Govt urged to promote human rights within EU

Amnesty International has called on the Government to ensure that human rights are high on the agenda during its six-month presidency of the European Union.

Dick Oosting, the director of the organisation's EU bureau, said the Italian government had virtually ignored human rights during its stint as EU president, which ended on December 31.

Mr Ossting said human rights violations ranging from police brutality and torture to denying due process to asylum seekers were recorded in 13 of the 15 EU member states last year.