Stéphane Bonifassi writing in an article published by Swiss-based French language Gotham News has reported on the possibility of Kazakh “opposition leader” Mukhtar Ablyazov, who has been in exile in France since 2013, losing the status of a political refugee granted to him in 2020. The State Council, it is reported, has just overturned this decision on the…
On Thursday, Parliament adopted a resolution on violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong, including severe restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and press freedom. MEPs called on the Hong Kong government to release all political prisoners and drop…
Sham election shows communist state has no respect for Western values, writes Jianli Yang. Anxious to establish a new world order with China at its centre, Beijing is now coining new definitions for time-tested values and attributes to suit its selfish goal. In Tibet, for instance, it has come up with a call to develop…
Reacting to the violent events in Kazakhstan earlier this month, the S&D group says it is supporting the European Parliament resolution calling for the international community to investigate the crimes committed against the people of Kazakhstan, including disappearances, reports of torture, arbitrary detention and snipers killing or wounding peaceful protesters. The resolution also calls for…
The Azerbaijan Embassy has issued a press release marking 20th January 2022 as the 32nd anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Black January tragedy. In 1987 anti-Azerbaijani pogroms broke out in Armenia with attacks on Azerbaijani villages, killing hundreds of civilians. As a result, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia. Territorial claims of Armenia, armed separatism instigated by…
EU action has had little impact in advancing fundamental rule of law reforms in the Western Balkans, according to a special report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). Some technical and operational reforms have taken place in the region. But in a context of insufficient political will and a lack of engagement, EU…
The European Commission has allocated €1 million in emergency funds to respond to the consequences of floods in Brazil. During the past two months, heavy rains affected several Brazilian municipalities, particularly in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, resulting in disastrous consequences for the population and the loss of houses, schools and vital infrastructures….
Fresh calls for a boycott were made at an online event organised to help shed light on China’s continuing human rights abuses. A boycott is seen by some as a step too far, given the symbolic importance of such an act. But the event in Brussels was told that Member States and the EU institutions,…
With just five weeks to go until the 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing, the EU has yet to make or not to allow its diplomats and officials to attend the controversial games. This is despite EU member states, including Belgium, announcing a boycott, and the European Parliament voting in favour. This is against…
The EU should consider introducing additional sanctions against the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, say MEPs in a resolution. MEPs demand that Nicaraguan regime leader Daniel Ortega be added to the list of sanctions and urge the EU to assess other possible measures, including going beyond restricting individuals. They warn, however, against any…
