Human Rights

Germany Interior Minister Recommends External-Border Review of Asylum Applications

November 01, 2019

At a meeting of the G6 group consisting of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain, and the UK, Germany's Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer, called on the European Union to change its approach to asylum applications, urging that applicants should undergo initial assessment at Europe's external borders and be sent home from there as well.
CoE delegation to raise awareness on the Istanbul Convention

October 30, 2019

As a follow-up to the Venice Commission’s conclusion that ratification of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women (the “Istanbul Convention”) as originally drafted would not violate any provisions of the Constitution of Armenia, a Council of Europe delegation will visit Armenia to raise awareness of the Convention and to clarify its provisions.
U.N. Warns of Drastically Decreasing Population in Southeast Europe

October 23, 2019

The United Nations has warned that dramatic falls in population in Southeast Europe are threatening the ability of countries in the region to maintain vital social services, for which, in the opinion of Allana Armitage, Director of the U.N. Population Fund for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, governments should develop comprehensive and human-rights based population policies aligned with better childcare.
OSCE Publishes Report on Freedom of Religion

October 16, 2019

In September 2019, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (the OSCE/ODIHR) published a new report “Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security: Policy Guidance."
EU Commission and WHO Convene Global Vaccination Summit

September 13, 2019

To accelerate global action to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and advocate against the spread of vaccine misinformation worldwide, the European Commission and the World Health Organization have co-hosted the world's first Global Vaccination Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
COE: Venice Principles Protect and Promote Ombudsman Institutions

September 10, 2019

In an euobserver.com op-ed, Council of Europe spokesmen, Andrew Cutting, explained how the Venice Commission's new "Venice Principles" will help protect and promote national human rights ombudsman institutions.
ECtHR Sanctions Russia for Abusive Detention of Sergei Magnitzsky

August 28, 2019

Europe’s top human rights court rebuked Russia on Tuesday for multiple violations of the basic rights of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after complaining of mistreatment.
Wedding Cake Case Referred to European Court of Human Rights

August 16, 2019

A case involving a Christian bakery, which refused to make a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage, has been referred to the European Court of Human Rights.
Armenian Court Seeks ECtHR Opinion on Criminal Law

August 09, 2019

In the second-ever use of the new procedure, the Constitutional Court of Armenia is seeking an advisory opinion from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding the compliance of a national criminal provision prohibiting the overthrow of the constitutional order with European human rights law.
EU Rights Body Warns of “Tough Line” on Migration

August 01, 2019

In its quarterly report on migration rights, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights expresses concerns about the rights impacts of the “tough line” some EU member states are taking on migrants, including by removing them without prior notice and the criminalization by Italy of sea rescues of migrant ships.