Summary: The European Patent Office has ceased even trying to pretend that it respects human rights, including the right to free speech

Staff suicides at the EPO are a frequent occurrence [1, 2, 3] as the last/latest one was just a week ago. This can reasonably well be blamed on a regime of terror, led by the arrogant, Napoleonic Battistelli. He rules with an iron fist and violates many rules, laws, regulations, etc. There's no real protection from a thug like him who pretends to be above the law (impunity), so people are rightly afraid. It's the same with armed policemen who destroy video evidence and do as they wish, basically acting like unaccountable goons.

Worst among all is probably Battistelli's so-called Investigation Unit, which is basically just a bunch of goons, who even hire the 'British Blackwater' to go after staff and after journalists. Just for the uninitiated, who haven't been following what we covered here before, here are some reminders:

• More Utter Shame Unveiled at Battistelli's EPO: Intimidation Tactics With Help From 'Control Risks'
• Süddeutsche Zeitung Article About the EPO's Investigation Unit and Control Risks Group
• The EPO Sinks Deeper in a Scandal After Paying Public Money for Military-Connected Control Risks to Stalk Journalists and Staff
• EPO May be Creating Its Own Lawless NSA (or GCHQ) With Control Risks Group Deal
• EPO Officially Confirms That It Specifically Hired Control Risks Group (CRG) to Spy on Journalists and Their Sources
• EPO Corruption Compared to FIFA Corruption While 'Control Risks' Helps EPO Hide/Suppress Evidence of Corruption; Calls on German Authorities to Crack Down on Both
• The European Patent Office Has Become Militarised
• EPO Reluctantly (and Privately) Confirms Giving Public Money for Military-connected 'Control Risks' to Spy on Journalists and Their Sources While Techrights is Under Fresh DDOS Attacks
• EPO Data Protection Officer 'Just a Dictator's Minion', Approved Keyloggers and Hidden Cameras
• European Patent Office (EPO) Now Uses Keyloggers to Spy on Staff
• Investigation Unit a Complete Farce Inside the EPO
• Süddeutsche Zeitung Says Talking Helps While EPO Management Back-stabs Other Side of the Table
• EPO Surveillance, Threats, and Patronisation of Dutch Legal System Covered in Dutch Article From De Volkskrant
• Techrights Confirmed as a Target of EPO Surveillance, With Help From Control Risks Group (CRG)

"The Office continues to filter emails sent to EPO staff and containing the word SUEPO in the subject," SUEPO wrote on the 26^th of this month (an update titled "Filtering of SUEPO emails"). It's not exactly surprising anymore. The EPO is nuts, so this is expected. "A SUEPO lawyer addresses Mr Battistelli," wrote SUEPO, "by pointing out the legal implications and requests the end of the filtering. A copy of the letter can be found here."

In a very crude, undemocratic fashion they do not just try to completely gag opposition, even if that opposition is the staff union, i.e. EPO staff rather than outsiders. For the record, here is the text of this complaint from SUEPO (it's in German, so translations would be well received) ⬆