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Human Rights Comment

Shrinking space for freedom of peaceful assembly

09/12/2019 Strasbourg

Over the last year, protests have multiplied across the planet, from Chile to Hong-Kong. Europe is not left out of this wave of demonstrations. Protests are taking different forms, from large and repeated demonstrations to the occupation of public places and spontaneous assemblies. The use of...

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EN RU

Statement

Commissioner urges Albania’s Parliament to review bills which restrict freedom of expression

17/12/2019 Strasbourg

“ I am deeply concerned to learn that this week the Albanian Parliament pursued the examination of two draft laws, known as the 'Anti-Defamation Package' ", said today the Commissioner in a statement. “These laws are in need of urgent improvement. Several provisions are indeed not compatible with...

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EN RU

Statement

Commissioner Mijatovic welcomes the closure of the “Vučjak” migrant camp in Bosnia Herzegovina

11/12/2019 Strasbourg

I welcome the closure of the improvised camp “Vučjak” near Bihać where migrants and asylum seekers had been languishing for months in absolutely dire conditions. This much-needed closure was made possible thanks to co-operation between the state and the Una-Sana and the Sarajevo canton...

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Country visit report

Commissioner Mijatović urges the Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of expression, improve access to lawyers and uphold the rights of internally displaced persons

11/12/2019 Strasbourg

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report on her visit to Azerbaijan, with recommendations on how to ensure freedom of expression, increase the number of lawyers and the quality of legal assistance in the country, and empower internally...

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Country visit

Bosnia and Herzegovina must immediately close the Vučjak camp and take concrete measures to improve the treatment of migrants in the country

06/12/2019 Sarajevo

“The living conditions of hundreds of human beings in the improvised Vučjak camp are shameful. That camp should have never been opened in the first place. It is now urgent to relocate these people and provide them with decent accommodations. I was assured by the State Minister of Security that...

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Letter

Commissioner seeks information from the Greek government on its plans to set-up closed reception centres on the Aegean islands

03/12/2019 Strasbourg

Today the Commissioner published an exchange of letters with the Minister of Citizen Protection of Greece, Michalis Chrysochoidis, and the Alternate Minister for Migration Policy of Greece, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, concerning the plans to transfer migrants from the Aegean islands to the mainland and...

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Country visit

Bulgaria should counter harmful narratives endangering human rights and step up efforts to fight hate speech and domestic violence

02/12/2019 Strasbourg

“The government should step up its efforts to fight the hate speech prevailing today in Bulgaria in particular against Roma, LGBTI people and other minority groups” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, today after a 5-day visit to the country. Hate speech and...

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Letter

Commissioner urges the Maltese government to ensure the independence of the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia

29/11/2019 Strasbourg

The Commissioner published today an exchange of letters with the Maltese government concerning the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. In the letter to the Prime Minister sent on 26 November, the Commissioner expressed concerns regarding alleged political...

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Letter

Commissioner encourages the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt measures to move forward on deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities

29/11/2019 Strasbourg

The Commissioner published today a letter she addressed to the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Mirsad Zaimović. The Commissioner calls on the Parliament to use an upcoming debate on the situation in several public...

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Statement

The Commissioner urges the Hungarian Parliament to modify a bill affecting the independence of the judiciary

28/11/2019 Strasbourg

The Hungarian Parliament is currently examining Bill T/8016 which would introduce changes to the Act on the Constitutional Court, Act on the Organisation and Administration of Courts and Act on the Legal Status and Remuneration of Judges, among a wide range of other pieces of legislation. The...

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Letter

Commissioner calls on Slovak parliament to reject retrogressive measures on access to safe and legal abortion care

26/11/2019 Strasbourg

The Commissioner published a letter sent to the National Council of the Slovak Republic today, in which she calls on the National Council of the Slovak Republic to reject a legislative proposal which would restrict existing access to safe and legal abortion care. The tabled proposal would...

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Third party intervention

Commissioner publishes observations on internet blocking in Turkey

25/11/2019 Strasbourg

Today the Commissioner published her written observations submitted to the European Court of Human Rights concerning the case of Wikimedia Foundation, INC. v. Turkey, which relates to the blocking of a free, multi-lingual, collaborative online encyclopedia hosted by the applicant, a non-profit...

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Statement

Speak up against sexist hate speech

22/11/2019 Strasbourg

“Sexist hate speech is a long-standing problem in Europe which has acquired a new dimension in recent years with the rising popularity of social media platforms. Threats of murder, sexual assault or rape occur daily offline and online. To prevent and combat gender-based violence against women...

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Third party intervention

Commissioner publishes observations on alleged human rights violations of migrants returned from Italy to Libya

22/11/2019 Strasbourg

Today, the Commissioner published her written observations submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in connection with the case of S.S. and others v. Italy. This case concerns the interception and rescue operation of a boat in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, carrying around 150 persons...

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Statement

Commissioner calls on the State Duma of the Russian Federation to refrain from adopting the new bill on foreign agents

21/11/2019 Strasbourg

I call on the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to refrain from adopting the draft law currently under examination that would significantly extend the definition and scope of a “foreign agent”. Such a law would allow the authorities to designate as a “foreign agent” any...

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EN RU

Statement

Realising children’s rights is not an option, it’s an obligation

20/11/2019 Strasbourg

We celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child today. Children finally became full bearers of human rights under international law thanks to this landmark Convention, the most widely ratified international treaty in the world. Countries have made substantial...

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Speech

Governing the digital world to protect democracy and security

08/11/2019 Vienna

Thirty years ago, tomorrow, crowds of East Germans crossed the border peacefully and climbed on the Berlin Wall together with West Germans. That symbolic moment, which catalysed months of civil unrest in Eastern Europe, told the world that a new era had just started. Over the past thirty years,...

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Speech

Ceremony for the 30th Anniversary of the European Committee for the prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

04/11/2019 Strasbourg

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and honoured to address you today, at this ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. On this round anniversary of the CPT, I would like to pay tribute to those who were at the origins of the idea to have...

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Country visit

Greece must urgently transfer asylum seekers from the Aegean islands and improve living conditions in reception facilities

31/10/2019 Athens

“The situation of migrants, including asylum seekers, in the Greek Aegean islands has dramatically worsened over the past 12 months. Urgent measures are needed to address the desperate conditions in which thousands of human beings are living,” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for...

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Human Rights Comment

Language policies should accommodate diversity, protect minority rights and defuse tensions

29/10/2019 Strasbourg

Languages are immensely enriching. They enable us to communicate with more people, to be better understood and to better understand other perspectives. Unfortunately, however, in many countries of the Council of Europe, languages are still sometimes used as tools to pit people against each other....

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EN RU

Statement

Protection of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly during last week's demonstrations in Catalonia

21/10/2019 Strasbourg

I am concerned at numerous reports of attacks against journalists covering demonstrations in Catalonia last week. The Council of Europe Platform for the safety of journalists has recorded 37 such instances. While some of these attacks have been carried out by demonstrators, several accredited...

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EN RU

Statement

Commissioner raises concerns about police conduct and people’s right to peaceful protest in Azerbaijan

21/10/2019 Strasbourg

The events that took place during the week-end in Baku, where unsanctioned rallies were brutally dispersed by the police, raise grave concerns about police conduct and people’s right to peaceful protest in Azerbaijan. On 19 October, attempts by the opposition to rally in the city centre were met...

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EN RU

Statement

Latvia takes important step toward eliminating child statelessness

18/10/2019 Strasbourg

“I welcome the Latvian Parliament taking a decisive step toward eliminating child statelessness with the adoption of a law to grant automatic citizenship to children of “non-citizens” as of 1st January 2020, unless the parents opt for another nationality. This measure represents significant...

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EN RU

Statement

Commissioner calls for urgent relocation of migrants from Vučjak in Bosnia and Herzegovina

17/10/2019 Strasbourg

“I am following with great concern the developments in the city of Bihać in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the authorities are continuing to place migrants in the already overpopulated improvised camp in Vučjak. The living conditions in this camp, which is close to land-minded areas, are already...

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EN RU

Statement

Malta must establish accountability for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia

16/10/2019 Geneva, Strasbourg and Vienna

“The Government of Malta remains far behind in its obligation to ensure that investigations in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are conducted in a prompt, effective, independent and impartial manner,” said today in a joint statement Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human...

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EN RU

Statement

The Commissioner urges the authorities of the Russian Federation to discontinue the liquidation proceedings against the All-Russia Movement for Human Rights

16/10/2019 Strasbourg

“It has come to my attention that a judicial action to dissolve the non-governmental organisation “All-Russia Movement for Human Rights” has been initiated by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. This NGO, which is led by the well-known human rights defender Lev Ponomarev, has been...

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Statement

Commissioner Mijatović calls for bolder measures to protect the human rights and dignity of all migrants in the Mediterranean

07/10/2019 Strasbourg

“The Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of EU member states meeting today and tomorrow in Luxembourg should not miss the chance to steer migration policy on to a more humane and human rights compliant path,” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “I welcome...

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EN RU

Speech

Commissioner calls for action to counter hostility against journalists

03/10/2019 Strasbourg

In a message sent to the 1st Regional journalists’ days meeting held in Sarajevo today, the Commissioner said: "Dear friends, just a few days ago, some journalists of Radio Sarajevo have been attacked. Prior to that, they had received death threats. This is only the latest of many attacks against...

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Statement

Step up action against statelessness

03/10/2019 Strasbourg

Statelessness is the root cause of countless human rights violations. Unfortunately, it is still widespread in Europe today as at least 600 000 people do not have a nationality or identity documents that make it possible to enjoy the benefits of a nationality. Having no nationality means you have...

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Letter

Commissioner calls on Maltese authorities to withdraw posthumous defamation lawsuits against the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia

19/09/2019 Strasbourg

Today, the Commissioner published a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, in which she recommends withdrawing the pending posthumous suits against the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia. “Some 30 civil defamation claims continue,” writes the Commissioner, stressing that...

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