Europe's Human Rights Watchdog

15 years Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog

Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog is celebrating its 15th anniversary, but we are not really in a festive mood after the Russian Federation had to be expelled from the Council of Europe a few weeks ago: the photos of the Russian flag in front of the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg being taken down are too…

Council of Europe excludes Russia

A comment on the exclusion of the Russian Federation Today is a sad day: after 26 years, the people in Russia lose the protection of their most basic human rights, as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights ECHR, as well as access to the European Court of Human Rights. The Council of Europe…

New Secretary General

Today Marija Pejčinović Burić (Croatia) starts her five-year term as Secretary General of the Council of Europe. She is only the second woman after Catherine Lalumière (France, 1989-1994) to hold this position in the history of Europe’s oldest and largest intergovernmental organisation, founded 70 years ago to protect and promote the three core values: human…

10 years Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog

When I checked the internet in 2005 for information on the Council of Europe within the framework of a research project, I was in for a surprise: There was very little info available in English & French (and virtually none in German) on Europe’s oldest and largest intergovernmental human rights organisation! Of course, to a…

Quiz: Champ or chimp?

Are you comfortably committed to the European Committee – or do you need counselling on the Council of Europe and the European Council? Test yourself and find out if you can follow a discussion on “foreign” judges or if your knowledge makes you fit for the regular’s table at best. Twice the number of questions…

“Ida” wins Academy Award

Once again, a film supported by Eurimages – the Council of Europe’s film fund – wins an Academy Award for best foreign language film. In this Polish-Danish co-production in black and white, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski tells a story of religion, ideology and persecution: Anna, an orphan, lives in Poland in the Sixties and is…

Morocco and the Council of Europe

All though Morocco is not a member state of the Council of Europe, it is connected to Europe’s chief organisation for the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in a number of ways: Morocco was the first country to be accepted by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly as „Partner for…

Octopus against Cybercrime

Typewriting? Sending telegrams? Developing pictures? All of these belong to the past. Today, thanks to computers and the internet, things have become easier and life more comfortable for all of us. There are, however, always people who spoil the fun for us regular citizens: Criminals, who use IT to forge, lie and cheat without regard…

Death penalty, torture, slavery…

… forced labour, rule of force, discrimination and lawlessness don’t have to bother you, dear citizen. You just need to get out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and with it the Council of Europe and its European Court of Human Rights as quickly as you can! This stronghold of human rights is…

“Bullshit Bingo”

Bullshit Bingo can be played, whenever a speaker – for cheap sensationalism or simply in order to mask a lack of actual knowledge – uses buzzwords and catchphrases instead of giving real information. How it works: Supply yourself and your friends with copies of the bingo card before you go to an event, where someone…