Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland attributed the rise of populism in Europe and elsewhere to a widespread loss of faith in democratic institutions. He said the solution was to find answers to the everyday problems faced by Europeans. In addition, said Mr Jagland, it was also necessary to combat fake news, while at the same time safeguarding free speech, particularly on the Internet. This includes making it easier for authorities combating violent and hateful fake news to obtain prosecution evidence from “the cloud”.
The Secretary General also underlined the importance of defending the rights of migrants and refugees, and protecting vulnerable groups such as children, especially unaccompanied minors, who he said would be the subject of an upcoming Action Plan. Regarding terrorism, Mr Jagland announced two initiatives. The first is an international treaty to criminalise the trafficking of cultural artefacts from places such as Syria and Iraq. Sales of such artefacts are often linked to the financing of terrorism. Secondly, guidelines on the support that states provide to victims of terrorism are to be revised, with the aim of improving the help they receive, whether they are attacked on home soil or abroad.
Concerning the situation in Turkey, the Secretary General expressed his concern for the rights of those detained in the wake of July’s attempted military coup. He noted that Turkey had accepted the Council’s most important recommendation - the establishment of a national commission to examine the cases of individuals affected by the decree laws. This was an important step forward, said Mr Jagland, and proof that that the ongoing dialogue with Turkish authorities remains vital.