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Elections at the Venice Commission
During its December plenary session (18-19 December 2015), the Venice Commission held biennial elections of its governing structures: Presidency, Bureau and Chairs of Sub-Commissions and Councils. The incumbent President of the Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio of Italy was re-elected to lead the...
Council of Europe and UNHCR urge Hungary to change tone over refugees
UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency, the Council of Europe and ODHIR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) have urged Hungary to refrain from policies and practices that promote intolerance, fear and fuel xenophobia against refugees and migrants.
Communist and Nazi propaganda in Ukraine
Ukraine law banning Communist and Nazi propaganda has a legitimate aim, but does not comply with European standards
Turkey: Freedom of expression working group agrees 2016 actions
Jagland looking forward to “real change”
Azerbaijan human rights inquiry
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has launched an official inquiry into Azerbaijan's implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights. "Judgments from the European Court of Human Rights have highlighted an arbitrary application of the law in...
Migration and Refugees: Secretary General appoints Special Representative
Council of Europe to examine reported human rights violations against migrants and refugees
Russia’s new law on the Constitutional Court. Jagland: “a solution should be possible.”
Constitutional Court will need to ensure respect for European Convention.
Holy See should step up money laundering prosecutions
The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing body MONEYVAL today published the second progress report of the Holy See/Vatican City State. The report evaluates its compliance with the recommendations made by MONEYVAL in its Mutual Evaluation Report in July 2012 and...
LGBT sports coaches still taboo
“Sports teams should make all kinds of minorities visible, including LGBT people,” asserts former Finnish president Tarja Halonen. “I have been working for LGBT people in sports. It is still very much a taboo whether there can be gay or lesbian coaches, when we, the heterosexuals are expected to...