27/06/2024 | 19:55:07 Thank you, Chair. Are constitutional courts censoring parliamentarians' debate is a threat to freedom of expression. Do you think that parliamentary debates like the one we are having here can be prohibited by the courts? No, they shouldn't. And they should not because the limitations of debates in the parliament affect freedom of expression and parliamentary immunity. They affect Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, because actions with political content, legislative... 27/06/2024 | 11:35:05 Thank you. Thank you, Chair. First, let me, on behalf of our group, convey our gratitude to the rapporteur for this resolution. We strongly support what the report emphasises. That is to say, the necessity for reinforced international solidarity and increased support for refugees and the internally displaced persons within Ukraine. This aggression, this war, has reinforced inequalities and suffering among the vulnerable Ukrainian population. This is why European countries and other... 18/04/2024 | 19:17:16 Thank you, Chair. Dear colleagues, Staying silent in the face of a genocide is equivalent to backing the perpetrators. That is why I really think this current affairs debate is so needed. We are a human rights organisation, and Israel and Palestine are both linked. We, as the Council of Europe can and must play a more active role in the protection of the human rights in Gaza and in Palestine. Dear colleagues, it is in hard times when it is more necessary to contribute through the aspirations... 16/04/2024 | 20:08:49 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Thank you chair, First, let me congratulate the different rapporteurs for this report. We, the Republican Left of Catalonia, defend the recognition of the independence of Kosovo, and urge its recognition both by the Spanish State but also by all other members that have not yet done so. Further, we support the integration of all Balkan States into the European Union. We think that the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo is a... 15/04/2024 | 17:34:45 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Thank you Chair, and thanks to the rapporteurs.Dear colleagues, the Government of Catalonia has recently presented a report based on the Code of Good Practice, on the legal avenues for holding an independence referendum. The main conclusion is that Catalonia can exercise the right of self-determination within the current legislative framework of the Spanish State. We must bear in mind that voting in a self-determination referendum is the... 25/01/2024 | 19:35:04 Thank you, Chair. Dear colleagues, SLAPPs are a form of lawfare seeking to silence civil society organisations, activists, and media to impeach the right of citizens to be informed. Just a close example. The Open Dialogue Foundation publishes information about human rights violations in Kazakhstan. As a retaliation, the secret services filed a collective criminal complaint in Belgium, using internal communications of this Assembly to discredit them. Another related case took 6 years to be... 24/01/2024 | 19:38:28 Yes. Thank you, Chair. Let me thank Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU for this important Report, and for reminding us that torture and ill treatment continues to be present in places of detention in Council of Europe soil. In some member states, in fact, torture is systemic. Like in Türkiye, as the Report emphasises. Dear colleagues, in fact, just an example of Türkiye. Despite several reports and recommendations by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and several judgments by the... 22/01/2024 | 15:56:42 Thank you Chair. First of all we would like to warmly congratulate the incoming president, and of course to give thanks to the outgoing president Mr KOX for being really brave in making difficult decisions during this difficult term. Thanks, dear Tiny, from the bottom of our heart. Dear colleagues, in the dark times we are living, the Council of Europe has to deal with several violations of human rights, and these organisations should raise their voice against them. I speak on behalf of my... 11/10/2023 | 18:15:36 Thank you, Chair. First let me congratulate the rapporteur and the Secretariat for this important and brave report. Last year it was revealed that almost 70 Catalan citizens have been victims of permanent surveillance with Pegasus spyware for the last five years in an unprecedented attack on a democratic movement. The Spanish Secret Service acknowledged having spied on 18 of them with judicial authorisation, arguing that they wanted to investigate who was organising demonstrations against the... 10/10/2023 | 17:27:51 Thank you, Chair. Indeed, as the resolution states, the most effective way of preventing far-right extremism is to strengthen adherence to the principles of democracy, human rights, rule of law, pluralism, tolerance, and respect for diversity, because they are the fundamental and core values of the Council of Europe. I would like to raise the attention of the cases of infiltration by far-right extremists in military forces, and its radicalisation as shown by the use of symbols and mottos of...