News
Secretary General honours Roma Holocaust victims
On 2 August 1944, the remaining Roma of the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy camp) – some 3,000 men, women and children – were exterminated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Roma Holocaust was an attempt by the Nazi regime and its supporters to exterminate the Romani people of...
Multilateralism 2020: Secretary General publishes Annual Report
The Council of Europe has proven to be an essential, indispensable guardian of human rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is one of the main conclusions of a new report by the Secretary General covering the Council of Europe’s actions since the Helsinki Ministerial Meeting in May 2019 and...
Secretary General: “The constitutional crisis in Armenia can be solved with the Venice Commission’s guidance”
“The Opinion of the Venice Commission adopted on 19 June and made public today makes it possible to solve the problems that have been at the centre of the constitutional crisis between the Armenian National Assembly and the Constitutional Court", said Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of...
Personal message from Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić to commemorate 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and the end of World War II
Europe Day 5th May: Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
“This Europe Day, we are all thinking about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout our continent and around the world. Every individual has been touched by this crisis, but our greatest sympathies are with those who have lost friends or loved ones. At an institutional level, we are...
Secretary General: Governments must protect essential role of journalists in democracy, especially in times of crisis
New report lists 142 serious attacks on journalists in 2019 In a statement issued ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić calls on governments to avoid unduly restricting media freedom during the COVID-19 crisis. “Governments are...
Secretary General: acquittal of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov is to be welcomed
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić: "The acquittal today of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov by the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan is to be welcomed. As the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has repeatedly emphasised, the execution of the European Court...
Coronavirus: guidance to governments on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has issued a toolkit for governments across Europe on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law during the COVID-19 crisis. The Information Document was sent to all 47 Council of Europe member states yesterday....
COVID-19 crisis: Secretary General concerned about increased risk of domestic violence
Summary of interview with Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has expressed concern about an increase in domestic violence during the lockdowns due to the corona virus. Reports from member countries in the past few weeks already have shown...
Secretary General writes to Viktor Orbán regarding COVID-19 state of emergency in Hungary
Letter from Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, for the attention of Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary “The COVID-19 pandemic legitimately prompted Council of Europe member states to take drastic measures to protect public health. These measures are restricting a...