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Five member states must investigate spyware abuse, says PACE committee

08/09/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Citing “mounting evidence” that spyware has been used for illegitimate purposes by several Council of Europe member states, a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has urged five governments to provide information on their use of such spyware within three months...

PACE rapporteurs raise concerns over health of imprisoned Crimean Tatar journalist Amet Suleymanov

04/09/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The General Rapporteurs on Human Rights Defenders and Whistleblowers, and on Political Prisoners, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) and Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), have raised concerns about the health of journalist Amet...

Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland (SOC)
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PACE rapporteur calls for immediate release of Gubad Ibadoghlu

24/08/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The General Rapporteur on Political Prisoners for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), has called for the immediate release of Gubad Ibadoghlu, an Azerbaijani academic and chair of the Democracy and Welfare Party. "Mr Ibadoghlu is an...

Alexey Navalny in prison
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PACE’s General Rapporteur for political prisoners strongly condemns Alexei Navalny’s recent sentencing

08/08/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

“I strongly condemn Alexei Navalny’s sentencing on 4 August to further nineteen years in prison under a special regime for ‘extremism’-related charges, during a closed hearing in a penal colony,” today said Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), PACE’s General Rapporteur for political prisoners. Mr...

Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD)
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Emanuelis Zingeris highlights repression by the Russian Federation as General Rapporteur on the Situation...

22/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

On Wednesday 21 June Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) was appointed as General Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders and Whistleblowers by the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “Human rights defenders and...

Torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities
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PACE committee calls for stronger action to eradicate torture and ill-treatment in places of detention in...

21/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Adopting a draft resolution on allegations of systemic torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in places of detention in Europe, based on a report by Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC), PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights called for enhanced measures to combat...

Julian Assange
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PACE rapporteurs warn against extradition to the United States of Julian Assange

20/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The General Rapporteurs on Human Rights Defenders and Whistleblowers, and on Political Prisoners, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) and Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), have warned against the extradition to the United States of...

Oleg Orlov

Rapporteur expresses concern over harassment and trial of Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov and...

08/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

“Today Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial, the prominent Russian human rights group and Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, is facing trial for repeatedly discrediting the Russian armed forces, and risks being sentenced to three years of imprisonment,” said PACE’s General Rapporteur for Political...

PACE committee urges UK to carefully consider provisions of recent Bills that ‘risk breaching international...

25/05/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

A PACE committee is urging the United Kingdom government and parliament to carefully consider the content of provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill and Bill of Rights Bill that – were they to enter into force – “could risk placing the UK in breach of its international obligations”. Unanimously...

Jamal Khashoggi

PACE Committee urges action against transnational repression as a growing threat to human rights and the...

23/05/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Since 2014, there have been 854 reported incidents of physical transnational repression carried out by 38 governments in 91 countries worldwide. PACE Legal Affairs Committee is alarmed about the number and gravity of acts of transnational repression committed in Europe. Russia, recently excluded...

PACE rapporteurs react to vote on UK’s Illegal Migration Bill

26/04/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Joint statement by George Katrougalos (Greece, UEL), rapporteur for “The European Convention on Human Rights and national constitutions” and Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC), rapporteur for “Implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights” “In two resolutions adopted this...

Hearing on torture

Torture in European prisons the focus of a PACE parliamentary hearing in Paris

22/03/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

A former prisoner who leaked videos of torture in Russian prisons, as well as the founder of a Russian human rights organisation and website which published this material, were among participants at a PACE parliamentary hearing on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in places...