“In 2017 the human rights situation continued to deteriorate in many European countries. Old crises deepened, new crises emerged and commitment to human rights values and standards seemed to weaken”, said today Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights while presenting his annual report for 2017. “This situation is not irremediable, though, as long as governments and parliaments recommit to the values and principles that lie at the heart of our human rights protection system.”
The annual report, the last of Commissioner Muižnieks’ mandate, both details the activities carried out during the past year and provides an assessment of the state of human rights in Europe.