By Nicola Smith - 14th January 2004
Amnesty International has appealed to EU governments to step up the fight against human rights abuses following damning allegations against the German police force.
In a 77-page report released on Wednesday, EU heavyweight Germany comes under fire from the human rights group for alleged ill-treatment and excessive use of force by German police officers.
A significant number of accusations have come from foreign nationals or members of ethnic minorities.
Amnesty's report on Germany follows recent claims against Greece and Spain and regular bi-annual reports highlighting human rights failings in the current and new member states.
In another report published on Monday, Amnesty called for the EU to put its own house in order before it enlarges to 25 members, giving only two member states a clean bill of health in the field of human rights.
In an open letter to EU President and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, the Director of AI’s Brussels office Dick Oosting pointed to “clear and strong reasons for the EU to address human rights issues within its own borders.”
“Human rights…are rightly regarded as a cornerstone in its external relations, yet the EU does not appear to have remedies when they are violated at home.”
And, he continues, “serious infractions of human rights in one member state are not just the responsibility of that country but should also be the proper concern of the EU at home.”
The group has asked EU leaders to develop ways to foster more accountability at an EU level for human rights abuses.
The European Commission has already in recent months made a tentative start in monitoring member states compliance, by calling for more powers to invoke Article 7 of the European Treaties.
The charges against Germany include complaints from individuals of being kicked, punched and knelt on when in police custody, with some victims of the alleged ill-treatment suffering serious injury.
The report also highlights several instances, during which unarmed individuals were controversially shot dead by the police.
Amnesty has appealed to Berlin to redouble its efforts to prevent police abuse, investigate allegations promptly and to penalise offenders.
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