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Europe’s new Russia policy must focus on human rights
When US President Joe Biden stood in the East Room of the White House on September 15 flanked by television screens with the images of Australian Prime Minister Morrison and British Prime Minister Johnson, a new geopolitical trend came into stark relief for European policymakers. As many analysts subsequently noted, the announcement of the AUKUS trilateral security pact between the US, UK, and Australia underscored the fragility of European security, the need for greater emphasis on building strategic autonomy, and the fact that a strengthened European Union policy towards Russia, its biggest strategic competitor, is vital. Human rights must now play a central role in the design and implementation of an updated EU-Russia Strategic Policy.
America must lead the international response to Russia’s human rights crisis
“Human rights is going to always be on the table, I told [President Putin]. It’s not about just going after Russia when they violate human rights. It’s about who we are. How could I be the President of the United States of America and not speak out against the violation of human rights?”
We don’t want to be sued into silence
More and more journalists and civil society organisations are being sued by powerful businessmen and politicians. We call on the EU to ensure those with a watchdog role are protected from gag lawsuits. This scrutiny is the lifeblood of healthy democracies, writes a group of 99 organisations including Human Rights House Foundation.
We will not give up on Belarus
For weeks we have been following the protests against Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus. Before us, we see a repetition of the large, seemingly leaderless demonstrations in recent years around the world — from Tahrir Square in Cairo, to the democracy riots in Hong Kong and Black Lives Matter in the United States, to the undulating crowd in Minsk.
This is Belarus, one of the “best” countries in the world to live in
In Belarus, access to independent information is the greatest threat to the authoritarian state. One vlogger, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, travels the country documenting daily life in what is referred to as Europe’s latest dictatorship.
Virus on freedom of expression
Freedom of speech in Russia needs life-saving treatment. Journalists addressing the lack of crisis management during the Covid-19 pandemic are at risk of facing death threats or imprisonment.
The authoritarian virus
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic puts fundamental democratic rights to the test in several European countries. Now, Norway should use the rest of its Security Council campaign to fight for respect for human rights.