The Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to PACE takes part in the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly (Strasbourg, 8-12 October)
Opening the session, the Assembly’s president Liliane Maury-Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC) emphasized that one of the main objectives of this session was to debate possible changes to the rules of procedure, since the Assembly’s functions should be adapted to new realities and be carried out effectively. She also stressed that the relations with the Russian Federation’s Parliament are a political issue that needs to be resolved through dialogue. She emphasized that each PACE representative should, within his authority limits, promote the preservation and protection of basic human rights.
In this context, she reminded of the importance of dialogue between the statutory bodies. In her opinion, the correct answer to any crisis is to get together and work in close concert productively.
That day, there was finally adopted the agenda for the 2018 autumn session.
The sixth Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize – which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights – has been awarded to the head of the Grozny office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Chechyna, Oyub Titiev (Russian Federation). The prize was presented at a special ceremony today at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg, on the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Oyub Titiev, in detention since January 2018, is a prominent human rights defender and head of the Grozny office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Chechyna. In this capacity, O.Titiev succeeded Natalia Estemirova, murdered in 2009, and has made a widely recognised contribution to the defence of human rights in the region by reporting on abuses by the local authorities. Oyub Titiev being in detention, the prize was presented to Aleksandr Cherkasov, Chairman of the Memorial Human Rights Centre Board.
During the debate, the deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation Serhii Soboliev emphasized that it is now a great opportunity to analyze the work of the Bureau and the Standing Committee. To his mind, every election observation report should be added with a new paragraph or chapter, which would contain specific facts about foreign influence over electoral processes in the countries where the elections took place.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation V. Ariev focused the parliamentarians’ attention upon the fact that, despite a wide debate in the Assembly over independence from any pressure during elections, such a problem does exist in the Assembly itself. Alongside his colleagues, he, as a member of the Bureau, discussed the issues that could have a serious impact on tomorrow's vote in the Assembly over, namely, the so-called legal analysis of the Secretary-General’s office. The Bureau raised the issue for an attempt to release the Assembly to control of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
During the session, the head of the Ukrainian delegation also initiated an event where there were ample deliberations over how Russia makes threats to pressmen abroad.