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PACE rapporteur deplores today's nine-year prison sentence for Alexei Navalny

22/03/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Jacques Maire (France, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on the arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny, has reacted to today's sentencing of Mr Navalny to nine years in prison for 'fraud' and 'offending a court'. “I deplore this new conviction of Mr Navalny, who has been imprisoned for more than a year on...

PACE rapporteur dismayed by 13-year sentence sought for Alexei Navalny

15/03/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

"I am dismayed by the 13-year prison sentence requested today by the Russian prosecutor's office against Alexey Navalny on charges of ‘fraud' and 'insulting a court'," Jacques Maire (France, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on Navalny’s poisoning, said today. "This request comes in the context of the trial...

PACE General Rapporteur expresses concern at ongoing crackdown on Russian civil society, condemns reprisals

10/03/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

PACE's General Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), has expressed deep concern over the ongoing crackdown on Russian civil society amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. “I strongly condemn the recent reprisals against two prominent...

Iceland: PACE rapporteurs concerned about police investigation into journalists

23/02/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

PACE's General Rapporteurs on the freedom and safety of journalists, Mogens Jensen (Denmark, SOC), and on the situation of human rights defenders, Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), have expressed deep concern over reports that Icelandic police are conducting an investigation into whether four...

Assange extradition fight: Pieter Omtzigt welcomes leave for appeal to the UK Supreme Court granted by the...

25/01/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), the Parliamentary Assembly‘s General Rapporteur on the Protection of Whistleblowers, has welcomed yesterday’s decision of the United Kingdom’s High Court to grant leave to Julian Assange to appeal to the Supreme Court on a point of law raised by his legal...

Pieter Omtzigt: new whistleblower protection law in Malta ‘not fit for purpose’

20/12/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), the Parliamentary Assembly’s General Rapporteur on the protection of whistleblowers, has strongly criticised the reform of the Maltese law on whistleblower protection. “Last Friday’s deadline for the transposition of the EU Directive on improving...

PACE committee calls on Russia to launch an ‘independent and effective’ investigation into the poisoning of...

07/12/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

A PACE committee has called on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights by launching an independent and effective investigation into the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, adding that those carrying it out “must be independent from the FSB...

Death penalty declining, but vigilance still needed in face of calls for the restoration of capital...

07/12/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Declassifying today an information note prepared by Vladimir Vardanyan (Armenia, EPP/CD), the Legal Affairs Committee took stock of the abolition of the death penalty in Council of Europe member States (the Russian Federation), observer States (United States, Japan and Israel), States whose...

General Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders concerned by the possible closure of ‘Memorial’

15/11/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Alexandra Louis (France, ALDE), the Parliamentary Assembly's General Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has expressed her concern following the launch by the Russian Prosecutor’s office of proceedings aimed at closing down the human rights NGO “Memorial”. “’Memorial’ is the...

Fighting corruption and political responsibility

12/11/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The “Panama papers”, “Paradise papers”, “Laundromats”, and “Pandora papers” scandals have involved allegations that politicians used offshore schemes to evade taxes and conceal assets, raising suspicions of corruption and money laundering. Adopting a draft resolution based on the report prepared...

We must do more to end the death penalty, says PACE General Rapporteur

08/10/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

On the occasion of the World Day against the Death Penalty (10 October), PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Vladimir Vardanyan (Armenia, EPP/CD) made the following statement: “This year’s World Day against the Death Penalty is dedicated to women who risk being sentenced...

PACE General Rapporteur expresses serious concern at reports that US officials discussed assassinating...

28/09/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Following credible reports that CIA officials discussed assassinating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), the Parliamentary Assembly’s General Rapporteur on the protection of whistleblowers, has expressed serious concern at the possibility of the extra-judicial...