Council of Europe 18/11/2013 Council of Europe urges more creativity online to counter declines in political participation . Strasbourg, 18.11.2013 – Social networks, blogs and online media offer citizens unprecedentedly direct access to democratic life. Is the internet revolutionising our concept of democracy? A new study prepared for the Council of Europe invites governments and civil society to take advantage of the web as a tool for participatory democracy. The study indicates declines in election turnout (in 40 out of 49 democracies worldwide from 2007-2013), party membership, trade union memberships, and other forms of democratic expression. It acknowledges recent...

Council of Europe 13/11/2013 Turkish Minister of Justice, Sadullah Ergin, visits Council of Europe Sadullah Ergin and Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 13 November 2013 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today met Mr Sadullah Ergin, Minister of Justice of Turkey who is paying a visit to the Council of Europe. The Secretary General and the Minister discussed the on-going judicial reforms in Turkey which have led to a reduction of cases pending before the European Court of Human Rights , and also to a reduction of new applications to the Strasbourg Court. Secretary General Jagland welcomed these developments and the cooperation between Turkey and the ECHR. He also inquired about...

Commissioner for Human Rights 12/11/2013 Russia must strengthen the independence and the impartiality of the judiciary Strasbourg, 12/11/13 – “Substantial reforms should continue in order to remedy the systemic deficiencies in the administration of justice and strengthen the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in the Russian Federation,” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, releasing a report on his visit to the Russian Federation carried out from 3 to 12 April 2013.   The Commissioner acknowledges the efforts undertaken by the government to reform the justice system, such as the revision of legislation, the...

Ministerial conference 08/11/2013 Ministerial conference calls for effective safeguards against electronic mass surveillance Belgrade, 08.11.2013 – Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society from the 47 Council of Europe member states have called today for adequate and effective guarantees against abuse concerning the growing technological capabilities for electronic mass surveillance. This abuse “may undermine or even destroy democracy”, they said.   In a political declaration adopted at the conference “Freedom of Expression and Democracy in the Digital Age: Opportunities, rights, responsibilities”, which has been held in Belgrade...

No Hate Speech Conference 08/11/2013 Deputy Secretary General opens No Hate Speech Conference "Hate speech online is not any different from hate speech offline", Gabriella Battaini Dragoni underlined at the opening of "No Hate" Conference at the European Youth Centre. The event, that is bringing together the main players and actors of the campaign, from 36 Member States of the Council of Europe, aims at highlighting once more the relevance of the fight against racism and discrimination in the form of hate speech.   "Hate speech is not free speech. Its consequences are anything but free. Hate speech undermines democracy and leads to hate crimes",...

Secretary General 07/11/2013 Secretary General Jagland meets with Serbian President Nikolić Belgrade, 7 November 2013 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić discussed Serbia’s constructive role in regional reconciliation. Mr. Jagland welcomed Serbia's political reforms and progress towards EU membership. The Secretary General also emphasised the benefits of using the Council of Europe's instruments in Kosovo* on the basis of status neutrality, for example in fighting human trafficking and promoting cultural heritage.   See also: Serbia and the Council of Europe   * All references to Kosovo, whether to the...

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) 06/11/2013 Anti-torture Committee urges European states to improve reporting of evidence of ill-treatment Strasbourg, 06.11.2013 – The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)  urges the 47 Council of Europe member states to ensure the accurate and timely reporting of medical evidence of ill-treatment of detained persons, in order to facilitate investigations. In its annual report published today, the Committee points out that the documenting and reporting of medical evidence of ill-treatment is unsatisfactory in many European states. The procedures in place do not always guarantee that injuries...

Commissioner for Human Rights 06/11/2013 EU border control policies negatively affect human rights Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 6/11/2013 – “The EU externalisation of border control policies has a deleterious effect on human rights, in particular the right to leave a country, which is a prerequisite to the enjoyment of other rights – most importantly, the right to seek asylum”, said today Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights , while releasing a research paper on the right to leave a country . “The right to leave a country is enshrined in most major human rights instruments and is intended to ensure that people can move freely, without...

Parliamentary Assembly 05/11/2013 Political changes in South Mediterranean and Middle East: role of representative institutions Portuguese parliament, Lisbon Strasbourg, 05.11.2013 – The role of representative institutions in the political changes in the South Mediterranean and the Middle East will be the central theme of a conference organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), with the support of the European Union, at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon (Portugal) on Friday 8 November. The conference (open to the press) will start at 9.30 am with speeches by the Speaker of the Portuguese Parliament Assunção Esteves, PACE President...

Deputy Secretary General 05/11/2013 Italian Justice Minister pays official visit to the Council of Europe Anna Maria Cancellieri and Gabriella Battaini Dragoni Strasbourg, 5 November -  The Italian Justice Minister AnnaMaria Cancellieri has been in official visit to the Council of Europe. The Minister presented the new plan on the reform of the judicial system in Italy to the Secretary General  Thorbjørn Jagland, and to the Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini Dragoni. The meetings have focused on the measures to tackle prisons’ overcrowding and the excessive length of judicial proceedings in the country.   “Normative changes in the...

North-South Centre 04/11/2013 Lisbon forum: Empowering civil society in Europe’s southern neighbourhood Ismaili Centre, Lisbon Lisbon 04.11.2013 – As the Arab Spring continues to change climates – sometimes tumultuously – the Council of Europe and its  North-South Centre  in Lisbon have organised a forum to promote constructive dialogue and democracy in Europe’s southern neighbourhood. Supported by the European Union, the  Lisbon Forum  will take place the  6 and 7 November  at the Ismaili Centre building. EU special representative Bernardino Léon will inaugurate the forum, and it will be  entirely open to the...

Council of Europe 04/11/2013 ROMACT project on Roma inclusion launches in Slovakia . Strasbourg, 04.11.2013 – A new project aimed at improving the inclusion of Roma in the local decision-making processes will be launched in Kosice, Slovakia on Tuesday 5 November. The ROMACT project will run for one year in Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Italy, and will focus on building the capacity and political will of local and regional authorities to develop and implement strategies and policies for Roma inclusion. ROMACT is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, implemented in the framework of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma...

Council of Europe 04/11/2013 Ministerial conference in Belgrade: freedom of expression and Internet freedom in Europe . Strasbourg, 01.11.2013 – Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society from the 47 Council of Europe member states meet in Belgrade on 7 and 8 November to discuss how to improve the protection of freedom of expression in Europe. The conference “Freedom of expression and democracy in the digital age: opportunities, rights, responsibilities” is organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia. Participants will discuss the opportunities and challenges to freedom...

Parliamentary Assembly 28/10/2013 Fundamental freedoms respected in well-administered presidential election in Georgia, international observers say . Strasbourg, 28.10.2013 - The 27 October presidential election in Georgia was efficiently administered, transparent and took place in an amicable and constructive environment, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. Fundamental freedoms of expression, movement and assembly were respected, and candidates were able to campaign without restriction. “In a positive and transparent election, the Georgian people have confirmed last year’s historic transfer of power,” said João...