The latest update from the AIUK Europe Country Coordinators Team:-

Introduction

As the year 2023 nears its closure we can report some positive developments from Türkiye and Poland but there are still many Human Rights Challenges! Please find an Urgent Action for Türkiye.

There are also leaflets for the 2 demonstrations we are organising: For Saturday 2nd December we are gathering at 3pm in front of the Polish Embassy in London at 47 Portland Place. We have teamed up with a number of Polish organisations to call for the prosecution of Women’s Human Rights Defender Justyna Wydrzynska to be reversed and for women in Poland to have access to safe and legal abortions in Poland.

Please also sign the petition at https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/JusticeforJustyna

On 14^th December Amnesty International is releasing the investigation into the drowning of 600 people when a small boat packed with an estimated 750 people sank near the coast of Greece. Together with Care4Calais we are organising a vigil outside the Embassy of Greece on 14^th December at 3pm.  Please join us if you can!

Stop Deaths at Sea!  Vigil 14th Dec

Stop the Deaths at Sea! Safe and Legal routes for refugees! Seeking asylum is a Human Right! Refugees Welcome!  Vigil 14^th December 3pm at the Embassy of Greece.

On 14^th of June 2023 the “Adriana” packed with an estimated 750 refugees sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece. Over 600 people, many women and children died at sea.  Amnesty’s investigation points to the action of the Greek coastguard contributing to the sinking of the boat.  The full report will be released on Thursday the 14^th December. The policies of Fortress Europe, to keep refugees out at all cost, have again cost many lives.  Amnesty Europe have teamed up with Care4Calais https://www.facebook.com/care4calais/ to organising a vigil outside the Embassy of Greece on 14^th December, when the report is released. We are calling for safe and legal routes for refugees and for the Universal Human Right to seek asylum from persecution to be respected by all countries including the UK.

For further information on the demonstration please contact Ulrike.schmidt@amnesty.org.uk [Read more…]

Here is our latest Newsletter with updates and actions.  AIUK Europe Team:-

Ulrike Schmidt  (Central and Eastern Europe and Balkans),  Jovana Bosnjak (Western & Northern Europe), Chris Ramsey (Türkiye)

Cyprus

Letter Writing Action

On 27^th August, after an anti migrant demonstration organised by the far right and supported by some local representatives, refugees, migrants and Cypriot citizens of colour were violently attacked by far right groups and their supporters.

 An anti-migrant demonstration took place in the village of Chloraka on 27 August, in which local political representatives participated. Later that day, and the following day, far-right groups attacked racialized people, including migrants and refugees, and their property. Two weeks before the attacks, authorities had decided to remove dozens of migrants and asylum-seekers residing in the “Ayios Nikolaos”, an abandoned residential complex, the use of which had been formally banned in 2020.

Similar protests and attacks took place in the city of Limassol on the evening of 1 September. Demonstrators, several of whom were masked, threw Molotov cocktails, chanted racist slogans, attacked and damaged shops owned by racialized people, and physically attacked at least five racialized people, including several delivery drivers. Local reports criticized how the Cypriot police, who were present at the scene, failed to intervene to effectively prevent the violence or protect victims.

Racist attacks have been documented in both Chloraka and Limassol in the past. In January 2022, similar racist demonstrations and attacks were carried out at the “Ayios Nikolaos” residential complex. Earlier this year, racist attacks were also carried out in Limassol.

Please read the full background of these shocking events and write a personal letter to the High Commissioner of Cyprus. It would be useful if Amnesty groups write a group letter signed by several people, You can also take a letter to a stall to have it signed by members of the public. Please see Ulrika’s sample letter below, keep the letter very polite assuming the Ambassador is on our side.

To the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus His Excellency Andreas S. Kakouris

13 St James’s Square, St James’s London SW1Y4LB

Dear Excellency

I am deeply concerned about the violent attacks against migrants and refugees in Limassol and Chlorakas end of August- beginning of September, where people were attacked, and migrant owned shops destroyed. According to verified reports by Amnesty International racist rhetoric, hate speech and xenophobia promoted by the far right, but also supported by some politicians played a part in encouraging the violent pogrom-like attacks against people and property. I trust that by now there has been an investigation into the violence and the failure of the police to prevent and stop the attacks.

I would be very grateful if you could share the outcome of the investigation with us and the measures taken by the authorities to prevent such violence happening again.

Yours sincerely [Read more…]

Here is our latest Newsletter with updates and actions.  Chris Ramsey, Türkiye;  Jovana Bosnjak Western & Northern Europe;  Ulrike Schmidt, Central & Eastern Europe and Balkans

Türkiye

Post Election overview

As reported in the June, the second round of the presidential elections took place on 28 May. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won a relatively narrow victory and will therefore be in power for the next 5 years. In addition, in the parliament the Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost ground but remains the largest party with 268 seats. Their coalition partner the ultra- right wing National Movement Party (MHP) won 50 seats and so together this “Peoples Alliance” has maintained control of the parliament. Whilst formally there has been no immediate impact on the Human Rights situation in the country our researcher reports that the police and security services appear to feel empowered to deal even more harshly with any form of dissent or attempts by individuals or groups to exercise their rights to freedom of assembly or freedom of expression.

For an interesting discussion of why, despite inflation in Türkiye soaring above 40% and widespread publicity of the government’s culpability in the scandalous collapse of so many relatively new apartment buildings in the recent earthquakes the Erdoğan government managed to retain power go to the London Review of Books podcast “Why did Erdoğan win”:-

https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/the-lrb-podcast/why-did-erdogan-win

Following the triumph of the AKP it was no surprise that the annual Pride marches in Türkiye were yet again banned.

Nevertheless on 26 June hundreds of LGBTQ+ activists sought to evade the ban in Istanbul by gathering in the Nisantasi neighbourhood outside the city centre. As in previous years the police sought to disperse them and 93 were arrested with one person receiving head injuries while being arrested.

Police in the western Turkish city of Izmir also cracked down on those attending Pride, detaining at least 48 people, according to the organisers.

Büyükada: Justice prevails as four human rights defenders finally acquitted

On 6 June the convictions of four human rights defenders collectively known as the Büyükada 4, including Taner Kılıç, Amnesty Türkiye’s Honorary Chair, and Idil Eser, Amnesty Türkiye’s ex-director, were quashed . [Read more…]