Parliamentary Assembly 02/09/2013 Egypt: Parliamentary Assembly Bureau calls for political dialogue . Strasbourg, 02.09.2013 – The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting today in Dubrovnik (Croatia), called for an inclusive reconciliation process and political dialogue in Egypt which would prevent any further recourse to violence, allow a return to stability and create conditions for the organisation of free and fair elections as soon as possible. A military intervention is not a solution for democratic deficits. The interim authorities should implement without delay a roadmap for the normalisation of the political climate in the country and...

Committee of Ministers 27/08/2013 Armenia hosts 2013 Council of Europe Exchange on religious dimension of intercultural dialogue Statue of M. Mashtots, theologian and linguist, in Yerevan, Armenia Strasbourg. 28.08.2013 – “Freedom of religion in today’s world: challenges and guarantees”: in the framework of the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers , the 2013 Council of Europe Exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue takes place at the Government Guest House, in Yerevan, on 2-3 September 2013. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Edward Nalbandian,...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) 27/08/2013 Latvia should address ill-treatment by police and improve detention conditions . Strasbourg, 27.08.2013 – In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) calls on the Latvian authorities to address ill-treatment in police establishments, inter-prisoner violence and the provision of health care in prisons and the detention conditions of life-sentenced prisoners. In the course of the 2011 visit, the CPT’s delegation received a number of allegations from detained persons of physical ill-treatment by the police at the time of apprehension and during...

Parliamentary Assembly 22/08/2013 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize: selection panel shortlists three nominees Václav Havel Strasbourg, 26.08.2013 – Ales Bialiatski (Belarus), the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (Georgia) and the Rights Defence Network (China), are the three candidates shortlisted in Prague today for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The selection panel, comprising six independent figures and chaired by Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), drew up its shortlist on the basis of 27 candidatures which fulfilled the criteria for the Prize. “A reaction is needed when human rights are under...

Commissioner for Human Rights 20/08/2013 Child labour in Europe: persisting challenge © 2013 Volunteer Weekly Strasbourg, 20/08/13 - “Many observers thought that child labour was a thing of the past in Europe. However, there are strong indications that child labour remains a serious problem and that it might be growing in the wake of the economic crisis. Governments need to monitor this situation and to use the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Social Charter as guidance for preventive and remedial action”, says Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human Rights Comment published today. Vulnerable...

Council of Europe 02/08/2013 Council of Europe marks International Remembrance Day of the Pharrajimos (Roma Genocide) The Council of Europe has marked International Remembrance Day of the Pharrajimos, or Roma Genocide, with a ceremony in front of its headquarters building in Strasbourg, France. The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma Issues, Jeroen Schokkenbroek, announced that the organisation is examining a proposal from the European Roma and Travellers Forum to encourage all member States to officially recognise and commemorate the Roma Genocide. The Forum was represented at the ceremony by its president, Rudko Kawczynski. The Day of Remembrance is to mark...

European Court of Human Rights 15/07/2013 Human Rights Court looks into criminal proceedings against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko European Court of Human Rights Strasbourg, 15 Jult 2013 - The European Court of Human Rights has communicated to the Ukrainian Government the second application Tymoshenko v. Ukraine and requested it to submit its observations on the complaints. The case is the application brought by the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, and imainly concerns the criminal proceedings brought against her relating to contracts for the supply of gas. Yuliya Tymoshenko, born in 1960, is the leader of Batkivshchyna, one of the strongest opposition...

Commissioner for Human Rights 15/07/2013 Russian legislation and practice on NGOs should be revised Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 15/7/2013 – “The legislation regulating NGOs activities in Russia is complex and the excessive discretion in applying it may impede the legitimate exercise of two fundamental human rights, such as freedom of expression and association. Law and practice should be simplified and brought in line with the applicable international standards” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing an Opinion on the legislation of the Russian Federation on non-commercial organisations . Highlighting the central...

Secretary General 12/07/2013 Secretary General asks Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to support no hate speech movement Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 12 July 2013 - In his letter – below – Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland asks for Mr. Zuckerberg's support to fight hate speech against Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who survived a gunshot by the Taliban and is still facing threats against her life. She marks her 16th birthday today by delivering a speech at the UN headquarters in New York as part of her campaign to ensure free compulsory education for every child.       "Dear Mr Zuckerberg,   Malala Yousafzai,...

President of the Parliamentary Assembly 11/07/2013 Parliamentary Assembly President makes visit to Bulgaria Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 08.07.2013 – Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will make a visit to Bulgaria from 10 to 11 July, during which he will meet the highest state representatives, in particular the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Meetings are also scheduled with different parliamentary groups, the Bulgarian delegation to PACE and students from Sofia’s “St. Kliment of Ochrid” University.   On...

Commissioner for Human Rights 11/07/2013 Srebrenica genocide: victims still await justice Nils Muižnieks Srebrenica, 11/7/2013 – “Eighteen years ago, around 8 000 people were executed in and around Srebrenica, while about 30 000 women, children and elderly were forcibly displaced. Victims and their relatives are still haunted by this act of genocide, as well as by the slow pace of accountability and truth-seeking. We cannot wait longer: justice must be done”, said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights , participating in a commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.   “While we commemorate today the victims of Srebrenica, we...