13/05/2008 | Election observation
The vigorously contested early parliamentary elections in Serbia were conducted in an overall professional manner, allowing the country’s voters to choose freely among a wide range of political options, the International Election Observation Mission concluded in a statement published today. The observers welcomed the active participation of voters, testifying to the electorate’s high confidence in the democratic process.
13/05/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, made the following statement today: “I would like to express my dismay at yesterday’s announcement of a recent date for the execution of José Ernesto Medellin, the Mexican on death row in Texas. Mr Medellin says that he was never given prompt access to consular officials, as required by international law.
07/05/2008 | President
States ready to boost the finances of the Council of Europe should work together within the Committee of Ministers in order to help it escape the current “zero growth” budgetary impasse, according to PACE President. In an address to more than 30 foreign affairs and Europe ministers in Strasbourg today, Lluís Maria de Puig said states had reaffirmed their commitment to the Council and its values at the Warsaw Summit, but that this should be reflected in its budget.
06/05/2008 | Election observation
A 29-member delegation from the PACE, headed by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD, will observe the parliamentary elections in Serbia on 11 May, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The delegation will be in the country from 9 May and will meet the Chair of the Electoral Commission, representatives of political parties, civil society and the media and members of the diplomatic corps before observing the polling and the counting of votes in Belgrade and throughout the country.
02/05/2008 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Andrew McIntosh (United Kingdom, SOC), Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur on media freedom, reminded European governments and parliaments on the eve of Press Freedom Day to do more for the respect of freedom of expression and information in the media. “The expression of critical opinions is an essential condition of democracy. We therefore need more lively political debates in the media. Media legislation must respect this democratic freedom”, he said.
30/04/2008 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
In a declaration adopted today in Vienna at a conference on domestic violence against women held by PACE and the Austrian Parliament, the participants underlined the urgent need for action in national parliaments in this field, in terms of passing legislation and monitoring its application. The declaration also recommends that the networking of parliamentarians in the 47 member states should continue and that a Council of Europe framework convention should be drawn up to combat domestic violence.
29/04/2008 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
PACE rapporteur on media freedom, Andrew McIntosh (United Kingdom, SOC), today expressed concern at a legislative initiative adopted last Friday by the Russian State Duma. “This revision of the Russian media law will allow courts to impose more severe criminal sanctions against media which report negatively on high state officials. Media outlets could even be closed. The current media law in Russia is already very severe in penalising defamation of the President, Prime Minister and other senior state officials. An increase in penalties would risk violating the requirement of proportionality under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights," he said.
28/04/2008 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The Chair of the PACE Migration Committee, Corien Jonker (Netherlands EPP/CD) today called on the Turkish authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of four irregular migrants who were reported to have been drowned when they were allegedly forced to swim across the river border between Turkey and Iraq in Sirnak province.
28/04/2008 | Election observation
The democratic conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia, scheduled for 21 May 2008, is crucial to restoring public confidence in the democratic process in the country, according to a four-member “pre-electoral” delegation of observers from the PACE. In a statement issued at the end of a two-day visit to the country (24-25 April 2008), the delegation welcomed the efforts by the authorities to improve the administration of the elections, but said the low level of public trust in the electoral process was a point of concern. “The democratic conduct of these elections will squarely depend on the full implementation of the electoral framework, in good faith, by all stakeholders, during all stages of the electoral process,” it said.
25/04/2008 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
For the purposes of preparing his report on the Gökçeada/Imbros and Bozcaada/Tenedos islands, Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), Rapporteur of PACE, will make a fact-finding visit from 27 April to 2 May to the two Turkish islands, where he will meet inhabitants and local authorities. He will then stop over in Ankara for talks with representatives of the Ministries of the Interior, Education, Justice and Foreign Affairs.
25/04/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Commenting on the outcome of the trials against Andrei Kim and nine other young people in Belarus who were arrested after taking part in the entrepreneurs’ demonstration of 10 January 2008, Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, said: ”The sentences handed down against these young political activists are harsh, unjustified, and constitute an abuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes.”
25/04/2008 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The final conference on the parliamentary dimension of the Council of Europe Campaign to combat violence against women, including domestic violence, organised by the PACE and the Austrian Parliament, will take place in Vienna on 30 April, in the presence of the Speaker of the Austrian Parliament Barbara Prammer, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig, Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, the leader of the Austrian delegation to PACE Gisela Wurm (Austria, SOC) and some 80 parliamentarians from Council of Europe member states.