Country visit

Serbia: more efforts needed to face the past, increase safety of journalists and human rights defenders, and protect women from violence

17/03/2023 Belgrade

“It is high time for Serbia to face the legacy of the past, to protect media freedom and freedom of assembly, and to fulfil its commitments on women’s rights and gender equality” said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a visit to the country...

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Letter

Commissioner urges the Georgian Parliament to reject the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence”

28/02/2023 Strasbourg

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia published today, Commissioner Mijatović expresses concerns that the adoption of the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” may have a serious chilling effect on the work of civil society organisations in Georgia. “Such a...

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Human Rights Comment

Highly intrusive spyware threatens the essence of human rights

27/01/2023 Strasbourg

Over 18 months have passed since an international coalition of brave investigative journalists released the Pegasus Project. The disclosure of the leak of over 50,000 phone numbers, including those of many human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and opposition leaders, that had been...

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Statement

Greek authorities should reverse the trend undermining the work of human rights defenders and journalists

12/01/2023 Strasbourg

The hostile environment in which human rights defenders, civil society and journalists work in Greece has been an issue of concern for several years. Smear campaigns targeting individuals defending human rights, cumbersome NGO registration procedures and undue pressure on journalists have...

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Country visit report

United Kingdom: Commissioner warns against regression on human rights, calls for concrete steps to protect children’s rights and to tackle human rights issues in Northern Ireland

09/12/2022 Strasbourg

“Both the overall system for protecting human rights, and the rights of specific groups, are currently under pressure in the United Kingdom (UK). The authorities should spare no effort to reverse this trend”, warns today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, while...

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Country visit

Spain should advance social rights, better guarantee freedoms of expression and assembly and improve human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants

29/11/2022 Strasbourg

“Spain has made significant efforts to advance the protection of social rights in recent years. Crucial legislative reforms, currently pending in Parliament, provide an opportunity to align Spanish legislation with international and European human rights standards, including in the field of the...

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Speech

Speech at the European Anti-SLAPP Conference

20/10/2022 Strasbourg

Speech given at the Council of Europe European Anti-SLAPP Conference Dear President Metsola, Dear Vice-President Jurová, Dear Secretary General Pejčinović Burić, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly see a better occasion than today’s conference to reinforce synergies to tackle SLAPPs,...

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Speech

Speech at European Parliament seminar on safeguarding media freedom in Europe

19/10/2022 Strasbourg

At the European Parliament seminar on media freedom organised for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize 2022, the Council of Europe Commissioner for human rights gave the following speech: Dear Vice-President Picierno, Dear Matthew, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to be among the...

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Memorandum

Kosovo*: address shortcomings in the field of transitional justice and social cohesion, freedom of the media, and women’s rights and gender equality

18/10/2022 Strasbourg

“More than two decades after the armed conflict in Kosovo, social cohesion is still hampered by impunity for war-related crimes, unresolved cases of missing persons, lack of access to reparations for all war victims, obstacles to sustainable returns of displaced persons and ethnic divisions”,...

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Statement

Member states should provide more support to Russian and Belarusian human rights defenders

12/10/2022 Strasbourg

The recent awards of the Nobel Peace Prize and of the Vaclav Havel Prize to human rights defenders from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is an additional recognition by the international community of the crucial role defenders play in advancing and protecting human rights for all, especially in times...

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Letter

Malta should strengthen the protection of the media and access to information, in line with international standards

06/10/2022 Strasbourg

“The Maltese authorities must ensure that legislative work launched pursuant to the public inquiry report into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia complies with international standards and is fully open to public scrutiny and participation”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner...

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Statement

Serbian authorities should withdraw the ban on Europride march and protect participants

13/09/2022 Strasbourg

“It is highly regrettable that the Serbian authorities have decided to ban the Europride march scheduled for 17 September. Weeks of uncertainty concerning the holding of this march have sent a wrong message to the public and made space for hateful rhetoric and more threats against LGBTI people,...

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Statement

Azerbaijan’s authorities should immediately release human right lawyer Elchin Sadykov and journalist Avaz Zeynalli and stop intimidating and harassing civil society activists and independent media actors

13/09/2022 Strasbourg

The arrest last Saturday in Baku of human rights lawyer Elchin Sadykov and his client, Avaz Zeynalli, journalist, illustrates once again the hostile environment which civil society activists and independent media professionals face in Azerbaijan. Mr Sadykov is a well-known human right defender...

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Human Rights Comment

Support Russian and Belarusian civil societies and human rights defenders

31/08/2022 Strasbourg

Russia’s military attack has resulted in immense suffering, deaths and destruction in Ukraine, with disastrous human rights and humanitarian consequences for all the people living there. It has also triggered the cessation of membership of the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe and a...

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Country visit

United Kingdom: backsliding on human rights must be prevented

04/07/2022 Strasbourg

“Legal reforms should not weaken human rights protections in the United Kingdom”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following a five-day visit to the country (27 June to 1 July), which focused on the system for human rights protection, the situation...

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Statement

Slovenia: lawsuits and fines against peaceful demonstrators should be dropped

25/05/2022 Strasbourg

“The financial and administrative harassment of civil society activists in Slovenia must stop immediately,” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović. “Demanding that peaceful demonstrators reimburse the costs for policing unregistered public assemblies is...

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Letter

Commissioner calls on UK government not to extradite Julian Assange

18/05/2022 Strasbourg

In a letter, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel not to extradite Julian Assange. Writing in view of the impending decision on Mr Assange’s extradition, the Commissioner noted that the wider human rights...

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Statement

Russian civil society needs support of Council of Europe member states

24/03/2022 Strasbourg

During her mission to the Czech Republic carried out as part of her work on the humanitarian and human rights consequences of the war in Ukraine, the Commissioner also met with a large number of civil society actors, including Russian and Belarusian human rights defenders and journalists who had...

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Statement

Russian authorities should stop the unprecedented crackdown on freedoms of expression, assembly and association in the country

07/03/2022 Chisinau

Russia's military attack against Ukraine has lasted for almost 12 days now, causing death and destruction. It is also leading to a large-scale repression of freedoms in the Russian Federation. Since the war began, more than 13 000 people, including children and elderly people, have been arrested...

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Statement

Criminal conviction of independent journalist Vladislav Yesipenko further undermines media freedom in Crimea

17/02/2022 Strasbourg

The criminal conviction handed down in the case of freelance RFE/RL journalist Vladislav Yesipenko in Crimea yesterday defies credibility and raises serious concerns that it is connected to his legitimate journalistic work. Mr Yesipenko was convicted of possession of explosives and sentenced to...

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