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issue 25/04 14 March

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welcome Dear Statewatcher, Statewatch has for too long operated without reliable core funding. Our investigations, reports, and trainings are made possible only by small grants and one-off project funding. Despite this, we’ve been able to launch major projects—like our Outsourcing Borders bulletin and our data protection workshops—but we struggle to fund the essentials that keep us running. One of the biggest challenges is our website. It’s outdated, inaccessible, and stops us making our research available to more people. We want to fix that. We’ve found a web design agency that specialises in accessibility and together, we have a plan to make it easier to navigate our archives, access crucial information, and stay informed. But we need your urgent support to do it. More individual donations mean more stability—not just for our projects but for all of our work. They mean we can keep holding institutions to account, exposing secrecy, and giving people the tools to challenge repression. If you value what we do, please donate today. Every contribution, big or small, helps keep us going. Sincerely, Chris Jones Director

make a donation >> news Italy: The end of the systematic denial of data protection rights? Italy has been systematically denying people access to data about them stored in Europe’s largest policing and immigration database, statistics obtained by Statewatch show. Much of the data in question concerns entry bans and deportations orders. Knowing what information is stored is vital for peoples’ livelihoods and even their survival.  read more >> Call to reject new EU laws that "criminalise migrants and human rights defenders" An open letter to the EU demands action to end the criminalisation of migrants and those who stand in solidarity with them. More than 100 signatories, including Statewatch, condemn proposed reforms to EU laws on migrant smuggling and call for an urgent change of approach. read more >> Northern Ireland: How a 1980s state killing cover-up is still relevant today A review of ‘Decades of Deceit: The Stalker Affair and its Legacy’ by Paddy Hillyard (Beyond the Pale Books, 2024). read more >> From Malpensa to Tel Aviv: Italian police use Israeli software to spy on anti-deportation activsts In March last year, four people were arrested after stopping a deportation flight to Morocco leaving Milan's Malpensa airport. When they got their phones back from the police, they found a strange file – one connected with spying products designed by the Israeli firm Cellebrite. read more >> Italian police are “misleading” people about Schengen entry bans, says internal EU report The Italian police are providing “misleading” information to people who ask whether there is a Schengen entry ban against them, says an internal EU report obtained by Statewatch. The document also says the country’s data protection authority cannot properly supervise the use of two huge EU databases. read more >>

what we're watching This is our bi-weekly round up of all the important news, events, and resources we've come across over the last two weeks. Find this resource useful? If so, please consider making a donation to support us.

borders and frontiers Council of Europe parliamentary Migration Committee calls for an end to collective expulsions The Committee expressed concern over the growing disparity between international law and member States’ practices regarding the collective expulsion of foreigners. It recalled that such expulsions are “formally prohibited under Article 4 of Protocol No. 4 to the European Convention on Human Rights.” Read more. New EU common approach on returns: Risks and human rights violations As the European Commission (EC) unveils its so-called “new common approach on returns” today, 11 March, aimed at speeding up returns to countries of origin and transit, the undersigned civil society organisations (CSOs) raise concerns about the human rights implications that these proposals would entail. Read more. Italy: Why the Diciotti case is so important On a 2018 case in which disembarkation of people rescued in the Mediterranean (by the vessel ‘Diciotti’) was delayed, for which the Court of Cassation order damage payments to an Eritrean plaintiff following his appeal. For the [Court of] Cassation denial of a disembarkation port is not a “political act,” which may affect Italian agreements with Tunisia and Libya. Read more. UK to extend electronic travel to European visitors The UK government is taking the last major step in the rollout of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the millions of visitors who pass through the UK border every year. From today, eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from Wednesday 2 April 2025. Read more. EU: Council establishes position for the progressive launch of a new digital border management system Today the Council established a general approach on a regulation that would allow member states to gradually introduce the Entry/Exit digital border management system (EES) over a period of six months. The regulation allows member states to start benefiting from the system and gives border authorities and the transport industry more time in which to adjust to the new procedures. Read more. Italy: Sea rescue organizations ready to join Cutro shipwreck trial The sea rescue organizations EMERGENCY, Louise Michel, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Sea-Watch, SOS Humanity, and SOS MEDITERRANEE, are ready to join the criminal trial in the Cutro shipwreck to act as a civil party. The trial seeks justice for the shipwreck that occurred off the coast of Calabria, Italy, on February 25-26 2023. Read more. Italy: Start of the hearing to establish responsibility in the Cutro shipwreck MSF reports on the first hearing in Crotone court to ascertain penal responsibilities of Italian authorities for the Cutro shipwreck of 26 February 2023 in which 94 people (including 35 children) died. Charges may include culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter.  Read more. UK expands campaign to stop migrant smugglers and their lies  Digital advertising launches today in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to warn prospective migrants about people smugglers' lies. Read more. Commission and Frontex sign working arrangement to strengthen cooperation on migration management On 25 February, Frontex’s Executive Director Hans Leijtens and European Commission’s Acting Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Beate Gminder, signed a working arrangement to strengthen cooperation and partnership in migration management. Read more. Echoes#16 – Commemor’Action! Newsletter on CommemorActions that took place on February 6 across dozens of cities in Europe and North and West Africa. Relatives of the disappeared participated in many meetings and demonstrations to commemorate their missing loved ones and to condemn the deadly EU border regime. For more than thirty years, the direct or indirect violence of border regimes has continued to cause death and disappearances along migratory routes. Read more. Serbia: “Schengen Bus” vehicle to help strengthen state border control Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić attended today the handover of a specialised vehicle, the “Schengen Bus”, which will be used by members of the Border Police Directorate when performing tasks within their jurisdiction, primarily for state border surveillance. Read more. Syrians continue to flock to Lebanon after the regime’s fall Despite an improved political and security situation in many parts of Syria, tens of thousands of Syrians have continued to flock to Lebanon since the Assad regime fell last December. Read more. Trump ends extension of temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants The Trump administration is revoking a Biden-era extension for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Venezuelans, a move that removes the work authorization for hundreds of thousands of immigrants and makes them eligible for deportation. Read more. A desert of rights: deadly pushbacks at the Algeria-Niger border As the last decades have been marked by an intensification of control and expulsion policies, migrants crossing the Sahara desert are too often stripped of their fundamental right to migrate with security... Through an in-depth analysis of the pushback mechanisms that are set up by the Algerian authorities and of the existing obstacles to mobility in the region, this report explores these policies' human, social and economic consequences. Read more. UN refugee agencies: vulnerable funding structures and a looming legitimacy crisis UN refugee agencies depend heavily on the funding of just a few Western States. While reforming the funding system may help to fulfil the agencies’ mandate and maintain autonomy, preserving their legitimacy is crucial. Read more. coercion and control UK: Warning Over UK ‘Slide Towards Authoritarianism’ After Raft of Just Stop Oil Prison Sentences Are Upheld Human rights groups have urged the Labour Government to repeal a raft of Conservative anti-protest laws, after the Court of Appeal upheld ten out of 16 lengthy prison sentences for peaceful Just Stop Oil protesters. Read more. UK: ‘Treat Us Fairly’ Demand Spycops Inquiry Participants The Undercover Policing Inquiry has postponed its next hearings by seven months, but is not giving those of us who were spied on any more time to sort out our submissions. We simply can’t do it.  Read more. Slovakia takes Belgium to court over police killing of Slovakian man in airport The Government of the Slovak Republic has lodged a new interstate application against the Kingdom of Belgium. The case concerns the death of J.C., a Slovak national, following an incident involving the Belgian police at the Brussels-Charleroi Airport.  Read more. Strategic partnerships: Europol boosts cooperation with Latin America On 7 March 2025, Europol welcomed ministerial delegations from the Latin American Committee for Internal Security (CLASI) to its headquarters in The Hague. Facilitated through the EU-funded EL PACCTO 2.0 project, the visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation between Latin American law enforcement authorities and Europol, enhancing strategic dialogue on tackling security threats such as organised crime and terrorism.  Read more. EU and Brazil sign international agreement to fight organised crime and terrorism The European Union (EU) and Brazil have signed an agreement that strengthens the partnership between Europol and Brazilian law enforcement, enabling the exchange of operational information. This milestone will bolster joint efforts in tackling serious organised crime and terrorism, reinforcing security on both sides of the Atlantic. Read more. Europe sees rise in disinformation, attacks on media: report The Council of Europe's annual press freedom report highlighted violence against journalists, particularly in Ukraine and Georgia. The rise of disinformation also poses a threat.  Read more. Italy: Control, censorship, purges. The ministry "reports the case" and Zanichelli withdraws the text's copies Critical commentary following the withdrawal of a civic education handbook because a 'fiche' drawn from a Human Rights Watch text that included criticism of a law decree from 2018 to undermine migrants' rights. Read more. Travellers’ Surveillance: Why the UN Should Stop Supporting the Surveillance of Travellers in the Name of Countering Terrorism Security agencies have started to require access to travellers’ information before they leave their homes, compulsory identification of travellers now includes the collection of fingerprints and facial images, and secret watchlists, dossiers and profiles are being developed." Read more. UK: Save our Sites: Deadline 17 March Incredible as it may seem, thanks to the Online Safety Act, dozens of harmless, safe, small websites are closing down by 17 March, rather than face threats of fines that could lose their operators their homes. Other websites, based outside of the UK, are likely to stop UK users from accessing their services, to avoid liability, through “geo-blocking”. Read more. UK: Foreign criminals to be deported quicker  Foreign national offenders (FNOs) will be deported quicker thanks to a new £5 million government investment in prisons across England and Wales. Read more. Italy: The Effects of Criminalisation on Activists: The Case of the NoTAP Environmental Movement Does criminalisation have “chilling effects” on activists? If so, which are the criminalisation phases or strategies that discourage activists to act freely and in exercise of their human rights? This article investigates the chilling effects of criminalisation beyond the phases or strategies of police repression, labelling/stigmatisation, and surveillance, which have been addressed in the relevant multi-disciplinary literature thus far. Read more. crime and collusion Greece: Update On The Case Of Baris Buyuksu’s Death  Barış Büyüksu, who was a Turkish citizen, was found unconscious in a life raft by the Turkish Coast Guard together with 15 Palestinian migrants on the shores of Bodrum on 22 October 2022 and subsequently lost his life while he was waiting for an ambulance for emergency medical assistance. Witnesses confirm – and the Forensic Medicine Report prepared within the scope of an investigation conducted in Turkey corroborate – that Barış’s was killed as a result of torture he had been subjected to by Greek authorities, prior to being pushed back to Turkey. Read more. discrimination and racism UK: Ancestral remains should no longer be displayed in UK museums, say MPs The public display of human remains in the UK, including the ancient Egyptian mummies in the British Museum, is offensive and should be stopped, according to a group of MPs. Read more. They Not Like Us: Why the Danish ‘Ghetto Law’ violates EU law  On 13 February 2025, AG Ćapeta delivered a milestone opinion on racial discrimination and migration in the EU when she found the Danish ‘Ghetto Law’ in violation of the Race and Ethnic Equality Directive. She determined that the differentiation between “Western” and “non-Western” immigrants and their descendants in the Danish legislation creates a perceived “ethnic ‘Other’” vis-à-vis the majority population that falls under the anti-discrimination ground of “ethnic origin”. Read more. Tell Mama monitoring group facing closure after funding pulled by government  The government is cutting all funding for the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama, leaving it facing closure weeks after it revealed a record number of anti-Muslim hate incidents in Britain. Read more. UK extremism commission solicits Prevent complaints from far-right social media  A review of the commission's recent activity on the social media platform X found it has engaged with posts purportedly written by people critical of public sector Prevent training, including posts which suggest that the programme is "turning a blind eye to Islam" while exaggerating the threat posed by the far right. Read more. peace and war PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after Ocalan's call The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) said it will heed a call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to lay down arms and end its four-decade-long war with Turkey. Read more. EU: Press statement by President von der Leyen on the defence package The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates. And whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and the ambition that is needed. In the various meetings in the last few weeks – most recently two days ago in London – the answer from European capitals has been as resounding as it is clear. We are in an era of rearmament. Read more. More than 1,000 people killed in two days of clashes in Syria, war monitor says More than 1,000 people, including 745 civilians, were killed in the two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and fighters loyal to the former Assad regime and ensuing revenge killings, a war monitor has said, one of the highest death tolls in Syria since 2011. Read more. Agreement between Leonardo and the Turkish group Baykar to produce military drones The Leonardo group (30% controlled by the Italian treasury) and Turkish company Baykar Technologies have signed an agreement which launches an Italo-Turkish alliance in the area of defence drones. It is a premise 'for the creation of a joint venture for unmanned aerial systems' that looks towards a European market "estimated to be worth 100 billion dollars, including unmanned fighter jets, armed and drones for deep attacks, over the next ten years'.  Read more. resistance and solidarity Students block access to Serbian state TV station amid nationwide protests Several hundred student protesters have blocked Serbia’s public television station building in Belgrade as tensions soar days before a large rally planned for the weekend that is billed as the climax of months of anti-government demonstrations. Read more. Calais: on appeal, court confirms illegality of the ban on the distribution of food to migrants The Douai Court of Appeal confirmed the illegality of the decrees, issued by the prefect of Pas-de-Calais as early as 2020, which prohibited associations from distributing meals to migrants in the city centre of Calais. The court thus aligned itself with the decision of the Lille Administrative Court in October 2022. Read more. Italy: is accountability for crimes against migrants possible? Although trials against migrant smugglers have multiplied over the past decade in Italy, the suspects often face the only charge of smuggling while charges of kidnapping, killings, extortion or sexual violence hardly ever apply. The main traffickers are usually not arrested nor charged. Those arrested are deemed as “small fish”. What do these trials tell about accountability for crimes committed against migrants on the routes across Africa to Europe? Read more. Dutch Labour Court confirms: Firing of Palestinian employee by Dutch company over solidarity with Palestinian resistance was discriminatory, large compensation is due  Palestinian employee Nouraldin Alsweirki has won a landmark legal victory over his former employer, Dutch software company Speakap B.V., which fired him in October 2023 over LinkedIn posts in which he supported the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation. This dismissal had significant consequences not only for Nouraldin but also for his family in Gaza. Read more. secrecy and transparency UK: Police unit dubbed 'authoritarian censor' A national policing unit has been criticised for telling local forces to block the release of information under laws designed to safeguard the public's right to know. Read more. surveillance and snooping European Parliament approves EU–Canada air passenger data agreement MEPs have endorsed an agreement on transferring passenger name record (PNR) data from the EU to Canada, and on processing this data. On Wednesday, 521 MEPs supported the agreement, while 90 opposed it, and 45 abstained. Read more. Exclusive: Suspected Russian Spy Seeks Top Security Post In Serbia, Central Asia A Russian diplomat recalled from Brussels amid a spy purge by Belgian authorities has been nominated to head the Belgrade mission of Europe's largest security body, a joint investigation by RFE/RL and several European media outlets has found. Read more. Massive increase in data requests at Google & Co while Trump cancels talks about EU-US e-evidence agreement "Authorities from EU countries are stepping up their surveillance practices by requesting more and more data from large US internet companies. They received almost fifteen times more user data in the first half of 2024 than in 2014, according to a recent analysis by email provider Proton Mail. Read more. Germany: CCC demands digital infrastructures that are resilient against fascism’s cravings We need a digital firewall against fascism. We are addressing twelve demands to the CDU/CSU and SPD, which they must implement swiftly to stop the foreseeable consequences of the shift to the right and the endeavors of Trump and Co. The surveillance era must end. Read more. Romania: PM Ciolacu and MFA reject Russian secret service interference in Romania’s internal affairs Bucharest has strongly condemned statements made by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), which claimed that the Romanian court’s decision to file charges against Călin Georgescu was “supported by the EU leadership.”  Read more. Belgium: Bone testing age assessment violated right to privacy, rules European court In a case brought by a Guinean citizen against the Belgian authorities, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the use of 'bone testing' techniques to try to determine the person's age violated the right to a private and family life. Read more. Spanish police officer spent two years infilitrating pro-Palestine and Catalan independence movements Using the alias Belén Hammad Gómez, a police officer infilitrated pro-Palestinian, Catalan independence and radical community groups in Barcelona. With a false identity card she enrolled in a programme run by the NGO Novact, held a bank account and played for a local football team. There are similar patterns to the many other undercover police exposed in Catalan radical organisations in recent years. Read more. All-out mobilization against the French “war-on-drugs” law In the midst of the media uproar over drug trafficking, a law on “drug trafficking” is passing through Parliament. In reality, this text does not only apply to the sale of narcotics and leads to a heavy reinforcement of the surveillance capacities of the intelligence and judicial police. It is one of the most repressive and dangerous texts of recent years. This law could notably give even more powers to repress activism.  Read more. Australia: Man falsely accused of cold case murder after father shares DNA sample An innocent man’s life was ruined after his father donated his DNA to his local Mormon Church. Here’s why his story should make you rethink taking an ancestry test. Read more. Frontex: Coast Guard Evolution: AI and Unmanned Systems Enhancing SAR Operations On 25–26 February 2025, the Italian Coast Guard, acting as Chair of the European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF), together with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) hosted an international workshop on AI and unmanned systems entitled “Coast Guard Evolution: Artificial Intelligence and Unmanned Systems Enhancing SAR Operations”. Read more. India: European airlines refuse to share passenger data citing privacy laws  The European airlines have informed the Indian government about their inability to share passenger name record (PNR) data due to their data privacy regulations and the absence of a bilateral agreement between the European Union and India for the transfer of data. Read more. ­

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