WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE Uk uk United Kingdom - STATEWATCH - issue 25/16 - Friday 24 October 2025.

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issue 25/16 23 October welcome Dear Statewatcher, There is a clear theme in our reports from the past two weeks — the international, liberal, “rules-based order”. The EU claims to play a key part in that order. Yet its largely-unwavering support for Israel’s brutal military assault on the Gaza strip over the past two years has led many to suggest otherwise. With the US placing sanctions on international institutions, human rights officials and human rights organisations, some EU governments want the bloc to take a stand for justice and the rule of law. For now, silence has been its main response. Elsewhere, the EU appears to be standing up for some basic principles. An internal document shows it is calling for improved monitoring and oversight of the new UN Convention on Cybercrime, which critics warn may be used by governments to adopt intrusive and dangerous new powers. However, as our round-up of news shows, the EU is working hard to prepare new surveillance and spying powers of its own. In this context, monitoring and oversight may be little more than window dressing. Chris Jones Director, Statewatch The content of the email should follow our editorial guidelines. make a donation in EUR >> make a donation GBP >> news US attacks on the international rule of law: will the EU do anything? Last week, the Slovenian government called on EU justice ministers to “protect the international rule of law and justice system,” which is facing US sanctions due to attempts to bring Israel officials to justice for crimes committed in Gaza. The discussion has now apparently been taken from the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council to “other Council formations.” Whether any practical steps will follow remains to be seen. read more >> US sanctions against Palestinian groups must be immediately withdrawn, say 80 organisations The US government has frozen the financial assets of Al-Haq, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Organisations subject to US jurisdiction are prevented from engaging in transactions with them. The open letter calls on the US government to "immediately rescind the sanctions." read more >> EU wants more transparency in implementation of new global cybercrime convention The UN Convention on Cybercrime was adopted on 24 December 2024. Signatory states must introduce a range of criminal offences related to cybercrime, as well as powers for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of those offences. Rules of procedure will set out mechanisms for oversight and monitoring of the Convention, but a draft set of rules has been criticised by civil society groups for their “weak procedures”. An EU paper calls for improvements. 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 UK government publishes updated info on plans to develop new immigration detention centre The UK government has published a new factsheet on the plans to "redevelop" the former Haslar immigration detention and deportation centre. Read more Nigeria-United Kingdom Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs dialogue 2025 Joint communiqué published by the UK and Nigeria following a meeting on 9 October. Covers: deportation; visas; organised crime; counter-terrorism; extradition; prisoner transfers; trafficking; illicit finance. An annex sets out joint working agreements for the UK-NIgeria dialogue. Read more Germany’s interior minister proposes sharing deportations among EU states Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has proposed that Germany could carry out deportations to Afghanistan on behalf of other EU states, amid EU talks on a new Return Regulation requiring mutual recognition of deportation orders. Read more UK use of AI age estimation tech on migrants fuels rights fears The UK is planning to increase the use of "artificial intelligence" in immigration and asylum decision-making. This will include using facial recognition technology to estimate people's age. Experts warn this will undermine children's rights and put them at risk. Read more European court's rejection of Greek hotspots case highlights rollback of refugee rights The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that a complaint about living conditions in the Greek 'hotspots' was inadmissible. This is part of a trend in the Court's decisions that has been going on for some time. It highlights "an erosion in the standards on the reception and living conditions for asylum seekers that appears to be intentional." Read more Poland not an isolated case: What to know about secret migrant tunnel systems Officers of the Podlaskie Border Guard discovered a tunnel under the Polish-Belarusian border on Friday. Similar tunnels have been found in Hungary. Read more EU deportation proposal denounced as an "escalation of shame" A new report by CCFD-Terre Solidaires and La Cimade analyses the EU's proposed 'Returns Regulation', designed to massively increase deportations from the EU. They condemn the proposal and call for its rejection. Read more Belgian asylum minister's call to deport Afghan nationals has support of 20 EU countries Twenty European countries support the call of the Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration to facilitate the return of "illegally staying" Afghans, according to a report in Le Soir. Read more coercion and control Remote biometric identification is a colonial boomerang Many are outraged by how live face recognition and other remote biometric identification infringes on people’s freedom in public spaces. Their outrage often misses the point of the technology. To understand its purpose, we need to look into colonial history. Read more Belgium: Police clash with protesters as huge strike rocks Brussels “We were just marching peacefully and suddenly there were smoke bombs and police. I don’t get it. For maybe 10 troublemakers … they tear-gassed the entire crowd, the elderly, the children … It was shameful, an absolute disgrace,” said Rafael, a postal worker, whose eyes were red from the gas. Read more Starmer says 'intifada' chant is 'call to attack' Jewish people Pro-Palestine activists have strongly denied that "globalise the intifada" is antisemitic or a call for violence, and British Jews have been prominent in pro-Palestine marches in the UK. Intifada comes from the Arabic verb nafada, which means "to shake off", and is often translated as "uprising". Read more ‘It’s a road to destruction’: climate defenders facing surge in reprisals, says UN expert Human rights defenders organizing to prevent climate catastrophe are facing a surge in reprisals, as governments around the world denigrate, delegitimize and criminalize activists in spite of worsening global heating, a top United Nations official has told the Guardian. Read more Bosnian Serb police take Moscow's example The top police leaders of the Bosnian Serb Republic met in Moscow with a Russian interior minister sanctioned by the European Union for his role in the repression of the opposition and independent journalists. Read more Alarming trends: the crisis facing civil society and human rights defenders in Europe Restrictive laws, crackdowns and harassment, and a funding crisis are leading to an "alarming" deterioration in conditions for civil society organisations in Europe, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty. Read more crime and collusion UK removes group governing Syria from terrrorist list to advance "foreign and domestic priorities" Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which has run Syria since toppling the Assad regime in December 2020, has been removed the UK's list of proscribed terrorist organisations. This is to allow "closer engagement with the new Syrian government and support UK foreign and domestic priorities, from counter-terrorism to migration and chemical weapons destruction." Read more Majority of Dutch parties' election programmes violate rule of law, report claims A total of 12 of 15 Dutch political parties running in the October elections have proposals that violate the rule of law, according to the Dutch Bar Association. Read more Northern Ireland: New legislation on Troubles legacy deal introduced in Westminster Labour's plan for replacing the controversial Troubles legacy act has taken its first formal step in Parliament, with the secretary of state insisting it must be given a "chance to succeed". Read more Justice for the Symi 10: Hold Greece Accountable for Abandoning Migrants at Sea On 23 March 2020, a group of 31 migrants arrived by boat on Symi, a small Greek island, seeking asylum in Europe. Instead of being registered, they were detained in an unofficial detention site, their possessions were confiscated, and after approximately 48 hours, they were abandoned in the middle of the sea in a motorless life raft. The Legal Centre Lesvos represents ten of the survivors in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights for the human rights violations suffered. Read more discrimination and racism German far right setting agenda as opponents amplify its ideas, study finds Mainstream parties are increasingly allowing the far right to set the agenda, researchers in Germany have found, describing it as a shortcoming that had unwittingly helped the far right by legitimising their ideas and disseminating them more widely. Read more Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights People granted asylum will no longer be given “the golden ticket” of resettlement and family reunion rights, Keir Starmer said, amid deepening concerns from charities that his words are demonising refugees. Read more UK campaign calls for restrictions on rap lyrics being used to convict people The number of appeals against convictions involving music lyrics has more than tripled since drill music became popular in the UK in the past few years, according to research shared with the Guardian. Read more resistance and solidarity UK: Vilifying lawyers puts them at risk Law societies from across the UK "express grave concern about the climate of increasing hostility towards lawyers and judges," driven by "irresponsible and dangerous" attacks on the legal professions by politicians and the media. Read more secrecy and transparency EU has major data surveillance plans in the works The EU is developing new rules for data retention - requirements for companies to store data on their users, in case the police want to access it. The new law will cover telecoms, likely including messengers and encrypted communications. A registration requirement for mobile phone SIM cards is also being discussed. Read more European Investment Fund financed Israeli spyware company Paragon The European Investment Fund backed Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions in 2020 through a local venture fund, according to a report by Belgian platform for investigative journalism, Apache. Founded a year earlier by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and an Israeli ex-intelligence chief, Paragon’s spyware has been used against activists in multiple countries, including Italy. Read more USA: ICE amps up its surveillance powers, targeting immigrants and antifa The blitz of surveillance purchases is motivated in large part by ICE’s intensive, nationwide campaign to find and deport undocumented immigrants. But documents show that some of the technology may also be used to target what the administration regards as anti-ICE extremist groups. Read more Artificial Intelligence and Social and Gender Justice Activism in MENA: Spaces of co-optation, engagement and resistance Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being adopted and deployed across the MENA region in in ways that threaten to deepen existing inequalities and restrict rights. Read more Norway’s data privacy watchdog seeks ban on remote biometric identification Norway is exploring stronger regulations on AI – and a potential ban on biometric recognition technology for surveillance. Read more war and peace US kills three in second strike on alleged drug boat in the Pacific The strikes are the eighth and ninth against suspected drug boats since 2 September - but the first in waters of the Pacific Ocean. Most US strikes have been in the Caribbean Sea. Read more Threat of EU sanctions against Israel 'remains on the table', Kaja Kallas warns The European Union won't impose possible sanctions on Israel now over the war in Gaza, but hasn't taken them off the table yet either, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday. Read more The Nobel Peace Prize or War Prize? A History of Controversial Laureates Endowed by Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, the prize was intended to honor those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Yet, a critical examination of its history reveals a troubling pattern that undermines its perceived neutrality. Read more European arms industry growth to beat 10% a year, according to industry forecasts European defense companies may grow their revenue from European customers by an average 10.5% to 11.5% a year for the next decade, as most countries commit to NATO’s 2035 spending targets, financial research firm Rothschild & Co. Redburn said. Read more ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Statewatch 88 Fleet St, EC4Y 1DH, London