Secretary General 20/03/2012 Secretary General meets Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest Thorbjørn Jagland and Viktor Orbán Strasbourg, 21.03.2012 – Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland was in Budapest today for talks with the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. The Secretary General also met with Tibor Navracsics, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Justice, and with János Martonyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The talks focused primarily on the Venice Commission reports on the independence of the judiciary and religious freedom, and the Council of Europe assessment of media freedom in Hungary.   Venice Commission reports ...

Council of Europe 20/03/2012 Council of Europe observed minute of silence for victims of shootings in Toulouse Strasbourg, 20.03.2012. - Council of Europe observed a minute of silence for the victims of the recent shootings in the Toulouse area, today at 11 am on the Forecourt of the "Palais de l'Europe" in Strasbourg.   Yesterday the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Jean-Claude Mignon, expressed his horror at the "cowardly and despicable" shooting of three children and a teacher at a school in Toulouse. Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, also expressed his condolences in his letter to the French Prime Minister Fillon. ...

Shooting in Toulouse 19/03/2012 Shooting in Toulouse: Council of Europe condemns a cowardly and despicable act Assembly President Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 19.03.2012 – Following the shooting which took place outside a secondary school in Toulouse, in which four people, including three children, died, Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), made the following statement.   “I am horrified by this cowardly and despicable act which cost the lives of three children and one of their young teachers at a school in Toulouse. Early indications suggest that there could be a direct link with the shootings which claimed...

PACE President 19/03/2012 Belarus: "An irreparable act has been committed" Assembly President Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 18.03.2012: The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, has said he is appalled by the executions of Vladislav Kovalev and Dmitry Konovalov in Belarus, confirmed by several different sources today. “An irreparable act has been committed. The Belarusian authorities have once again remained deaf to the many calls of the international community for clemency. The death penalty is cruel and unnecessary, it is a barbaric practice that has no place in a civilized society,” the PACE President said....

Secretary General 17/03/2012 Secretary General deeply saddened by execution in Belarus Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 17 March 2012 - Responding to the news of the execution of Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said today he was deeply saddened by yet another execution in Belarus.   On Thursday Mr Jagland condemned President Lukashenko’s decision not to pardon Konovalov and Kovalyov, who were sentenced to death in November 2011 in the Minsk subway bombing case.   Belarus is the only country in Europe which still executes people. With its disrespect of basic human rights and democratic standards,...

European Court of Human Rights 16/03/2012 European Court asks Ukrainian authorities to provide adequate medical treatment to Yuliya Tymoshenko Yuliya Tymoshenko, PACE 2008 Strasbourg, 16 March 2012 - The European Court of Human Rights decided on 15 March 2012 to indicate to the Ukrainian Government, under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, to ensure that former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko receive adequate medical treatment in an appropriate institution.   Ms Tymoshenko, born in 1960, is the leader of Batkivshchyna, the main opposition party in Ukraine, and of Yuliya Tymoshenko’s Block. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005 and between December 2007 and...

Secretary General 16/03/2012 Thorbjørn Jagland welcomes the election of Nicolae Timofti as new Moldovan President Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 16.03.2012 - Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today welcomed the election of Nicolae Timofti as new Moldovan President.   “Today marks an important milestone in the history of the Republic of Moldova. I congratulate the political leaders for having found a compromise to elect the President, thus putting an end to the political crisis which has lasted for too long.   I very much welcome Nicolae Timofti's aspiration to be a President for all Moldovans, irrespective of their...

Secretary General 15/03/2012 Jagland condemns Lukashenko’s refusal to pardon the two men sentenced to death over subway bombing Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 15.03.2012 - Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today condemned President Lukashenko’s decision not to pardon Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov who were sentenced to death in the Minsk subway bombing case in November 2011.   "Belarus is the only country in Europe which still executes people. With its disrespect of basic human rights and democratic standards, the government of Belarus is increasingly isolating its country and its people from the rest of the...

Committee of Ministers 15/03/2012 Council of Europe puts users' rights at heart of Internet Strasbourg, 15.03.2012 – The 47 Council of Europe member states have adopted an Internet governance strategy to protect and promote human rights, the rule of law and democracy online.   The strategy, which is one of the priorities of the Council of Europe United Kingdom’s Chairmanship, contains more than 40 lines of action structured around six areas (Internet’s openness, the rights of users, data protection, cybercrime, democracy and culture, and children and young people).   It will be implemented over a period of four years, from 2012 to 2015, in close...

Member states 14/03/2012 Turkey is the first country to ratify the Convention to combat violence against women Ambassador Rauf Engin Soysal and Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio Strasbourg, 14 March 2012 - Turkey today ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, following a decision taken by the Turkish parliament in November 2011. Seventeen other member states have also signed the Convention since its opening for signature last May in Istanbul.   The Council of Europe has called on European governments to follow Turkey's lead so as to permit the treaty's rapid entry into force.   ...

Secretary General - CPT 12/03/2012 Secretary General concerned about YuliaTymoshenko's health Yulia Tymoshenko / Copyrights: Telekhovskyi Strasbourg, 12.03.2012 – Thorbjørn Jagland today expressed his concerns over the treatment of persons detained in Ukraine. Speaking as the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) issued conclusions from its visit to police and pre-trial establishments at the end of 2011, the Secretary General said:   "These preliminary observations identify a number of shortcomings regarding detention conditions in Ukraine and I trust the authorities will take...

Sport Ministers’ Conference 12/03/2012 Match-fixing at Sport Ministers’ Conference in Belgrade Maud de Boer-Buquicchio In the framework of activities of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport ( EPAS ), the 12th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport took place on March 15th in Belgrade, at the invitation of the Serbian Government.   The conference consisted of two parts: in the first, following up on the Recommendation CM/Rec (2011)10, Ministers addressed the promotion of the integrity of sport to fight match-fixing, with the possibility to negotiate a specific international convention; in the second one, the event focused on pan-European sports’...

Secretary General 12/03/2012 Secretary General makes official visit to Serbia Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Serbian President Boris Tadic / © FoNet Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland  launched on 12 March the Serbian version of the “Living Together” report in Belgrade during an official visit.   Secretary General met Serbian President Boris Tadic and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, along with Justice Minister Snežana Malović, National Assembly President Slavica Đukić Dejanović and members of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly. Topics included Serbia's EU accession, continued co-operation with the Council of...

Deputy Secretary General 08/03/2012 Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: ''All women in Lebanon have the right to live free from violence'' Houssam Mchaiemh “All women in Lebanon have the right to live free from violence. This right should not depend on their social, cultural or religious background”. Speaking at a Conference organised by the French Embassy in Lebanon, Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio supported the call of civil society representatives who expressed concern about the role played by the various confessional laws and courts in the country which in many cases resulted in discrimination against women. The Conference took place against...

Secretary General 07/03/2012 8 March – International Women’s Day Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 07/03/2012 – “Promoting equality between women and men must be at the heart of everything we do,” asserted Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland. "We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace unless women acquire the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," he said. This week the Council of Europe is looking at the role of women in the Arab Spring and involving key female figures and activists from the region. Women were involved at every stage of the movements for change and took a stand in the...

Parliamentary Assembly 05/03/2012 Russia’s presidential election marked by unequal campaign conditions Gamma       Strasbourg, 05.03.2012 – Although candidates in yesterday’s presidential election in the Russian Federation were able to campaign unhindered, conditions were clearly skewed in favour of one of the contestants, current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the international observers concluded in a statement issued today. The observers noted that all candidates had access to the media, but the Prime Minister was given a clear advantage over his competitors in terms of media presence. In addition, state resources were mobilised at the regional...

cybercrime 02/03/2012 UK supports Council of Europe efforts to fight cybercrime The UK today announced its renewed support for the Council of Europe’s fight against cybercrime by funding international regional workshops and activities to strengthen legislation, train law enforcement agencies and promote public-private and international cooperation.   “The rapid rise of cybercrime is a growing threat to people across the world, and I made clear the need for a coordinated response to improve security, enhance cooperation between states and ensure a collective undertaking to address this threat,” said Foreign Secretary William Hague.   “I am...

Secretary General 02/03/2012 Liechtenstein backs Council of Europe reform Aurelia Frick and Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 02/03/2012 - Liechtenstein 's Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick has emphasised Liechtenstein’s support for Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland’s reform initiatives. The Secretary General expressed his appreciation for the important role of Liechtenstein in the Council of Europe and his gratitude for the country’s generous financial contributions to the Organisation’s work, including two projects for confidence-building measures in Moldova, and local democracy projects in the Western Balkans.   On an official...

Parliamentary Assembly 28/02/2012 Parliamentary Assembly President to meet Ban Ki-Moon in New York Jean-Claude Mignon Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will be meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in New York on 29 February. Their talks will focus primarily on co-operation between the two organisations in crisis management in the world and on promoting democracy and human rights. On the same day, Mr Mignon will attend a parliamentary meeting on “Empowering rural women: what role for parliaments?”, organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women – the United Nations entity for gender...

Commissioner for Human Rights 27/02/2012 Roma and Travellers face blatant racism in today’s Europe Thomas Hammarberg “In many European countries Roma and Travellers are still denied basic human rights and suffer blatant racism. They remain far behind others in education, employment, access to decent housing and health. Their average life span is shorter and infant mortality rates are higher compared to other groups”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, releasing today the report “Human rights of Roma and Travellers in Europe”. The report is the first comprehensive overview of the human rights situation of Roma and...