Letter
Ireland: Secure dignified accommodation for all refugees and asylum seekers through a government-wide approach
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, published today, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović raises concerns about the...
Country visit report
Spain: address housing and health inequalities, safeguard freedoms of expression and assembly and provide safe and legal access to the territory for people seeking asylum
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović published today the report on her visit to Spain carried out in November 2022, with recommendations on social rights, in particular the right to housing and the right to health, the freedoms of expression and assembly and the human...
Letter
Commissioner urges the Georgian Parliament to reject the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence”
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia published today, Commissioner Mijatović expresses concerns that the adoption of the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” may have a serious chilling effect on the work of civil society organisations in Georgia. “Such a...
Letter
Commissioner calls on Belgium to ensure accommodation and material assistance for asylum seekers
In her letter addressed to Belgium’s State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole De Moor, published today, the Commissioner expresses her concerns about the current situation of individuals seeking international protection in Belgium. A lack of available accommodation in reception facilities...
Letter
Malta should strengthen the protection of the media and access to information, in line with international standards
“The Maltese authorities must ensure that legislative work launched pursuant to the public inquiry report into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia complies with international standards and is fully open to public scrutiny and participation”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner...
Letter
The Netherlands must take urgent measures to improve reception conditions for asylum seekers
In a letter addressed to the Dutch Minister for Migration published today, Commissioner Mijatović expresses her concern about asylum reception conditions in the Netherlands. The Commissioner’s letter follows a further worsening of the situation, especially at the Ter Apel registration centre,...
Letter
Finland: amendments to Border Guard Act must be accompanied by clear human rights safeguards
In a letter addressed to the Finnish Minister of Interior, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, called for clear safeguards to ensure that recently adopted amendments to the Border Guard Act would not lead to human rights violations. Under the...
Country visit report
Georgia should ensure effective implementation of the anti-discrimination legislation and improve protection of human rights in the fields of labour and the environment
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report following her visit to Georgia in February 2022, with recommendations on combating discrimination against LGBTI people and those belonging to religious minorities, as well as protecting human rights...
Letter
Commissioner calls on Spanish authorities to investigate the circumstances of the deaths and violence at Melilla border
In a letter addressed to the Spanish Minister of the Interior published today, Commissioner Mijatović urges the authorities to conduct an independent, full and effective investigation into the events leading to the deaths of more than 20 migrants who attempted to cross the fence between Nador,...
Letter
Hungary: establish a fair and effective asylum system
In a letter addressed to the Hungarian Minister of the Interior published today, Commissioner Mijatović expresses her appreciation for the country’s open border policy for those fleeing Ukraine but raises concerns about the longer-term protection perspective of third country nationals and...
Country visit report
Austria: improve reception and integration of migrants and protection of women’s rights
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report following her visit to Austria carried out in December 2021, with recommendations on improving the reception and integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and on strengthening women’s...
Letter
Spain: the review of the 2015 Law on Citizens' Safety should result in better protecting human rights
In a letter published today, the Commissioner calls on the Parliament of Spain to ensure that the review of the 2015 Law on Citizens’ Safety is used as an opportunity to bring it fully in line with European and international human rights standards, in particular as concerns the provisions...
Opinion article
Op-ed: De-escalate Bosnia and Herzegovina - before it is too late
EUObserver, 18/11/2021 Warmongering has seriously intensified in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As some politicians, including in the neighbouring countries Serbia and Croatia, ratchet-up their inflammatory rhetoric, the international community struggles to find a response to escalating tensions. This...
Letter
Germany should pursue efforts to fully ensure children’s rights
In a letter addressed to Christine Lambrecht, the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection and Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany, made public today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, urges the German...
Letter
United Kingdom: Parliamentarians should reject restrictions on peaceful demonstration, criminalisation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
In a letter to the UK House of Commons and House of Lords, published today, the Commissioner urged parliamentarians to reject restrictions on peaceful demonstrations contained in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. She also urges them to reject a new proposed criminal offence of...
Letter
Turkish authorities should stop the stigmatisation of LGBTI people
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Justice of Turkey, published today, the Commissioner calls on the authorities to fulfil the commitments enshrined in the national Action Plan on Human Rights, stop the stigmatisation of LGBTI people, and uphold their freedoms...
Country Memorandum
Slovenian authorities should halt the deterioration of freedom of expression and media freedom
In a Memorandum published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, calls on the Slovenian authorities to put a stop to the marked deterioration of freedom of expression and of the media in the country. The Commissioner warns that some steps taken by the...
Letter
Greek authorities should investigate allegations of pushbacks and ill-treatment of migrants, ensure an enabling environment for NGOs and improve reception conditions
In a letter addressed to the Minister for Citizens’ Protection, the Minister of Migration and Asylum, and the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy of Greece, made public today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, urges the Greek authorities to put an end to...
Opinion: European treaty against women's violence 'saves lives'
DW, 11/05/2021 A decade on, the Istanbul Convention has become more important than ever as a tool to protect women’s lives in Europe, says Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s High Commissioner for Human Rights. On May 11, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence...
Letter
Romania: the appointment of the new leadership of the CRPD Monitoring Council should be an opportunity to strengthen the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities
In a letter to the President of the Senate of Romania and the Chairperson of its Human Rights Committee, made public today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights invites the Senate to use the appointment of the new leadership of the CRPD Monitoring Council to strengthen the...