Human Rights

Slovakia Parliament Rejects Women's Rights Treaty

March 03, 2020

Slovakia lawmakers have voted to reject the so-called Istanbul Convention, an international treaty adopted by the Council of Europe in 2011 in a bid to fight violence against women throughout Europe.
Turkey Threatens to Send Syrian Refugees to Europe

March 02, 2020

Frustrated by the failure of leading European nations to intervene in recent military attacks across the Turkish border in Syria, the Turkish government is threatening to send its increasing number of Syrian refugees on the path toward Europe.
Germany Proposes Further Regulation of Online Content

February 19, 2020

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has approved a law that forces social media platforms to proactively report illegal content such as death threats or incitement of hatred to law enforcement authorities.
Facebook Faces Continued EU Scrutiny

February 19, 2020

According to Politico, in a number of high-profile meetings with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, European Union officials urged Facebook “to clamp down on widespread misinformation on its global platform” and “to take greater responsibility for the role that the social networking giant plays in people’s daily lives.”
Josep Borrell Slammed for ‘Greta syndrome’ Remark

February 11, 2020

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign affairs chief, came under criticism for calling into question the commitment of young climate activists, including a reference to teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg as giving rise to the ‘Greta syndrome.’
Greenpeace Activists Block BP's London Headquarters

February 05, 2020

On the first day of Bernard Looney's tenure as BP's Chief Executive Officer, Greenpeace activists blocked the door to BP's London office, delivering 500 solar panels to the offices at 3 a.m., which authorities prevented them from installing.
Germany Possesses Evidence of Huawei Cooperation with Chinese Intelligence

January 29, 2020

According to a new report, the German government possesses evidence that Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei cooperated with Chinese intelligence, which supports U.S. government efforts to urge its allies to boycott the vendor over national security concerns.
ECJ AG: Bulk Data Collection Violates European Privacy Law

January 21, 2020

According to a non-binding opinion of European Court of Justice Advocate General Campos Sánchez-Bordona, bulk data collection violates European privacy law.
Turkish Constitutional Court Reverses Ban on Wikipedia

December 31, 2019

In a 10-6 decision, the Constitutional Court of Turkey ruled that the Turkish government's block on Wikipedia constituted a violation of freedom of expression, paving the way for the immediate lifting of a two-year-old ban.
Politico: EU's Ability to Implement Privacy Law is in Doubt

December 31, 2019

Writing in Politico, Nicholas Vinocur details how, more than 18 months after the European Union began implementing its model General Data Protection Regulation, lack of enforcement actions and weak cooperation on investigations raises doubts about the EU's ability to reign in Big Tech.