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...
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
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
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 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...
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...
Annual report 2022
Annual Report 2022: Commissioner Mijatović calls for renewed commitment to human rights protection to address numerous systemic problems
“The protection of human rights in Europe has suffered serious setbacks in 2022,” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, presenting her Annual Report today. “A renewed commitment to human rights is needed to reverse the trend.” The report largely focuses on the...
Statement
Demonstrations in France: freedoms of expression and assembly must be protected against all forms of violence
"In the context of the social movement against the pension reform in France, the freedoms of expression and assembly are being exercised under worrying conditions," the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, said today. "It is the responsibility of the authorities to...
Country visit
Serbia: more efforts needed to face the past, increase safety of journalists and human rights defenders, and protect women from violence
“It is high time for Serbia to face the legacy of the past, to protect media freedom and freedom of assembly, and to fulfil its commitments on women’s rights and gender equality” said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a visit to the country...
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...
Human Rights Comment
Highly intrusive spyware threatens the essence of human rights
Over 18 months have passed since an international coalition of brave investigative journalists released the Pegasus Project. The disclosure of the leak of over 50,000 phone numbers, including those of many human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and opposition leaders, that had been...
Statement
Greek authorities should reverse the trend undermining the work of human rights defenders and journalists
The hostile environment in which human rights defenders, civil society and journalists work in Greece has been an issue of concern for several years. Smear campaigns targeting individuals defending human rights, cumbersome NGO registration procedures and undue pressure on journalists have...
Country visit report
United Kingdom: Commissioner warns against regression on human rights, calls for concrete steps to protect children’s rights and to tackle human rights issues in Northern Ireland
“Both the overall system for protecting human rights, and the rights of specific groups, are currently under pressure in the United Kingdom (UK). The authorities should spare no effort to reverse this trend”, warns today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, while...
Country visit
Spain should advance social rights, better guarantee freedoms of expression and assembly and improve human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants
“Spain has made significant efforts to advance the protection of social rights in recent years. Crucial legislative reforms, currently pending in Parliament, provide an opportunity to align Spanish legislation with international and European human rights standards, including in the field of the...
Speech
Speech at the European Anti-SLAPP Conference
Speech given at the Council of Europe European Anti-SLAPP Conference Dear President Metsola, Dear Vice-President Jurová, Dear Secretary General Pejčinović Burić, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly see a better occasion than today’s conference to reinforce synergies to tackle SLAPPs,...
Speech
Speech at European Parliament seminar on safeguarding media freedom in Europe
At the European Parliament seminar on media freedom organised for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize 2022, the Council of Europe Commissioner for human rights gave the following speech: Dear Vice-President Picierno, Dear Matthew, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to be among the...
Memorandum
Kosovo*: address shortcomings in the field of transitional justice and social cohesion, freedom of the media, and women’s rights and gender equality
“More than two decades after the armed conflict in Kosovo, social cohesion is still hampered by impunity for war-related crimes, unresolved cases of missing persons, lack of access to reparations for all war victims, obstacles to sustainable returns of displaced persons and ethnic divisions”,...
Statement
Member states should provide more support to Russian and Belarusian human rights defenders
The recent awards of the Nobel Peace Prize and of the Vaclav Havel Prize to human rights defenders from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is an additional recognition by the international community of the crucial role defenders play in advancing and protecting human rights for all, especially in times...
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...
Read More