21/04/2026 | 12:14:09 Madam President. Thank you, Secretary General. The European Convention on Human Rights has long been a cornerstone of the Council of Europe, and the interpretation of the Convention has been a matter for the European Court of Human Rights. Now that some governments have opened a discussion – even if the outcome will only be a declaration – many are rightfully concerned that such a declaration with an unclear legal status could risk challenging the independence of the Court. As member states... 29/01/2026 | 11:33:40 Ms President, Dear colleagues, We are confronted with mass murder. In Iran, at least 30 000 people were killed in just two days between 8 and 9 January. This was not chaos. It was not accidental. It was a deliberate act by a regime against its own people. It was a massacre. Peaceful protesters demanding freedom and dignity were met with systematic and lethal force. These acts constitute a grave violation of human rights and may amount to crimes against humanity. The Iranian authority must... 09/04/2025 | 16:27:31 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, as general rapporteur on political prisoners, I would like to take this moment not to repeat the facts about the situation in Türkiye, which has already been addressed, but to offer a broader reflection on what is at stake when we speak of political prisoners such as Mr Ekrem İMAMOĞLU in a Council of Europe member state such as Türkiye. This is not only about one individual case. It is about a dangerous erosion of the fundamental distinction... 07/04/2025 | 12:08:57 Thank you. Dear Mister President, dear colleagues, The world around us and the situation within our member states continue to evolve in ways that demand our vigilance and action. This is clearly reflected in the number of urgent and current debates proposed for this session. These are not merely agenda items. They represent growing concerns about the erosion of democracy and fundamental freedoms across Europe. In Türkiye, we are witnessing a deeply troubling pattern of repression. The recent... 01/10/2024 | 17:55:59 Mister President, Over the past years we have witnessed the government of Azerbaijan systematically erode the basics of freedom, human rights, and rule of law in Azerbaijan. A very concerning situation that is rapidly getting worse. Let us start with the state of elections in Azerbaijan. They are neither free nor fair, opposition parties face constant harassment and many independent candidates are disqualified or imprisoned under false charges. In democracy, elections are meant to reflect the... 16/04/2024 | 17:38:45 Dear colleagues, The accession of Kosovo to the Council of Europe will strengthen peace and stability in the still fragile Balkan region, but most importantly, it will extend the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights to the people of this young country and it will help to further strengthen the rule of law in the interest of all inhabitants, no matter which ethnic group they belong to. The draft statutory Opinion by the Political Committee recognises that Kosovo fulfils all... 20/06/2023 | 17:31:10 Madam president, dear colleagues, As rapporteurs, our opinion is clear: this law should not have been adopted at all from the beginning. Now we can only urge the Polish authorities to understand the far-reaching consequences of this law and its potential to undermine the democratic nature of elections in Poland. Therefore, our appeal to our Polish colleagues from the ruling party presented here today and to the Polish authorities back at home are clear: do not implement this law until the... 30/09/2021 | 09:24:37 Thank you, Madame President. This is a very important debate and report, because what is happening in Afghanistan should be of a great concern for everyone and every institution that stands up for human rights. When the former Taliban regime fell in 2001, the country was in ruins after occupation, civil war, oppression and gross mismanagement. The next 20 years did indeed include violence and many setbacks, but also indisputable successes. The number of children in school has risen since 2001... 22/04/2021 | 12:28:45 Madam President, dear colleagues, What we are seeing happening in Turkey is a demolition of democracy. The foundation of democracy is built on rule of law, human rights, and the freedom of speech. And President Erdoğan and his party is taking this down, brick by brick. The relentless crackdown on freedom of expression and other human rights is enabled by the widespread executive control and political influence over the judiciary. In recent years, this has led the courts to systematically... 21/04/2021 | 19:31:49 Thank you. As you know, Montenegro is one of the three countries with which the Assembly is engaged in a post-monitoring dialogue. The other two being North Macedonia and Bulgaria. In its resolution on Montenegro, the Assembly has put clear conditions for Montenegro to fulfil the wanted to post monitoring dialogue to come to an end. Although the co-rapporteurs have noted some progress, they have not proposed to close the post-monitoring dialogue. The Monitoring Committee unanimously supported...