About the Statewatch Library & Archive

The Statewatch Library & Archive contains an extensive collection of books, reports, journals, magazines, pamphlets and other ephemera. Much of it is “grey material” (informal/unofficial publications) on political and social struggles and movements. It covers topics such as:

• civil liberties and state power;
• policing;
• racism and anti-racism;
• the security and intelligence agencies;
• immigration, asylum and borders
• state surveillance;
• and much more.

Some materials dates back to the 1930s, though the bulk of the collection covers the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. Much of it is not available elsewhere.

Geographically, the collection mainly focuses on the UK, but there is also an extensive amount of material on countries elsewhere in Europe, the institutions of the EU (including border and police agencies such as Frontex and Europol), and other countries and regions around the world.

It is open by appointment by anyone who wishes to visit. It is currently only used to a limited extent. Users are mainly journalists, researchers, lawyers and academics.

Volunteering in the Library & Archive

We are looking for people to undertake the following tasks:

• Updating and maintaining the Library & Archive catalogue
  • Adding new material to the catalogue
  • Improving existing catalogue entries (e.g. with additional information, digitised copies of items)
  • Ensuring material is catalogued correctly
  • Ensuring the catalogue functions as intended
• Supporting visitors to the Library & Archive
  • Arranging bookings
  • Assisting visitors with finding relevant items
  • Keeping the collection in order and easily accessible
• Promoting the Library & Archive
  • Producing promotional materials to distribute to relevant organisations and institutions (e.g. NGOs, schools, colleges, universities)
  • Contributing to social media publicity materials, using items from the Library & Archive

Express your interest

If you are interested in volunteering in the Library & Archive, please write to library@statewatch.org with the following:

• A CV;
• A cover letter (no more than five hundred words) explaining your interest in and suitability for the role;
• An indication of your availability (hours and days per week)

Expressions of interest will be accepted and assessed on a rolling basis, there is no fixed closing date.

If you would like to visit the Library & Archive prior to submitting an expression of interest, please contact library@statewatch.org.

If you have any other questions, please contact library@statewatch.org.

The UK government is developing a “murder prediction” programme which it hopes can use personal data of those known to the authorities to identify the people most likely to become killers.

Researchers are alleged to be using algorithms to analyse the information of thousands of people, including victims of crime, as they try to identify those at greatest risk of committing serious violent offences.

The scheme was originally called the “homicide prediction project”, but its name has been changed to “sharing data to improve risk assessment”. The Ministry of Justice hopes the project will help boost public safety but campaigners have called it “chilling and dystopian”.

The existence of the project was discovered by the pressure group Statewatch, and some of its workings uncovered through documents obtained by Freedom of Information requests.

Full story in The Guardian.

Our article: UK: Ministry of Justice secretly developing ‘murder prediction’ system

"In der EU soll der Verkauf von anonymen Prepaid-SIM-Karten untersagt werden. Das sieht ein Entwurf der polnischen Präsidentschaft des EU-Ministerrats vor, über den die britische Bürgerrechtsorganisation Statewatch berichtet. Eine persönliche Registrierung der Handy-Karten soll demnach in der gesamten Gemeinschaft verpflichtend werden. Laut dem Papier, das der Vorsitz Ende Januar an die Delegationen der Mitgliedsstaaten geschickt habe, seien Prepaid-SIM-Karten "zu einem Instrument für kriminelle Aktivitäten geworden". Sie stellten "eine echte Bedrohung für die öffentliche Sicherheit" dar."

Full article: "Größte Bedrohung": EU-Ratsspitze will anonyme SIM-Karten EU-weit verbieten

We don't currently have any vacancies, but you can contribute to our work in other ways.

Statewatch is a small, non-profit organisation and our work is greatly enhanced by our network of volunteer contributors across Europe.

If you would like to contribute work to Statewatch, please read the following and contact office [at] statewatch.org.

If you would like to contact us using encrypted email, please write to secure [at] statewatch.org using the PGP key here.

Before making a submission, please read and make use of our editorial guidelines. These are designed to make our work clear, accessible and consistent.

Contributing work does not guarantee that it will be published, but we will always read contributions and respond to the author(s).

The Statewatch contributors group is a network of people who support our work by writing articles, providing information, translating material, or sharing contacts to support our research projects.

Anyone who is interested in supporting our work can request to join the Statewatch contributors group by filling in this form.

It is not necessary to request to join the grop to submit an article for publication. However, we will ask all authors of articles accepted for publication if they wish to join the group.

We accept the following types of contributions:

• news articles – 200-1,500 words;
• analyses – 1,000 – 10,000 words;
• documentation – official documents; and
• links – to articles, reports, analyses or information relevant to Statewatch’s work.

Translations of material into English are always welcome, provided that permission is sought from the original author/publisher (where necessary).

News articles can be based on:

• first-hand reporting;
• reports published by NGOs, government bodies or other organisations;
• write-ups of campaigns, protests or other actions;
• write-ups of statements or announcements (e.g. by a campaign group);
• write-ups of academic work;
• official documentation;
• official speeches; or
• book reviews.

Examples of news articles:

• Polish government proposes life-long EU entry bans for deportees
• Italian ministers should face justice for freeing fugitive war criminal, says legal complaint
• EU: Outsourcing borders and migration control: no parliamentary scrutiny in sight

News articles should report facts and other peoples' opinions, but not the author's own opinions.

Analyses should take an in-depth look at an issue or situation. An analysis should provide the author's opinion on the topic in question, as long as that opinion is backed up by evidence.

Analyses can be between 1,000 and 10,000 words in length. Please bear in mind that longer your contribution, the longer it will take us to consider it for publication.

We frequently publish official documentation, both from the EU institutions and national governments.

If you are submitting for us to publish, we would greatly appreciate a short summary of its content.

If you have material you would like to send to us securely, please write to secure [at] statewatch.org using this PGP key.

Through our bi-weekly bulletin we share links to material published by newspapers, NGOs, official bodies and other organisations. You are welcome to send us links to relevant material.

Summaries of the content of those links would be much appreciated, in particular summary translations into English.

"As much as both agencies insist that drones are «helping to save human lives», according to Chris Jones, executive director of the NGO Statewatch, the facts say otherwise: «We know that stopping migrants from reaching Italy is a priority for both Italy and the EU, and we know that one way to achieve this is by using drones to detect migrants and then send them back to Tunisia and Libya». It is up to Frontex and the Guardia di Finanza to dispel these concerns."

Full story: The silence of Italy’s Guardia di Finanza on drones deployed in the Mediterranean

Statewatch is a small team with limited resources and would like to be able to do more. Much of our impactful work is thanks to a vast network of contributors who share their time and expertise with us. Now, we are looking to expand this network to include a few individuals who can offer regular support in writing and publishing social media content. This would help us to better publicise our work and important developments related to human rights, civil liberties, and democratic standards. 

We are activists, researchers, lawyers and journalists exposing state power across Europe and its borders. Our work has supported debates, movements and campaigns since 1991.

Our vision: An open Europe of democracy, civil liberties, personal and political rights, free movement, freedom of information, equality and diversity.

Our mission: To monitor, analyse and expose state activity that threatens civil liberties, human rights and democratic standards in order to inform and enable a culture of diversity, debate and dissent.

In this role, you will support the Head of Communications with the following.

1. Populating the editorial calendar

• Review team content input

• Identify relevant connections between news and Statewatch work

• Schedule content accordingly

2. Writing accessible copy for social media:

• Distil news into key points and collect quotes

• Draft copy for social media content following editorial guidance

• Ensure messaging aligns with Statewatch's mission and messaging guidelines.

• Review edits by Head of Communications

3. Drafting promotional graphics:

• • Use Canva templates and brand guidelines to draft graphics for social media

  • Maintain Canva folder organisation

  • Review edits by Head of Communications

1. Regular posts promoting news and research.

2. Consistent, accessible copy that aligns with Statewatch’s brand voice.

3. Develop skills related to inclusive and accessible communications.

We are looking for someone who:

• Understands basic legal and political language

• Is proficient in written communication in the English language

• Has an interest in translating complex concepts into accessible and inclusive communications

• Gain hands-on experience in accessible communications promoting research and journalism.

• Work closely with a dedicated team passionate about civil liberties and human rights.

• Make a meaningful contribution to Statewatch's work exposing state power.

• Develop valuable skills in communication, research, and advocacy.

Time commitment: Flexible, 1-3 days per week, including regular check-in with the Head of Communications.

Starting date: Immediately.

Compensation: This is an unpaid volunteer position.

Location: Remote

Please send a CV and a brief statement of interest (no more than 250 words) to comms[at]statewatch.org. We welcome alternative formats if preferred, but we ask that they be similar in length and size to a brief statement (for example, videos of no more than 2 minutes). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Our Board of Trustees has legal responsibility for and independent control over Statewatch's management and administration. Being a Trustee is an unpaid but crucial role, to ensure the organisation is run effectively, efficiently and in line with its founding articles and the law.

We are looking for Trustees who meet the following criteria:

• are committed to the vision, mission and objectives of Statewatch;
• have experience of working in the field - and with people working in the field - of human rights and civil liberties and the state in the UK, the EU, and wider Europe;
• have an understanding of how civil society organisations work, and how they should work;
• are able to commit to the responsibilities of being a Trustee, including by regularly reviewing documentation and paperwork, and providing inputs by email and in Trustee meetings (quarterly, online, with additional meetings as required). The term for Trustees is 3 years (renewable up to 3 times).

Please note that there are legal restrictions on who may serve as a Trustee. The board is currently co-chaired by two of the Trustees (Vicky Canning and Lilana Keith).

In particular, we are looking for people with expertise and experience in the following areas:

• fundraising;
• legal knowledge and expertise, particularly as regards employment and charity law;
• organisational growth, development and improving internal policies and procedures;
• are carrying out research and investigation, are working for civil society organisations, or are campaigners and activists on:
  • critical perspectives on counter-terrorism and securitisation;
  • addressing harms of policing and prisons;
  • anti-racism;
  • threats to civil liberties in the United Kingdom;
  • are based in, or have good knowledge of, the Central and Eastern Europe geographical region.

Our vision

An open Europe of democracy, civil liberties, personal and political rights, free movement, freedom of information, equality and diversity.

Our mission

To monitor, analyse and expose state activity that threatens civil liberties, human rights and democratic standards in order to inform and enable a culture of diversity, debate and dissent.

Our objectives

At the beginning of 2022 we adopted a new five-year strategic plan based around three overarching themes:

• Objective 1: Strengthen civil society’s access to information
• Objective 2: Expose and challenge new means of surveillance, coercion and control
• Objective 3: Build a more sustainable and more effective organisation

You can read a summary of the strategic plan here.

Applicants are asked to look here and at our website generally to familiarise yourself with our work and to send us:

1. A CV.
2. A short statement (no more than one page) explaining what you will bring to Statewatch, including details of your involvement in similar organisations and/or related activities.
3. A completed equality and diversity monitoring form (pdf).
4. The contact details of two people who can provide a reference.

Please send these to Rahmatolla Tavakkoli at admin [at] statewatch.org

Please note that some applications will be reviewed by the whole Board of Trustees and Director of Statewatch. All information provided will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

The deadline for applications is 18:00 GMT on Monday 3 February.

Please note that we will only be able to respond to applicants who are invited for interview. We will contact interviewees by Monday 17 February.

If you have any inquiries about this role, please write to: admin [at] statewatch.org