30/01/2020 | 19:05:51 Thank you, President. Dear colleagues, I would like to thank the rapporteur for his report which takes stock of the monitoring expertise of PACE in 2019. These activities, and sure that PACE is a beacon for democracy and human rights in Europe and beyond. But, as my colleague from Serbia mentioned before, I have to also bring to light and remind ourselves of the meeting that we had in the Monitoring Committee in Paris, and I was also part of that meeting, where it was decided that France... 30/01/2020 | 12:25:13 Thank you. Thank you very much Mr Chair for your understanding. Ladies and gentlemen we are again debating a very hot topic. As my colleague from Azerbaijan, Mr Samad SEYIDOV, he's put forward his own case very well I think. When I hear about what has been happening in the PACE and past things that have been talked about, where we had reports on that, we have had also the results of the voting and that is it. I mean we don't have to bring out now cases from the past. If we go there, there are... 30/01/2020 | 10:59:19 Thank you, Mr Chair. We are debating a very, very important issue and I thank Mr Stefan SCHENNACH for his work that he has put in under the urgent debate procedure. When I hear some words that are being spoken in this Chamber of human rights and rule of law, it is very interesting to hear that in the year 2020 such words are being uttered. Because the dignity of a human being that has no, and nothing to do with any crime, being able to freely build a life for him or herself, is not debatable... 29/01/2020 | 20:27:28 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) "Debate: Complementary joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to a serious violation by a member State of its statutory obligations" Dear President, Dear Colleagues, The complementary procedure is of utmost importance for the legitimacy and credibility of the Council of Europe. Therefore, it should be designed to ensure that no one can cast a single doubt over the impartiality of the... 28/01/2020 | 19:21:33 Thank you. President and dear Colleagues, The presence of an independent, free and plural media community is a prerequisite for a functioning democratic society. As parliamentarians, it is our duty to go beyond paying lip service and to take efficient steps for further protection of freedom of expression. To this end, there have been recent changes in the Turkish parliament regarding some laws on these issues. But when we are debating here today, we see that everybody is speaking about the... 28/01/2020 | 15:35:41 Dear colleagues, the sitting is now open. There has been a proposed change in the membership of the committees. They are set out in document Commissions (2020) 01, Addendum 3. Are the proposed changes in the membership of the Assembly's committees agreed to? They are agreed to. The ballots to elect the judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of France and the second round to elect a Vice President for the Russian Federation are open again. Those who have not yet voted may still... 02/10/2019 | 19:09:37 Thank you, Mr President. Of course, I would like to congratulate our rapporteur on the good work that has been put forward and the effort which is the most important part of this because, Ms KARAMANLI, you put point forward which we can see is touching everybody who is also part of the Council, and also in humanity. Like my colleague from Azerbaijan said, terrorism is a cancer, which we have to fight on all fronts and in all shapes and sizes, and we can, say, distinguish between these acts... 02/10/2019 | 10:08:11 Morning colleagues, the sitting is now open. This morning, the agenda calls for the election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Portugal. I refer members to the list of candidates and the biographical notices which are to be found in Doc. 14954, and an opinion from the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights in Doc. 14968, Addendum 2. The voting will take place in the area behind the President's Chair. At 1 p.m. the ballot will be... 10/04/2019 | 16:37:00 I congratulate the rapporteurs on their report, which gives examples of hate speech and hatred in sport. As a former minister for youth and sports, I have first-hand experience of how sport can bring people together. It is common to cheer for your football team, basketball team, tennis player or any sports figure that you admire. However, when people are in a crowd and chanting, sometimes they forget what they are staying. We have to look into the education side, the atmosphere and culture in... 24/01/2019 | 17:32:58 The monitoring procedure is one of the most important elements of this Assembly. Therefore, the reports produced under this procedure are expected to be unbiased and objective. However, several statements – and even reports – of the Monitoring Committee have a political and subjective character, contrary to the fundamental principles of sovereignty. As mentioned in the report, on 24 April 2018, the Monitoring Committee adopted a statement in which it recommended that the Turkish authorities...