CEELI Launches Dedicated Website Highlighting the Challenges Faced by HRDs Seeking EU Visas

As part of our project efforts aimed at highlighting the need for changes and modifications to EU visa policies, the CEELI Institute has created a special section of our website dedicated to this issue. This website features case studies, a visualization of

As part of our project efforts aimed at highlighting the need for changes and modifications to EU visa policies, the CEELI Institute has created a special section of our website dedicated to this issue. This website features case studies, a visualization of the data gathered from our human rights defender survey, the full report, and the executive summary and recommendations translated into several EU languages. The site also hosts a short advocacy video based upon a real case of a human rights lawyer under serious threat seeking access to the EU, and the challenges and dangers he faced as a result of administrative decisions in the visa application process.

Our research for this project included a comprehensive survey of HRDs from nine countries in Eurasia as well as in-depth interviews with HRDs on their travel and visa application experiences. This work has illustrated some of the legal and practical barriers that HRDs face when applying for visas to enter Europe, and clarified the need for systemic and administrative changes to EU rules that could improve the visa process. Already this work has captured the attention of key officials at the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. We hope this research will be useful to European policy makers as they review this complex area of EU law and regulations with an eye to better accommodating the work of HRDs.

Access HRD Website

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