25/06/2009 | Session
European governments should continue to support public service broadcasting, guarantee that it has editorial independence and ensure it has the funding it needs, according to PACE. Adopting a report by Markku Laukkanen (Finland, ALDE), the parliamentarians emphasised that a variety of funding models may be used depending on national circumstances. Despite a growing public reluctance to pay license fees, public broadcasting remained "essential" for society, they said, and should embrace new technologies in fulfilling its mission.
25/06/2009 | Session
At the close of the urgent debate on the situation in Iran, PACE today urged the Iranian authorities to refrain from using force and violence against peaceful demonstrators and to release the hundreds of demonstrators arrested since 13 June as well as the politicians, members of their families and journalists detained. According to the Assembly, these arrests show that the government intends to suppress the opposition and avoid any form of political dialogue, "as it has succeeded in doing for 30 years now".
25/06/2009 | Session
In a resolution on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia, PACE yesterday welcomed the general amnesty adopted on 19 June, under which most, if not all, of the persons deprived of their liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008 will be released. With this measure, the authorities have complied with a crucial demand of the Assembly in its Resolution 1643 (2009), and have given a clear indication of their willingness to overcome the political crisis that ensued after the Presidential election of February 2008. The Assembly will, however, follow the developments with regard to the remaining cases.
24/06/2009 | Session
Europe’s long-term displaced – however long ago they moved – continue to be entitled to the highest standards of protection, including decent living conditions, access to jobs, welfare and education, and a say in their future, according to the Assembly. Adopting a report by John Greenway (United Kingdom, EDG), the parliamentarians said only political solutions to the underlying conflicts will truly resolve the situation for such people, but in the meantime temporary or long-term integration is the best course, at least until those who wish to return are able to go safely.
24/06/2009 | Session
Walter Kälin, the Representative of the UN Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, told the Assembly session on 24 June that the situation of the 2.5 million people who have suffered internal displacement in Europe remains stagnant. He noted that most of them live in Central Caucasus, Turkey, the Balkans and Cyprus having fled their homes as a result of conflicts from rejected independence claims and territorial disputes.
24/06/2009 | Session
Claudio Cordone, the Senior Director of Research and Regional Programmes of Amnesty International, told the Assembly on 24 June that states should be held accountable for violations committed by their forces in operations outside their borders. Delivering a statement on behalf of Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan, he listed the death penalty, impunity, counter-terrorism, discrimination and freedom of expression as key areas of concern for the organisation.
24/06/2009 | Session
Holly Cartner, the Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division, Human Rights Watch, addressing the Parliamentary Assembly on 24 June, underlined that despite the impressive legal framework embodied in the European Convention on Human Rights, serious violations by member states continue, threatening the credibility of the institution and jeopardising the integrity of the Court.
24/06/2009 | Session
Drawing a general picture of the human rights situation in 14 member states, (those subject to the monitoring procedure or to post-monitoring dialogue), the Assembly noted that most have honoured their commitments to ratify human rights conventions, the notorious exception being Russia’s failure to ratify Protocols No. 6 and 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights. Other problems include judges who are not independent enough, slow court proceedings, overcrowded prisons and police ill-treatment.
24/06/2009 | Session
In the debate which it holds every two years on the state of human rights in Europe, the Assembly today urged member states to make the fight against impunity a priority by clearly stating at the highest political level that serious human rights violations committed or aided by state agents cannot be tolerated in any circumstances. In this connection, the members of the Assembly believe that full and speedy execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in cases of impunity is the key to fighting this scourge in the member states.
24/06/2009 | Session
“Your organisation has upheld human rights in times and in a country when terrorism was being fought. That shows that there is no contradiction between the need to eradicate terrorism and the respect for human rights, as the Assembly has repeatedly affirmed. On the contrary, it is precisely in such troubled times that there is a need to uphold human rights with renewed vigour”, today said Lluis Maria de Puig during the award ceremony for the 2009 Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Prize. "The very meaning of the entire activity of your organisation is a good example of a success story in eradicating impunity, the theme of this morning’s debate on the State of Human Rights in Europe", he added.
24/06/2009 | Session
Antonio Cassese, the President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, speaking at the Assembly on 24 June, stressed the prompting role of the European Court of Human Rights in enhancing criminal accountability procedures. The former President of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and of the Council of Europe's anti-torture committee (CPT) also suggested that a new monitoring body be established: a European Commission of Inquiry.
23/06/2009 | Session
PACE today voted not to annul the credentials of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation “on the understanding that Ukraine will take without further delay all necessary steps to finalise the election of a judge of the European Court of Human Rights”. The Assembly noted Ukraine’s request for an Advisory Opinion from the Court on “the right of a state to withdraw a list of candidates, once submitted” but said any such an opinion should also deal with “the issue of the conformity, with the European Convention on Human Rights, of Ukraine’s refusal to provide the name of a third candidate”.