07/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) was today elected Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. He takes over from Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, ALDE), recently appointed as Ukraine’s Minister of Justice. Dick Marty is a member of the Parliamentary Assembly since 1998.
07/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE's Legal Affairs Committee appointed today its Chairperson Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) as rapporteur to examine the subject of alleged secret CIA detention centres with a view to a possible urgent debate at the next Standing Committee's meeting (Bucharest, 25 November 2005). The Committee recalled that in PACE Resolution 1433 (2005) the Assembly calls upon member States "to ensure that their territory and facilities are not used in connection with practices of secret detention." The Committee also agreed to authorise Mr Marty to visit certain member States, if need be. It finally urged the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to request all member States to provide him with any information at their disposal by virtue of Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
04/11/2005 | President
Strasbourg, 04.11.2005 – In the wake of the violence in several suburban areas of France which has seen hundreds of vehicles set on fire and major damage caused, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, this morning called for calm and dialogue in accordance with the rule of law. "It is these neighbourhoods' own residents who are suffering most from the consequences of a senseless spiral of violence which is depriving them of their means of transport, both private and public, their schools and, in many cases, their jobs. This violence must stop immediately. The authorities must not only take a firm line with the troublemakers, but also make an early start to the dialogue."
04/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Following the allegations published in the international press about the existence of secret CIA detention centres in Europe, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden today asked the Assembly’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, which is to meet in Paris on Monday 7 November, to closely look into this matter. The President reminded that all Council of Europe member States are under a legal obligation to respect the relevant provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. In this context, he drew attention to the recently PACE adopted resolutions 1433 and 1463 and recommendations 1699 and 1719 on “Lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantánamo Bay” and on “Enforced disappearances”.
03/11/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Organised on 4 November by the Parliamentary Assembly’s Environment Committee, this colloquy will look at the role of local administration and public services in waste management and environmentally-friendly treatment techniques. Meeting separately a day earlier, the committee will hold an exchange of views with members of the Romanian government and parliament, and may approve reports on Regrouping agricultural land in central and eastern Europe and on the 50th anniversary of the Europe Prize.
03/11/2005 | President
“Democratic government is a basic social necessity. It is therefore all the more important that, as the world changes, democracy remains relevant and alive.” Addressing the Opening Session of the Forum for the Future of Democracy in Warsaw, Poland, René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), continued by stating that “it is only democracy, when coupled with respect for human rights and the rule of law, that can ensure the conditions for economic growth and the material well-being of our citizens.” The President warmly welcomed the Forum’s theme of ‘Civic participation.’ “Civil society must be an integral part of the democratic process, systematically providing constructive criticism and new ideas,” he said.
03/11/2005 | Election observation
Lord Russell-Johnston (United Kingdom, LDR) and Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) participated on 24 October in New York in a meeting organised by UNEAD (UN Electoral Assistance Division), the Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to commemorate the endorsement of the declaration of Principles for International Election observation and the Code of Conduct for International election observers. The two documents were endorsed by PACE Bureau during its last meeting (28 October 2005). The meeting was co-chaired by UN SG Kofi Annan, former US President Jimmy Carter and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in her capacity as Chair of the NDI. The Co-Chairs in their key-note statements characterised election observation as 'the second most important area of activities after security', while Ms Albright expressed confidence that as we were moving to an ever safer world election observation 'key to assisting human rights and democracy' would move further to center stage and take precedence over security.
28/10/2005 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, René van der Linden, has firmly condemned the remarks of the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has confirmed his statement calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. “I am deeply shocked and preoccupied by this statement and the attitude of the Iranian President who is openly defying the values of the international community. Such utterances are absolutely intolerable and unacceptable. We want to see Israel live in safety and peace with its neighbours. For the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the establishment of two States remains the sole realistic political solution to resolve the conflict, and the road map continues to be the valid reference for the peace negotiations. The international community, and especially the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and the Russian Federation, must commit themselves more to the negotiation process and do everything in their power to attain peace, which appears closer today than it has been for many years.”
28/10/2005 | Election observation
A 47-member delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, headed by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), will observe the 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan alongside observers from the OSCE and European Parliament. The delegation – the largest observation team ever deployed by the Assembly – will be in the country from 4 to 7 November.
28/10/2005 | News
Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), who is heading PACE's team of observers at the 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, has welcomed recent moves by President Ilham Aliyev to ensure transparent elections, including plans to ink voters’ fingers and his pledge to prosecute officials who interfere in the electoral process. "These respond to some of the recommendations we made to the President during our pre-election visit, and should contribute towards making these elections more democratic," he said. "This is a crucial opportunity for Azerbaijan to show it can uphold Council of Europe democratic standards which, as a member of our organisation, it has promised to do."
25/10/2005 | President
Speaking during an official visit to Albania, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, René van der Linden, has called for zero tolerance towards corrupt judges and prosecutors.“Albanian society suffers from corruption, organised crime and trafficking in human beings, but not a single person responsible has been brought to justice,” he pointed out. “Albania has a very low rate of convictions and prosecutions. This country should show zero tolerance towards judges and prosecutors who are found to be corrupt or violate their professional code of ethics. Persons guilty of such conduct should not only be dismissed, but also prosecuted,” he said, adding that there was an urgent need to “strengthen the judiciary and ensure its independence and impartiality”.
24/10/2005 | Prizes
A Danish television documentary about the human consequences of the 2002 mid-air collision over Germany yesterday won one of fourteen Prix Europa trophies at a ceremony in Berlin. The 6000-euro prize, which was donated by the Assembly in the "current affairs" category, was presented by Eddie O’Hara (United Kingdom, SOC) to the makers of the film "Victim No. 72", one of around thirty films submitted in this category. The Prix Europa, which has been supported by the Council of Europe since its creation in 1987, rewards Europe’s best TV, radio and internet productions.