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Anti-torture Committee publishes two reports on Turkey
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published reports on its 2017 periodic visit and 2019 ad hoc visit to Turkey. The main objective of the 2017 and 2019 visits was to examine the treatment and conditions of...
Secretary General honours Roma Holocaust victims
On 2 August 1944, the remaining Roma of the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy camp) – some 3,000 men, women and children – were exterminated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Roma Holocaust was an attempt by the Nazi regime and its supporters to exterminate the Romani people of...
"Challenging the Istanbul Convention is a serious setback for women's rights": Jelena Drenjanin
"The Istanbul Convention is the first legally binding instrument at European level, providing a comprehensive legal framework for the prevention of violence, the protection of victims and an end to impunity for perpetrators," said Jelena Drenjanin, Congress Spokesperson on Gender Equality, in a...
Know your rights: new “passport” for human trafficking victims in Tunisia
A “passport” setting out the rights of human trafficking victims has been launched at the Council of Europe office in Tunis. The same size and colour as a real Tunisian passport, the 66 page document contains detailed information on the rights of human trafficking victims, aimed at ensuring full...
Poland should not withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, says Secretary General
Following recent news of Polish intentions to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić made the following statement: ...
Why the media still lacks gender equality: new report
A new Council of Europe report points out that the “mindset and culture” in newsrooms must be “tackled”, with active participation from within the industry, in order for the media sector to “contribute at its fullest” to gender equality. Assessing legal and policy aspects of gender equality and...
Ukraine: Venice Commission adopts an “urgent joint opinion” with ODIHR
The Venice Commission has adopted an “urgent joint opinion” with ODIHR (the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) on Ukraine’s Draft Law 3612 concerning Democracy Through All-Ukraine Referendum. The opinion, requested in May by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s...
Fight cybercrime with the Budapest Convention!
A new report from the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) lays out the benefits and impact of the Budapest Convention on law making, domestic and international investigations, public/private cooperation and the strengthening of criminal justice capacities on a global scale. Practical...
Council experts welcome online learning during pandemic
Experts from the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages have welcomed the speed with which countries have adapted online courses to give access to learning for all ages and urged them to go even further to support learners. They are calling for countries to develop comprehensive...
Mostar: Congress spokespersons welcome adoption of amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In a statement made on 9 July, the spokespersons of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities for the observation of local and regional elections, Jakob Wienen (Netherlands, EPP/CCE) and Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG), commended the adoption of amendments to the Election Law of...
