The fact that it took investigations by a dedicated NGO and journalists to unearth this week’s sorry tale about the state failing to admit to sanctioning torture is a further reminder of the ongoing failure to deal effectively with the past

Those in power continue to show an absolute disregard for any dissenting voices in Azerbaijan. The international community including members of the Council of Europe must remind Azerbaijan on all occasions of its human rights obligations.

06/05/2014 – Amnesty International’s report “Behind bars: Silencing dissent in Azerbaijan” records human rights violations in Azerbaijan and particularly an increased clampdown on freedom of expression, assembly, and association following the 9 October 2013 elections. The important role that Azerbaijan is about to assume comes with significant responsibilities to lead the Council of Europe’s work for the defence and promotion of human rights across the continent. It is a role which must, inevitably, expose its bearer to greater scrutiny of its human rights record. The organisation therefore urges the Committee of Ministers to give this matter its critical attention and urge the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all 19 prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan, and fully respect and protect the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

06/05/2014 – On 14 May 2014, Azerbaijan will take on the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Thirteen years of Council of Europe membership have done little to improve the respect for civil and political rights in the country. Its progress towards becoming a pluralist democracy and consolidating the rule of law has not just stalled – it has gone into reverse in recent years.

30/04/2014 – Amnesty International published several reports, in which the organisation raises serious concerns about the persistent practice of push-backs in Greece, and police abuse in Spain and Greece. Amnesty International urges Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland to ensure that the Council of Europe raises allegations of push-backs and ill-treatment at Greece’s border with Turkey with the Greek authorities, and to effectively address the issue of police violence and abuse in his dialogue with the Greek and Spanish authorities.

01/04/2014 – The document raises Amnesty International’s concerns on Belgium’s disregard for the European Court of Human Rights’ interim measure in the case of Nizar Trabelsi. Amnesty International raises concerns that Belgium’s extradition to the United States of Nizar Trabeli on 3 October 2013 was a deliberate decision by the Belgian government to disregard the interim measure issued by the European Court of Human Right. This was done in blatant disrespect for the Court’s jurisprudence and the European Convention on Human Rights. Amnesty International thus urges the Rapporteur to consider proposing an amendment to the draft resolution with a view to adding Belgium to the list of countries that have breached the Court’s interim measures and to include Nizar Trabelsi’s case in his report.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.© ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

11/02/2014 – In light of Italy’s obligations under international human rights and refugee law, and following up on the previous submission in August 2012, Amnesty International draws the Committee’s attention to the following areas which remain of concern to the organisation: the continuing risk of foreign nationals in an ‘irregular situation’ in Libya of being subjected to ill-treatment, indefinite detention under inhuman conditions and arbitrary repatriation, the continuing cooperation between Italy and Libya on ‘migration control’, the lack of access to a fair and satisfactory asylum procedure of those intercepted at sea in the context of the Italian operation “Mare Nostrum”, and the risk of refoulementin the context of search and rescue operations performed by private and commercial vessels. Therefore, Amnesty International calls on the Committee of Ministers to continue to supervise the execution of the Hirsijudgment by Italy.