human rights

In 2025, the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought was awarded to Seyla Benhabib, a philosopher whose life’s work confronts one of the most pressing questions of our time: what social, political, and moral conditions are necessary for human beings to recognize one another as equals. 

In Tunisia, the first decade of democratization did not lead to an expansion of migrant rights. Despite initial attempts to replace the restrictive policies inherited from the authoritarian regime of Ben Ali, domestic and international forces ultimately put breaks on liberal migration reform.

Just days after Taliban violently seized control of Afghanistan, the Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, has warned of a repeat of the situation in 2015 and announced that Greece will not be the “gateway to Europe for illegal Afghan migrants”.

This short sentence is all you need to understand why the German government committed an error of judgment concerning Afghanistan. An error of judgment that kills people every day – and democracy throughout the world as well, by the way.

Modern-day authoritarians will boil you like a frog, whilst slowly turning up the heat. As a citizen of a democratic state, governed by the rule of law, you won’t suddenly wake up one day to find yourself in an authoritarian regime. It will creep up on you. Hiding behind empty slogans such as “regaining national sovereignty” and “national pride”.

In North Macedonia, it has become the norm for pro-Russian politicians to attack activists, human rights defenders and journalists with outrageous online behaviour, bullying and threats to our lives. My case, as the President of the human rights organisation CIVIL, is not an exception, but certainly is one of the most illustrative ones.

The Human Rights Action Plan revealed by Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes bold claims of progress in human rights, freedom of expression, freedom the press and judicial independence. Here an analysis of what the action plan promise us

The new US administration offers the opportunity for a reboot of transatlantic relations, especially in relation to civil society. The calls and grievances expressed by Women’s movements, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the climate generation resonate strongly in both Europe and the US.

The Council of the European Union adopted the long-striven “EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime” on December 7th, 2020. Lawyer Benan Molu from Turkey provides an overview of when, how, and against whom this sanction regime could be invoked, and then, discusses whether it would be realistic for the EU to pursue such an option against Turkey.  

Joint statement by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Goethe Institute, the European Cultural Foundation and the Mercator Foundation to members of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the German Bundestag.

The internet has become the perfect breeding ground and circulatory system for all kinds of untrue or inaccurate claims, thanks in part to the sheer speed and volume of information that it accommodates. As civil society and governments focus on increasing media literacy and pressuring technology companies to change their policies, what can citizens and technology users do in the face of misinformation?

In 2020, we celebrate 75 years of the UN, the intergovernmental organization that, since its formation, aimed to maintain international peace, security, and a protection of human rights. Silke Voß-Kyeck, an expert on the United Nations and rapporteur for Forum Menschenrechte, explores the correlation between finances and human rights protection within the UN for the 75th anniversary of the organisation.

Tech will not free us from coronavirus, but it can provide us with helpful tools – if we foster an open and democratic debate on how to use it.