"We must reinforce human rights in both foreign and domestic policy. Europe’s long-standing commitment to human rights has provided us with considerable soft power, but... Silence and double standards undermine our credibility." www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

🤷🏻‍♂️

"European leaders need to place human rights at the heart of Europe’s strategic repositioning."

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com As Filippo Grandi prepares to step down after a decade as UN high commissioner for refugees, he sees “a crisis of global leadership, a failure of imagination and ambition, and a proliferation of populist rhetoric that is numbing us to the plight of others,” he writes.

"Europe is stronger when it defends free speech grounded in human rights law. A freedom of expression that is distinct from extreme hate speech. We are stronger when we regulate AI to prevent discrimination & abuses, building trust in innovation rather than fuelling fear" www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

"I reject the United States’ analysis. Even where we fall short, Europe’s civilisational model—grounded firmly in human rights—is something to be proud of." www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Into the void: how Trump killed international law www.theguardian.com/law/ng-inter...

They also expressed concerns regarding the treatment of the hunger strikers, including reported delays in accessing medical care, use of excessive restraint during hospital treatment, denial of contact with family members and legal counsel … www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

“We need leaders to speak up for our values. This is a battle of narratives. […] If we lack the courage to assert our norms, we concede the struggle. The "civilisational decline" predicted by our critics will not come from sticking to our values and principles, but from abandoning them.”

#Guernica as a visual reminder of what happens when human rights are ignored/violated during armed conflict. The @commissionerhr.coe.int presents these as "shout-outs" focussing on human rights which, alarmingly, are increasingly questioned/pushed aside in worldwide political decision-making.

"I reject the United States’ analysis. Even where we fall short, Europe’s civilisational model—grounded firmly in human rights—is something to be proud of." www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

"Europe is stronger when it defends free speech grounded in human rights law. A freedom of expression that is distinct from extreme hate speech. We are stronger when we regulate AI to prevent discrimination & abuses, building trust in innovation rather than fuelling fear" www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

"I recall that domestic legislation designed to counter ‘terrorism’ must not impose any limitations on fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, that are not strictly necessary for the protection of national security and the rights and freedoms of others"

"In the face of the startling US forecast of our decline, European leaders need to place human rights at the heart of Europe’s strategic repositioning."

In October, the Commissioner for Human Rights asked the UK to ensure that counter-terrorism legislation would not unnecessarily restrict freedom of peaceful assembly. He also recommended a comprehensive review of protest laws to ensure full compliance with the UK's international obligations.

In October, the Commissioner for Human Rights asked the UK to ensure that counter-terrorism legislation would not unnecessarily restrict freedom of peaceful assembly. He also recommended a comprehensive review of protest laws to ensure full compliance with the UK's international obligations.

"In the face of the startling US forecast of our decline, European leaders need to place human rights at the heart of Europe’s strategic repositioning."

Robert Fico’s leftist-populist government has suffered a setback after Slovakia’s top court temporarily suspended controversial legislation that would abolish the country’s whistleblower protection office.

"Europe’s commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law is not a weakness. It is our greatest strategic strength"

European leaders need to refute the critics: Europe’s power lies not in mimicking those who oppose #HumanRights, but in showing that dignity, law, and freedom remain the only foundations on which a stable and prosperous future can be built. Read my latest shoutout 👇 www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

The updated #RuleofLaw Checklist of the #VeniceCommission has been published, produced after the 2023 @coe.int Summit called for greater visibility of and support for the Checklist. The update i.a. gives more attention to civic actors as counterveiling powers. www.coe.int/en/web/venic...

UK leaving European convention on human rights would be a mistake, equalities chief warns

EU Member States have agreed on a revision of the EU law on expulsion of irregular migrants that hugely reduces basic standards. A critical analysis, by Dr. Izabella Majcher - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...

The sentence that follows the excerpted one is also spot on. “The temptation to lay the blame on the Court risks backfiring, since performative gestures will not change anything on the ground, but only further reinforce radical right framing without having anything practical to show for it. “

'The political logic of the 27 states, of “weakening the Convention system to save the system”, is unconvincing. It concedes a swathe of territory to radical right parties in framing the ECHR and the ECtHR as existentially problematic re border control, but will not satisfy their constituencies.'

Countdown to Chișinău: The Risk of Politicising the ECHR over Migration | by Andrew Forde and Alice Donald

Essential reading for those interested in the process of reform of the European Convention on Human Rights and the risks involved, by @drandrewforde.bsky.social and @alicedonald.bsky.social on @ejiltalk.bsky.social www.ejiltalk.org/countdown-to...

Essential reading for those interested in the process of reform of the European Convention on Human Rights and the risks involved, by @drandrewforde.bsky.social and @alicedonald.bsky.social on @ejiltalk.bsky.social www.ejiltalk.org/countdown-to...

Le commissaire aux droits de l’homme du Conseil de l’Europe a appelé le Vieux Continent à porter fièrement ses valeurs face à des alliés qui «cherchent à nous affaiblir». www.20min.ch/fr/story/con...

"Slovakia’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday, 17 December, ruled that the law on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), pushed through by the governing coalition on 16 April, was unconstitutional." Read more: spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...

"Governments should conduct an urgent 'health check' of [democratic institutions'] legal safeguards. Because once institutional vandalisation succeeds, the damage is difficult to reverse." 2/2

"We must 'future-proof' the democratic institutions that protect us. In this volatile era, illiberal actors will inevitably continue to come to power. Their first targets always include the judiciary, national human rights institutions, the civil service, academia and the media." 1/2

"We need leaders to speak up for our values. This is a battle of narratives... If we lack the courage to assert our norms, we concede the struggle. The 'civilisational decline' predicted by our critics will not come from sticking to our values and principles, but from abandoning them."

.@coe @commissionerhr.coe.int defends the human rights and values-based model that has grounded #Europe & other democracies for 80 years. In the face of tectonic geopolitical shifts, @commissionerhr.coe.int argues we need more #humanrights, not less.

Tectonic geopolitical shifts are forcing Europe to engage in strategic repositioning. Human rights must be central to this - they are Europe's greatest strategic asset, says the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (@commissionerhr.coe.int) www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Slovak court suspends whistleblower law that sparked protests

"We must 'future-proof' the democratic institutions that protect us. In this volatile era, illiberal actors will inevitably continue to come to power. Their first targets always include the judiciary, national human rights institutions, the civil service, academia and the media." 1/2

"We need leaders to speak up for our values. This is a battle of narratives... If we lack the courage to assert our norms, we concede the struggle. The 'civilisational decline' predicted by our critics will not come from sticking to our values and principles, but from abandoning them."

Tectonic geopolitical shifts are forcing Europe to engage in strategic repositioning. Human rights must be central to this - they are Europe's greatest strategic asset, says the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (@commissionerhr.coe.int) www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Effective investigations into alleged police violence during 2024 #Georgia protests needed. I express concerns to the Prosecutor General re. lack of accountability despite reports of ill-treatment & injuries among protesters. See exchange of letters👇 www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

A group of 19 EU countries is pushing the European Commission to take a tougher line on migration beyond the bloc’s borders, arguing that last week’s EU deal on asylum and returns has changed the political weather in Brussels.

"Ireland is faced with some serious questions about our commitment to the system of rights we have championed – and whether we are now going to align with those who have a much more destructive agenda". Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

1url.cz/@krest-kniha... 📖✨ Romské ženy promlouvají o traumatu, o kterém se dlouho mlčelo. V Městské knihovně v Praze byla na Mezinárodní den lidských práv pokřtěna nová povídková sbírka Podphandle mašľičkenca – Podvázané mašličkami.

State pressure on migration and human rights is moving to the Council of Europe’s institutional stage. JASPER KROMMENDIJK & LINA SOPHIE MÖLLER analyse the December CoE meeting, internal divisions among states, and the implications for the ECtHR. verfassungsblog.de/a-divided-re...

Under the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding, in 2023, the EU gave the Tunisian authorities 105 million euros to spend on the area of migration. European taxpayers don't want their money to be spent on human rights violations.

I welcome the release of Ales Bialiatski and Maria Kolesnikova from detention in Belarus. Both have been strong advocates for human rights and democracy in their country. The Council of Europe will continue to work with Belarusian democratic forces.

‘Chalk Revolution’ strikes nerve as Slovakia fears return to authoritarian past

Asylum Pact 2.0 My analysis of the latest developments on the plans to change EU law on 'safe third countries' and 'safe countries of origin' - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/asyl...

Nobel peace prize winner Ales Bialiatski among 123 freed from prison in Belarus