12/05/2023 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
PACE’s Migration Committee has hailed the “resilience, courage and determination” of Belarusians who have been forced into exile by the repression of the Lukashenka regime – and urged states hosting them to take legal and practical steps to welcome them. In a unanimously-approved draft resolution...
25/04/2023 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
A PACE parliamentary hearing on excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics brought together key players from all sides of the debate, and heard a range of strong views on the topic. The event, which took place during the Assembly’s...
24/04/2023 | President
PACE leaders have declared their strong solidarity with Russian and Belarusian political prisoners at a special event at the opening of the Assembly’s spring plenary session in Strasbourg. PACE President Tiny Kox, joined by the leaders of the Assembly’s political groups, paid tribute to Russian...
04/04/2023 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The challenges faced by Belarusians in exile was the focus of a fact-finding visit to Warsaw and Vilnius by Paul Galles (Luxembourg, EPP/CD), who is preparing a report on this topic for the Assembly. In Vilnius he made the first ever visit by a Council of Europe representative to Belarus...
26/01/2023 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has unanimously demanded the setting up of a special international criminal tribunal in The Hague to prosecute Russian and Belarusian political and military leaders who “planned, prepared, initiated or executed” Russia’s war of aggression...
25/01/2023 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Some 200 to 500 000 Belarusians were forced to flee their country as a result of the repression that fell after the rigged elections of 9 August 2020. While they have a common wish – return as rapidly as possible to a democratic Belarus – they do not necessarily describe themselves in the same...
27/04/2022 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Expressing its solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media has called on decision makers in the fields of sport, science, education and media in the member States to exclude Russian and Belarusian national teams, clubs and individuals from all...
26/11/2021 | Standing Committee
"It is obvious that this is a largely organised migration phenomenon, with the active complicity of the Belarusian government, which is conducting what can be described as a 'hybrid war' through these manoeuvres," said Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), opening a current affairs debate today...
28/10/2021 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rik Daems, has strongly condemned recent reprisals against civil society and human rights defenders in Belarus. Recalling Assembly Resolution 2372 (2021), the President called on the authorities to fully respect the...
08/10/2021 | President
PACE President Rik Daems has ended a three-day working visit to Poland, during which he met the Speakers of both Chambers of the Polish Parliament (Sejm and Senate), held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau and other senior officials from the government, and held exchanges...
30/09/2021 | Session
PACE has called on the authorities of Belarus to “stop the instrumentalisation of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers”, in particular those in a vulnerable situation, and to “stop facilitating travel to Belarus of third country nationals under false pretences of tourism”. In a resolution based...
27/09/2021 | Prizes
The ninth Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights – has been awarded to Belarusian human rights activist Maria Kalesnikava. The 60,000-euro prize was presented at a special ceremony on the opening day of the autumn plenary...