Newsletter October-November 2023
SRSG visits Ukraine and Armenia; addresses EPAS Diversity Conference and three follow up events in Romania
On 2 October 2023, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, visited Ukraine at the invitation of the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy, Kateryna Levchenko. In meetings with Ms Levchenko and other government officials,...
Mass deportations of Afghans from Pakistan: ‘Europe can do more through member States’ embassies,’ says PACE Rapporteur
PACE Rapporteur Birgir Thórarinsson (Iceland, EPP/CD) urged member States to step up external action in support to Afghan refugees and to first reception countries as recommended in Resolution 2522 (2023). He recalled the Assembly’s unanimous decision that “deportations to Afghanistan are not...
Commissioner Mijatović published report on her visit to Denmark; expressed concern at Italy-Albanian agreement
On 16 November 2023, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published the report on her visit to Denmark in May-June 2023, with recommendations on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and the rights of persons with disabilities. There have been...
CPT visits to Malta and Greece focused on treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in prison and in immigration detention
A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out a visit to Malta from 26 September to 5 October 2023. It was the Committee's sixth periodic visit to the country. The main objective of the visit was...
Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine launched
The Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) held its first meeting in Strasbourg on 30 November - 1 December 2023, bringing together over 85 participants (in person and online) to discuss ways to effectively protect the rights of millions of Ukrainian children...
CDCJ: Guide for practitioners on the administrative detention of migrants and asylum seekers
The European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) published its Guide for practitioners on the administrative detention of migrants and asylum seekers which aims to promote the application of existing international and European standards in this area. This guide was drawn up by the CDCJ for...
ECtHR rules on several migration-related cases
In October and November, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled on several migration-related cases and here is an overview of the most important ones: Shahzad v. Hungary (no. 2) (no. 37967/18) The applicant, Khurram Shahzad, is a Pakistani national who was born in 1986 and, according to the...