European Court of Human Rights 22/07/2011 Court of Human Rights: violation of freedom of expression in case Heinisch v. Germany European Court of Human Rights In the Chamber judgment on 21 July, in the case Heinisch v. Germany, the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned the dismissal of a geriatric nurse after having brought a criminal complaint against her employer alleging deficiencies in the care provided.   The applicant, Brigitte Heinisch, was employed as a geriatric nurse by Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH, a company...

Secretary General 21/07/2011 Secretary General Jagland reacts to executions in Belarus Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland "The Council of Europe has received reports of the execution of two men in Belarus. I firmly condemn these new executions", Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said in his statement on 21 July. Unfortunately, Belarus remains the only European country that practices the death penalty, despite this Organisation's many efforts to conduct a dialogue on abolition or at least a moratorium. If confirmed, these latest executions, are another important setback to the Council of Europe’s aspiration to bring Belarus closer to European values. I reiterate...

President of the Parliamentary Assembly 20/07/2011 Good day for justice and for Serbia Mevlüt Çavusoglu Following the arrest today of Goran Hadzic, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlüt Çavusoglu made the following statement: "The arrest of Goran Hadzic is excellent news, and I congratulate the Serbian authorities on this important step – which our Assembly has long been calling for. Together with the arrest of Ratko Mladic less than two months ago, this sends a strong signal that Serbia is at last fulfilling its commitment to bring to justice those who committed awful crimes in the dark years of the war". ( more...) ...

Secretary General 20/07/2011 Secretary General Jagland welcomes arrest of Goran Hadžić Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland The arrest of Goran Hadžić, the last remaining fugitive indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, following the arrest and extradition of Ratko Mladic last May, is a highly symbolic moment for the history of Serbia and for the whole region. It is an important step in the fight against impunity and essential for reconciliation in the region. The Council of Europe believes that all war crimes committed during this painful period of recent European history should be fully investigated and prosecuted.

Commissioner for Human Rights 20/07/2011 Penalising women who wear burqa does not liberate them Thomas Hammarberg Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudices continue to undermine tolerance in Europe. One symptom is the debate about banning the burqa and niqab in public places. In Belgium a law will enter into force on Saturday 23 July, which besides a fine provides for up to seven days of imprisonment for women wearing such a dress, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in his latest Human Rights Comment published today. France became in April this year the first country in Europe to prohibit full face veils, exposing anyone who wears the niqab or...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 19/07/2011 Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Latvia Prisons The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its most recent visit to Latvia, which took place from 3 to 8 December 2009. The main objective of the visit was to review progress made as regards the treatment and conditions of detention of prisoners, in the light of the recommendations made by the Committee after the 2007 visit to Latvia. To that end, the CPT’s delegation re-visited Jēkabpils...

Commissioner for Human Rights 19/07/2011 Judgments issued by European Court cannot be ignored European Court of Human Rights People turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg because they feel unable to find justice at home. Though the majority of European states do comply with the Court’s decisions, there are some which are strikingly slow to abide by their obligation to execute the judgments. This is serious - a prompt, full and effective execution of the Court’s judgments is key for the effective implementation of the European Convention’s standards in domestic law, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in his latest...

Parliamentary Assembly 18/07/2011 Parliamentary Assembly: fact-finding visit to Armenia Flag of Armenia John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will make a fact-finding visit to the country from 19 to 21 July.   In Yerevan they are due to discuss the latest developments regarding the normalisation of the political environment, as well as the reform programme started by the authorities, in particular election reform ahead of the 2012 parliamentary elections.   They are due to meet the Speaker of Parliament, the President,...

Commissioner for Human Rights 13/07/2011 Time for justice to be done in murder of Natalia Estemirova Natalia Estemirova Copyright © PEN "I have raised this case repeatedly with authorities in Russia, both at federal and local levels, and been assured that the investigations would be successfully completed in the near future. It is important that no more time is wasted before this crime is solved, that the evidence brought forward is credible and that not only the four assailants but also those who ordered the murder are brought to justice",  said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg.     Natalia Estemirova was a...

Parliamentary Assembly 12/07/2011 Parliamentary Assembly: fact-finding mission to Russian Federation Flag of the Russian Federation György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD) and Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of the Russian Federation, will make a fact-finding visit to Moscow on 13-14 July to discuss with Duma representatives the road-map for fulfilment of Russia’s obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe.   The co-rapporteurs will also meet representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Central Election Commission to discuss concerns regarding the registration of...

Commissioner for Human Rights 12/07/2011 Respect and protection of freedom of expression vital for democracy in Turkey Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg “Despite the progress made by Turkey in recent years regarding free and open debates on previously sensitive issues, the situation of freedom of expression and media freedom remains particularly worrying. Urgent measures are needed to uphold these rights and foster a more tolerant atmosphere towards criticism and dissent” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, releasing today a report on Turkey. The Commissioner welcomes recent changes to the Turkish Constitution, which...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) 12/07/2011 Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Poland Prisoner (Copyrights Gamma) The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its fourth periodic visit to Poland in November/December 2009, together with the response of the Polish authorities.   During its visits to Polish prisons, retention centres for foreign nationals held under aliens legislation and specialised institutions, the delegation received no allegations of physical ill-treatment. The...

Parliamentary Assembly 11/07/2011 Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu conveys condolences after boat accident on the Volga river Assembly President Mevlüt Çavusoglu In a letter of condolence addressed today to the Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Boris Gryzlov, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today wrote: “I was shocked and saddened by the news of more than 100 people, many of them children, perishing in a boat accident on the Volga river. On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I would like to express my profound sympathy to the people of Russia for this terrible loss of life....

Secretary General 07/07/2011 Secretary General makes official visit to Rome Thorbjørn Jagland and Vincenzo Scotti Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met today with the Italian Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Vincenzo Scotti, at the Farnesina in Rome. The meeting focused on the reform of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Mr. Jagland also exchanged views with Luigi Vitali, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Delegation of Italy to PACE. At a press briefing Secretary General presented the Eminent Persons' report "Living Together – Combining diversity and freedom in 21st-century Europe”, with the participation of Emma Bonino. ...

European Court of Human Rights 07/07/2011 Court delivers judgments against United Kingdom concerning Iraq The European Court of Human Rights In its Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Al-Skeini and Others v. the United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights held that the United Kingdom was required to investigate the deaths of six civilians killed in Iraq in 2003 in incidents involving British soldiers. The Court also delivered its Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Al-Jedda v. the United Kingdom, in which it held that the three-year internment of an Iraqi civilian by the British forces in Iraq had breached the Convention. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of...

Secretary General 07/07/2011 Thorbjørn Jagland calls for better protection of privacy Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Reacting to recent allegations of telephone-hacking by journalists in the UK, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland issued the following statement: "Telephone-hacking is a crime. In times of cut-throat competition in the media sector, journalists and editors must act responsibly, strengthen their self-regulation, and respect citizens' right to privacy. He added that governments need to act resolutely to fight and to prevent violations of this fundamental right, whilst actively protecting and promoting freedom of speech. ...

MONEYVAL Committee 07/07/2011 Anti-money laundering committee publishes report on Albania Anti-money laundering The Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee (Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism) today published its fourth round Evaluation report on Albania. The report stresses that Albania has made considerable progress to improve its AML/CFT regime since the 2006 third round report. However, the risk of money laundering remains high. Albania has a history of organised crime with clan-based and hierarchically organised networks that are mainly involved in drug trafficking. The relative size of the cash‑based...

Commissioner for Human Rights 07/07/2011 European media contribute to xenophobia and anti-Gypsy stereotypes Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights "Media has great power in shaping our image of the world – and with that comes great responsibility. Today the media too often fail to live up to this responsibility, especially when it comes to Roma and Travellers. Some media contribute to xenophobia through biased reporting and cheap sensationalism. The consequences can be fatal. For example, the cold-blooded murder of six Roma, including a 5-year-old child, in Hungary in 2008/9 was committed in an atmosphere fuelled by hate speech" says Thomas...

Committee of Ministers 06/07/2011 Council of Europe Committee of Ministers calls on Texan authorities to halt execution Committee of Ministers, Council of Europe The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, on the occasion of its meeting of 6 July 2011, was informed that Humberto Leal Garcia, a Mexican citizen who was sentenced to death in 1994, is due to be executed on 7 July 2011. Recalling its unwavering opposition to the death penalty and having regard to the ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Avena Case, it appeals to the Texan authorities not to proceed with the execution.  

European Commission and Council of Europe 06/07/2011 European Commission and Council of Europe step up work for Roma with Mediators agreement Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland and EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou after the signature of a joint declaration The Council of Europe and the European Commission today intensified their efforts to improve the place of the Roma minority within European society by agreeing joint action for training Roma Mediators. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland and EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou officially endorsed the agreement launching the Programme at a meeting of the Council of...