26/01/2022 | Session
In a debate held today at its plenary session in Strasbourg, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) noted “the ample medical evidence” showing that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with an organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor whilst in Russia. It underlined that five different...
25/01/2022 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly expressed concern at the increase in hate speech, violence and hate crimes against LGBTI people in Council of Europe member States. “The scapegoating and violations of LGBTI people’s civil rights come to a large extent from political figures, including government...
25/01/2022 | Session
The Assembly expressed concern about the situation of LGBTI people in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, noting that “many infringements of these people’s human rights have been alleged or confirmed”. Those countries should adopt effective legislation and “policies to strengthen action against...
25/01/2022 | Session
Addressing PACE today, Željko Komšić, Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented the socio-political situation in his country, after recalling the significant historical events since the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, including the period of war that “led...
25/01/2022 | Session
European countries should support the media in times of crisis “so that the latter can perform their various roles to the full”, PACE said today. Approving a resolution on the basis of a report by Annicka Engblom (Sweden, EPP/CD), the Assembly said media in a crisis could be a source of objective...
25/01/2022 | Session
In the context of the election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of the Russian Federation, the Assembly decided at the opening of the Session to hold, on 25 January, a vote by secret ballot on the election of the candidate proposed by the Russian delegation, Piotr Tolstoi. In the...
25/01/2022 | Session
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has told members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that the relative peace of recent decades has been underpinned by the organisation’s commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. She emphasised that even as the...
25/01/2022 | Session
In his address to the Assembly today, the Italian Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Benedetto Della Vedova, described the Council of Europe as “an outpost” and "continental emblem of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms...
24/01/2022 | Session
The credentials of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been challenged both on procedural grounds (Rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure) and on substantive grounds (Rule 8) on the opening day of the 2022 “hybrid” winter plenary session. The...
24/01/2022 | Session
At the opening of its Winter plenary Session today, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected its Vice-Presidents: Jonathan Attard (Malta)José Badia (Monaco)Theodora Bakoyannis (Greece)Marta Grande (Italy)Antonio Gutiérrez (Spain)John Howell (United Kingdom)Darko Kaevski...
24/01/2022 | Session
Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) has been elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Taking over from Rik Daems (Belgium, ALDE), he is PACE’s 34th President since 1949 and the third Dutch to hold this office. He obtained an absolute majority in the first round of...
24/01/2022 | Session
The discussions at the Standing Committee meeting in Rome (25-26 November 2021); the lists of candidates to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) in respect of several countries; the 2022 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize; Assembly expenditure for the 2022 financial year; co...