WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE Eu - STATEWATCH - issue 25/20 19 December 2025.

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issue 25/20 19 December welcome Dear Statewatcher, Imagine being imprisoned for months without a conviction. During that time, you are in solitary confinement, denied communication with the outside world, and suffer routine abuse. On 2 November, two people in British prisons, alleging just this kind of treatment, went on hunger strike. One, Qesser Zurah, has been in pre-trial detention since November 2024; the other, Amu Gib, since July this year. Since they began their strike, six others have joined them. Together, their hunger strike is the largest in the UK since the 1981 H-Block strike in Northern Ireland, which saw 10 prisoners starve to death. All the current strikers are being held on remand on charges related to Palestine Action, a group the government banned as a terrorist organisation in July. That move, condemned by international experts, has seen some 2,300 peaceful protesters arrested on terrorism charges. Five of the eight strikers have been hospitalised. If they are still alive and continuing their strike, today will be Zurah’s and Gib’s 48th day without food. Meanwhile, British government ministers have refused to meet their lawyers. Their strike relates in part to their treatment in prison, but also to their broader demands upon the government: An end to censorship and surveillance of prisoners’ correspondence Immediate bail Protection of the right to a fair trial, in particular by the government releasing documents relevant to their cases The deproscription of Palestine Action The cancellation of UK government contracts with Elbit Systems and the closure of all Elbit Systems sites in the UK. Whatever one thinks of these demands, a hunger strike is a drastic act taken by people in desperate circumstances. This may be why they are regularly launched in immigration detention centres across Europe – including, just this week, by dozens of Sudanese refugees detained in Greece. These tactics of resistance and the government’s inaction are a stark indicator of the state of rights and freedoms in the UK and across Europe.  In 2026, we will continue to play our part and push for a meaningful change in direction. We will inform and advocate through our news and research, and act in solidarity with those facing the consequences of repressive and unjust policies. As always, you can help us by making a small donation or becoming a Friend of Statewatch through a monthly contribution. No matter what you can give, we are glad to have you following along, and we hope you will continue to do so in the new year. Chris Jones Director, Statewatch make a donation in EUR >> make a donation GBP >> news Reclaiming migration: a call for justice, dignity, and an anti-racist Europe To mark International Migrants Day more than 40 organisations, including Statewatch, are calling for "a Europe grounded in justice and equality" and "policies that honour dignity and rights of all." read more >> US access to EU citizens’ biometric data: ministers approve EU negotiating mandate EU ministers have agreed to launch negotiations on an agreement that would grant US border agencies direct access to personal data stored in EU member state databases, and give EU agencies similar access to US data. The US is demanding access to the databases of all states that are part of its Visa Waiver Programme, for “immigration screening and vetting activities.” This is part of a broader plan to massively increase the amount of sensitive data gathered on travellers. read more >> UK: ‘Radio Nick’: a private spy hired by the police In October, a court case led to the exposure of a private spy who had been hired by the police to infilitrate multiple campaign groups for almost a decade, Nick Gratwick. A new report by the Undercover Research Group documents Gratwick's activities in the late 1990s and early 2000s in detail. The case highlights the lack of laws and regulations governing private intelligence agents. read more >> Inside the EU’s flawed $200 million migration deal with Sudan Amid the horrors of the Sudan civil war, questions are once again being raised over what role EU funds have played in the ongoing conflict and, in particular, alleged genocide in Darfur at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces militia. Statewatch is republishing a powerful 2018 article by the journalist Caitlin L Chandler for The New Humanitarian, which explains the background to and effects of the EU’s “migration management” cooperation with Sudan. 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 A study on the use of new technologies in the identification and search for missing or deceased persons in migration This report examines the potential implications of the application of new technologies in the specific context of border deaths: the search for missing migrants along migration routes and the forensic identification of bodies of border deaths, Read more Europe is paying Libya to torture migrants on its behalf Over the past decade, the EU has paid Libyan authorities hundreds of millions of euros to block migrant people from entering Europe on small boats departing from North Africa. An initiative led by Italy – the target destination for most of those who make the journey – has provided further support and resources, including at least 14 patrol vessels. Read more Is Greece leading the way for the end of asylum in Europe? Athens previously marginal positions, on who deserving asylum and when it should be suspended, are increasingly becoming official policy and the subject of polite debate throughout Europe. Read more EU’s dangerous ‘Return Hubs’ policy: A threat to journalists in exile The EU’s new return policy risks jeopardising the lives of vulnerable journalists and human rights defenders living in exile. As such, it undermines the very principles of press freedom and human rights it aims to uphold and the safe haven the EU seeks to provide for journalists from all over the world threatened for reporting on the truth  Read more UK: Asylum policy: Home secretary urged not to help those ‘seeking to build division’ The home secretary has been urged not to “play into the hands of those seeking to build division” by more than 200 community groups across the UK who have described Shabana Mahmood’s plans to overhaul the asylum system as “cruel” and “ruthless”. Read more UK: Time For Change: The evidence-based policies that can actually fix the immigration system The report has been billed as a sensible and pragmatic alternative to the Labour Government’s current immigration policy proposals. Read more How Smuggling Really Works: Drivers, Operations, and Impacts This report brings together evidence from over 80,000 interviews with people on the move along key mixed migration routes worldwide and more than 450 interviews with smugglers in West and North Africa. This provides an accessible evidence-base that explains how smuggling really works and how current policies are strengthening the trade. Read more coercion and control UK: Counter-terrorism disruptive powers report 2024 Annual UK government report that provides information and statistical data on the use of a wide range of disruptive powers and tools by the government, law enforcement, and the security and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism and serious organised crime. Read more Palestine Action cases may be thrown out by Scots courts People arrested in Scotland under the Terrorism Act following the proscription of Palestine Action could have their cases thrown out following guidance from Counter Terrorism Policing. Read more 25 years on: how the counter-terrorism agenda took hold at the United Nations Over the last 25 years, counterterrorism has grown from a marginal concern into one of the United Nations’ most expansive policy agendas,  involving over 40 UN entities, hundreds of staff, and significant financial and political investment. Read more Cyprus: Anti-torture committee expresses serious concerns over Nicosia prison The CPT found that some positive steps had been taken to implement recommendations issued by the Committee following previous visits in 2017 and 2023. However, many of the long-standing deficiencies identified in earlier visit reports persist. Read more UN experts issuess warning over use of "artificial intelligence" for counter-terrorism A new position paper from the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights recalls that "the use of new technologies in counter-terrorism has unleashed new waves of human rights violations targeting civil society," and warns that the unrestrained use of AI is likely to do the same. Read more Global decline for civil liberties in 2025, says CIVICUS report Civic space ratings compiled by CIVICUS changed for 18 countries in 2025, with the ratings for 15 countries declining. In Europe, this includes France, Germany and Italy (downgraded to "obstructed"), Serbia ("repressed") and Switzerland ("narrowed"). Read more Europol report on robotics and unmanned systems in law enforcement According to the policing agency, robotic and unmanned systems used for policing can "enhance situational awareness, improve safety, and extend operational reach. However, their use raises concerns about safety, privacy, data protection, regulatory challenges, and the need to maintain public trust." Read more crime and collusion Gaza newborn dies of exposure while heavy rains cause buildings to collapse The health ministry in Gaza announced the death of Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, a two-week-old boy who died due to a severe drop in his body temperature caused by the cold weather. Read more MI5 impeded inquiry into Stakeknife agent who murdered for IRA, says official report Britain’s security services allowed a top agent inside the IRA to commit murders and then impeded a police investigation into the affair, according to a damning official report. Read more USA: White House Refuses to Rule Out Summary Executions of People on Its Secret Domestic Terrorist List Are Americans that the federal government deems to be members of domestic terrorist organizations subject to extrajudicial killings like those it claims are members of designated terrorist organizations? The White House, Justice Department, and Department of War have, for more than a month, failed to answer this question. Read more UK: As desperate families searched for loved ones at Hillsborough, they were treated with contempt A major new report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct has shed new and horrifying light on the chaotic situation inside that gymnasium as well as other locations set up at the time of the disaster - and detailed the disgusting manner in which people were treated as they desperately searched for their loved ones. Read more discrimination and racism UK: Tommy Robinson’s London ‘Christmas service’ draws about 1,000 people The far-right activist Tommy Robinson led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” on Saturday in an event that had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London. Read more Fidesz seeks to influence German domestic politics by embracing the AfD While the Orbán government celebrates national sovereignty and denounces foreign meddling, they are working hard to influence German domestic politics. They see the vehicle for this in elevating the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Read more Racist reality of UK citizenship stripping laws: 3 in 5 people of colour are at risk This research draws on new census data, the Annual Population Survey and Home Office parental records to bring the estimate up to date. It reveals a shocking racial disparity: three in five people of colour are vulnerable to being deprived of citizenship, compared to just one in twenty of their white neighbours. Read more resistance and solidarity Syrian refugee wins right to pursue case against Frontex at court The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that a case brought by a Syrian national against Frontex must be heard again, to give him the chance to have his evidence assessed properly. Alaa Hamoudi was pushed back from Greece to Turkey in the presence of a Frontex surveillance aircraft in 2020. The ruling is the first to uphold the right to an effective remedy against Frontex. Read more France: Marine le Pen convicted of defamation against migrant rights organisation Marine le Pen has lost her appeal against a conviction for defamation against migrant rights' organisation La Cimade. Le Pen accused the organisation in 2022 of being complicit in migrant smuggling. The final ruling means the original sentence, with a penalty of 500 euros, is upheld. Read more Police face super-complaint in England and Wales over lengthy delays in sexual offence investigations More than 37,000 sexual offence investigations have taken longer than three years to conclude over the past decade, campaigners said. Read more A guide to Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments under the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act This guide aims to support organisations that deploy high-risk AI systems to conduct fundamental rights impact assessments (FRIA) in accordance with the EU AI Act and international standards. Read more secrecy and transparency UK: Home Office urged to be transparent about deaths of asylum seekers in its care Human rights and refugee campaigners are calling on the Home Office to be transparent about the numbers of asylum seekers who die in its care by publishing quarterly data as other government departments do. Read more surveillance and snooping UK: Police given tech to track ‘suspicious’ car journeys Police forces are trialling AI technology that enables them to identify and track “suspicious” journeys by drivers on Britain’s road network, using data from Automated Numberplate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Read more An AI model trained on prison phone calls now looks for planned crimes in those calls A US telecom company trained an AI model on years of inmates’ phone and video calls and is now piloting that model to scan their calls, texts, and emails in the hope of predicting and preventing crimes. Read more Watched, Tracked, and Targeted: Life in Gaza under Israel’s all-encompassing surveillance regime "The soldier, his face masked, a rifle slung across his chest, gestured for me to step forward. The fear wasn’t of what they might find out about me but of what they already knew. My ID was still in my pocket. The practiced version of myself went dead. None of it mattered now. I had just been confirmed." Read more Finland: Automated police data exchange under EU rules The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a government proposal for an act on the automated search and exchange of data for police cooperation and for amending the Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police. Read more UK: Public attitudes to police use of facial recognition technology This report summarises survey findings on public awareness, attitudes, and opinions to facial recognition technologies used in policing in England and Wales. Read more UK: MPs maul digital ID plans in Parliamentary debate MPs brand the government’s digital ID plans ‘un-British’ and ‘an attack on civil liberties’ during debate on the controversial policy. Read more US border agency wants all visitors to install and use its smartphone app US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is requesting approval not only to make all foreigners visiting the US without visas submit a comprehensive set of biometric identifiers (“face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris”) but to do so by installing and using a closed-source CBP smartphone app that requires permission to access Wi-Fi scanning and network data; take photos and video; access any fingerprint, iris scan, or other biometric sensors, and even turn on and off your flashlight. Read more war and peace Mark Rutte claims Russia could launch a war against NATO states in five years "NATO’s own defences can hold for now but with its economy dedicated to war, Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years," said Mark Rutte, secretary-general of NATO. This messaging is being echoed by other high-ranking military officials in NATO countries. 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