24/01/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“I was outraged to learn that a peaceful, authorised demonstration in support of freedom of expression and against a bill to prohibit so-called ‘homosexual propaganda’ was violently disrupted in the city of Voronezh in southwest Russia”, today said Håkon Haugli, PACE General rapporteur on the rights of LGBT people.
24/01/2013 | Session
“Our close and joint cooperation and engagement with our partners in the East and in the Southern neighbourhood represents a powerful instrument to support their process of transformation and the development of deep rooted democracy..." declared today Jean-Claude Mignon and Štefan Füle.
23/01/2013 | Session
The urgent humanitarian needs following the conflict between Georgia and Russia in 2008 have been dealt with, but there are still significant long-term humanitarian challenges which cannot be solved as long as "people's lives are becoming trumped by politics", PACE said today.
23/01/2013 | Session
The Assembly has voted to confirm the nomination of a Hungarian member to two of its committees, following a challenge at the opening of this morning’s sitting. The nomination of Tamás Gaudy Nagi (Hungary, NR) to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, was challenged by Jean-Claude Frécon (France, SOC) – the second time such a challenge had been made, after a similar challenge to this nomination on Monday.
23/01/2013 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly today encouraged the authorities of Azerbaijan “to step up their efforts to implement the legislation in the areas crucial for the proper functioning of democratic institutions” and, against this background, decided to continue the monitoring of the country’s obligations and commitments.
23/01/2013 | Session
With regard to the drafting of the Council of Europe convention against trafficking in human organs, PACE today recommended that the Committee of Ministers complete the provisions of the draft convention relating to measures for the prevention of organ trafficking, the protection of victims and national and international co-operation against such trafficking.
23/01/2013 | Session
Following a debate, PACE tonight voted to reject a draft resolution on "the follow-up to the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan", presented by Christoph Strässer (Germany, SOC) on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
23/01/2013 | President
“I would like to welcome today’s liberation in Mexico of the French national Florence Cassez, freed according to a decision of the Mexican Supreme Court,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon. “Ms Cassez, who was sentenced to 60 years in prison for abduction, has always protested her innocence and has already spent seven long years in prison.”
22/01/2013 | Session
PACE has decided to ratify the credentials of Eleni Zaroulia and Tamás Gaudi Nagy, Greek and Hungarian members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) whose credentials were challenged on the opening day of the session.
22/01/2013 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, PACE underlined the need for the Council of Europe to maintain “direct working contacts with the Kosovo authorities, at all levels”, in order to ensure the smooth implementation of Council of Europe co-operation activities which respect status neutrality.
22/01/2013 | Session
While welcoming the extension of the geographic scope of the EBRD’s mandate, in order to support the transition in those countries of the south and east of the Mediterranean which embrace multiparty democracy, pluralism and market economics, PACE today called on the Bank to step up co-ordination with the Assembly and other relevant bodies in order “to develop synergy in the wider European efforts to support the emerging democracies in the Arab world”.
22/01/2013 | Session
PACE has urged Council of Europe member states to come up with comprehensive strategies to end the “major structural problems” which are overloading the European Court of Human Rights with thousands of repetitive cases...