01 January 2003
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December 2002
EU:Press release from Justice and Home Affairs Council, 19 December 2002: Press release (pdf)
EU: European Ombudsman publishes guide on how Ombudsman can help citizens: Guide (link)
UK: Report on the operation in 2001 of the Terrorism Act 2000. It shows that 131 people were arrested under the Act in the year February-February 2001-2002, of these only 41 were charged and of those charged only 19 were under the Terrorism Act: Report (link)
UK parliament Research Paper on: Communications data: access and retention: Research paper (link)
November 2002
Speech by Sivanandan, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, "The contours of global racism": Text of talk (link)
USA: Text of Homeland Security Act of 2002: Text (link)
NATO meeting in Prague agree to create a "rapid reaction force" which can act globally: Press release
UK: Police arrests, stop and search figures for England and Wales (2001). The statistics show that 740,700 people were stopped and searched, 13% were arrested (but no figures given for the number convicted). This means that 644,409 people were stopped and searched and were not arrested: Report (large pdf, 535k)
The UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has published a report on "Private Military Companies": Text (a very large pdf file 3MB)
October 2002
UK: European Scrutiny Committee produces report on the role of national parliaments in the EU: Report and Statewatch's evidence before the Committee
Germany proposes EU-wide police force: EU police? (link)
USA: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) launches campaign to keep the country "safe and free" from surveillance and snooping: ACLU (link)
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission - Annual Report 2002: Press release Full: Report (link)
Australian telecommunications interception figures: Tapping (link)
USA: Memo Reveals FBI National Security Wiretap Violations: Report
Schengen website launched in USA for visitors to get visas, direct link: Schengen website
European Commission: Update of the "Scoreboard" covering the so-called area of "freedom, security and justice", January-June 2002: Scoreboard (550k, pdf, 91 pages)
September 2002
The challenge to the listing of the PKK as a terrorist group by the Council is summarised in the Official Journals, case in Court: C 233/32 (pdf) plus challenge by the Kurdistan National Congress also to the Court of Justice: Case
Final Declaration of the 7th meeting of Ministers responsible for migration affairs, Helsinki, 16-17 September 2002 (Council of Europe): Declaration (pdf)
USA: "The National Security Strategy of the United States of America", which adds "regime change" to USA objectives: Report (pdf)
Greek Roma Bring Police Brutality Claim to European Court of Human Rights: ERRC press release
"Databasing the DNA of innocent people - why it offers problems not solutions", Liberty response to Court of Appeal judgment and the views of Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys: Liberty
"Anti-terrorism & human rights", Statement from the Basque Observatory of Human Rights: Statement
EU to set up border police force: Full EU report (pdf)
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Privacy International today released the fifth annual Privacy and Human Rights survey. The report reviews the state of privacy in over fifty countries around the world: Report (link)
August 2002
Denmark - statement by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on police bugging journalist's conversation and court case: IFJ
Canada: Canadian government "consultation" paper on data retention and access to e-mails etc: Canada (link) plus article: "Will Canada's ISPs become spies?"
USA: Trials of US ID card: Popular Science (link)
USA: Text of ruling by Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court limiting the powers of the Justice Department: Ruling plus article by James Bamford commenting on the ruling, "It found that the Justice Department wanted to use the U.S.A. Patriot Act improperly": James Bamford (thanks to cryptome)
EU/Italy: Warning on the new e-commerce EU Directive from ALCEI Electronic Frontiers Italy: ALCEI
UK: "Terrorising rights - Privacy, Open Society & the Challenge of September 11th". A one-day public conference organised by Privacy International & the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Friday 6th September 2002: Privacy International Conference programme
USA: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) analysis of the surveillance provisions in the Patriot Act: ACLU
UK: Statutory instrument introducing a "state of emergency" coming into force on 13 November 2001 and still in force: The Human Rights Act 1998 (Designated Derogation) Order 2001
Norwegian expelled from Schengen for five years: Report
Denial of visas to Conference participants - Press Release from War Resisters International (11.8.02): Press release
Report from Wall Street Journal on resistance by German companies for information on employees in the search for terrorists and "profiling": Report
COINTELPRO is an acronym for the FBI's domestic "counterintelligence programs" to neutralize political dissidents. Although covert operations have been employed throughout FBI history, the formal COINTELPRO's of 1956-1971 were broadly targeted against radical political organizations: Church Committee report (link)
UK: Information Commissioner challenges legal basis of data retention. The Information Commissioner has released a legal opinion questioning the legality of the data retention provision of the Terrorism Act 2001. The opinion found that becuase the information can be obtained for other purposes besides national security, it violates the Human Rights Act. Guardian, 30.7.02
July 2002
UK: Joint Committee on Human Rights, 20th Report on the "Draft Extradition Bill" (link)
UK House of Commons Defence Committee report on "Defence and security in the UK" post 11 September: report (link)
U.S. Releases New Anti-Money Laundering Strategy: Money-laundering (link)
Privacy, open society and the challenge of 11 September: A one-day public conference organised by Privacy International & the Electronic Privacy Information Center: Report
"Entangling alliances: NATO security policy and the entrenchment of state secrecy" - and how it effects the freedom of information law in the EU accession countries: Report (pdf)
Adopted text of Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector: Full-text (pdf)
UK: White Paper: "Justice for All": Link (pdf, 950k)
USA: ACLU criticises TIPs informant plan: ACLU
Report that 1 in 24 US citizens are to be recruited as informants under the Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS: Link
UK & Identity Cards: Privacy International: Advice on responding to the government's consultation paper: Advice and Answers to FAQs
European Ombudsman's Annual Report: Report Sections from the report on Statewatch's cases: Statewatch (pdf)
Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court comes into effect on 1 July: ICC (Amnesty)
June 2002
Danish Presidency programme for justice and home affairs: Details
Free movement of families of Union citizens: Commission pursues infringement proceedings against Spain: Press release
Case in European Court of Human Rights to determine right to protect sources: Report
CJFE, RSF raise press-freedom concerns as G8 Summit nears: Report
European Commission: Green Paper on a "Community return policy on illegal immigrants", COM (2002) 175: Full-text (pdf)
Report that USA to introduce data retention denied: Link
Full-text of the revised (dated 18.6.02) proposed EU Directive on asylum procedures, COM (2002) 326: Document and Comments
Council of the European Union, proposal for a: "Council Directive on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection" - re-defining who is a "refugee". The text is "partially accessible" (meaning that the names of the EU Member States have been deleted), doc 7882/02: Text (Word 97) Text (pdf)
May 2002
Amnesty International Annual Report 2002 contains detailed reports on all European countries including their reactions to 11 September as regards civil liberties: European country reports & Full Annual Report
New Statewatch bulletin published: Contents
Surveillance in the USA - interesting article from Village : Link and for their coverage of the "Attack on civil liberties" see: Voice
EU: European Commission Communication to the Convention on the future of the EU: Link
UK: Final draft of code of practice on interception under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA): Text
EU documents reveal details of its demands for so-called "opening up" of Third World markets: Report
April 2002
EU: Text agreed by the Council of the European Union on the Directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of applicants for asylum in Member States: Full-text
EU: Green Paper from the European Commission on "alternative dispute resolution in civil and commercial matters": Full-text
UK: Summary of Home Office "consultation" in the autumn of 2000 on the draft code of practice on the interception of communications under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA): Link
European Commission proposal for a Framework Decision on cybercrime, including cyber-terrorism: Full-text
EU General Affairs Council, 15 April 2002 (Luxembourg): Illegal immigration:Council conclusions: Report
Amnesty International report on people held in US custody in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay: AI report (pdf)
UK: Police Reform Bill, full-text and Explanatory Notes: Link
UK: Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill: full-text (pdf) Explanatory Notes: Link
UK government report on "Privacy and data sharing" (11.4.02): Report (link) Annexes (link)
Latest issue of Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP 70 (3/2001): Summary of articles in English
Report from the Chinese Republic on "Human rights record of the United States 2001: Link
US - CIA World Fact Book for 2001, criticised this year for being more partial than usual: Link
UK Home Office Circular (no 13 /2002, date of Issue: 26 March 2002, implementation 1.4.02) on deaths in police custody or following police contact: Circular (pdf)
March 2002
Scathing attack on migrants conditions and detention in Canary Islands: Report
USA: EPIC FOIA Request Seeks Homeland Security Documents on biometric identity documents: Report
UK: Home Office consultation document on changes in stop and search procedures: Stop and search
Report from US "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press": "Homefront Confidential: How the war on terrorism affects access to information and the public's right to know": Report (pdf)
Belgian investigation into ECHELON: cryptome
Gothenburg police to be charged with "neglect of duty"?: Report
The UK and Romania have set up a joint intelligence unit in Bucharest to "fight illegal migration", background interview with Romanian Minister of the Interior: Interview
The European Convention on the future structure of the EU started work on 28 February. The official Convention website: Convention, there has been set up a site for "civil society" to make its views known: "Official civil society" site
UK: Home Guidance for police and public on sections of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, including fingerprinting and obligation of public to pass on information: Guidance (link)
February 2002
UK Home Office publishes "Code of practice" under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 on the seizure and "detention" of cash: Text
EU Commissioner for Enlargement says restrictions on free movement for accession countries will remain for many years. Although these countries have to implement the justice and home affairs acquis prior to joining they also have to fully implement the Schengen acquis: Report
UK Big Brother Awards by Privacy International, London 4 March 2002: PI
European Commission proposal (COM(2002) 71 final, 11.2.02) for a Council Directive to give short-term residence package to asylum-seekers who "cooperate with the competent authorities" by giving information on "illegal immigration or trafficking in human beings": Proposal (pdf)
ETSI (European Technical Standards Institute) "Telecommunications security: Lawful Interception (LI); Requirements of Law Enforcement Agencies", see: cryptome
UK government White Paper on so-called: "Safe Borders: Safe Havens: Integration with diversity in Modern Britain: Text (pdf)
Graham Watson MEP questions Council over adoption of a different definition of terrorism under the written procedure Decisions on 27 December 2001: Text of Question to Council
Police and human rights training manual produced by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva - provides interesting yardsticks for police forces and their deployment outside the EU: Manual (Word 97) Manual (pdf)
Commission Consultation Paper: "Procedural safeguards for suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings: Paper
January 2002
New chair for European Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights
Spanish Presidency of the EU (January-June 2002): Programme
Report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on the failure of a facial recognition system: ACLU
US domestic surveillance programme: COINTELPRO
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