24/06/2009 | Monitoring
PACE Monitoring Committee today urged the Parliament of Azerbaijan to seize the Venice Commission for an opinion on a package of amendments to the legislation on NGOs prior to their adoption, as well as for an opinion on the amendments on the Law on Freedom of Religion adopted in May 2009, in line with the spirit of co-operation with the Venice Commission set forth in the decree of the President of Azerbaijan of 3 April 2009.
24/06/2009 | Session
Drawing a general picture of the human rights situation in 14 member states, (those subject to the monitoring procedure or to post-monitoring dialogue), the Assembly noted that most have honoured their commitments to ratify human rights conventions, the notorious exception being Russia’s failure to ratify Protocols No. 6 and 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights. Other problems include judges who are not independent enough, slow court proceedings, overcrowded prisons and police ill-treatment.
24/06/2009 | Session
In the debate which it holds every two years on the state of human rights in Europe, the Assembly today urged member states to make the fight against impunity a priority by clearly stating at the highest political level that serious human rights violations committed or aided by state agents cannot be tolerated in any circumstances. In this connection, the members of the Assembly believe that full and speedy execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in cases of impunity is the key to fighting this scourge in the member states.
24/06/2009 | Session
“Your organisation has upheld human rights in times and in a country when terrorism was being fought. That shows that there is no contradiction between the need to eradicate terrorism and the respect for human rights, as the Assembly has repeatedly affirmed. On the contrary, it is precisely in such troubled times that there is a need to uphold human rights with renewed vigour”, today said Lluis Maria de Puig during the award ceremony for the 2009 Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Prize. "The very meaning of the entire activity of your organisation is a good example of a success story in eradicating impunity, the theme of this morning’s debate on the State of Human Rights in Europe", he added.
24/06/2009 | Session
Antonio Cassese, the President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, speaking at the Assembly on 24 June, stressed the prompting role of the European Court of Human Rights in enhancing criminal accountability procedures. The former President of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and of the Council of Europe's anti-torture committee (CPT) also suggested that a new monitoring body be established: a European Commission of Inquiry.
23/06/2009 | Session
PACE today voted not to annul the credentials of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation “on the understanding that Ukraine will take without further delay all necessary steps to finalise the election of a judge of the European Court of Human Rights”. The Assembly noted Ukraine’s request for an Advisory Opinion from the Court on “the right of a state to withdraw a list of candidates, once submitted” but said any such an opinion should also deal with “the issue of the conformity, with the European Convention on Human Rights, of Ukraine’s refusal to provide the name of a third candidate”.
23/06/2009 | Session
PACE, meeting this week in plenary session in Strasbourg, today elected Kristina Pardalos as judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to San Marino.
23/06/2009 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, the Assembly considers that the main challenge facing international financial institutions such as the IMF and development banks such as the World Bank, as well as the governments that fund them, is to ensure adequate global liquidity and stability in order to restore growth and hence employment. According to Kimmo Sasi (Finland, EPP/CD), author of the report on this subject, restoring health to the international banking system must be a top priority.
23/06/2009 | Session
After discussing an information note prepared by PACE co-rapporteurs with respect of Ukraine, on the basis of their last visit to Kiev from 5 to 8 April 2009, the PACE Monitoring Committee today expressed its concern that the positive changes to the Law on Elections of the President of Ukraine, adopted after the controversial second round of the Presidential election in 2004, were only of a temporary nature and will not be applicable for the forthcoming Presidential elections.
23/06/2009 | Session
A report approved today by PACE Legal Affairs Committee has recommended a series of steps to boost the independence of judges across Europe to end what it calls “politically-motivated interference” in individual cases. The report, prepared by Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Germany, ALDE), exposes ways that politicians can meddle with the law in four countries representing the principal types of criminal justice system in Europe.
23/06/2009 | Session
Thomas Mirow, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) underlined on 23 June at the Assembly the effects of the global financial crisis. ''Ten countries –including Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine- are expected to suffer severe recessions or depressions, with growth in the order of -4 to -15% in 2009'', stated the EBRD President.
23/06/2009 | Session
While recalling that funding from the EBRD has become more important than ever for those countries it supports, the Assembly believes that the EBRD needs to continue its efforts to co-operate with other banks and international financial institutions, in order to avoid overlapping activities. According to the parliamentarians, there is scope for greater co-ordination with the Council of Europe too, such as carrying out joint projects with the Development Bank, or working more closely with Council bodies active in the economic sphere.