Strasbourg, 18
April 2016
Press release
“2015 was a year of fear and insecurity in Europe. The conflict in
eastern Ukraine and ongoing economic malaise were overshadowed by a sense of
vulnerability to terrorist threats and panic at the apparent inability to cope
with the influx of asylum seekers”, said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of
Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while presenting his annual activity
report for 2015. “The instinctive response has been to retreat back into one’s
‘national fortress’ and to restrict freedoms.”
“Ukraine continued
to be the locus of a great deal of suffering. The conflict in the east of the
country has by now claimed thousands of lives, many more people have been
injured, and close to two million displaced. The rest of Europe cannot ignore
the tragedy and hardship in Ukraine. We must all assist in achieving peace with
justice.”
The continuing
inflow of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, was accompanied by a
growing fear in many European countries, sometimes exacerbating doubts about Europe’s
ability to manage diversity and feeding anti-Muslim prejudices. “Despite this
unfavourable context, I sought to advocate a human rights approach vis-à-vis
migrants. To this end, I examined allegations of pushbacks and ill-treatment at
borders, access to international protection, reception conditions, treatment of
vulnerable groups, as well as xenophobia towards the new arrivals.” The
Commissioner stressed the need to develop safe legal passage options for
migrants into Europe and the importance of creating effective integration
policies for newcomers.
A resurgence of
horrific terrorist attacks has led some states to enact legislation that failed
to pay adequate attention to human rights protection in the field of security
service operations. “While it is legitimate to enhance the budgets and powers
of security services, great care must be taken in drafting and adopting new
anti-terrorist measures to ensure respect for human rights and democratic
oversight,” stated the Commissioner.
The report also
underscores the persistent and intensified growth of pressure on human rights
defenders and journalists in 2015. “The landscape I describe is a bleak one,
and those who cherish human rights, who value Europe, cannot remain silent. To
all human rights defenders, to all those who protect the most vulnerable, to
all those politicians who stand by principles and values even when it is not
electorally convenient, I say: do not leave the battlefield. With you, we will
overcome this negative period and build a stronger Europe based on human rights
for all.”
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