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Donate >> Bi-weekly bulletin Issue 26/01 ­ welcome Dear Statewatcher, As we begin the new year, we’d like to introduce a few new people joining Statewatch. First, as many of you will know, I have decided to step down as Director. Taking over from me at the beginning of February is someone who will do an excellent job of leading Statewatch in these turbulent times. We also have two journalists joining our research team. Below, you can find more information about their backgrounds and expertise.  Before that, I would like to say thank you for all of your continued support.  We began 2025 with a very uncertain future as an organisation. Yet, we ended the year having accomplished everything we’d hoped, and more. We couldn’t have done that without the reliable support of our volunteer contributors and Friends of Statewatch. Chris Jones Statewatch Director ­ become a friend of statewatch Our Friends of Statewatch make small, monthly contributions to sustain our work. By joining, you'll help us continue to expose state power and inform dissent—even in these challenging times. donate in € >> donate in £ >> ­ INTRODUCING: Alamara Khwaja Bettum Alamara is a qualified immigration lawyer in the UK, specialising in asylum, family reunion, and human rights. She has worked with migrants and refugees for over ten years in both the humanitarian field in Iraqi Kurdistan and the legal sector in the UK. In addition to her legal expertise, she brings experience in policy development, advocacy, capacity building and anti-racism. Alamara will officially start as Statewatch Director in February. ­ ­ “At a time when civil liberties and human rights face unprecedented threats, the role of Statewatch in ensuring transparency and accountability has never been more vital. I am excited to support the organisation’s growth, adapt to new challenges, and confront some of the most egregious abuses seen in decades.” - Alamara Khwaja Bettum INTRODUCING: Frey Lindsay Frey has covered migration and borders for a decade. During his time as a journalist for the BBC World Service, he reported on the rise of anti-migration policies, Europe's border and surveillance technologies, Mediterranean search and rescue, and the exploitation of individuals by corporate and state powers worldwide. He has also written for openDemocracy, Thomson Reuters, and InfoMigrants. Frey has been running our Outsourcing Borders bulletin since August 2025. ­ “Right now, corporate interests and venal, cowardly governments are attacking public interest journalism. I’m proud to be part of an organisation that remains unwavering—dedicated to the interests of its readers, democracy and those most affected by state cruelty.” - Frey Lindsay ­ INTRODUCING: Giacomo Zandonini  Giacomo is an investigative reporter whose has exposed corporate interests and the expansion of state surveillance networks across Europe and West Africa. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Politico, Internazionale, The New Humanitarian, and more. He is the co-founder of the Fada Collective and received a special mention at the European Press Prize (2024). Giacomo is joining us as part of the 2026 Bertha Challenge Fellowship, and will be conducting research into the impact of digital surveillance on communities across Europe. ­ ­ "I had the chance to collaborate and exchange with Statewatch for several years now, and I am really happy to be hosted by the organization, as a part of the 2026 edition of the Bertha Foundation's fellowship. I will do my best to contribute to Statewatch's vital research and investigative projects, digging into  topics that affect our fundamental rights." - Giacomo Zandonini ­ latest articles EU member states want to expand police surveillance of travel 15 January Prints in politics: cheap, easily replicated and widely accessible 14 January EU to increase lethal migration cooperation with Libya 08 January View all >> ­ 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 chipping in to support it. borders and frontiers UK: New offences come into force for people crossing the Channel  Border Criminologies >> Greece and Turkey agree to further cooperation on migration control Greek City Times >> Palestinian citizen of Israel wins UK asylum over ‘well-founded fear of persecution’ The Guardian >> Airports and EU clash over new border control rules Politico Europe >> Joint statement: EU states must not backtrack on refugee resettlement commitments European Council on Refugees >> Law professor sues Germany for 'illegal' border controls EU Observer >> UK: Saving time, risking lives: Government uses AI tools to inform asylum decisions Open Rights Group >> coercion and control Germany passes new law to crack down on people smuggling to UK  UK government >> Right to protest is under attack in England and Wales, reports warn Guardian >> EU governments take new deportation law from bad to worse EU Law Analysis >> Countdown to Chișinău: The Risk of Politicising the ECHR over Migration EJIL Talk >> UK: Policing: evaluation of the County Lines Programme  UK government >> UK government boasts that immigration raids are at "highest level in history" UK Home Office >> Latvia’s Attempted Withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention Verfassungsblog >> The Fragmented Regulation of Police AI in Germany, France, and Luxembourg Verfassungsblog “Morocco’s Modern Witch Hunts”: The alarming increase in arrests and digital surveillance of sex workers across the country NSWP >> crime and collusion UK government tries to exclude intelligence agencies from new accountability law BBC >> Article by article, how Big Tech shaped the EU’s roll-back of digital rights Corporate Europe Observatory >> German rearmament's genocidal implications, this time via Israel New Arab >> Chomsky, Epstein, and the responsibility of intellectuals Canadian Dimension >> UK ‘pays substantial sum’ to tortured Guantánamo Bay detainee Guardian >> peace and war Europe's €800bn militarisation - 'peace through strength' or path to war? EUobserver >> Israel's arms manufacturers benefit from EU funding for cutting edge civilian research Middle East Eye >> International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela Just Security >> resistance and solidarity 10 reasons to stay in the European Convention on Human Rights Bonavero Institute >> Italy: Justice is not a “system,” it is a right for all Migreurop >> Assessing High-risk Artificial Intelligence: Fundamental Rights Risks FRA >> UK hunger striker Heba Muraisi: ‘I think about how or when I could die’ Al Jazeera >> UK: A new dawn for Joint Enterprise? Inside Time >> Berlin shutdown of pro-Palestine conference was unlawful, court rules Al jazeera >> Farmers block highways across Greece in protest over rising costs and EU trade deal Fox21 >> surveillance and snooping Belgium: Police digitisation is omnishambles: minister cancels €299 million mega contract VRT >> Hackers breach French interior ministry, access dozens of confidential files TRT World >> US authorities plan to massively increase biometric data collection powers Rolling Stone >> Ireland: Garda powers bill will respond to Irish and EU court rulings ILN >> England: Offenders’ alcohol levels tracked over new year ILN >> EU plans to reintroduce mass telecoms surveillance Council of the EU >> Lawsuit casts new light on ICE, CBP’s expanding biometric, visual surveillance dragnet Biometric Update >> UK: Government data on facial recognition technology for immigration enforcement Gov UK >> Airports and EU clash over new border control rules  Politico >> Repression Through Interpol Verfassungs Blog >>  (Un) making the Frontex PeDRA controversy: freedom of information and the regime of opacity in EU migration management Security Dialogue Oxford Publishers >> ­

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