CoE opens Debate on post-9/11 realpolitics needing Human Rights to revitalize Europe

At a crucial juncture for "CoE's Future", after "60 years of experience", "Double Standards" must stop", stressed to "Eurofora" CoE's Rapporteur, Head of France's Delegation, ChristianDemocrat MEP Jean-Claude Mignon ; -"My main message is that CoE must now turn towards the Future, modernize the organization, ..and stop dispersing our energy on various areas, without forgetting that our 1st mission is to defend Human Rights and Democracy". "EU has a differend mission : It's mainly an Economic organization, while our (CoE's) Values are about Human rights and Democracy".  

- That's why, "Leaders of several CoE Member states must undestand that all ECHR's Judgements must be applied, without any exception  : It's not up to us to judge, afterwards, if some judgements should be implemented, and others not", he added. As for "genuine Real-Politics", "it's not true that they are always opposed : In fact, intelligent Real-Politics in Europe should be combined with the use of Human Rights, Mignon concluded.

In the post-9/11 era, a pan-European Debate on Human Rights values would meet Europe 's vital need to boost Citizens' support, and can be more efficient even for "Real-Politic" aims, than anti-democratic and impopular, excessive and sometimes immoral oppressive measures, said in substance a PanEuropean Conference  on the "Future of Human Rights and Democracy in Europe", opened by CoE's acting Secretary General Mrs Maud de Boer-Buquicchio and Mignon in Paris.

Speaking on the Anniversary of the same Day that World Trade Center faced brutal deadly attacks and destruction at New York, back in 2001, the experienced "MBB", (who personally celebrated also in 2009 30 years of work at CoE's Human Rights sector since 1979), started by reminding that, after some 3.000 innocent people were killed "in one of the most massive and atrocious terrorist attacks in History", "there is the time before, and after 9/11... on our perception of Human Rights".    

Some of "post-September 11 approaches ...regarded Human Rights as a Nuisance and an Obstacle in the fight against Terrorism", she observed. While, on the conrtary, "respect for Human Rights .. is not only compatible with a robust response to the terrorist threat, but is actually indispensable for the success of anti-terrorist policies in the long run", MBB stressed.   

 - "The 1st option...lead to responses which blatantly violated Human Rights", with a "Hard-line, Guantanamo-like approach", which "was not only morally wrong, but also practically ineffective". This "swept aside many of the Fundamental Principles of a Society respecting Human Rights and the Rule of Law", and "left ..traces", which ...may reappear every time a new Crisis challenges our commitments, ...our proclaimed Values and Legally binding standards, which have served as a foundation for Stability in Europe", she denounced.    

While we must "look into some of these dilemmas - how and wheher to protect Human Rights and Democracy when we face a Security or Economic threat", in fact, "as to the CoE, ...that dilemma ...does not exist"; Because "for us, Human Righs ..are not a luxury affordable only in times of Stability and Peace", but "necessary to protect Society as a whole, and to fight against threats to its Stability", MBB concluded.

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- "In fact, experience shows that, at the end of the day, Human Rights are more efficient, also from an Economic point of view, than Totalitarian Regimes", stressed from the outset former CoE's Secretary General, Catherine Lalumiere, current Director of "Europe's Home" foundation in Paris, refusing the opposition described by some people between Human Righs and Real-Politics"    

Unfortunately, some "forgot the fact that the very meaning of the European project was initially to create a model for Human Rights' respect", by establishing the CoE, while Economic issues, even if important, came only afterwards, when EU was established.  Thus, an extreme "Materialism", which followed after that, "is one of the causes of the profound desillusion that EU Citizens feel" recently.    But now, that we face a "New Context", with the galoping "Globalisation" and the recent "Crisis", "Europe needs to find anew its Identity", and to "modernise its Human Rights' values project", which is "a Social and Moral choice", she concluded.-

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 - "Initially, the European construction was driven by an aspiration for Peace" (with the establishment of CoE, in 1949). Later-on was added also a strive for Economic Prosperity (with the creation of what became recently the EU), reminded former President of Portugal, Jorge Branco de Sampajo, in a special video-message to Paris' CoE conference.

    - "But now, in order to avoid regressing, Europe needs a supplement of Soul", able "to win back EU Citizens' lost confiance" : This means to "reinforce real respect for Human Rights' values, and to develop Citizenship and Participative Democracy"; "Europe is strong if Human Rights are respected. But Europe is weak if there are obstacles to Democracy and Human Rights' values", he stressed.
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    - "EU managed to fill up the floors of Europe's building, but it forgot its Foundations !", denounced Alvaro Gil Robles, former CoE Human Rights' Commissioner, and current Director of research in Valsain Foundation for Democracy in Spain. While now, Europe doesn't need "more protocols" and bureaucracy, but "to fight for the Essentials", he stressed.

    That's why, Gil Robles proposed "for CoE to launch a pan-European Debate, at a global stage, on where we are on Human Rights : are they respected, or not ?".  

    Lalumiere welcomed Gil-Robles' "idea", and added that such pan-European Debates should focus on the strength that we want to give to the essentals of Human Rights, as part of Europe's identity. rRobles' proposal was also endorsed by CoE Conference's official conclusions, which end by anouncing the possibility to prepare "a  Wide Debate... on fundamental Values, their relevance and implementation in current European Society".

    Speaking to "EuroFora", Gil Robles agreed that such a pan-European Debate should "actively involve also the European Civil Society", i.e. NGOs, journalists, experts, and interested Citizens.

    CoE's acting SG, Maud de Boer - Buquicchio, had anounced from the outset that she was "looking forward to the Debate", where she "expect(s) a Vigorous and Critical exchange of Arguments between People who have a lot to say about Human Rights - and are not afraid to say it".

    But, for the moment, unfortunately, someone had the bad idea to exceptionally isolate Journalists covering CoE's conference from the other Participants, by placing them at ..another Floor, where we were not even seen by -and could not see ourselves- a CoE's "moderator" who vainly asked us to "joint the debate"... one floor underneath, while we were practically hindered even to show her our willingness to speak in public, until it became too late !

    In despair, CoE's last moderator, after some vain calls, tried at least to show a part of a Video she had taken with some "EuroFora"'s observations on Europe's present need to urgently solve crucial problems which challenge the efficiency of its Human Rights' protection mechanism, (See relevant "EuroFora" publication on that point). But she was apparently hindered even to show any image, so that she limited herself merely into playing only an Audio transcript of part of our observations, without even showing who made them....
    
    Thus, the floor was, unfortunately taken mainly by a too long series of claims, by some British MEPs, on so-called "discriminations" against... "Gay and Lesbian pride parades", "Heterosexuals", etc, leaving aside the most tragic violations of core-Human Rights, such as Torture, Killings, "Disappearances", condemnation to Prison sentences, destruction of family homes, etc.

    Moreover, numerous attacks against only Russia, taking pretext from various incidents, (even against an erroneous presentation of late ArchiBishop Alexi II's statements at the CoE in Strasbourg), were observed, while, on the contrary, nobody even spoke about any among the numerous grave Violations of Human Rights for which ECHR has notoriously condemned Turkey .. A point which obviously made very glad the Head of the Turkish delegation to CoE's Assembly, MEP Cavusoglou, who was not used to this surprising and exceptional absence of any critocism...  

    Such unavoidable impressions of "Double Standards" were already denounced, earlier in Strasbourg, by Human Rights Watch's Director for Europe and Asia, Mrs Holly Cartner, in reply to an "EuroFora" question, even at a higher level inside CoE :

     - "..My understanding is that the (CoE's) Committee of Ministers is being clearly more forceful on the Tchechnyan judgements (against Russia) than it was in judgements on Turkey !", criticized Cartner, in reply to a question on "double standards". "So we need to do a lot more work in terms of Pressure ...on the Institution (CoE's Committee of Ministers), to make sure that it's not the case...", she concluded.

    Cartner said that in reply to our observation that, while Turkey still persists to fail to do any efficient investigation on the brutal murder of Turkish Cypriot dissident Journalist ADALI, in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, contrary to Ukrania, which has condemned 2 persons and recently arrested a 3rd for the brutal murder of dissident Journalist GONGADZE, CoE's Ministers have mainly criticized ..Ukraine's insufficient enquiry to find and punish those who ordered the murder, but didn't yet say anything on Turkey's total failure, despite the fact that on both these cases of dissident Journalists' murders (Adali and Gongadze) ECHR issued judgements condemning Turkey and Ukraine at the same year : 2005.

    - "The question is what use is made of the Judgements of the European Court", said on the same issue, of ADALI and GONGADZE's cases CoE's Rapporteur on the protection of Human Rights Defenders, German mainstream MEP Holger Haibach, of the ChristianDemocrate/EPP Group, speaking earlier to "EuroFora".- "All of us must try to treat all cases equally" : "If there is a Judgement, and it says that there is a breach of Human Rights, then, we (CoE) have to follow it, irrespective of the country or the region". "But, if I look at what gets in (CoE's Committee of Ministers) and what gets out, ..it has been Political skid !".. , he criticized. - "So, the question is to find a way to raise Public Awareness", concluded Haibach.

    + ""Russia is usually admitting that there are some problems to settle, and says that it tries to deal with them, f.ex. by searching to finding and/or prosecute some of those responsible for possible abuses in Tchechnya, while, on the contrary, Turkey mainly claims that all this concerns "terrorists" and/or that it has nothing more to do, etc", revealed to "EuroFora" an experienced Diplomat at the CoE. Including even on the ADALI murder case, where Ankara still claims that there was nothing more for her to do in order to find and punish those responsible..

     - "One key, highly sensitive issue question concerns a potentially very dangerous, worrying trend that has been evident for some time now..., namely a .. "Politicisation" of issues of ...fundamental Values, to their detriment. Some people even call this "Double Standards" or a lack of courage and political will... these criticisms cannot be ignored and must be discussed' stresses the landmark Report on "CoE's Future" drafted by the Head of the French Delegation, ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Jean-Claude Mignon, and unanimously welcomed by CoE's Political affairs committee on Thursday in Paris, as former Prime Minister of Portugal, MEP Joao Mote Amaral confirmed to "Eurofora";

 In this regard, "the Execution of the Court's Judgments", is '"cause for Concern", adds Mignon's Report, referring to MEP '"Pourgourides (who) is monitoring the situation", and will update CoE's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights on Friday. - "Deficiencies in the execution of ...the judgements of the (panEuropean) Court" is one of the "difficulties" where resides the panEuropean "Court's real problem", Mignon denounces, citting a new "Report ..prepared by (Dutch MEP, Marie-Louise) Bemelmans-Videc  on "Guaranteeing the authority and effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights".       

Meanwhile, CoE Assembly's vice-President, and Chairman of CoE's Human Rights sub-Committee, MEP Christos Pourgourides, presented, debated with MEPs and issued his 2009 draft Report on ECHR Judgement's execution, Friday in Paris, revealing the extend to which some CoE member States fail to implement ECHR's rulings even "more than 5 years after their delivery", "raising important ...issues" :    

Turkey comes 1st among 47 CoE's Member States, with more than ...42  (!) such pending issues, including also on Hundreds of condemnations for exceptionally Grave Human Rights Violations, such as Torture and inhuman/degrading treatments, killings, "Missing" persons, Destruction of Family Homes, arbitrary deprivation of Liberty (imprisonment), oppression of Freedom of Speech, usurpation of Refugees' homes and land, etc.        

Russia comes 2nd with 19, (less than half of Turkey's 42 "issues" !), Romania and Bulgaria with 16, Italy with 14, the UK and Greece with 13, Poland and Moldova with 12, Ukraine with 10, (etc), most of them comparatively less grave.