News
Statement
International Criminal Court needs robust and long-term support
"As unspeakable atrocities are committed in the heart of Europe once again, we are reminded that the International Criminal Court (ICC), as a pillar of the international criminal justice system and the fight against impunity, is needed more than ever,” said Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe...
Statement
Slovenia state apology to the “erased” is a welcome and meaningful step
“The apology extended today by Slovenian President Borut Pahor on behalf of the state and himself to the “erased”, 30 years after their removal from the official residence registry, is a welcome and meaningful step. It helps remedy past wrongs, foster reconciliation and prevent similar human...
Opinion article
Op-ed: De-escalate Bosnia and Herzegovina - before it is too late
EUObserver, 18/11/2021 Warmongering has seriously intensified in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As some politicians, including in the neighbouring countries Serbia and Croatia, ratchet-up their inflammatory rhetoric, the international community struggles to find a response to escalating tensions. This...
Memorandum
Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
One year after the signing of the trilateral statement which ended the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, publishes a memorandum addressing the humanitarian and human rights...
Letter
UK government’s legacy proposals must not undermine human rights and cut off victims’ avenues to justice in Northern Ireland
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, warns that a proposed new plan for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland “would undermine human rights protections and would cut...
Statement
Coming to terms with the past and delivering justice is the only way to achieve reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia
”I sincerely hope that the confirmation on appeal of Ratko Mladić’s guilty verdict brings the relief of justice done to the many victims who suffered atrocities and lost loved ones in Srebrenica, Sarajevo, and other municipalities during the war in the 1990’s in the former Yugoslavia”, said today...
Statement
Witnesses in proceedings relating to crimes committed during the wars of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia must be effectively protected and supported
The provision of effective protection and support for witnesses in the context of wartime-related criminal proceedings is instrumental to the fight against impunity for the crimes committed during the wars of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. However, over recent days, the name of a protected...
Statement
European states must no longer procrastinate on the duty to establish the truth concerning missing persons
“The lack of truth and justice for thousands of missing persons remains a serious human rights issue in Europe. So many families of missing persons in Council of Europe member states, including in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the Balkans, Cyprus, Georgia,...
Statement
25th anniversary of Tuzla massacre: Ensuring justice for past crimes must be one of the top political priorities in the region
Today we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the massacre of Tuzla, where a grenade fired by the Army of the Republika Srpska killed 71 people and injured more than 130. It is important to commemorate the victims and survivors of that atrocious crime and remember the suffering of their families....
Statement
Statement of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights concerning the Bleiburg commemoration
"The mass planned in Sarajevo on 16 May with the intention of commemorating soldiers and civilians who died in Bleiburg, in the aftermath of the Second World War, risks becoming a glorification of those who supported the Nazi-allied fascist Ustasha regime, complicit in the death of hundreds of...
Statement
Commissioner welcomes the first joint commemoration in the former extermination camp in Jasenovac since 2014
75 years ago, today, the Jasenovac extermination camp in Croatia was dismantled. In that camp, more than 80 000 persons were brutally killed by the fascist Ustasha regime. As we honour the memory of the victims today, I warmly welcome the first joint commemoration in Jasenovac since 2014...
Speech
The long fight for justice of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa
Opening the photography exhibition “Srebrenica – Mothers’ long fight for justice” presented in the lobby of the Parliamentary Assembly during its summer session from 24-28 June 2019, the Commissioner made the following statement: Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for coming here today for the...
Statement
Commissioner commemorates the victims and survivors of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia
“More than 80 000 people were brutally killed in the Jasenovac concentration camp. This is a place of profound pain and a symbol of the disastrous consequences of unbridled nationalism and hate. Today I would like to honour the victims of those atrocities, express my solidarity with all those who...
Country visit report
Report on Armenia recommends measures to improve women’s rights, protection of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, and establishing accountability for past human rights violations
Today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published the report of her visit to Armenia carried out in September 2018. The report focuses on women’s rights, gender equality and domestic violence; the human rights of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups; and...
Speech
Commissioner’s address to the Second Global Forum against the Crime of Genocide
In a video message sent to the Second Global Forum against the Crime of Genocide held in Yerevan today, the Commissioner said: “Dear excellencies, colleagues, distinguished participants, Out of the ashes of the Second World War, governments around the world committed to outlawing genocide,...
Speech
Commemoration of the Roma Holocaust: our duty to remember, and to combat persisting anti-Gypsyism in today’s Europe
Today, Commissioner Mijatović is participating, in Auschwitz-Birkenau, in the ceremony of commemoration of the Roma Holocaust during the Second World War. In her speech she pays respect to the survivors of the genocide, stresses the duty to remember and the crucial importance of combating...
Speech
We must not forget Srebrenica
Today, Commissioner Mijatović, participated in the commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. In her speech she expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the victims, honoured the memory of the victims and called on all political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
Country visit
Serbia: Concerted efforts needed to address the legacy of the past, protect media freedoms and ensure inclusive education
“Serbia has to move forward resolutely in addressing the legacy of the past, establish an adequate environment for media work and overcome the remaining obstacles to inclusive education.” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, following a four-day follow-up...
Visit report
Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities should spare no effort to build a truly cohesive society and effectively protect media freedom
“The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina should lay the foundations for a more cohesive society by tackling the disruptive legacy of the war. It is particularly crucial to step up the prosecution of wartime crimes and uphold the human rights of all civilian war victims, especially internally...
Statement
European countries must acknowledge the Roma genocide
On the occasion of today’s commemoration of the “Pharrajimos’, the Roma genocide, I call on Council of Europe member states to make more vigorous efforts towards fully acknowledging the genocide and other past atrocities committed against the Roma. While some countries have in recent years taken...
Statement
Victims of the Srebrenica genocide deserve respect and support
“Today we commemorate the genocide of 8 300 boys and men who were executed in Srebrenica in 1995 in one of the vilest episodes occurred in Europe after WWII. While we pay tribute to those innocent people who were brutally murdered, we should not forget the suffering of the relatives of the...
Memorandum
Justice, social cohesion and media freedom remain top challenges in Kosovo*
“Eighteen years after the end of the conflict, thousands of people are still denied justice in Kosovo. It is high time to change course and build a just and cohesive society. Major conditions for achieving this are to prosecute and effectively sanction all persons involved in wartime crimes,...
Country visit report
Ireland should remove obstacles to the equality of Travellers, women and children
“The Irish government should ensure that the economic upturn benefits the most vulnerable groups and should promote equality of Travellers, women and children by removing the barriers that disproportionately hinder them from fully enjoying their rights”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner...
Mission to Kosovo*
Kosovo*: High time to restore social cohesion and safeguard media freedom
“Many victims of the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, in particular displaced persons, families of missing persons and victims of wartime sexual violence, are still trying to re-build their lives, find out the truth about their loved ones and access justice. The on-going political deliberations have...
Country visit report
Croatia should eliminate shortcomings in transitional justice, immigration and media freedom
“Croatia has substantially improved its human rights law and practice in the last years. However, some recent developments put at serious risk these achievements” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing today a report based on his visit to the country...
Letter
Letter to the Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of Serbia
Letter from the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, to Mr Aleksandar Vulin, Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of Serbia, concerning the issue of reparations to victims of wartime crimes Read the letter Read the Governments reply
Visit to Croatia
Croatia: High time to create a tolerant and inclusive society
“Social cohesion and pluralism are under threat in Croatia. I urge the authorities to initiate and engage in an open dialogue with all stakeholders in order to protect pluralism and avoid further polarisation in society. Moreover, political leaders need to send an unequivocal message against...
Issue Paper
Nine ways for European governments to establish the truth about missing persons and support victims
“The protracted inability of European countries to shed light on the fate and whereabouts of tens of thousands of persons who are missing or disappeared following conflicts or dictatorships across the continent is an open wound for their relatives and constitutes a serious human rights violation....
Country visit report
Serbia: Impunity for war crimes, discrimination and lack of media freedom hamper human rights progress
Read the report “Serbia has to show more resolve in addressing the legacy of the past, to improve the fight against discrimination and to establish a safer media environment” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing the report based on his visit to the...
Transitional justice in the context of European convention obligations: the right to life and dealing with the past
Country visit report
Montenegro: overcoming wartime legacy and strengthening media freedoms remain priorities
“Montenegro has an important role in regional efforts to establish the truth about serious human rights violations committed during the wars of the 1990s in the region of former Yugoslavia. However, impunity for wartime crimes and access to adequate reparations for all war victims remain issues...
Country visit report
Bridging interethnic divisions should be a top priority in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
"Several milestones have been reached since the signing of the Ohrid Framework agreement which ended the 2001 conflict, including in the areas of local government, the use of languages and equitable representation. However, deep politicisation along party lines and political patronage undermine...
Country visit
Human rights of Roma and social cohesion should be strengthened, says Commissioner Muižnieks in Skopje
"The authorities of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" should address more vigorously the factors which continue to undermine social cohesion in this multiethnic country. Targeted initiatives should be developed to build trust and promote social interaction between the communities, as...
