Human Rights, Justice and Equality are under attack across Europe. This month it has been the Polish government suspending the right to asylum, Hungary further cracking down on LGBT communities by banning Pride, and  brutal repression against people claiming the right to protest in Turkiye. The Mayor of Istanbul has been imprisoned. On 8^th of April we celebrated International Roma Day, but just shortly after Amnesty and the European Roma Rights Centre released a new report on how discrimination in education persists in Slovakia, despite years of campaigning.

Hungary

Urgent Action Let Pride march in Hungary

Budapest Pride is under threat. A new law banning assemblies that support LGBTI rights is a direct attack on LGBTI people, their allies, and the right to protest. Pride is a peaceful demonstration of equality and justice. The Hungarian authorities must ensure LGBTI people can march freely and demand their rights peacefully, free from intimidation, harassment or violence. 

Since 2010, Hungary has witnessed a marked deterioration in the rights and freedoms of its LGBTI community, largely driven by a series of laws and governmental actions aimed at limiting LGBTI visibility and expression. One of the most significant legislative moves was the introduction of the ‘Propaganda Law’ (Act LXXIX of 2021), which severely restricts the depiction of LGBTI identities in public life, including in educational materials, media, and advertisements.

The law was passed under the pretext of protecting children from content considered harmful to their “moral development.” However, its broad and vague language has resulted in far-reaching consequences, effectively banning content related to homosexuality, gender identity, and sexual reassignment. This has led to the widespread censorship of books, films, and other public resources featuring LGBTI themes, effectively removing LGBTI-inclusive materials from schools, bookstores, and public platforms.

These actions have severely limited access to information for both LGBTI individuals and the general public. The legal and societal crackdown initiated by this law has had devastating effects on the LGBTI community in Hungary, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and repression. Restrictions on public gatherings, the censorship of media and educational materials, and the stigmatization of LGBTI individuals have led to increasing isolation, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people.

Please sign and share the petition !

https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/let-pride-march-in-hungary/. 

Slovakia

Romani Children Face Entrenched Discrimination As School Segregation Persists

Bratislava, Brussels 16 April 2025: Ten years after the EU launched an infringement procedure against Slovakia for breaching the EU Race Equality Directive, Romani children still face entrenched discrimination in education. In a new report released today, Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), condemn the “widespread and growing racial division in education”, and call on the Slovak government to take urgent and systemic action to end segregation in its schools.

The briefing report, Separate & Unequal: School Segregation Persists for Roma in Slovakia, takes stock of legislative and policy responses following the European Commission’s referral of Slovakia to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in April 2023 but finds these measures insufficient to address systemic practices of segregation. Legislative reforms, including amendments to the School Act, lack the enforceability and clarity needed to address entrenched disparities. [Read more…]

Human Rights are under threat even more than before but sometimes there are some good news: Our Europe country coordinator team has been enriched by our newest member : little Petar, born just before Christmas to our wonderful Western Europe coordinator Jovana.

There is also some good news from Turkiye : three of the GEZI defendants have been acquitted. And in Greece court proceedings into the action of the Greek coastguard regarding the deaths of over 600 people are slowly progressing. Campaigning works, but Greek civil society who are pushing for justice for the victims of the Pylos shipwreck need our solidarity. I will be back with proposed actions soon. A new report into surveillance and suppression of civil society in Serbia makes disturbing reading, and I am in conversation with the International Secretariat on campaigning guidelines.

And most importantly, please take Urgent Action  for Nimet Tanrikulu who has been imprisoned on baseless accusations.

Turkiye

by  Chris Ramsey

Urgent Action      Nimet Tanrıkulu

There is a revised Urgent Action, calling for the release of human rights defender Nimet Tanrıkulu.

The update is because Nimet’s prosecution was transferred from Ankara to Istanbul although she is still being held in Ankara’s Sincan prison. The first hearing in her trial will take place on 4 March 2025 at the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 24.

On 26 November, prominent human rights defender Nimet Tanrıkulu was detained from her home by the police in Istanbul. After a short period of detention at a police station, she was transferred to the anti-terrorism branch of the Ankara Security Directorate. Following four days in police custody, Nimet Tanrıkulu was remanded in pre-trial detention on 30 November, accused of “membership to a terrorist organization”.

She is still held at Ankara’s Sincan women’s prison. Amnesty International believes that her detention on what appear to be baseless accusations is arbitrary, and she should be released immediately.

Gezi Prisoners of Conscience

at last some good news!

The  acquittal of three Gezi defendants on 11 February brings one part of a chronicle of injustice to an end 

Three defendants in the Gezi Park trial have been acquitted after a retrial following the Court of Cassation’s decision to overturn their previous 18-year prison sentences. Mücella Yapıcı, Ali Hakan Altınay, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi (who was not part of the original Gezi 7) were acquitted today by the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court due to lack of evidence.

The defendants were not present in court, but their attorneys attended the hearing. Necla Saadet Durdu, representing the General Directorate of Security, was also present.

In his final opinion, the prosecutor stated that there was no clear, concrete, or material evidence proving the defendants committed the alleged crime, and therefore recommended acquittal. The defence lawyers supported this assessment and asked for a ruling in line with the prosecutor’s opinion.

The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Yapıcı, Altınay, and Ekmekçi on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or obstruct its functions.” The panel concluded that the defendants should be acquitted on the grounds that no definitive and legally admissible evidence was found.

Reacting to the acquittal at the retrial of Gezi PoCs Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay (and Yiğit Ekmekçi), whose initial convictions and 18-year prison sentences in connection with mass protests in 2013 were overturned by the Court of Cassation in September 2023, Milena Buyum, Amnesty International’s Senior Türkiye Campaigner, said:

“Today’s decision brings an end to the politically motivated prosecution of Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay and Yiğit Ekmekçi, and the chronicle of injustice they have suffered. Over the course of more than seven years, prosecuting authorities repeatedly failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the baseless charges laid against them. They should never have been subjected to any charges, let alone spent any time in prison.

“Their unfair prosecution – and that of the other five Gezi Park defendants – not only resulted in grave violations of their rights, but also became a shameful example of the way in which Türkiye’s justice system is used as a tool of political repression.

“Their acquittals must now be followed by the immediate release of Osman Kavala and the other four Gezi prisoners of conscience who remain behind bars.”

Speaking to Amnesty International, Mücella Yapıcı said: “It is very hard to feel happy when all the others are still behind bars. Why are they still imprisoned when they are as innocent as us? I want to thank everyone who stood by us and supported us during this thoroughly unfair prosecution.” [Read more…]