Secretary General 01/09/2011 Albanian electoral legislation: Secretary General asks for opinion on possible improvements Secretary General Further to his letter addressed to Prime Minister Berisha on 10 June, Thorbjørn Jagland has now written to the President of the Venice Commission requesting an opinion on possible improvements to be made to the Albanian electoral legislation. This would involve a visit to Albania during the autumn, in view of the adoption of the opinion in December.              ...

Project for Co-operation against Cybercrime 31/08/2011 Eastern Partnership: co-operation against cybercrime Regional Seminar on International Co-operation against Cybercrime for Eastern Partnership countries Representatives of the Ministries of Justice and Interior, General Prosecutor’s Offices and other agencies involved in the fight against cybercrime in the six Eastern Partnership countries will meet on Monday 5 September in Chisinau (Moldova) to discuss challenges and best practices for enhancing regional and international law enforcement and judicial co-operation against cybercrime ( more... )

Committee of Ministers 26/08/2011 Terrorist attack in Nigeria - statement by Kostyantyn Gryshchenko Terrorist attack in Nigeria - statement by Konstyantyn Gryshchenko In his statement, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko strongly condemned the attack which has provoked the death of innocent people and expressed his hope that those who are responsible for this atrocity will be rapidly found and brought to justice.

Secretary General 26/08/2011 Condolences to the United Nations after the terrorist attack in Abuja Condolences to the United Nations after the terrorist attack in Abuja The Secretary General expressed his shock and sadness over another attack against a United Nations facility and its staff and offered his deepest condolences and sympathy for all those who lost their lives or suffered injuries in the attack.

Commissioner for Human Rights 18/08/2011 Excessive use of pre-trial detention runs against human rights Commissioner for Human Rights Twenty-five per cent of the individuals kept in prison in Europe today are in pre-trial detention, “detained on remand”. They have not been tried at all or are waiting for the review of an earlier sentence. As their guilt is not established, they are in principle to be regarded as innocent, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in his latest Human Rights Comment published on 18 August. The only justification for locking them up could be to ensure effective investigation - secure all available evidence,...

CPT 17/08/2011 Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Armenia Gamma The Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published the report on its periodic visit to Armenia in May 2010, together with the response of the Armenian Government. These documents have been made public at the request of the Armenian authorities. In their response, the Armenian authorities provide information on steps taken or envisaged to implement the CPT’s recommendations.

GRECO 17/08/2011 Group of States against Corruption publishes report on Bosnia and Herzegovina Shutterstock Publishing its Third Round Evaluation Report, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has called on Bosnia and Herzegovina to take determined steps to enforce criminal legislation and become more efficient in convicting corruption offenders. GRECO also calls for more transparency and accountability in the funding of political parties and election campaigns.

European Youth Centre Budapest 12/08/2011 Living Library on the Sziget Festival Living Library on the Sziget Festival Between August 12 and 14, and after a year of hiatus in 2010, the Living Library project is returning to the annual Sziget Festival, one of Europe’s largest and best-known musical festivals. Organized by the European Youth Centre Budapest of the Council of Europe, the Living Library has been a staple of the Sziget Festival since 2003, attracting hundreds of festival goers of many nationalities and showcasing its unique approach to challenging harmful and widespread stereotypes about various social groups, such as gays, immigrants, Roma, Jews, women, policemen or...

Chairman of the Committee of Ministers 11/08/2011 International Youth Day - statement by Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers On 12 August the world celebrates the “International Youth Day”. The Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regards this as an important occasion to highlight the specific concerns, ambitions and achievements of millions of children and adolescents living on our continent. Recent political events in various parts of the world have shown us once again the strong commitment and creativity that young people develop when they engage themselves for the...

Secretary General 11/08/2011 Thorbjørn Jagland condemns acts of violence in the United Kingdom Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland "I strongly condemn the revolting acts of violence that have occurred in London and other cities in the United Kingdom in recent days. I have every confidence in the UK government's ability, working with the broader political leadership, to address this situation rapidly, to analyse it fully, and to come up with appropriate and lasting solutions."

President of the Congress 11/08/2011 Keith Whitmore strongly condemns the urban violence in the United Kingdom manchester ''I unreservedly condemn the violence that has been occurring in the UK over the past 4 days. The scenes we are witnessing on our streets are unacceptable. These are criminal acts and must be treated as such'', declared on 10 August Keith Whitmore, President of the Congress and member of Manchester City Council (U.K.). ''The Congress has always campaigned for a solidarity-based urban model where social cohesion and 'living together' are major objectives of local policies and the local elected councillors who implement them. This message has always been well received...

Commissioner for Human Rights 09/08/2011 Methods for assessing the age of migrant children must be improved Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights There are certainly strong reasons for the special care of children in migration policy. This is also established in international children’s rights standards and accepted by most governments. However, this has raised a particular issue: how should authorities assess whether a migrant is below or above 18? If recognised as a child, he or she might be granted the right to stay. If considered an adult, the migrant could quickly end up in detention and be deported. Several European states have used X-ray tests to determine if a...

Parliamentary Assembly 08/08/2011 "Stop harassment and intimidation towards civil society" says Assembly rapporteur on Belarus   Following last week's arrest of Ales Bialiatski, head of the NGO Viasna and Vice-President of the International Human Rights Federation, on charges of “tax evasion”, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), the rapporteur on Belarus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has urged the authorities in Belarus to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr Bialiatski and to put an end to all forms of harassment against him and other human rights defenders in the country. "Mr Bialiatski’s arrest is yet...

Secretary General 01/08/2011 Thorbjørn Jagland calls to respect the memory of Roma killed by the Nazi regime Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp - entrance gate www.auschwitz.org.pl Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has called on Europeans to respect the memory of Roma killed by the Nazi regime during the Second World War by committing to building a better future for generations to come. Speaking on the occasion of the commemoration of the night of 2-3 August 1944, when several thousand Roma were massacred at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp (tragedy known as Samudaripen or Pharrajimos by Roma communities), Mr Jagland said that lessons...

Commissioner for Human Rights 01/08/2011 Several hundred thousand people in Europe are stateless – they need extra protection Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human Rights Having a nationality is a basic human right – so basic that it amounts to a “right to have rights”. Not having a nationality is to be marginalised, not to belong. When people lack birth certificates, identity cards, passports and other documents, they risk being excluded from education, healthcare, social assistance and the right to vote. A stateless person may not be able to travel or work legally. Thus many stateless persons have little possibility to make themselves heard and are in...

Secretary General 28/07/2011 Secretary General deplores violence in Kosovo Thorbjørn Jagland In his reaction to the recent events in Kosovo, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: "I deplore the violent events in the north of Kosovo and casualties they provoked.  There is no place for violence in the European project which can only be based on respect for human rights and the rule of law. I urge all parties to call for moderation and restraint, and to resume peaceful dialogue".

Human Rights Commissioner 26/07/2011 Clear laws needed to protect trans gender persons from discrimination Thomas Hammarberg Trans gender persons face severe discrimination in many areas of life, not least in employment, education, health care and leisure activities. A report published recently by the Human Rights Commissioner shows that attitudes towards trans gender persons show ignorance, prejudice and even hatred. The fact that “transsexualism” and “gender identity disorder” are often found in medical classifications for mental illness can stigmatise trans gender persons and restrict their decisions in the choice of treatment. "Surveys have...

Committe of Ministers 23/07/2011 Statement by Kostyantyn Gryshchenko on attacks in Norway Kostyantyn Gryshchenko The Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers strongly condems the terrorist attacks in Norway, in which many innocent people lost their lives and were wounded. Such heinous attacks have no justification.  These barbaric acts cannot be regarded otherwise but as direct challenge to the Council of Europe family of nations because of their evident threat to the all-European democratic values. The Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe expresses its heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families and to the people...

Secretary General 22/07/2011 Thorbjørn Jagland condemns attacks in Norway Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland My feelings of sympathy go out to the victims of the tragic events which have shaken my home country of Norway. The attacks were aimed at the heart of our democratic institutions and our open and peaceful nation. It appears the attack on the Utoya youth camp was intended to hurt young citizens who actively engage in our democratic and political society. But we must not be intimidated. We need to work for freedom and democracy every day. The Oslo bombing has reminded Europeans of the acute threat of terrorism which can strike out at innocent citizens anywhere. The Council of...

Committe of Ministers 22/07/2011 Kostyantyn Gryshchenko: executions in Belarus cause of deep concern Kostyantyn Gryshchenko The two reported executions in Belarus are a cause of deep concern to the Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, says Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in his statement on 22 July. The abolition of capital punishment remains one of the main priorities of the Council of Europe, which has been fighting for 30 years to banish the death penalty across Europe and to make abolition a universally accepted value. Ukraine has...