10/10/2022 | 16:18:49 Good afternoon and thank you, Madam Chairperson. On 12 September 2022, a series of clashes erupted between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on Armenian territory. The violence resulted in nearly 300 deaths and dozens of injuries on both sides over a three-day period. At least 204 Armenian servicemen were killed or missing, while Azerbaijan acknowledged 80 fatalities amongst its forces, bringing the total number killed to at least 284. A ceasefire brokered by Russia on 13 September broke down... 23/06/2022 | 16:24:03 Thank you, Mister President. How do we find the words to describe this new proposed law on asylum seekers in Britain? British Home Secretary Priti Patel describes it as, and I quote, "first class policy". I am going to do a first here, as an Irish Republican, and quote Prince Charles, who said it was "appalling". The New Yorker magazine described it as "harebrained and immoral". I would describe it as amongst the most cynical, shameful, not to mention racist, proposals ever produced by a... 22/06/2022 | 16:22:56 Thank you, Mister President. On behalf of the United European Left, I want to give a welcome to each of these reports. The call for unaccompanied and separated migrant and refugee children to be considered as children and their best interest, in short, irrespective of their migrant status should be adopted and supported by everyone in this Chamber. Equally, the call for women to be empowered to play a greater role within the highest decision-making bodies and in peace talks must be heeded. It... 21/06/2022 | 16:10:56 Thank you. Minister, it's good to see you, very welcome. The Irish Presidency has identified as a priority the importance of youth participation. Does the minister intend, on behalf of the Council of Europe, to support the rights of Palestinian children who have known no other life than that lived under military occupation? Many Palestinian children are exposed to dangers on a daily basis due to attacks on schools. The Norwegian Refugee Council reports an average of ten attacks on education... 28/04/2022 | 12:16:32 The first thing I want to say is just how important this report is and this resolution will be, and I will be supporting it. I'll be supporting it because we absolutely have to insist on full and proper accountability for crimes against humanity and war crimes. And it's clear, I think to all of us, listening to our brothers and sisters from Ukraine this morning, the true scale of the horrors that are still taking place on account of the Russian invasion. So let's be let's be very clear on... 26/04/2022 | 19:09:22 Thank you. According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998, the legal definition of apartheid has three elements. 1. The existence of an institutionalised regime of systemic racial oppression and discrimination. 2. That that regime has been established with the intent to maintain a domination of one racial group over another, 3. Which feature inhumane acts committed as an integral part of the regime. We know that Israel operates a separate two-tier legal and... 26/04/2022 | 10:24:08 Thank you, Mister President. On behalf the United European Left I want to congratulate the rapporteur for a very well thought out and detailed report on steps to take towards strengthening the strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Rapporteur makes a number of excellent proposals. I particularly welcome his call on the EU to pursue with resolve the negotiations aimed at achieving EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. Not withstanding... 15/03/2022 | 11:40:02 Good afternoon, or good morning I should say. First and foremost, I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who, facing the deadly reality of Russian aggression, are fleeing their homes seeking shelter and safety across Europe. Our Assembly, through this motion today, will send a clear message to the Russian government that this behaviour can never be acceptable. I welcome the fact that the Irish government, like many other European states, has lifted visa requirements for Ukrainian... 24/01/2022 | 18:49:41 Good evening. Thank you chair on behalf of the United European Left group I want to welcome this debate on the European Union Pact on migration. The rapporteur acknowledges that this pact raises significant issues for the human rights protection of migrants and refugees. Concerns expressed that the proposed accelerated asylum procedures will reduce their quality and fairness and thus lead to higher rejection rates are well-founded. The call for true solidarity across all EU member States in... 30/09/2021 | 10:04:19 Thank you, Madam President. I want to welcome for the most part this report, and fair play to Tony putting it together so quickly. But I have to say there is something kind of fundamental missing. Call me old-fashioned, if you will, but I think it's still wrong to invade other people's countries and occupy them for 20 years. I think we seem to have lost sight of that somehow here. We need to talk about responsibility when we talk about Afghanistan. A number of Council of Europe member states...