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Turkey: Monitoring Committee strongly condemns new crackdowns on political opposition and civil dissent

16/10/2020 | Monitoring

PACE’s Monitoring Committee has strongly condemned new crackdowns on political opposition and civil dissent in recent months in Turkey and urged the Turkish authorities to “take meaningful steps” to improve standards in the field of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Unanimously approving a...

Georgia / Parliament /

Crucial issues still need addressing over the appointment of Supreme Court judges in Georgia

09/10/2020 | Monitoring

Following yesterday’s adoption by the Venice Commission of its opinion on the amendments to the Georgian law on the Common Court with regard to the appointment of Supreme Court judges, the Parliamentary Assembly’s co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Georgia, Titus Corlatean (Romania, SOC) and...

Michael Aastrup Jensen, Denmark

Armenia and Azerbaijan: Monitoring Committee calls for an immediate ceasefire without preconditions

06/10/2020 | Monitoring

“I am sad and angry about the tragic loss of lives, both civilian and military, caused by the new outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. These hostilities are escalating rapidly into an all-out war which seriously threatens the stability of the region”, said the Chair of PACE’s...

Grand National Assembly of Turkey

PACE Turkey monitors call for the immediate release of arrested opposition members

01/10/2020 | Monitoring

“We are greatly concerned by the detention warrants issued against 101 members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on 25 September and 1st October 2020, notably for their alleged responsibility in the 2014 ‘Kobane protests’” said PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Turkey Thomas...

Boriana Åberg / Kimmo Kiljunen / Stefan Schennach / Sir Roger Gale

Monitors urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately de-escalate the situation and return to the negotiating...

28/09/2020 | Monitoring

 “We are extremely concerned by the outbreak of military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan and its escalation, which put regional stability at risk. We deeply regret the losses of civilian and military lives reported by both parties,” said the PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs for Armenia...

Baku / Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: PACE rapporteurs welcome decision to release Tofig Yagublu to house arrest

22/09/2020 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Strasbourg, 22.09.2020 – Rapporteurs from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have welcomed the decision of the Baku Appeals Court to release jailed Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofig Yagublu into house arrest while he awaits a 28 September 2020 hearing in his case...

Ankara / Turkey /

PACE rapporteurs concerned about the situation of lawyers in Turkey

22/09/2020 | Monitoring

Rapporteurs from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have expressed their concern over the situation of lawyers in Turkey after a series of worrying developments – including last week’s decision of the Turkish Court of Cassation to uphold heavy prison sentences against 14...

Georgia / Parliament /

PACE monitors urge Georgian authorities to request Venice Commission opinion on changes to the process for...

18/09/2020 | Monitoring

The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Georgia, Titus Corlatean (Romania, SOC) and Claude Kern (France, ALDE), have taken note of the amendments to the law on the Common Courts regarding the process for appointing Supreme Court judges proposed by the ruling majority. “In our previous...

Baku / Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: PACE rapporteurs express concern at sentence for opposition politician

04/09/2020 | Monitoring

Three PACE rapporteurs have urged the Azerbaijan authorities to review the case of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu, who has just been sentenced to four years and three months in prison on charges of “hooliganism”. Mr Yagublu, one of Azerbaijan’s leading opposition politicians and a member of...

Sofia, Bulgaria

PACE rapporteurs express concern at violence during parliament rally in Sofia

04/09/2020 | Monitoring

PACE’s co-rapporteurs for post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, Frank Schwabe (Germany, SOC) and Aleksander Pociej (Poland, EPP/CD), have expressed their concern at the violent developments which took place during a rally outside the Bulgarian parliament in Sofia on Wednesday. “We are alarmed...

Ebru Timtik / Turkey

PACE rapporteurs react to the death in prison of Turkish lawyer and human rights defender Ebru Timtik

02/09/2020 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

PACE General Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in Council of Europe member states, Alexandra Louis (France, ALDE), together with the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Turkey, Thomas Hammarberg (Sweden, SOC) and John Howell (United Kingdom, CE/DA), have reacted to the death...

Alexey Navalny / Russian Federation
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PACE co-rapporteurs urge the Russian authorities for immediate explanation on Alexey Navalny poisoning

02/09/2020 | Monitoring

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of the Russian Federation, Ria Oomen-Ruijten (Netherlands, EPP/CD) and Axel Schäfer (Germany, SOC), have expressed their utmost concern following the German Government's announcement that Russian...