The Commissioner's Human Rights Comment

Human Rights Comment

For the rights of the living, for the dignity of the dead – Time to end the plight of missing migrants in Europe

29/09/2022 Strasbourg

Bereavement in their death to feel Whom we have never seen — A Vital Kinsmanship import Our Soul and theirs — between — For Stranger — Strangers do not mourn (Emily Dickinson) A few lines of poetry hang on the entrance of the graveyard of the island of Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost point,...

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Human Rights Comment

Support Russian and Belarusian civil societies and human rights defenders

31/08/2022 Strasbourg

Russia’s military attack has resulted in immense suffering, deaths and destruction in Ukraine, with disastrous human rights and humanitarian consequences for all the people living there. It has also triggered the cessation of membership of the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe and a...

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Human Rights Comment

Not a target – the need to reinforce the safety of journalists covering conflicts

02/05/2022 Strasbourg

There are many areas around the world, particularly in conflict or post-conflict zones, where it is dangerous, even life-threatening, to practice journalism. The war in Ukraine provides yet another tragic illustration of the vulnerability of journalists in conflict situations. While it is...

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Human Rights Comment

Addressing the invisibility of women and girls with disabilities

21/04/2022 Strasbourg

Often, women with disabilities are invisible and marginalised in society, including among those promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, and those promoting gender equality and the advancement of women. The exclusion of women with disabilities from decision-making spaces has for a long...

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Human Rights Comment

No space for violence against women and girls in the digital world

15/03/2022 Strasbourg

The advancement of technology has enabled us to connect, share important information, speak up and raise awareness on human rights violations. But it has also provided additional fertile grounds for gender-based violence against women and girls to an alarming extent, and with little...

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