The Commissioner
Welcome
Biography

 
Speeches and statements
 Media section
News archive
RSS
Multimedia
Newsletter
Media contact
 The Office
Who is who
Contact

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights concludes his visit to Turkey

[03/07/09 16:00] Commissioner Hammarberg concluded today a six-day visit to Turkey during which he held discussions with the President, the Ministers of Justice and EU Affairs and other representatives of national and local authorities, international agencies and non-governmental organisations. The focus was on the human rights of minorities as well as of asylum seekers and refugees. The Commissioner encouraged the authorities to take further action in order to protect fully minority members’ freedom of expression and align legislation and practice with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. It appears necessary that certain legislative provisions of the criminal code, such as Articles 301 and 220, and their application be revisited. (more)

“All people in Kosovo* should benefit from European standards of human rights protection” says Commissioner Hammarberg on publishing his report
[02/07/09 09:00] Presenting his special mission report on Kosovo today, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that all people living in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnicity, must benefit from European standards of human rights protection. They should not be held hostage to any lack of international consensus on the status of Kosovo. The Commissioner analyses the every day human rights problems faced by the people living in Kosovo. Focusing on access to justice, policing, and minority rights, as well as the fate of refugees and internally displaced persons, he observes that Kosovo has an advanced legislative framework in place, but its implementation still needs to be ensured. "An effective access to the judıcıal system is not being respected in practice, in particular in the northern municipalities. Corruption of the judiciary and different public sectors should be also tackled more effectively.” (more)
Read the Report

* “All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.”
“The right to housing is essential in a democratic society”, says Commissioner Hammarberg
[30/06/09 09:30] “The right to housing is of central importance to the effective enjoyment of most human rights. States should ensure their implementation, in particular in times of economic crisis” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, issuing a recommendation on housing rights. “Many people across Europe are experiencing a great housing need which is exacerbated by the current economic crisis. Significant numbers of people cannot access housing in the market while others have nowhere to live or live in places unfit for human habitation. Among those facing major difficulties are Roma and Travellers, victims of domestic violence, people with disabilities, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, tenants without security, certain national minorities and other discriminated groups, as well as people on the lowest parts of the labour market.” (more)
Read the Recommendation

Previous news

ON THE COMMISSIONER'S AGENDA

28/06-03/07/09
Visit to Turkey

06/07/09
Inaugural Lecture at the International Institute of Human Rights Study Session 2009, Université de Strasbourg http://www.iidh.org

Participation in the Council of Europe 4th Summer University for Democracy Strasbourg

07/07/09
Participation in the 11th Annual EU-NGOs Forum on Human Rights Stockholm, Sweden http://www.humanrights
ngoforum.eu/index.html

29/07/09
Participation in the 2nd World Outgames and International Human Rights Conference Copenhagen, Denmark http://www.copenhagen2009
.org/Conference.aspx