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­ Donate Bi-weekly bulletin Issue 26/02 ­ welcome Dear Statewatcher, Cast your mind back to 2010. The EU was imposing austerity policies amid fierce resistance. In the UK, young people rioted against police racism and violence, whilst university students were ‘kettled’ and beaten for protesting against tuition fees. On the other side of the Mediterranean, revolts challenged and overthrew decades-old dictatorships. It was in this context that I began working at Statewatch as a researcher. More than 15 years later, the political context has changed. The far-right have once again entered the mainstream. The post-war international order is crumbling. The media and information ‘ecosystem’ is larger and more weaponised than ever. European elites are frantically buying and building weapons, claiming it will prevent war. Meanwhile, states have found new ways to restrict rights, punish marginalised groups, and harass refugees. The EU has granted supranational agencies like Frontex and Europol new powers and huge budgets. They’ve built enormous databases to police the movement and behaviour of non-citizens. They continue to adopt new criminal and immigration laws, while making dubious ‘deals’ with dictators behind closed doors. At the same time, there are many reasons to be optimistic. Movements continue to advocate for justice even when facing violent repression — speaking out for the climate, Palestine, refugees and more. On the streets, in parliaments, in the courts and through the media, people continue to challenge surveillance, police powers and state secrecy. We can all contribute in some way, and I hope our work encourages you to do so. This will be my last email to you as director of Statewatch. Reflecting on my time here, and where things stand now, there is one thing that is obvious: the work of this organisation remains vitally important. I am proud to have contributed to it over the past 15 years, and pleased that I will continue to do so, albeit in a different capacity. My thanks go to everyone who I’ve worked with over that time, and to everyone who supports our work: whether by donating, contributing, sharing, or reading. Keep statewatching. Chris Jones Statewatch Director make a donation in € >> make a donation in £ >> ­ latest articles Greece: Criminal law used to target civil society organisations 28 January Invoking the "instrumentalisation" of migration, the UK follows in the EU's footsteps 28 January Schengen borders: more deportations, surveillance and militarisation in the works 10 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 making a donation to support us. borders and frontiers Frontex withholds details about people in distress while data apparently goes to coast guards in Libya Matthias Monroy UK: Protests expected as first asylum seekers arrive at East Sussex camp The Guardian UN experts concerned about EU deportation law UN EU and Mercosur seal historic trade deal Politico Europe Migrants using more distant, riskier departure points to Canaries after Mauritania crackdown, Red Cross finds Reuters Right to international protection in Greece is being "steadily eroded", says new report Human Rights Legal Project and Legal Centre Lesvos coercion and control Met Police arrest 86 Palestine Action protesters for 'breaching prison grounds' The Mirror France: CoE anti-torture committee deplores shameful prison conditions Council of Europe What to expect from 2026: Defending drug policy reform through dark times IDPC UK: Protest by detained asylum seekers met with police violence Guardian From Crackdown to Calculated De-escalation: Human Rights Abuses Against Turkey’s Kurdish Population  Solidarity With OTHERS Death of a man after 20-minute police restraint: violation of the right to life, court rules ECTHR crime and collusion Ireland: Garda unit with Troubles focus formally established Irish Legal News Gaza: IPI condemns killing of  Palestinian photojournalists by Israeli forces International Press Institute  Polish minister warns of ‘dangerous precedent’ as Hungary’s Orbán grants asylum to fugitive politician  Politico Israeli government destroys UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem in blatant breach of international law UN News Blair pressured officials over case of UK soldiers accused of beating Iraqi man to death, files show The Guardian discrimination and racism Oped Why Europe's anti-racism strategy fails to deliver EU Observer AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage The Guardian Surveillance isn’t safeguarding: Think Family and the fight for transparency The Bristol Cable peace and war UK: Challenging the War Machine Declassified UK My final message before I'm on an FBI watchlist: Palantir, Epstein, & The New York Times Ziggurat resistance and solidarity UK: Open letters from Harmondsworth and Brook House detainees Migreurop secrecy and transparency Israel extends media restrictions under law targeting foreign broadcasters Middle East Eye surveillance and snooping Explained: China has been kicked out of most of Horizon Europe Science Europe Ireland: New legislation on lawful interception of communications Irish Legal News UK: Shabana Mahmood proposes AI 'Panopticon' system of state surveillance The National i-Police and the Politics of Promise Brussels Times Belgium: Extra funding approved for ANPR cameras in West Flanders Brussels Morning My final message before I'm on an FBI watchlist: Palantir, Epstein, & The New York Times Ziggurat ­

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