Latest news and stories about human rights in europe in Portugal for expats and residents.
The European Union has formally requested that the Venezuelan government release all political prisoners, highlighting the plight of 667 individuals currently detained, including five Portuguese citizens.
The European Parliament has voted to standardise rape laws across member states, establishing that consent must be express and voluntary, moving away from the 'no means no' framework.
In May, the 46 member states of the Council of Europe adopted the Chisinau Declaration, expressing concerns over European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings on immigration. While the declaration warrants attention as a sign of member states feeling the organization is drifting from their intent, the author argues the concerns are largely a 'storm in a teacup' driven by post-2015 immigration obsessions, noting that migration cases represent only 1.5% of the court's pending workload. The article highlights the dangers of potentially weakening the absolute prohibition against torture and criticizes the push for externalisation policies, such as sending migrants to third countries, which have historically raised significant human rights concerns.
The new European Union migration regulations represent a “double discrimination” for migrant women and children, according to the organisers of the European Magistrates for Democracy and Liberties (MEDEL) congress, which concluded today in Bilbao.
Portugal is at risk of receiving an unprecedented ruling from the European Court of Human Rights regarding its prison system.
The European Commission considered it essential to guarantee human rights education. “Teachers are not sufficiently prepared to deal” with hate speech. Xenophobia is the most prominent.
At issue is a video posted by the Israeli Minister of National Security, in which activists from the Gaza flotilla appear tied up and forced to kneel.
Portugal is among the 86 delegations that committed today, at the UN, to strengthening the civilian protection agenda at a time of severe financial constraints within the United Nations.
By addressing a specific identity, the EU Court of Justice enters the terrain of culture wars and confronts member states that violate the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities. Opinion by Nausica Palazzo
The rule of law does not live in the speeches where it is celebrated. It lives in the difference between accusing and proving, sanctioning and judging, suspecting and destroying.
The President of the Republic repudiated the “public humiliations of human beings and undignified treatment”. Faced with the “risks” to human rights, he called for a “preventive and determined outlook”.
The European Union (EU) today classified the treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel as “completely unacceptable,” following the release of a video shared by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against Portugal due to excessive delays in processing an appeal concerning a pre-trial detention case.
Since joining in 1961, Spain had participated in 64 consecutive editions, winning in 1968 and 1969. The first interruption occurs now, in 2026, in protest against Israel's admission to the contest.
The European executive promises to recommend that member states ban these practices by 2027
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) organisation accused the European Union, in a report released today, of allowing the export of surveillance technology to countries with a proven history of using the technology to spy on critical voices.
Red lines, not red carpets. Opinion by João Godinho Martins
Two Portuguese citizens are in a situation considered inhumane. The MEP pointed out that the Venezuelan regime has not softened following the indictment of Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
PRESS REVIEW | Two families have already expressed their intention to pursue the matter in the European justice system
The idea of universality underlying human rights repudiates the hierarchisation of human beings based on their location or origin.
Silence, lack of resistance, the absence of a 'no', or past sexual behaviour should not be interpreted as consent, the European Parliament stated.
The European Parliament has approved a report advocating for the adoption of a legal definition of rape common to all Member States, based on the absence of consent rather than criteria such as the use of force or victim resistance.
Members of the European Parliament will propose that the European Commission approve a common definition of rape based on the absence of free consent. Paulo Cunha is one of the signatories of the measure.
Over one million people across 17 European countries are challenging the European Union over its silence and inability to take a stance regarding the Israeli government. The article argues that the EU's inaction and double standards regarding international law, particularly concerning the conflict in Gaza and the expansion of settlements, have eroded its moral authority. It highlights the contrast between Spain's proactive stance and Portugal's passive alignment, specifically citing Portugal's failure to uphold international humanitarian law by allowing F-35 fighter jets to stop at Lajes Air Base. The author concludes that severing diplomatic ties with the current Israeli government is not extremism, but a necessary act of consistency and dignity.
Several Member States, including Portugal, publicly expressed their support for the European Commission against the Hungarian anti-LGBT law. Would it be the same today? A column by Filipa Samões Azevedo.
At least 110 people were the target of legal proceedings in the European Union (EU) in 2025 “for helping migrants”, according to a report released by the non-governmental organisation PICUM, which believes the number is likely “much lower than the reality”.
The 'Amendment Act', adopted in 2021, has a harmful influence on the physical, mental and moral development of minors solely due to their identity or sexual orientation, the court ruled.
The Europe that prides itself on being a beacon of human rights has just turned off the light precisely where it was needed most. No political speech will be able to mask this irresponsibility. Opinion by Odete Severino Soares
The European Citizens' Initiative has reached 1 million signatures in just 3 months. This initiative aims to pressure the European Commission to fully suspend the association agreement between the European Union and Israel.
