From the guillotine to the modern execution chamber, the evolution of capital punishment raises fundamental questions about state power, human dignity and the limits of justice. On the European and World Day Against the Death Penalty, the Global Human Rights Defence calls for renewed efforts to abolish capital punishment and uphold human rights everywhere.
Through the specific case of the Italy-Albania Protocol and the Gjadër centre, this article documents the human rights violations produced on the ground to understand the wider logic of the European Union’s externalisation strategy. The harms documented at Gjadër, that is, arbitrary detention, denial of effective remedies, and what monitoring bodies call “institutionalised dehumanisation” thus preview the human rights cost of exporting migration control across the EU.
GHRD attended a side event organised by UN Global Compact France, FIDH and Touton. Drawing on the recently published practical guide written by UN Global Compact France, the panellists explained how companies should approach engagement with communities affected by their work, and how they can avoid the most common pitfalls.
GHRD attended the Opening Plenary, which examined how business and human rights intersect. Speakers addressed business’s shift from distance to engagement on human rights, corporate due diligence, and how companies are translating these commitments into practice.
On Friday, 18th of September, GHRD attended the Western Europe Business and Human Rights Forum in Strasbourg, including a side event on the EU Omnibus Agenda. The discussion examined whether the EU’s push to simplify due diligence rules represents genuine simplification or a broader deregulation of corporate accountability.
GHRD attended the Western Europe Business and Human Rights Forum in Strasbourg, highlighting the need to integrate climate action and human rights into business decisions. The discussion stressed prevention, early action, and putting people and communities at the centre of climate strategies.
Frontline organisations in Spain, Austria and Belgium describe a familiar pattern: the EU’s anti-trafficking rules are sound, but the systems meant to carry them out are not keeping pace. This article examines how Directive (EU) 2024/1712 is being implemented in practice.
Ursula von der Leyen’s second State of the Union address set out the EU’s priorities on competitiveness, climate resilience, security, artificial intelligence and child protection. While the address presented a broad agenda for a stronger and more resilient Europe, human rights concerns received limited attention.
This press release summarizes discussions on the European Union’s revised Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) framework ahead of its 2027 implementation. It highlights proposed changes to GSP+ eligibility, strengthened compliance and monitoring mechanisms, concerns regarding human rights performance in beneficiary countries, and the relationship between trade preferences and international human rights obligations.
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2026, the European Parliament highlighted the global decline of media independence due to violence, legal harassment, and AI-driven disinformation. Experts and lawmakers demanded the EU move beyond condemnation to concrete action, such as better funding distribution, monitoring internal violations of the Media Freedom Act, and using diplomatic leverage to protect journalists worldwide.
