COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The Parliamentary Assembly on the issue of violence against ethnic and religious minority groups worldwide” “
“From alarming to desperate”. This is how the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe described the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East, – in Iraq and Syria in particular – during the urgent debate held October 2 in the framework of the plenary meeting in Strasbourg (September 29 – October 3). The meeting – while awaiting with anticipation the Pope’s visit at the seat of the European Parliament and of the CoE scheduled for November 25 – focused on a set of themes that include ISIS threats and violence against Christians and other religious minorities, the crisis in Ukraine, the return of neo-Nazism in Europe. The warning launched in the opening speech of President Anne Brasseur was the guiding thread of the days: “Human rights should prevail over political concerns and national interests”. Iraq and Syria. It is necessary to stop the ongoing massacres perpetrated by ISIS; states a parliamentary resolution based on the report of Greek MEP Theodora Bakoyannis, that calls upon Member Countries to “do everything possible to help bring peace in the region”, to “increase efforts to identify” approximately 3 thousand young Europeans who are fighting for Isis, identify its recruitment channels and dismantle them, neutralize and punish financing sources. For PACE present humanitarian missions are not enough. The Council called for a global project for aid to refugee camps in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Iraqi government and security forces should ensure that “the cases reported under the previous government on excessive use of force and discrimination against ethnic and religious minority groups never happen again”. Finally, Member States and the International Community are invited to support Baghdad’s government in its attempt to propose a credible alternative to ISIS. The Ukrainian situation. During the debate on the ongoing Ukrainian crisis Stefan Schennach (Austria) called for the need “for a permanent ceasefire” and the unconditional, full withdrawal of foreign troops from the Country. The MEP called for “the restoration of the sovereignty and borders of Ukraine”, urging the parties to engage in dialogue to resolve the conflict, demanding a serious investigation on possible war crimes committed so far, and warned that Ukraine is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe”. Niels Muiznieks, CoE Commissioner on Human Rights, who just returned from a visit to the Country, warned: “The recent raids against the Tatars have shaken this community and must be stopped”. For Muiznieks, the so-called “self-defense forces” in Crimea have also been involved in serious human rights abuses, including kidnappings. Also media freedom is at risk, with threats to journalists and confiscation of media equipment. Jim Sheridan (United Kingdom), PACE rapporteur of missing persons in Europe, called upon Ukrainian and Russian authorities “to adopt all the necessary measures” to help the families of “missing persons to find and identify the remains of their dear ones. “Havel” Prize and stop to neo-Nazism. In this framework was held the ceremony for the awarding of the second “Václav Havel” Prize (a 60 euro grant) to Azerbaijani human rights activist Anar Mammadli, currently detained in prison, and delivered to his father. The Assembly announced its strong support to the proposal of the CoE Youth Department to proclaim July 22 – the anniversary of the massacres committed by a neo-Nazi in Oslo and Utøya – “European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes”. PACE dedicated a debate to the Report by Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden) regarding the tools to counter neo-Nazism, with the participation of the president of the Norwegian parliament Olemic Thommessen. In a resolution MEPs invited politicians to “publicly unmask” neo-Nazi movements “challenging them in a clear and unequivocal way” and condemning their ideology and rhetoric. The statement was followed by a set of examples of good practice from across Europe, including actions to prevent young people from getting involved in neo-Nazi groups or help them get out of them. An original contribution was given by the “Living Library” showcased September 30-October 1st whereby “living” books, namely, victims of racial violence and hate crimes (refugees and Roma), members of associations involved in the fight on fundamentalism, racism and homophobia, ex neo-Nazis, share their personal testimony.
