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 PACE in brief (PDF) |
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'A firm ally of the Council of Europe for a continent free of the death penalty'
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'A first step' The Round Table on the political situation in the Chechen Republic ended with a decision to hold similar meetings with the aim of “broadening the basis for the dialogue” needed to achieve a political solution. Around sixty people – including Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, representatives of Russian human rights NGOs and parliamentarians – took part, but in line with the so-called “Strasbourg criteria” those who refuse to recognise the territorial integrity of Russia and declared terrorists were excluded. The Chair and Co-Chair of the organising sub-committee Andreas Gross and Konstantin Kosachev regretted that some invitees had decided not to come at the last moment, but said the talks marked “a first step”. (More) A Parliamentary Assembly will be a catalyst for political integration in Asia “Asia made history today”, declared Philippine Congress Speaker Jose de Venecia following the proposal made by the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) Senior Advisory Council to create, within the next five years, an Asian Parliamentary Assembly on the model of the PACE. In Manila, René van der Linden stressed that it "if Asia decides to strengthen its co-operation in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as essential building blocks for political integration, an Asian Parliamentary Assembly could indeed be an important catalyst. It would provide an additional guarantee that future mechanisms will be open, transparent and close to their citizens", he said. (More)
To strike a balance between combating terrorism and freedom of information How are we to “manage” images of terrorist acts, their accompanying messages and incitement to hatred? Is it in fact possible to regulate the media in this area when terrorists are becoming increasingly skilled in staging their actions, and handling images and the new technologies with great finesse? These were the questions on the agenda of the hearing organised in Paris on 18 March by the PACE's Committee on Culture, Science and Education. (More) Human rights protection: ‘Do we pursue the goal to have double standards?' Adressing the 26th Conference of European Ministers of Justice in Helsinki, the Chairperson of PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, LDR), sounded the alarm referring to the position taken by the European Commission on behalf of 22 member states of the European Community on the draft Council of Europe Convention on the trafficking in human beings. "Its position is seen by many as potentially undermining the Council of Europe's acquis. I refer, in particular, to the so-called 'disconnection clauses', which, if applied, could result in these conventions not being applicable to the European Community’s constitutional context”, he said. (More)
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On the night of 2 April, PACE President René van der Linden paid tribute to John Paul II: “On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to pay tribute to His Holiness Pope John Paul II, for placing his life at the service of understanding among peoples, and peace and freedom across the world. We are grateful for his tireless efforts to end the division of our continent and promote democratic reform. The death of this great pilgrim of peace is a loss to us all. He was a firm ally of the Council of Europe in his support for a unified continent free of the death penalty, which is now a reality for 800 million Europeans in our 46 member states", he said.