15/12/2004 | Monitoring
PACE's Monitoring Committee, meeting today in Paris, adopted the following statement: “The Committee regrets the failure of the Ukrainian authorities to respect its calls made in June and September 2004 to conduct the election process with absolute impartiality and respect for Council of Europe standards. Although the first round clearly showed that Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych were the two winning candidates, both rounds were marred with systematic fraud, massive manipulations, and abuse of power by state officials ...
14/12/2004 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The Legal Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris on 16 December, adopted a draft resolution and a draft recommendation on "The protection of human rights in Kosovo" (rapporteur: Tony Lloyd, United Kingdom, SOC). The parliamentarians proposed a series of measures to improve the state of legal certainty and to reinforce the judicial system. They called on UNMIK and KFOR/NATO to commence work, in co-operation with the Council of Europe, on establishing a Human Rights Court for Kosovo.
13/12/2004 | News
Jamal al-Harith, a British man who was detained by the United States at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, will address PACE's Legal Affairs Committee during a hearing on "The lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantánamo Bay" in Paris on Friday 17 December 2004. Other participants include forensic psychiatrist Dr James MacKeith, who will discuss the psychological consequences of indeterminate detention, along with representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Venice Commission and Amnesty International. US diplomatic representatives have also been invited.
12/12/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee today organised in Paris a parliamentary hearing on “the need for international condemnation of the crimes of communism”, in the framework of the preparation of a report on the subject. According to the rapporteur, Manuela Aguiar (Portugal, EPP/CD), it is time to take stock of the numerous crimes of totalitarian communism of the past and condemn them solemnly. Participants include Stéphane Courtois, co-author of "The black book of communism: crimes, terror and repression", former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky and Toomas Hiio of the Estonian Foundation for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity.
07/12/2004 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Migrants being a “soft” target, with no or little means to defend themselves, are an easy “victim” for negative myth-telling tabloid press across Europe. Participants at an exchange of views with media representatives on the image of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the media, organised in Paris on 6 December by PACE’s Committee on Migration, agreed that the press have the fundamental role of steering the public in the right direction.
07/12/2004 | Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
“The role of the opposition in a democratic parliament” is the title of a seminar which took place at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm on 10 December 2004, organised by PACE's Rules Committee. The seminar covered topics such as “how much opposition is necessary or desirable in a democracy?” and the rights and resources necessary for an opposition to contribute to the democratic functioning of a parliament, drawing on examples of current practice from national legislatures around Europe.
03/12/2004 | President
Assembly President Peter Schieder today welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of Ukraine to re-run the second round of the Presidential election. “This decision shows that the rule of law has prevailed in finding a solution to the current political crisis. The re-run of a second round by the 26th December will give the Ukrainian people a new chance to freely express their will and democratically elect their President. A Parliamentary Assembly delegation will observe the re-run of the election, as it did on 31 October and 21 November. I urge the Ukrainian authorities to address the serious irregularities noted by the International Election Observation Mission in order to ensure that the election fully complies with Council of Europe standards”, Mr Schieder said.
02/12/2004 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
The Council of Europe's Museum Prize for 2005 has been awarded to the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Greece. The museum, displayed in eleven galleries each devoted to a specific subject, aims to communicate all aspects of life in the Byzantine era, including art and intellectual development, the organisation of society, religion and everyday life. The jury appreciated “the excellence of the museum and the balance between conservation, restoration and presentation”.
02/12/2004 | President
During his visit to China from 3 to 7 December, PACE President Peter Schieder will meet, among others, with Wu Bangguo, President of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly, Gong Xueping, President of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai National People’s Assembly and Zhang Yesui, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Talks are expected to focus on human rights, a proposal for an Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and relations between China and the Council of Europe.
30/11/2004 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Meeting in Paris on 2 December, the Committee on Culture, Science and Education holds a hearing with Muslim, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Evangelical Christian clerics to discuss the place of religions in education in Europe.
25/11/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Speaking on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, PACE rapporteur Jean-Guy Branger (France, EPP/CD) recalled the Assembly's appeal for a pan-European campaign to combat domestic violence. “Every day, European women are being battered, abused and subjected to sexual or other forms of violence – usually by men who know or have power over their victims,” said Mr Branger. “Domestic violence is happening in every single Council of Europe member state, and it is happening now. This must stop.” Awareness-raising was vital, he said, stressing that the coming Third Summit would be “the ideal occasion” to deal with the question of domestic violence.
25/11/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE President Peter Schieder has strongly urged the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition to find a peaceful solution to the current political crisis and to refrain from any provocative action that could lead to violence. "The International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) found that the second round failed to meet democratic standards. It is now essential that the complaints by the opposition about cases of alleged electoral fraud be examined by the competent Ukrainian courts in a speedy and transparent manner and the decisions implemented before a new President takes office", Mr Schieder said.