Logo Assembly Logo Hemicycle

News

MH17
©Shutterstock

PACE rapporteur commemorates the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

19/07/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Titus Corlățean (Romania, SOC), PACE rapporteur on Ensuring accountability for the downing of flight MH17, has commemorated the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on 17 July 2014. “Seven long years ago, all 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch nationals, lost their lives when Malaysia...

Alexey Pichugin

PACE rapporteur on political prisoners in Russia concerned about recent developments in the case of Alexey...

09/07/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), the rapporteur on political prisoners in Russia for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has commented on recent developments in the case of Alexey Pichugin: “I am gravely concerned at news reports from Russia that Alexey Pichugin...

Death row
©Shutterstock

United States: the rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty welcomes the announcement of the...

06/07/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Vladimir Vardanyan (Armenia, EPP/CD), General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the abolition of the death penalty, has welcomed last Thursday’s announcement of the United States Attorney General Merrick Garland to temporarily halt federal executions...

Drugs
©Shutterstock

PACE rapporteur welcomes revision of the Pompidou Group’s statute

24/06/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The Rapporteur for follow-up to Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 2335 (2020) and Recommendation 2177 (2020) on “Drug policy and human rights in Europe: a baseline study”, Hannah Bardell (United Kingdom, NR), welcomed the adoption by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of a...

Portal / Baku / Azerbaijan

Problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan ‘neither recognised nor adequately addressed, let alone...

23/06/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, as identified and described in a January 2020 resolution of the Assembly, “has been neither duly recognised nor adequately addressed by the authorities, let alone resolved”, according to a follow-up report declassified yesterday. The follow-up...

Vaccine / COVID

‘Covid passes’ should respect common human rights and rule of law standards, says PACE rapporteur

09/06/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

“National and international authorities considering the introduction of ‘Covid pass’ systems should bear in mind the basic standards of human rights and the rule of law as set out in the report by the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)," said...

Alexandra / Louis / France

Statement by a rapporteur on the arrest of Andrei Pivoravov

03/06/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Alexandra Louis (France, ALDE), Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on follow-up to Resolution 2362 (2021) on Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe member States, has expressed great concern at the arrest of Russian activist Andrei Pivovarov at St...

Politician speech
©Shutterstock

Politicians should not face prosecution for statements made in the exercise of their political mandates as...

03/06/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

“Politicians need a particularly high level of protection of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, both in parliament and when speaking to their constituents, but that freedom of speech is not unlimited,” today said PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, adding that hate speech...

Climate change
©Shutterstock

Reinforcing civil and criminal liability to respond to environmental harm

19/05/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Given the climate crisis and the importance of holding private and public actors liable for their contributions to climate change, the Legal Affairs Committee, meeting today by videoconference, proposed reinforcing civil and criminal liability for “acts that might have an impact on climate change...

Vaccine / COVID

PACE committee clarifies legal and human rights pre-conditions for the use of Covid passes

19/05/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

A PACE committee has clarified the pre-conditions necessary for the use of Covid passes, declaring their use “fraught with legal and human rights complications”. The use of such passes, which would partially lift Covid restrictions for holders, “above all depends on a high degree of certainty...

Prison - Jail
©Shutterstock

PACE hearing on reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan

17/05/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

A PACE parliamentary hearing on reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan took place on 17th May 2021. The hearing was organised by PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights in the framework of follow-up to a report by Thorhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC). Participants...

Alexandra / Louis / France

Rapporteur concerned about new proposed laws on ‘undesirable organisations’ in Russia

12/05/2021 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for follow-up to Resolution 2362 (2021) on "Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe member States", Alexandra Louis (France, ALDE), has expressed concern over two new draft laws aimed at widening the scope of...