Council of Europe: human rights violations persist
Serious human rights violations including corruption, human trafficking, racism and discrimination persist across Europe, according to a new report by CoE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland.
People’s rights are also threatened by the impact of the economic crisis and growing inequalities. Unemployment and poverty in many countries are nurturing extremism and conflicts.
The report — State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rules of Law in Europe — represents the first consolidated analysis of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, based on the findings of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies.
The report lists a large number of concrete challenges to human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, and recommends actions to meet them.
The number and magnitude of challenges, which are based on the analysis of findings by Council of Europe monitoring bodies, appear very worrying.
The following are some of the most serious:
• Ethnic discrimination/national minorities (39 member States),
• Conditions of detention, including overcrowding in prisons (30 member States),
• Corruption (26 member States),
• Ill-treatment by law enforcement officers (23 member States),
• Social exclusion and discrimination of Roma (23 member States),
• Set-up and functioning of the judiciary (20 member States),
• Shortcomings in migrants’ and asylum seekers’ rights (20 member States), • Excessive length of proceedings (11 member States),
• Trafficking in human beings (11 member States),
• Lack of freedom of expression and media freedom (8 member States).
The Council of Europe also lays out migrants’ and asylum seekers’ rights, such as the right to respect of physical integrity and human dignity, in various conventions. However, many face challenges including discrimination, inhumane and degrading living conditions, and lack of access to minimum health care.
Irregular immigrants often do not report crimes committed against them because they fear authorities or are unaware of rights and remedies. ECRI, the Commissioner for Human Rights and others advocate for a safe space where irregular migrants can exercise basic rights without risking expulsion.
The Human Rights Commissioner and others have called for investigations into “push-backs” of asylum seekers in territorial waters and at land borders. Recent legislation adopted to target smugglers in some countries deters civil sailors from offering humane gestures to people in danger.
Referring to the crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s military intervention in Crimea, Jagland warned of the risk of similar conflicts erupting in Europe: “The lack of democratic checks and balances, free media and an independent judiciary caused widespread corruption and misuse of power”.
The report, which makes a series of recommendations on how the organisation can provide more rapid and effective assistance to its 47 member states, will be discussed at the meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Foreign Ministers on 6 May in Vienna.
