The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown global structural, social, economic, and humanitarian inequalities into sharp focus. Existing issues such as migrant’s rights, access to healthcare, violence against women and discrimination – already chronically under-addressed and under-funded by states worldwide – have been exacerbated by responses to the pandemic (or the lack of response). Civil society organisations … Continued
On 15 May 2020, the administration of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) forcibly sent 100 Syrian refugees, including unaccompanied children, to Mersin, Turkey. They have been transferred to Kilis, near the Syrian border, where they are now. Most of the 100 Syrian refugees – 56 – are children and women and girls … Continued
The current pandemic engages the full spectrum of human rights. Despite COVID-19, States have an obligation to fulfil the rights to health and life of their populations. To do so, many are now dusting contact-tracing apps off the shelves. In the context of COVID-19, such apps can help “identifying, assessing and managing people who have … Continued
COVID-19 further aggravates the already vulnerable situation of migrants and refugees held in hotspots and detention facilities in Greece, Italy and Spain. In the Italian island of Lampedusa, migrants rescued at sea were left for days on the quayside waiting to be transferred to the peninsula because the hotspot was full. The National Guarantor for … Continued
COVID-19 has provided another excuse for the Egyptian regime to expand its powers and crack down on rights, freedoms and rule of law in the country. Meanwhile, Egypt is facing its worst human rights crisis in recent history. After a continued state of emergency dating from before the Mubarak regime was lifted in 2012, Egypt … Continued
In only a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore what activists, social workers, carers, human rights defenders, trade unionists and many others have long denounced: stalled upward mobility; degradation of essential services such as adequate health care and social security; and a steep increase in inequalities. In other words, the COVID-19 … Continued
On 20 March, Morocco adopted a “state of health emergency” to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This state of emergency enables the State to endorse the implementation of lockdown measures, closure of schools and universities, and shutdown of transport systems. However, one of the decisions taken hardly seems related to the pandemic currently threatening the Kingdom. … Continued
For years, we, human rights activists, have fought against this dilemma: should we give up our freedom to guarantee our security? Years of fight and experience have taught us that security without liberty and justice is illusory. This year, for the first time in decades and even centuries, we are confronted with a particular challenge … Continued
EuroMed Rights talked to Anna Adamska – Gallant, a former judge from Poland and international expert on the judiciary, who listed the issues that might dot the democratic process. EuroMed Rights: Can you sum up the current situation in the Polish democratic process? Anna Adamska-Gallant: “10th May 2020 – this was a day when … Continued
The Federation for Women and Family Planning (FWFP) was established in 1992 in response to a fierce debate surrounding the restriction of women’s access to abortion in Poland. FWFP is the only registered organisation working on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Poland. This puts them under a double pressure as they try and … Continued
