On the 10th of December we celebrate the 69th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With the rise of authoritarian leaders in many European countries, the need to protect our human rights - written for the first time into the Universal Declaration - is bigger than ever.

It is high time to stop thinking that we Europeans can sit back comfortably.

Human rights abuses no longer only happen far away. They have become a serious European problem.

The governments in Poland and Hungary have rewritten judiciary laws and fired and hired judges to tilt the courts in their favour, ensuring that no legislation they pass will be deemed unconstitutional.

Hundreds of thousands of Romanians began the year demonstrating against corruption – only to have the government answer by passing laws that attempt to ban serious protests. Spain’s government has passed a ‘gag law’ that limits what demonstrators and journalists can legally say or write.

Western European countries like the Netherlands and Germany, once bastions of privacy, are joining other states in collecting information about everything you do online.

In many EU countries, independent media – a critical pillar of democracy – has been silenced or taken over by the government or powerful elites with their own agendas.

The Mediterranean is turning into a mass grave as governments let tens of thousands of people drown before reaching the safety of the EU.

And activists trying to protect our rights and stand up to these abuses are being harassed and repressed by several EU governments.

Liberties and its members are working on these issues every day because we need to defend our rights now more than ever. They keep us free, and they keep us safe.

Watch our video and stand with us to bring our rights to life in Europe!

Please consider a small donation to help our work, or become a regular supporter with a recurring monthly donation!