<nettime> On-line civil liberties news service launched

["Ben Hayes" <ben@statewatch.pipal.net>]

STATEWATCH NEWS ONLINE


Statewatch, an independent network of researchers, journalists and 
community activists monitoring civil liberties and justice and home 
affairs issues, has launched an online news service.


<<http://www.statewatch.org/news>


The (free) online service will provide an alternative news source by 
covering stories which do not =93make the news=94 in the mainstream 
media and by providing in-depth coverage of those that do.


Users of the site can register an e-mail address to receive news 
and announcements.


Current stories (June 2000):


[EU] "EU-FBI global telecommunications surveillance system": in-
depth coverage of the background to and development of the 
proposed system.


[UK] Police (Northern Ireland) Bill: =93Patten=92s radical model of 
policing is emasculated in Police (NI) Bill=94, plus detailed 
comparison of the Bill and =93Implementation Plan=94 with the 175 
recommendations in the Patten report, plus suggested 
amendments to the Bill.


[Italy] =93Crisis in Italian prisons=94: A major investigation into 
allegations concerning the Sassari prison in Sardinia has focussed 
attention on chronic overcrowding. In 1999 there were 53 suicides, 
920 attempted suicides, 83 deaths, 2 murders and 5,522 hunger 
strikes in Italian prisons


[EU] =93Mutual recognition of criminal judgments=94: JHA Officials are 
drawing up plans for the EU-wide mutual recognition of criminal 
court orders and rulings. This will oblige member states to act on 
each other=92s pre-trial orders - including arrest warrants, witness 
summons and evidence seizure - and final judgments. Discussions 
to date raise questions asd to whether the need to facilitate cross-
border prosecutions will be matched by adequate rights for 
suspects and defendants.


[UK] =93New bill extends state surveillance=94: Overview of the 
=93Regulation of investigatory powers bill, detailed clause by clause 
analysis, telephone-tapping figures 1937-1998 and article on the 
surveillance of communications in Russia..


[Ireland] =93Liaison officers and readmission agreements to prepare 
for deportations=94: Ireland has signed its first readmission agreement 
and is negotiating several more. A special immigration police unit 
is being created by the Gardai and will have liaison officers 
stationed in Paris and London with the power to arrest and detain 
deportees. Civil liberties groups have expressed concerns about 
the rights of refugees and migrants


[UK] =93Marchioness public inquiry=94: Eleven years after the 
Marchioness disaster, when a pleasure launch in the Thames was 
hit and sunk, bereaved and survivors have finally got a public inquiry.


[EU] =93Europol given go-ahead to exchange data with non-EU states 
and agencies=94: The JHA Council has given Europol the go-ahead to 
start negotiating with third states and agencies to exchange 
intelligence (both ways) on =93suspects=94. This is meant to be 
dependant on these states having data protection rules up to EU 
standards, but will they?





______________________________________________________
Monitoring the state & civil liberties in Europe
Online news service: <http://www.statewatch.org/news>
Statewatch, PO BOX 1516, London. N16 0EW. UK
Phone: 0044-(0)20-8802-1882
Fax: 0044-(0)20-8880-1727

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