Statement
Commissioner urges Albania’s Parliament to review bills which restrict freedom of expression
“ I am deeply concerned to learn that this week the Albanian Parliament pursued the examination of two draft laws, known as the 'Anti-Defamation Package' ", said today the Commissioner in a statement. “These laws are in need of urgent improvement. Several provisions are indeed not compatible with...
Statement
Commissioner Mijatovic welcomes the closure of the “Vučjak” migrant camp in Bosnia Herzegovina
I welcome the closure of the improvised camp “Vučjak” near Bihać where migrants and asylum seekers had been languishing for months in absolutely dire conditions. This much-needed closure was made possible thanks to co-operation between the state and the Una-Sana and the Sarajevo canton...
Country visit report
Commissioner Mijatović urges the Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of expression, improve access to lawyers and uphold the rights of internally displaced persons
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report on her visit to Azerbaijan, with recommendations on how to ensure freedom of expression, increase the number of lawyers and the quality of legal assistance in the country, and empower internally...
Country visit
Bosnia and Herzegovina must immediately close the Vučjak camp and take concrete measures to improve the treatment of migrants in the country
“The living conditions of hundreds of human beings in the improvised Vučjak camp are shameful. That camp should have never been opened in the first place. It is now urgent to relocate these people and provide them with decent accommodations. I was assured by the State Minister of Security that...
Letter
Commissioner seeks information from the Greek government on its plans to set-up closed reception centres on the Aegean islands
Today the Commissioner published an exchange of letters with the Minister of Citizen Protection of Greece, Michalis Chrysochoidis, and the Alternate Minister for Migration Policy of Greece, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, concerning the plans to transfer migrants from the Aegean islands to the mainland and...
Country visit
Bulgaria should counter harmful narratives endangering human rights and step up efforts to fight hate speech and domestic violence
“The government should step up its efforts to fight the hate speech prevailing today in Bulgaria in particular against Roma, LGBTI people and other minority groups” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, today after a 5-day visit to the country. Hate speech and...
Letter
Commissioner urges the Maltese government to ensure the independence of the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
The Commissioner published today an exchange of letters with the Maltese government concerning the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. In the letter to the Prime Minister sent on 26 November, the Commissioner expressed concerns regarding alleged political...
Letter
Commissioner encourages the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt measures to move forward on deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities
The Commissioner published today a letter she addressed to the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Mirsad Zaimović. The Commissioner calls on the Parliament to use an upcoming debate on the situation in several public...
Statement
The Commissioner urges the Hungarian Parliament to modify a bill affecting the independence of the judiciary
The Hungarian Parliament is currently examining Bill T/8016 which would introduce changes to the Act on the Constitutional Court, Act on the Organisation and Administration of Courts and Act on the Legal Status and Remuneration of Judges, among a wide range of other pieces of legislation. The...
Letter
Commissioner calls on Slovak parliament to reject retrogressive measures on access to safe and legal abortion care
The Commissioner published a letter sent to the National Council of the Slovak Republic today, in which she calls on the National Council of the Slovak Republic to reject a legislative proposal which would restrict existing access to safe and legal abortion care. The tabled proposal would...
Third party intervention
Commissioner publishes observations on internet blocking in Turkey
Today the Commissioner published her written observations submitted to the European Court of Human Rights concerning the case of Wikimedia Foundation, INC. v. Turkey, which relates to the blocking of a free, multi-lingual, collaborative online encyclopedia hosted by the applicant, a non-profit...
Statement
Speak up against sexist hate speech
“Sexist hate speech is a long-standing problem in Europe which has acquired a new dimension in recent years with the rising popularity of social media platforms. Threats of murder, sexual assault or rape occur daily offline and online. To prevent and combat gender-based violence against women...
Third party intervention
Commissioner publishes observations on alleged human rights violations of migrants returned from Italy to Libya
Today, the Commissioner published her written observations submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in connection with the case of S.S. and others v. Italy. This case concerns the interception and rescue operation of a boat in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, carrying around 150 persons...
Statement
Commissioner calls on the State Duma of the Russian Federation to refrain from adopting the new bill on foreign agents
I call on the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to refrain from adopting the draft law currently under examination that would significantly extend the definition and scope of a “foreign agent”. Such a law would allow the authorities to designate as a “foreign agent” any...
Statement
Realising children’s rights is not an option, it’s an obligation
We celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child today. Children finally became full bearers of human rights under international law thanks to this landmark Convention, the most widely ratified international treaty in the world. Countries have made substantial...
Speech
Governing the digital world to protect democracy and security
Thirty years ago, tomorrow, crowds of East Germans crossed the border peacefully and climbed on the Berlin Wall together with West Germans. That symbolic moment, which catalysed months of civil unrest in Eastern Europe, told the world that a new era had just started. Over the past thirty years,...
Speech
Ceremony for the 30th Anniversary of the European Committee for the prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and honoured to address you today, at this ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. On this round anniversary of the CPT, I would like to pay tribute to those who were at the origins of the idea to have...
Country visit
Greece must urgently transfer asylum seekers from the Aegean islands and improve living conditions in reception facilities
“The situation of migrants, including asylum seekers, in the Greek Aegean islands has dramatically worsened over the past 12 months. Urgent measures are needed to address the desperate conditions in which thousands of human beings are living,” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for...
Human Rights Comment
Language policies should accommodate diversity, protect minority rights and defuse tensions
Languages are immensely enriching. They enable us to communicate with more people, to be better understood and to better understand other perspectives. Unfortunately, however, in many countries of the Council of Europe, languages are still sometimes used as tools to pit people against each other....
Statement
Protection of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly during last week's demonstrations in Catalonia
I am concerned at numerous reports of attacks against journalists covering demonstrations in Catalonia last week. The Council of Europe Platform for the safety of journalists has recorded 37 such instances. While some of these attacks have been carried out by demonstrators, several accredited...
Statement
Commissioner raises concerns about police conduct and people’s right to peaceful protest in Azerbaijan
The events that took place during the week-end in Baku, where unsanctioned rallies were brutally dispersed by the police, raise grave concerns about police conduct and people’s right to peaceful protest in Azerbaijan. On 19 October, attempts by the opposition to rally in the city centre were met...
Statement
Latvia takes important step toward eliminating child statelessness
“I welcome the Latvian Parliament taking a decisive step toward eliminating child statelessness with the adoption of a law to grant automatic citizenship to children of “non-citizens” as of 1st January 2020, unless the parents opt for another nationality. This measure represents significant...
Statement
Commissioner calls for urgent relocation of migrants from Vučjak in Bosnia and Herzegovina
“I am following with great concern the developments in the city of Bihać in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the authorities are continuing to place migrants in the already overpopulated improvised camp in Vučjak. The living conditions in this camp, which is close to land-minded areas, are already...
Statement
Malta must establish accountability for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
“The Government of Malta remains far behind in its obligation to ensure that investigations in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are conducted in a prompt, effective, independent and impartial manner,” said today in a joint statement Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human...
Statement
The Commissioner urges the authorities of the Russian Federation to discontinue the liquidation proceedings against the All-Russia Movement for Human Rights
“It has come to my attention that a judicial action to dissolve the non-governmental organisation “All-Russia Movement for Human Rights” has been initiated by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. This NGO, which is led by the well-known human rights defender Lev Ponomarev, has been...
Statement
Commissioner Mijatović calls for bolder measures to protect the human rights and dignity of all migrants in the Mediterranean
“The Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of EU member states meeting today and tomorrow in Luxembourg should not miss the chance to steer migration policy on to a more humane and human rights compliant path,” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “I welcome...
Speech
Commissioner calls for action to counter hostility against journalists
In a message sent to the 1st Regional journalists’ days meeting held in Sarajevo today, the Commissioner said: "Dear friends, just a few days ago, some journalists of Radio Sarajevo have been attacked. Prior to that, they had received death threats. This is only the latest of many attacks against...
Statement
Step up action against statelessness
Statelessness is the root cause of countless human rights violations. Unfortunately, it is still widespread in Europe today as at least 600 000 people do not have a nationality or identity documents that make it possible to enjoy the benefits of a nationality. Having no nationality means you have...
Letter
Commissioner calls on Maltese authorities to withdraw posthumous defamation lawsuits against the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Today, the Commissioner published a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, in which she recommends withdrawing the pending posthumous suits against the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia. “Some 30 civil defamation claims continue,” writes the Commissioner, stressing that...
Human Rights Comment
Shrinking space for freedom of peaceful assembly
Over the last year, protests have multiplied across the planet, from Chile to Hong-Kong. Europe is not left out of this wave of demonstrations. Protests are taking different forms, from large and repeated demonstrations to the occupation of public places and spontaneous assemblies. The use of...
Read More