Destruction of Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

Photo: Alina Bodnar / UNITED24

Photo: Alina Bodnar / UNITED24   The recent adoption of the Declaration “Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Ukraine” by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe marks an important step in recognising the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The document notes that as a result of deliberate actions by…

Is Europe Democratic Backsliding?

The secretary general of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marika Pejčinović Burić, has highlighted a “clear and worrying degree of democratic backsliding” in her report on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the continent. “In many cases, the problems we are seeing predate the coronavirus pandemic but there is no doubt…

Romania’s prisons “persistently” poor conditions the focus of Council of Europe meeting

Between 9-11 March, the representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe met to examine the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in accordance with the supervisory role of the Committee of Ministers under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the agenda was Romania and…

The Council of Europe Lifts Sanctions against Russia Disregarding Human Rights

On Tuesday (25 June), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) lifted sanctions against the Russian delegation, a decision correctly named by some media as a “moral victory of the Kremlin.” The Ukrainian delegation walked out in protest and slammed the decision as an “unacceptable concession to Russia”, write Aaron Rhodes and Willy…