Focus on rights and racism ” “

The impact of the internet on politics, integration of migrants in Europe, along with support to Syrian refugees are the key issues of the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), due to be held January 27-31 in Strasbourg. On the agenda figures also the Magnitsky case on the story of Sergey Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer and accountant who denounced a severe ring of corruption run by officials of the Ministry of the Interior in Moscow. He was accused of tax evasion and died in 2009 during custody in a prison in the Russian capital. His alleged killers are still unpunished. Other items up for debate include the election of a new president and two PACE vice-Presidents, the appointment of a judge of the European Court of Human Rights among the candidates proposed by the Danish Government, combating climate change, the first ever evaluation of the Assembly’s “partnership for democracy” with the Palestinian National Council. A request for debate with urgent procedure on “The situation of democratic institutions in Ukraine” was filed to the Assembly. Magnitsky case, rampant racism. Following a thorough analysis of the events, the Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights of the Assembly, through its rapporteur Andreas Gross called on the Russian authorities to “thoroughly investigate” the circumstances of the death of Magnitsky and the possible criminal liability of officials involved. Items on the agenda include a joint debate on the prevention of racism and intolerance in Europe with a keynote speech by Laura Boldrini, president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic. Rapporteur Jonas Gunnarsson called for an urgent “strategic approach” to replace the current “piecemeal approach” which fails to tackle serious phenomena that “affect whole groups, create divisions in society, undermine human rights, social cohesion”, the rule of law and democracy. The calendar also includes a hearing, expected to cause a stir, on the circumcision of children, following the adoption in October 2013 of a resolution by the Assembly on the children’s right to physical integrity. Palestine and Syria. Tiny Kox, Rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, drew a balance on the implementation of the commitments made by the Palestinian National Council, which as of October 2011 is a “partner for democracy”. Voicing a strong condemnation of the “illegal executions” carried out despite the “de facto moratorium in place since 2005”, Kox invited the PNC to respect “the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms”, calling for closer cooperation with the Council of Europe in the areas of judicial reform, governance and the prevention of trafficking in human beings. Jean-Marie Bockel (commission on migration, refugees and displaced persons) urged CoE member countries to “show greater generosity and solidarity with the neighbouring countries of Syria so as to alleviate the pressure, draw up a contingency plan to deal with the massive influx of refugees”, and “take the necessary support measures”. Since the outbreak of the conflict, he pointed out, 2 million 200 thousand Syrians, half of them children, have left the country. “The risk of sexual and gender violence on women and children in refugee camps” is an issue of alarming concern. Internet, climate change. Internet, participation and democracy: the issue was raised by Anne Brasseur (Committee on Culture, science, education and the media) who while recognizing the benefits of the web, warned of the “risk of abuse” that could result from the “replacement of representative democracy with ambiguous forms of ‘direct democracy’ over the internet. “The web “needs self-regulation”, she said underlining the need for a form of “governance that guarantees freedom and security online in full respect of human rights”; hence the proposal of a “White Paper” on the subject. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are part of the picture. “It’s evident – pointed out Alan Meale (Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development) “that some goals are out of reach. Much remains to be done all over the world to save the lives of many children and their mothers, to stop violence against women and children, ensuring access to healthcare and decent work, and to protect the environment”. Europe “is part of the problem but also a part of the solution”, provided that “it lives up to its responsibilities”. European Parliament President Martin Schulz, the Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann are among the panel speakers.