Human Rights Comment

High time for states to invest in alternatives to migrant detention

31/01/2017 Strasbourg

The use of migrant detention across Europe, whether for the purpose of stopping asylum seekers and other migrants entering a country or for removing them, has long been a serious human rights concern. I have repeatedly spoken out against the pan-European trend of criminalisation of asylum seekers...

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Human Rights Comment

Access to registered same-sex partnerships: it’s a question of equality

21/02/2017 Strasbourg

There is a growing trend in Europe and beyond towards granting same-sex couples legal recognition for their relationships, which confers certain specific protections. The first country to provide “registered partnerships” was Denmark in 1989, while The Netherlands was first to adopt same-sex...

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Human Rights Comment

The Shrinking Space for Human Rights Organisations

04/04/2017 Strasbourg

In recent years I have noticed a clear trend of backsliding in several European countries in the area of freedom of association, particularly in respect of human rights organisations and defenders. The growing pressure and increased obstacles can take a variety of forms: legal and administrative...

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Human Rights Comment

Public service broadcasting under threat in Europe

02/05/2017 Strasbourg

Well-funded and strong public service media are a good indicator that a democracy is healthy – this is the result of a study published last year by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The report notably found that countries that have popular, well-funded public service broadcasters encounter...

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Human Rights Comment

Afrophobia: Europe should confront this legacy of colonialism and the slave trade

25/07/2017 Strasbourg

Human enslavement and the slave trade were appalling tragedies in the history of humanity which still cast a shadow on Europe. Colonialism scarred the destiny of millions of men, women and children and left an indelible mark on our world. It shaped European societies for centuries and led to...

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Human Rights Comment

Respecting the human rights of persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities: an obligation not yet fully understood

24/08/2017 Strasbourg

The human rights of persons with disabilities is one of the areas I have taken up most frequently in my country work, with the most recurrent issues being the right to live in the community and deinstitutionalisation; the right to legal capacity; and the right to an inclusive education. A...

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Human Rights Comment

The long march against homophobia and transphobia

31/08/2017 Strasbourg

Summer is the time of Pride marches. The numerous marches in Europe are a testament to the ground-breaking progress toward acceptance of the equal rights of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. In the vast majority of European countries, and elsewhere in the world,...

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Human Rights Comment

Arbitrary Internet blocking jeopardises freedom of expression

26/09/2017 Strasbourg

Internet blocking is a widespread phenomenon in Council of Europe member states. Its impact on freedom of expression was highlighted already in 2011, when the former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, outlined in...

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Human Rights Comment

Ending restrictions on family reunification: good for refugees, good for host societies

26/10/2017 Strasbourg

Many refugees have to leave family members behind when they flee their homes. This adds more hardship to the trauma of exile. Once they have found safety in Europe, being reunited with their family members is often the first priority of refugees. It takes little imagination to realise how...

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Human Rights Comment

Reconciliation Stalled in the Western Balkans

21/11/2017 Strasbourg

In March 2012 I travelled to Sarajevo with my predecessor for the launch of an Issue Paper on post-war justice and durable peace in the former Yugoslavia, followed by vivid discussions with political leaders and civil society representatives in Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade and Ljubljana. This...

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