News archive - April 2009 - Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
November 2009
Commissioner
Hammarberg encourages Bulgaria to make more efforts to protect the rights of minorities and children
[06/11/09
12:30]
Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg concluded a three-day visit to Sofia
during which he assessed progress on the protection of the rights of
minorities and disadvantaged children. The
Commissioner met with the Minister of Interior, Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, and Acting Minister of
Education, Youth and Science, as well as with members of Parliament. He
also held discussions with the Ombudsman, the Commission for the
Protection against Discrimination, religious leaders and a large number
of civil society representatives.
The
Commissioner encouraged the authorities to ensure equal opportunities
for minorities. Of particular concern is the situation of the Roma
community. He visited a Roma settlement in the Republika district of
Sofia where he assessed the living conditions as inhumane. (more)
Picture of the only
water tap available in the visited Roma settlement
“Intelligence secrecy is no excuse for covering up human
rights violations” says Commissioner
[02/11/09
11:00] “Intelligence
agencies have acquired new powers and resources - but they are
not kept under sufficient political and judicial control.
Governments should improve the oversight of these services”
writes Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg in his new Viewpoint
article. In particular, he points out the need to control
co-operation between agencies in different countries.
“Investigations into human rights violations have been prevented
with the argument that such exposure would disturb the
inter-agency collaboration” he says.
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Commissioner
Hammarberg encourages Bulgaria to make more efforts to protect the rights of minorities and children
“Intelligence secrecy is no excuse for covering up human
rights violations” says Commissioner