An open session on the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of the Council of Europe was held on 17 May with the participation of more than 100 students and academic staff of the Faculty of Law at the State's University of Tirana. The guest speaker of this event was Mr Nils Muižnieks, President of the Association of the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe, who introduced the participants with the work of the organization to ensure and improve the protection of human rights based on its experience as former Council of Europe's Commissioner of Human Rights.

The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Mr Artan Hoxha, and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Ms. Jutta Gützkow, delivered the opening remarks focusing on the importance of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter towards the achievement of common standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law for Albanian citizens. This is the first of several activities planned to be held during this year to mark this important anniversary of the continent’s leading human rights organization.

The presentation of Mr Muižnieks was focused on the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter, which are the living roots from which Council of Europe grows. Over the years, the organisation has drawn on these rights, applying them to specific issues and providing additional protection for individuals. In this way, the Council of Europe acted to protect national minorities and regional and minority languages and to combat the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and violence against women and domestic violence. Measures has being taken to prevent torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to tackle trafficking in human beings and human organs and to stop the abuse of personal data and acts of cybercrime.

Participants also got an opportunity to ask questions related to the action of the Commissioner for Human Rights on improving the standards of minorities, right of democratic protest, domestic violence and implementation by Albania of decisions of European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Muižnieks visited Albania at the invitation of the Academy of Political Studies, which is the responsible body for the implementation of the Albanian School of Political Studies.