Newsroom
Anti-torture committee: fact sheet on immigration detention standards
The Council of Europe´s anti-torture committee (CPT) has published today a fact sheet compiling its standards on immigration detention, one of the issues where it has regularly found shortcomings during its visits to member states. Foreign nationals may be deprived of their liberty following a...
GRECO calls on Switzerland to develop ethical rules applicable to federal members of parliament, judges and prosecutors
In a report published today, the Council of Europe anti-corruption body (GRECO) highlights the specificities of Switzerland’s institutions which enjoy considerable public confidence. It underlines, however, that the very organisation of the system allows subtle pressure to be exerted on...
Committee of Ministers reviews the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
On 7-10 March, representatives of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe held their first “Human Rights” meeting of 2017, during which they examined the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in keeping with the supervisory role of the Committee of Ministers,...
Europe’s prison population falls, but there is no progress in tackling overcrowding, says annual Council of Europe survey
The number of people held in European prisons decreased by 6.8% from 2014 to 2015, although prison overcrowding remained a problem in 15 countries, according to the latest Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE), published today (SPACE I: report and summary ; SPACE II: report). In 2015,...
Call for applications for the Council of Europe Prize “Crystal Scales of Justice” for innovative practices contributing to the efficiency and quality of justice
The Council of Europe is organising the 9th edition of the Crystal Scales of Justice Prize. The aim of the prize is to identify and promote innovative practices regarding the conduct of proceedings, court organisation and the functioning of court systems in general. To be eligible for...
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland calls for dialogue over Turkish foreign campaigning
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland today reacted to growing tensions between Turkey and several other Council of Europe member states: "The situation is now damaging to diplomacy and democracy. We cannot allow it to escalate any further. All Turkish citizens,...
Venice Commission: Critical analysis of amendments to Spain’s Constitutional Court
Full opinion to be made available on Monday 13 March
Venice Commission: Proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey would be a “dangerous step backwards” for democracy
The Council of Europe’s constitutional law experts, the Venice Commission, warn against a one-person regime in Turkey in a definitive, as-adopted, opinion on proposed constitutional amendments to be put to a referendum next month. The Venice Commission warns that by removing necessary checks and...
Concerns raised over intolerance, discrimination and minority languages in the UK
There have been positive steps across the United Kingdom to boost the rights of national minorities, say European experts, but intolerance and hate speech are growing. Furthermore, national minorities still face discrimination in many areas of life and additional efforts are needed to protect...
Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee calls for monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has today called for the monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened in order to strengthen its co-operation with the Turkish authorities and all forces in the country and thus ensure respect for...
European Prize for Eloquence 2017 won by British law student
Alice Shaw, a British law student at Strasbourg University, was declared the winner of the 2017 edition of the European Prize for Eloquence. The competition took place on 7 March at the Council of Europe. The six best speakers qualified from semi-finals, which brought together 16 candidates from...
Human Rights Commissioner concerned about Hungary’s new law allowing automatic detention of asylum seekers
Statement by Nils Muižnieks
Portugal: progress in participation of Roma in local decision-making should be sustained
Concrete measures to address the discrimination Roma face in Portugal and ways to foster the participation of Roma in society were at the centre of a two day visit the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks made to Lisbon and Torres Vedras on 6-7 March. “It is heartening...
Fighting violence against women is not about “gender ideology” or breaking families
In a statement published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) expresses concern about misconceptions surrounding the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic...
Italy should improve its asylum reception-capacity, prevent human trafficking and strengthen its child-protection system
“Italy should improve its asylum reception-capacity and integration policies, prevent human trafficking and combat corruption in the migration-related services sector” are the main recommendations in a report published today by the Secretary General’s Special Representative on migration and...
New report on protecting refugee children from sexual abuse
A new report focusing on the protection of children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and abuse was presented today. Non-comprehensive data collection, inadequate reception conditions, problems with age verification and with identification of victims are among the key...
Press statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland on the occasion of the visit of Mr Bekir Bozdağ, Minister of Justice of Turkey
"It is imperative for Turkey and Europe that the judicial safeguards for all those who have been dismissed or are in prison are based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission that will be set up in Turkey to go...
National minorities: new reports on Armenia and Republic of Moldova published
The Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) published today its new Opinions on Armenia and Republic of Moldova, assessing the progress over the past years and giving recommendations for the government. In Armenia, the...
New reports by anti-racism commission on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Luxembourg
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published today four country reports on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Luxembourg, analysing recent developments and making recommendations to the authorities. The respective governments’ comments were also published....
Secretary General Jagland in Geneva for Human Rights Council and high-level meetings
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is addressing the Human Rights Council of the United Nations on 28 February during a two-day working visit to Geneva (27-28 February). Meetings are scheduled with: António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN...
