News
Launched in 1999 and updated regularly, Statewatch News includes our own reporting and writing as well as articles, announcements, documents and analyses from elsewhere on civil liberties, EU policies and state practices. You can receive updates in your inbox by signing up to our mailing list, or use our RSS feed to get instant alerts.
UK: Over 1,300 people profiled daily by Ministry of Justice AI system to ‘predict’ re-offending risk
Over 20 years ago, a system to assess prisoners’ risk of reoffending was rolled out in the criminal legal system across England and Wales. It now uses artificial intelligence techniques to profile thousands of offenders and alleged offenders every week. Despite serious concerns over racism and data inaccuracies, the system continues to influence decision-making on imprisonment and parole – and a new system is in the works.
UK: Ministry of Justice secretly developing ‘murder prediction’ system
The Ministry of Justice is developing a system that aims to ‘predict’ who will commit murder, as part of a “data science” project using sensitive personal data on hundreds of thousands of people.
UK government wants to legalise automated police decision-making
A proposed law in the UK would allow police decisions to be made solely by computers, with no human input. The Data Use and Access Bill would remove a safeguard in data protection law that prohibits solely automated decision-making by law enforcement agencies. Over 30 civil liberties, human rights, and racial justice organisations and experts, including Statewatch, have written to the government to demand changes.
Swedish parliament urged to reject law that would "greatly undermine security and privacy"
The Swedish parliament is benig urged to reject a law that would "force companies to store and provide law enforcement with access to their users’ communications, including those that are end-to-end encrypted." The law, designed to strengthen police powers, would "create vulnerabilities that criminals and other malicious actors could readily exploit," says the letter. More 230 organisations and individuals from more than 50 countries have signed the letter, including Statewatch.
Serbia: Mass protests continue despite government repression
Almost 140 organisations from across Europe and beyond have expressed their solidarity with people in Serbia protesting against the government. An open letter condemns the Serbian government’s “effort to silence critical voices and suppress fundamental freedoms,” in response to nationwide protests sparked by the collapse of a train station. Statewatch has signed the letter.
EU officials discuss banning anonymous use of mobile phones
The Polish government has suggested new EU rules to ban the anonymous purchase of prepaid SIM cards for mobile phones.“The main threat associated with prepaid SIM cards is anonymity,” says a document obtained by Statewatch. Extensive research has found no evidence that bans on anonymous purchases of SIM cards contribute to reducing crime.
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.
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).
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.
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.
EU: Digital and migrant rights groups call for "full rejection" of new anti-smuggling powers
Two new laws against migrant smuggling should be rejected by EU legislators, says a position paper published today. The paper, by the #ProtectNotSurveil coalition, analyses two proposals: an update of a 20-year old law on criminal penalties for migrant smuggling; and new rules to give police agency Europol more powers. The approach adopted by the EU "will not provide the care and protection people need, but only aggravate the criminalisation and dehumanisation of people on the move," argues the paper. Statewatch is a member of #ProtectNotSurveil and supported the drafting of the paper.
Libya: After discovery of mass graves, EU funding should "save lives and open up safe routes"
More than 30 organisations, including Statewatch, have called on the European Commission to use its funding for immigration control in Libya "to save lives and to provide alternatives to dangerous journeys." The call comes after the discovery of two mass graves in Libya, containing the bodies of almost 50 people believed to have been migrants and refugees.
€1,500 and a one-way ticket: how Cyprus deports Syrian refugees with EU support
Cyprus has been unlawfully detaining Syrian refugees for years, and has coerced thousands of people to go back to Syria through a supposedly "voluntary" return programme. Behind those "voluntary" returns lies a lack of access to asylum procedures, intimidation by officials, and appalling detention conditions. The European Commission and Frontex have supported the programme, despite internal concerns. EU funds for the Cypriot deportation regime run into the tens of millions of euros, but the real price is paid by Syrian refugees.
Polish government proposes life-long EU entry bans for deportees
In the coming months, EU institutions will start negotiating a new law to increase deportations. EU governments want their positions taken into account in the European Commission’s forthcoming proposal. The Polish government has proposed banning deportees from EU territory for “an indefinite period of time,” alongside other coercive measures.
Protest in Ceuta commemorates "all those who, in search of a better life, met their death"
On 8 February, activists and campaigners once again gathered in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to demand justice for the deaths of 14 people in 2014. The 14 drowned after Guardia Civil officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at them as they tried to reach Spanish territory. The manifesto of the 'XII March for Dignity', supported by Statewatch and published here, calls for the Spanish state to "make reparations to their victims and establish mechanisms to safeguard lives at the borders."
New bulletin on outsourcing of Europe's borders out now
30+ internal EU documents on border management and control, deportation, migration "partnerships" and more /// Updates on case law relevant to border externalisation /// Analysis of Frontex's increasing role in non-EU states
Italian ministers should face justice for freeing fugitive war criminal, says legal complaint
A case filed with the International Criminal Court calls for the launching of investigations into Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, and two other high-ranking Italian politicians. The complaint accuses them of helping an alleged war criminal wanted by the ICC to escape from Italy to Libya. In doing so, they obstructed the work of the International Criminal Court, says the filing - a crime under international law.
EU: Outsourcing borders and migration control: no parliamentary scrutiny in sight
EU member states are looking for ways to “improve” the outsourcing of border and migration controls to non-EU countries. This entails more funding for authoritarian regimes, and more violence and abuse against migrants and refugees. A document obtained by Statewatch outlines the key topics of interest to the EU’s secretive “operational coordination mechanism.” Transparency and democratic scrutiny are not on the list.
Why Statewatch is leaving X
Today, Statewatch officially bids a not-so-fond farewell to X (formerly known as Twitter). After over a decade of sharing research, exposing abuses of power, and engaging in critical conversations on the platform, we’ve decided it’s time to take our leave.
EU police cooperation with Egypt sacrifices "people's rights and freedoms" for security
An open letter to EU officials raises serious concerns over a planned agreement between Europol (the EU police agency) and Egyptian law enforcement authorities. The letter opposes the agreement due to Egypt’s “abysmal human rights record.” It condemns the plan as part of a regional strategy that "places security interests above any consideration of justice, democracy and people’s rights and freedoms." The letter has been signed by over 40 organisations and individuals, including Statewatch.
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