Letter
Bosnia and Herzegovina: the authorities of Republika Srpska should refrain from further restricting the rights of NGOs
In a letter addressed to the President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, raises concerns about the Draft Law on Special Registry and Transparency of the Work of Non-Profit...
Statement
Karabakh region: End the military escalation and ensure the safety and human rights of civilians
“I deplore the renewed military escalation around the Karabakh region and its impact on civilians, especially on the most vulnerable”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “Over the past years, as noted in my 2021 Memorandum, the local population has...
Statement
Restore free movement along the Lachin Corridor and ensure the rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh
“I remain seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the human rights of its population following the blocking of the road running through the Lachin Corridor since December 2022. I reiterate the call I made at that time to restore free movement along that road”...
Statement
Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: let’s keep Roma history alive to shape an inclusive Europe today and tomorrow
Ahead of the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on 2 August, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, calls on all states to remember the hundreds of thousands of Roma lives lost during World War II and to ensure that Roma history is kept alive to shape the Europe...
Letter
Pylos shipwreck: the Greek authorities must ensure that effective investigations are conducted
In a letter to the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, stresses that Greece has the legal obligation to conduct effective investigations into the Pylos shipwreck, which resulted in the death of more...
Letter
Azerbaijan: concerns about the disproportionate use of force by police during environmental protests and restrictions to the work of human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Vilayat Eyvazov, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, raises concerns about the recent dispersal of environmental protests and the arrests of participants in the Soyudlu...
Statement
European states’ migration co-operation with Tunisia should be subject to clear human rights safeguards
“Council of Europe member states should insist on clear human rights safeguards in any further migration co-operation with Tunisia”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović today, in relation to the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the European...
Statement
High time to recognise 11 July as an official International Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Srebrenica Genocide
"The Srebrenica genocide, in which 8,372 Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, were brutally killed, remains a dark chapter in Europe's collective history. That a genocide was committed in Srebrenica is not a matter of opinion, it is a historical fact, legally established by the International Criminal...
Letter
North Macedonia: Parliament should seize opportunity to protect the human rights of trans people and execute the European Court’s judgment on legal gender recognition
In a letter addressed to the Macedonian Parliament published today, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović strongly encourages ongoing efforts to bring the Macedonian legal framework in line with Council of Europe standards in the field of legal gender recognition for...
Letter
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Commissioner urges the city authorities to build a memorial to the killed children of Prijedor
Today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović published a letter addressed to the Mayor and to the President and Vice-President of the City Assembly of Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In her letter, the Commissioner urges the city authorities to engage as soon as...
Statement
Online threats against Finnish journalist Ida Erämaa should be investigated and condemned
“I am following with concern the smear campaign against journalist Ida Erämaa in Finland. This is a serious case which should not remain unsanctioned” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “Since publishing a newspaper column over the weekend which...
Statement
The assault on Elena Milashina and Aleksandr Nemov is a crime that must not remain unpunished
“Today's brutal attack on Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Aleksandr Nemov in the Republic of Chechnya is an appalling act of violence that shows contempt for human dignity and the importance of press freedom”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja...
Country visit
Italy: Time for a sharp change in migration policies and effective advancement of women’s rights and gender equality
“It is Italy’s and our common European responsibility to stop the ongoing human tragedy in the Mediterranean. It is high time to take collective action to end the loss of life at sea, including through responsibility sharing for adequate rescue capacity and relocation of those rescued”, said...
Statement
Prison sentence against Nasta Loika is another illustration of the systematic repression against human rights defenders in Belarus
“The criminal prosecution and sentencing of Nasta Loika, a prominent human rights defender, to seven years of imprisonment is another illustration of the systematic repression against civil society and critical voices unfolding in Belarus since the 2020 presidential elections”, said today Council...
Statement
Latvia: Parliamentarians should uphold the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants
“I call on the Latvian Parliament to reject the draft amendments to the Law on the State Border and the Law on the State Border Guard, which would legalise current practices at the border with Belarus that place persons in need of international protection at risk of pushbacks and ill-treatment,”...
Statement
United Kingdom: adopting Northern Ireland Legacy Bill will undermine justice for victims, truth seeking and reconciliation
“The UK government’s ongoing attempt to pass the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill, including its recent introduction of amendments, ignores the many warnings that this legislation would violate the UK’s international obligations and put victims’ rights at risk”, said the Council of Europe...
World Refugee Day
Tolerance of human rights violations against refugees has reached alarming levels in Europe
“I am struck by the alarming level of tolerance to serious human rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants that has developed across Europe” says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, from Lampedusa today, ahead of World Refugee Day. “Ahead of the...
Letter
Slovak Parliament has a historic opportunity to deliver justice to victims of forced sterilisation
Discussions about a compensation mechanism for victims of forced sterilisation in the Slovak Republic offer “a historic opportunity to finally address this long-standing injustice”, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, says in a letter to the Slovak Parliament,...
Statement
Oleg Orlov's trial is a travesty of justice
“Oleg Orlov's trial which begins tomorrow, is a travesty of justice that shows contempt for the most basic human rights”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “Oleg Orlov - a prominent human rights defender and long-time partner of my office – faces a...
Country visit
Denmark: concerns over the impact of shift in asylum policy and need for further progress in the protection of the human rights of persons with disabilities
“While Denmark has a solid track record with regard to international human rights obligations, there are challenges that persist, and actions that should be taken to step up protection. This is particularly the case for some of the most vulnerable groups in our societies, such as refugees, asylum...
Statement
Bosnia and Herzegovina: it is high time for a memorial to the killed children of Prijedor to be built
On the occasion of the White Armband Day in Prijedor, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović reiterates the importance of securing the right of the families of thousands of victims of war crimes and grave human rights violations committed in this town between 1992...
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...
Speech
Speech at the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe
Speech delivered by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland Presidents, Ministers, Chairperson, Excellencies, Russia's war against Ukraine is the negation of all the values for which our Organisation stands....
Rule 9
It is high time to execute the Sejdić and Finci group of judgments and ensure full elimination of ethnic discrimination from the Constitution and electoral legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Commissioner published today her submission to the Committee of Ministers in the context of the supervision of the execution of the Sejdić and Finci group of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. This group of judgments relates to discrimination against the applicants on account of...
Speech
IDAHOT+ Forum 2023: member states should build on momentum to end conversion practices targeting LGBTI people
Address to the European IDAHOT+ Forum 2023, hosted in the framework of Iceland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik, Iceland Dear Ministers and state representatives, dear activists, dear friends, Each year, the IDAHOT forum is an important opportunity to take stock of progress and...
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...
Follow-up recommendation
Ensure human rights in the era of AI and unleash its potential to protect rather than harm
“As AI development affects nearly every aspect of our lives and its influence will further increase in the foreseeable future, member states must take concrete steps to ensure that people’s human rights are safeguarded in the design, development and deployment of AI systems” says Council of...
Statement
The Turkish authorities must protect democratic freedoms
The Turkish authorities should put an end to the hostile environment affecting human rights defenders, journalists, NGOs and lawyers and stop silencing them by means of administrative and judicial action. Ahead of elections, the pressure on these important actors in a democratic society has...
World Press Freedom Day
States should honor the importance of free press by ensuring journalists can do their job freely and safely
"Attacks and threats against journalists have risen at an alarming rate. This is dangerous both for journalists and for democracy. There is an urgent need for member states to close the gap between standards and reality," said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović, after...
Human Rights Comment
Crackdowns on peaceful environmental protests should stop and give way to more social dialogue
Environmental pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most urgent existential threats to humankind and to human rights. In response, many people in Europe and beyond have seen fit to take to the streets and to try new, often disruptive, forms of peaceful protest to demand...
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