Newsletter - February 2022
Council of Europe´s response regarding the situation of people fleeing Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, the Council of Europe Secretary General condemned the Russian military attack against Ukraine and said it was a flagrant violation of the Statute of Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. “This is a dark hour for Europe and everything it stands for”,...
Judgments concerning the smuggling of migrants in the Slovak Republic and detention conditions in the Röszke transit zone in Hungary
On 10 February 2022, in a Chamber judgment in the case of Al Alo v. Slovakia (application no. 32084/19) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (d) (right to a fair trial/right to obtain attendance and examination of witnesses)...
Report on visit to Malta, and third-party intervention on the situation of asylum seekers and migrants stranded at the border between Poland and Belarus
On 15 February 2022, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published a report on her visit to Malta carried out in October 2021, with recommendations on safeguarding media freedom and ensuring the safety of journalists, protecting the lives and dignity of refugees,...
Anti-torture Committee President holds high-level talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of Croatia on migration issues
On 4 February 2022, in Strasbourg, the President of the Council of Europe Anti-torture Committee CPT, Alan Mitchell, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, further to their previous meeting in October 2021 to continue their discussions on the treatment of...
New Guide on familybased care for unaccompanied and separated children
On 2 February 2022, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers took note of the Guide on family-based care for unaccompanied and separated children developed by the Steering Committee for Human Rights. When a large number of unaccompanied and separated children arrive in Europe after undergoing...
CDCJ kicks off the elaboration of a Guide for practitioners on administrative detention of migrants
On 28 February 2022, the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) agreed on the composition of its working group on migration (CDCJ-MIG) for the elaboration of a Guide for practitioners on administrative detention of migrants to support the implementation of existing standards in this...
Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child approves human rights principles for children in migration
On 1-3 February 2022, during an online plenary session dedicated to the protection of the rights of children in migration, the Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child (CDENF) approved a draft Recommendation on “Human Rights Principles and Guidelines on age assessment for children in the...
Fact-finding mission to prepare reports on pushbacks and safe third countries
On 21 and 22 February 2022, Mr Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteur on pushbacks on land and sea: illegal measures of migration management, together with Ms Stephanie Krisper (Austria, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on safe third...
European Qualifications Passport for Refugees: co-operation opportunities discussed in Portugal
On 24 February 2022, representatives of the Council of Europe met with partners from Portuguese education institutions to discuss possibilities for co-operation in the framework of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) project. The meeting was an opportunity to exchange...