28/01/2021 | 12:54:21 Thank you, President. I am not a chair of this Committee, so that this report is prepared by the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination and by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. So, dear colleagues, thank you very much for your valuable comments and also critical remarks. Unfortunately I can't reply to everybody, but just very few notes. Ms Petra STIENEN mentioned other grounds for unlawful profiling, I fully agree with you. Age, gender, or sexual identity might also be a... 28/01/2021 | 11:36:33 Thank you, Mister President. Throughout Europe some individuals are being singled out by the police for identity checks only on the grounds of race, colour, national or ethnic origin. This practice is apparently discriminatory. The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance defines ethnic profiling as, I quote, "a reliance by law enforcement, security and border control personnel on race, colour, descent or national or... 27/01/2021 | 19:12:02 Thank you, Mister President, First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude also on behalf of the rapporteur to all those who took part in this debate. Let me be quite plain. I understand the frustrations of some members, particularly from those States, which are particularly the criticised in this report. It is unpleasant, of course. However, in all this - and I understand - this willingness to somehow put into question the professionalism and validity of the rapporteurs' conclusions... 27/01/2021 | 17:31:28 Thank you, Madam President, Dear Colleagues, Unfortunately, our rapporteur Ms Alexandra LOUIS cannot be with us today, so I will present the report instead of her. This report was adopted by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights last December. Five years ago, in January 2016, our Assembly already addressed the issue of inappropriate restrictions on NGO activities on the basis of a report by our former colleague Mr Yves CRUCHTEN. In June 2018, we debated his second report on the... 26/01/2021 | 12:14:28 The rule of law is one of the cornerstones of modern democracy. It is also one of the declared values of the Council of Europe. However, as politicians we know quite well that it's very easy to declare some value. It's much more difficult to ensure implementation in practice. I very much appreciate Mr Andrea ORLANDO's report because he very carefully and in depth deals with the practical aspects of the implementation of the rule of law, with technicalities if you wish. Indeed, in this debate... 26/01/2021 | 10:38:02 This report is about the very core of the entire organisation, the Council of Europe. The system of the Convention and the Court is really unique. It offers the right to petition to everybody under the jurisdiction of any of the Council of Europe's member states. While the court procedure is judicial, the monitoring of execution of judgements is political. The primary role lies with the Committee of Ministers, but our Assembly plays an increasingly important role in the entire process. I... 25/01/2021 | 11:44:58 Thank you, Mr Secretary General. So the challenge has the support required under the Rules of Procedure. The credentials of the Russian Federation delegation are referred without debate to the appropriate committee for a report, and to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs for opinion. I propose that the appropriate committee in this case is the Monitoring Committee because the challenge was on the grounds of fulfilment of obligations and commitments... 25/01/2021 | 11:41:09 Thank you Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA. Dear colleagues, please, try to be brief and to respect the rules including the limits to speaking time. Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA is challenging the credentials of the delegation of the Russian Federation on substantive grounds under Rule 8 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure. Under Rule 8 your challenge must be supported by at least certain members from at least five national delegations. Under the changes to our rules introduced in November 2020 by Resolution... 25/01/2021 | 11:33:33 Ladies and gentlemen, the sitting is open. I declare open the first part of the 2021 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, the year 2020 was the most difficult year for our Assembly. Out of all the 22 years I spent here, the Covid-19 pandemic posed enormous challenges for our organisation. I wish to thank all of you for facing these challenges with dignity. Particular tribute should be paid to our Secretariat, led by the tireless... 30/01/2020 | 12:33:39 Thank you, President. Colleagues, the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has been discussed by this Assembly for years and years, and I must say that this time, this report was discussed in the Committee in quite a constructive manner and I do appreciate this and I'm grateful to our other colleagues for this cooperation. Unfortunately, today, in this debate, so the situation has changed. I am deeply upset by this flat rejection and flat denial of any criticisms of Azerbaijan. Friends...