Secretary General 02/05/2012 Governments and journalists share responsibility for a free press Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 02.05.2012 – Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has warned that close and non-transparent relationships between media and governments are a risk to pluralistic societies. In a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day he said:    "Freedom of expression is a fundamental right, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. A free press is vital for any democracy. Elected politicians have a duty to ensure that journalists can work freely and without fear of state repression. The Council of Europe promotes...

Secretary General 26/04/2012 Thorbjørn Jagland : Human Rights Court is assessing medical treatment of Tymoshenko Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 26.04.2012 – Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today issued the following statement : “I am extremely concerned about the reports that Yulia Tymoshenko was beaten up in prison. It is in the interest of the Ukrainian Government to make sure these claims are investigated in a credible and transparent manner and, if necessary, prosecuted.   In addition, I would like to recall that there is a case by Ms Tymoshenko pending before the European Court of Human Rights. She filed it last August.   She alleges that her...

Parliamentary Assembly 26/04/2012 Syria: Assembly welcomes the emergence of a common position within the international community Parliamentary Assembly Strasbourg, 26.04.2012 – Following an urgent debate on the situation in Syria, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) firmly condemned the gross human rights violations committed by Syrian military and security forces. It also expressed regret at the continuing violations of the ceasefire implemented under Kofi Annan's peace plan and the increasing number of deaths. PACE equally condemned the human rights violations committed by some armed groups combating the regime.   At the same time the Assembly...

Member states 25/04/2012 Constitutional changes “should be in place by 2012”, declares Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdžija and Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 25 April, 2012 - Speaking after a meeting with Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, Foreign Minister Lagumdžija said his goal was to transform Bosnia and Herzegovina into a stable democracy based on Council of Europe values. Secretary General Jagland said elections planned for 2014, would not be acceptable without the changes happening. He welcomed new developments, such as cooperation with international monitoring, agreement on the census and progress on the question of military...

Assemblée parlementaire 25/04/2012 Arab Spring: the need to go even further in the promotion of gender equality Strasbourg, 24.04.2012 – In a resolution adopted today, PACE invites countries in the southern Mediterranean that have recently moved towards democracy to introduce reforms “to enhance the status of women and eradicate all forms of discrimination against them”, and to promote women’s representation in elected public bodies. According to the Assembly, such countries should also bring legislation in the area of family and personal status law into line with international human rights standards, and introduce a legal framework to prevent and prosecute all...

Chairman of the Committee of Ministers 24/04/2012 Declaration of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers on the Sejdić & Finci case William Hague Strasbourg, 25 April 2012 - The Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and the United Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs, William Hague, published today the following statement:   "As Member States of the Council of Europe, it is for us to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina gives proper effect to the 2009 judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Sejdić-Finci vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. As required by the Court’s judgement, Bosnia and Herzegovina must adjust its constitution...

Parliamentary Assembly 24/04/2012 PACE finds ‘catalogue of failures’ that led to deaths of 63 people fleeing Libyan conflict by sea PACE Strasbourg, 24.04.2012 – A failure to react to distress calls and a “vacuum of responsibility” for search and rescue are among a “catalogue of failures” which led to the deaths of 63 people fleeing the conflict in Libya by sea during a tragic 15-day voyage in March 2011, according to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).   Backing a report by Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), the Assembly said in a resolution that search and rescue authorities, NATO, the flag states of naval vessels in the...

Parliamentary Assembly 24/04/2012 Moroccan Foreign Minister pledges successful partnership with Council of Europe Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani today pledged to ensure that partnership with the Council of Europe is a success. Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly, he stressed that Morocco shares the values of the Council of Europe, and that a solid foundation existed for establishing the rule of law and sustainable economic development. “In spite of all the radical changes and turmoil in the region, the Moroccan government has stepped up the reform process….This process reflects the profound beliefs of our...

Parliamentary Assembly 23/04/2012 New update to PACE draft report suggests FIFA leadership may have known of backhanders Gamma Strasbourg, 23.04.2012 – It is “difficult to imagine” that FIFA’s leadership would not have known of significant sums paid to certain FIFA officials in the context of contracts with collapsed Swiss sports promoter ISMM/ISL for World Cup television rights, according to the author of a report for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) due to be debated on Wednesday this week. An addendum to the report “Good governance and ethics in sport” by Francois Rochebloine (France, EPP/CD), made public today,...

President of the Parliamentary Assembly 23/04/2012 Syria: "We cannot remain silent in the face of such atrocities!" PACE President Mignon Strasbourg, 23 April 2012 - In his opening address PACE President, Jean-Claude Mignon, welcomed in particular the decision to hold an urgent debate on Syria on Thursday morning. "Our aim, as ever, is to ensure that the democratic changes in the southern Mediterranean go off as peacefully as possible, with full respect for fundamental human rights. This has not always been the case in Syria, where there have been over ten thousand deaths and thousands of refugees – a genuine humanitarian disaster. We cannot remain silent in the...

Parliamentary Assembly 23/04/2012 UK Europe Minister Lidington urges continued cooperation on Court reform following Brighton conference David Lidington Governments must work together in a spirit of cooperation to ensure that the package agreed at the Brighton Conference for reform of the Court of Human Rights is brought into the European Convention of Human Rights by 2013, UK Europe Minister David Lidington told the Parliamentary Assembly today.   He also welcomed progress on other UK chairmanship priorities - promoting LGBT rights, the rule of law and regional and local democracy.     Speech Video of the speech

Secretary General 20/04/2012 Concern about the freedom of expression in Azerbaijan after the latest attacks against journalists Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 20.04.2012 – Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today issued the following statement :   “The most recent attack against journalists perpetrated by the security staff of a state-owned oil company is yet another sign that freedom of expression in Azerbaijan is under attack.   The government should do its utmost to investigate and bring to justice those responsible but also to ensure that journalists in Azerbaijan are able to carry out their work without fear...

CPT 19/04/2012 Some positive developments, but they are not enough: the anti-torture committee in its conclusions on France Shutterstock Strasbourg, 19.04.2012 – The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of the Council of Europe has today published the report of its visit to France from 28 November to 10 December 2010, together with the response from the French Government. These documents have been made public with the agreement of the French authorities. The CPT notes a number of positive developments. Legal reforms had been adopted or initiated in several fields of considerable interest to the Committee (eg...

Brighton Conference 19/04/2012 Jagland: Court reform strengthens Europe’s Human Rights system 19.04.2012 - Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today welcomed moves to reform the European human rights system and challenged the organisation’s 47 member states to tackle remaining shortcomings.   Reform “has strengthened the role and authority of the European Court of Human Rights” Mr Jagland told a conference on the future of the Court in Brighton, UK. States now needed to step up to the challenges of improving implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level and making sure they acted quickly and effectively...

Parliamentary Assembly 16/04/2012 Jean-Claude Mignon welcomes release of Belarusian opposition leader and campaign aide Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 16.04.2012 – Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Jean-Claude Mignon today welcomed the release of Belarusian opposition leader Andrei Sannikov and his former campaign aide Dzmitry Bandarenka, while urging President Lukashenko “to release and fully rehabilitate all other remaining political prisoners”. “At its January 2012 Session, our Assembly deplored that a number of individuals, including former presidential candidates, civil society activists and prominent human rights defenders,...

Secretary General 13/04/2012 Statement by Thorbjørn Jagland on hunger strikers Strasbourg, 13 April 2012 - The Secretary General of the Council of Europe today issued the following statement: "The hunger strikes in Turkey and Strasbourg have been going on for several weeks and I am deeply concerned about the women and men who are putting their health and lives at risk. Their action also creates obstacles to the work of the relevant Council of Europe bodies, in particular the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which can only be effective if they are able to carry out their mandate without any undue influence or pressure. This is why I would like to appeal to all...

Parliamentary Assembly 12/04/2012 April session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly The effects of the Arab Spring will be a major theme of the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), to be held in Strasbourg from 23 to 27 April 2012, with addresses by the Secretary General of the Arab League and the Foreign Minister of Morocco.   There has also been a request for an urgent debate on the situation in Syria. The minister responsible for womens’ issues in Morocco will take part in a debate on “Equality between women and men: a condition for the success of the Arab Spring”.   ...

Committee of Ministers - Human Rights 12/04/2012 Execution of Strasbourg Court judgments: Committee of Ministers publishes its annual report Committee of Ministers Strasbourg, 12.04.2012 – In 2011 the number of Strasbourg Court judgments found by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers to have been fully executed by member states grew by almost 80% compared to 2010 (up to 816). Whilst the number of new cases remained high (1, 606), for the first time in ten years it decreased (by 6 %). The number of repetitive cases decreased by even more.   The number of old cases still not fully executed after more than five years continued to grow (by 48 % from 2010 to 2011), and...

Parliamentary Assembly 11/04/2012 Jean-Claude Mignon: executions by Gaza authorities are in contempt of Council of Europe values Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 11.04.2012 – The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, today expressed his consternation at the execution of three sentenced persons by the authorities in Gaza. “By this barbaric and ignoble act, the authorities in Gaza have deliberately chosen alienation from the values that the Council of Europe stands for. Recourse to capital punishment anywhere is quite simply unjustifiable.” By signing “Partner for Democracy” status with PACE on 4...

Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption 11/04/2012 Italy needs to improve transparency in political party funding and sanction corruption vigorously, says report by GRECO Strasbourg, 11.04.2012 - The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) identified critical shortcomings in the party funding system of Italy which must be addressed as a matter of priority. The control performed by public authorities over political funding is fragmented and formalistic, consisting of three different institutions with limited powers and no co-ordination either among themselves or with law enforcement bodies. GRECO urges political parties to develop their own...