Strasbourg, 9/7/2012 - “The Italian government has been giving signs of a shift in policy, which suggests that there may be an opportunity to finally stop and reverse the erosion of human rights standards in the country. What Italy needs now is for these signs to be transformed into concrete, unambiguous policies and actions” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, after a four-day visit to Rome between 3 and 6 July.

During his visit, the Commissioner focused on the human rights of Roma and Sinti and on the human rights of migrants, including asylum seekers. “I have also decided to address the functioning of the judiciary in Italy and the length of court proceedings, one of the longest-standing human rights problems in Europe and a major concern for the European Court of Human Rights” said the Commissioner. (more...)

- Italy and the Council of Europe