BRUSSELS – Several EU countries abuse the rights of migrants and ethnic minorities, while others are not doing enough to combat homophobia, Amnesty International has said.

The British-based NGO named 24 EU states in its annual report on rights abusers out on Thursday (23 May).

Rough treatment of refugees from Africa and Asia, harsh enforcement of counter-terrorism laws against Muslims and naked racism against Roma people emerged as systematic problems in Europe.

Despite previous promises to the European Commission, France in the first quarter of last year evicted 9,040 Roma people, with local authorities in many cases “flouting” international safeguards against the practice.

French police ignored new rules against ethnic profiling on ID checks.

The names of men who died in French police custody in cases which pre-date 2012 also tell a tale of violence against people of African, Asian or Middle Eastern origin: Abou Bakari Tandia; Ali Ziri; Mahamadou Marega; Mohamed Boukrourou; Abdelhakim Ajimi; and Lamine Dieng.

Germany was taken to task for refusing to grant refugee rights for 195 people from Tunisia and 105 people from Iraq.

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