“Estonia remains committed to supporting the active role taken by the Council of Europe in developing a useful framework for the protection of human rights, either online or offline, said the Prime Minister of Estonia, Taavi Rõivas, addressing PACE today. He underlined that the international norms set by the Organisation have had an undeniable impact on the legislation and conduct of internal politics in Estonia, since its accession in 1993.
“The protection of human rights and the rule of law on the Internet – one of Estonia’s priorities for its Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers – are needed more than ever. Human rights must also be guaranteed in cyberspace,” Mr Rõivas added. “We need to fully exploit the potential of the Internet, while making it a safe, secure, open and enabling environment for everyone without discrimination, as stated in the Council’s recently adopted Internet Governance Strategy 2016-2019,” the Prime Minister stated.
Mr Rõivas also welcomed the PACE #NoHateNoFear initiative, that was launched on Monday. “We need to be determined and united, so we can stand up to hatred. We cannot be paralysed by hatred or fear and let our societies be split up,” he said, evoking the recent terrorist attacks.