent human rights group in Saudi Arabia...
Middle East And North Africa »