Human Rights Commissioner 18/10/2011 Access to justice for persons with disabilities: Commissioner Hammarberg intervenes before Court Thomas Hammarberg “Persons with disabilities are all too often denied access to justice on an equal basis with others”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, submitting written observations to the European Court of Human Rights on a case concerning the treatment of a person with disability in Romania. The case has been lodged by the Centre for Legal Resources on behalf of Valentin Câmpeanu, a young man of Roma ethnic origin, suffering from a severe learning disability and infected with the HIV...

Assembly President 18/10/2011 Assembly President welcomes Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange Assembly President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, on 18 October welcomed the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas as “good news”. "It is a sign, at a difficult time for the peace process, that sustained negotiations are possible and more effective than the continuation of a stalemate between Palestinians and Israelis," he said. "The release of soldier Gilad Shalit was one of the key issues the Assembly said it would follow when it granted, the Palestinian National Council ‘Partner for democracy’ status on 4...

Venice Commission 17/10/2011 Council of Europe legal specialists condemn Belarus on NGO freedom Venice Commission The Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters – better known as the Venice Commission – strongly criticised Belarus for its treatment of non-government organisations (NGOs).   During its plenary session in Venice on 14-15 October, the Commission noted that in the last ten years, almost all human rights NGOs were stripped of their status. The Venice Commission also deplored a recent modification of Article 193-1 of the Belarus criminal code that represses freedom of association, with the threat of two years incarceration.   ...

Parliamentary Assembly and Venice Commission 17/10/2011 Council of Europe to observe election of constituent National Assembly in Tunisia © Gamma A 20-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) will go to Tunisia from 20 to 24 October to observe the election of a constituent National Assembly, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Union.   The members of the delegation are due to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamed Mouldi Kefi, the Minister of Education Taieb Baccouche, and the Minister of Equality Lilia Laabid as well as the representatives of various...

Forum for the Future of Democracy 14/10/2011 Council of Europe: Don’t sacrifice social cohesion in financial crisis Forum for the Future of Democracy 2011 Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland opened the Forum for the Future of Democracy with the acknowledgment that “radical measures taken in many countries to try to balance public budgets are both necessary and understandable.” But he also stressed: “Countries are running a high risk of seriously undermining the European model of social cohesion.” The two-day forum, which ended Friday in Limassol Cyprus, invited young people who are active in peaceful youth protests, from the...

Commissioner for Human Rights 14/10/2011 Human rights principles need to be firmly embedded in Turkish justice system Thomas Hammarberg “There are some long-standing, systemic dysfunctions in the Turkish justice system adversely affecting the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Issues related to the independence and impartiality of judges and prosecutors, excessively lengthy pre-trial detention and judicial proceedings are some of the major issues which call for the government’s particular attention”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, at the end of his five-day visit to Turkey. At the same time he expressed his...

Committee of Ministers 12/10/2011 Council of Europe reminds Ukraine of its obligations and commitments to the Organisation Committee of Ministers The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today expressed their serious concern about the trial of Yulia Timoshenko and the verdict, sentencing her to a 7 year prison term and three year ban on holding office, as well as the ongoing trials of other Ukrainian public figures. The Committee asked Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland to bring its concerns to the attention of the Ukrainian authorities, and asked him also to pursue his dialogue with the authorities on ways of developing an independent judiciary and implementing a...

Secretary General 11/10/2011 Secretary General reacts to Tymoshenko sentence Thorbjørn Jagland Reacting to the verdict in the trial against the former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland said:   “In a democracy, judgment about political decisions should be left to the parliament and to voters, not to courts. I hope that the recently proposed changes to the criminal code in Ukraine will make such trials impossible in the future."     Press release Ukraine and the Council of Europe    Read also: Assembly co-rapporteurs express concern at Tymoshenko...

Secretary General 11/10/2011 Secretary General makes first official visit to Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov and Thorbjørn Jagland Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is making his first official visit to Astana for meetings with the President of Kazakhstan, the Speaker of the Majilis (Lower House) of the Parliament, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Prosecutor General, Foreign Minister as well as other Ministers. The visit provided a good opportunity to give a new impetus to the relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe, intensifying the mutual relationship beyond the already fruitful cooperation and institutional relations...

Joint declaration by European Union and Council of Europe 10/10/2011 European and World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October 2011 Council of Europe The European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their united opposition to the death penalty, and their commitment to its worldwide abolition.    We consider capital punishment to be inhumane, and a violation of human dignity. Experience in Europe has taught us that the death penalty does not prevent an increase in violent crime, and nor does it bring justice to the victims of such crimes. Any capital punishment resulting from a miscarriage of justice, from which no legal system can be immune, represents irreversible...

Chairmanship of Committee of Ministers 07/10/2011 Chairman of Committee of Ministers calls for eradication of death penalty worldwide Kostyantyn Gryshchenko On the occasion of the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, marked on 10 October each year, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, published the following statement:   “The international drive to put an end to the death penalty resulted in its abolishment in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe and in many nations worldwide. At the same time, capital punishment, unfortunately, continues to be applied in some countries, including in one European...

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 06/10/2011 President Abbas to Europeans: "We are counting on you" President Abbas to Europeans: "We are counting on you" Just two days after the Palestinian National Council was granted “Partnership for Democracy” status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Europe to support the Palestinian bid for statehood before the UN.   "You supported the Arab Spring which calls for democracy and freedom," he said. "Now the Palestinian Spring has arrived asking for freedom and an end to occupation. We trust you and we are...

Secretary General 05/10/2011 Secretary General calls on Azerbaijan to respect freedom of expression and of association Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland reacted to the sentences handed down on 3 October to Arif Hadjili, Mahamat Majidli, Tural Abbasli and Fuad Gahramanli on charges of conspiracy to violate public order for planning and organising anti-government protests on 2 April in Baku. "These sentences are set against a backdrop of a worrying increase in cases being brought against individuals seeking to exercise their basic rights which Azerbaijan authorities are obliged to respect as members of the Council of Europe.   ...

Secretary General 04/10/2011 We must end marginalisation of Roma and make them full and equal members of society Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Reacting to recent anti-Roma events, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: "Recent weeks have seen many incidents demonstrating a rising tide of anti-Gypsyism in Europe. In Bulgaria, violent manifestations of such racism were triggered by the suspicious death of a non-Roma caused by a Roma car driver. I welcome the steps already taken by the Bulgarian authorities to protect Roma citizens from racist attacks, but such incidents must also be addressed from a broader perspective in order to prevent them in Europe in the future....

Parliamentary Assembly 04/10/2011 Assembly grants ‘'Partner for democracy’' status to Palestinian National Council Salim Al-Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council and Mevlüt Cavusoglu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted on 4 October to grant “Partner for democracy” status to the Palestinian National Council – only the second time such status has been accorded. Presenting the report at today’s debate, Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) said the status “created new opportunities for the Palestinian people” and could be seen as part of the Arab Spring. The Speaker of the...

Commissioner for Human Rights 04/10/2011 Protection of journalists is essential for media freedom in Europe, says Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg In recent years, some of the leading investigative journalists in Europe have fallen victim to brutal killings: Hrant Dink in Turkey, Georgyi Gongadze in Ukraine and Elmar Huseynov in Azerbaijan. On 7 October 2011 it will be five years since Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in Russia. No effort must be spared to apprehend and bring to justice not only the actual killers, but also those who ordered these murders, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human Rights Comment  ...

Parliamentary Assembly 03/10/2011 Ukraine Foreign Minister calls for strengthened relations with “Europe’s immediate neighbours” Konstyantyn Gryshchenko Addressing the Assembly for the last time as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko welcomed democratic movements in the southern Mediterranean and stressed the Council of Europe’s readiness to help the region in its transition to democracy. "I hope that action plans with those countries where discussions are most advanced will be finalised soon so that these countries can rapidly benefit from the Organisation's expertise," he said. Referring to the situation in Belarus, Mr Gryshchenko...

Parliamentary Assembly 03/10/2011 Wave of anti-Gypsyism in Bulgaria: statement by Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee Parliamentary Assembly The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today adopted the following statement: “The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights is gravely concerned at the recent country-wide eruption of racist hatred and threats directed against the Roma in Bulgaria. Many Roma fear for their children's and their own safety. The committee calls on the Bulgarian authorities at all levels to do their utmost to protect this vulnerable minority from attack and urges them to strongly condemn and...

Assembly President 03/10/2011 Terrorism must be considered a crime against humanity Assembly President “Terrorism remains the greatest threat to the universal values of human rights. It must be considered a crime against humanity," the Parliamentary Assembly President Mevlüt Cavusoglu said on 3 October in his opening speech of the Parliamentary Assembly session in Strasbourg, recalling the massacre at Utoeya island youth camp, the bombing in Oslo and a recent bomb explosion in Ankara.    (more..)

Member states 29/09/2011 Norway donates 2.6 million Euros to Council of Europe’s work Norwegian State Secretary Erik Lahnstein and Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, and the Norwegian State Secretary, Erik Lahnstein, signed an agreement earlier today in Oslo, which provides support to the organisation’s cooperation activities in Official Development Assistance recipient states (ODA), in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy.     The agreement, which covers the years 2011 to 2014, foresees an initial contribution of 2.6 million € ( 20 million NOK). Programmes and projects to be...