10/12/2015 President
On the occasion of Human Rights Day, Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), declared:
“On Human Rights Day, political leaders and parliamentarians should take a step back from the political turmoil and look at the world through the prism of human rights. The Council of Europe works tirelessly to uphold and protect human rights. Since the founding fathers imagined and then created the Council of Europe, much has been accomplished building on the centerpiece of European human rights protection, the European Convention on Human Rights and its Court. However, upholding, protecting and promoting Human Rights is not just a full-time job, it is 24 hour duty and responsibility. Human Rights are violated or threatened every day and sometimes we may feel helpless in the face of the challenges, be they Syria, the refugee crisis, the economic crisis, conflicts amongst our own member states, the rise of hate and xenophobia or terrorism.
Combatting terrorism as one of the numerous challenges. It brutally attacks all our freedoms. It attacks freedom of speech by targeting and trying to muzzle free media. It attacks freedom of religion by abusing and hijacking religious beliefs. Terrorism also attacks freedom of movement, it attacks the economy and people’s livelihood, and it takes life indiscriminately. Facing such great threats, we have to be even more watchful not to sacrifice human rights and fundamental freedoms. The temptation is strong to try and reassure our citizens by resorting to greater security measures, sometimes at the cost of the rights and freedoms of each and every one of us. We have to be honest and clear: there is no free society without threats to security. Human rights should not be sacrificed on the altar of the fight against terrorism – this is precisely what the terrorists want! We must not give this to them.”