News
Towards a nation-based definition of hate speech based on Council of Europe standards
Georgian stakeholders with a role in combating hate speech took part in a clarificatory workshop on the definition of hate speech. The workshop aimed at initiating discussions among stakeholders about the importance of defining hate speech and incorporating it into the relevant codes of conduct...
Improving the processing of cases of hate speech appearing in the media in the Republic of Moldova
Monitors of the Audiovisual Council, the media national regulatory authority of the Republic of Moldova, improve their capacities on the application of a standard methodology for assessing and processing hate speech in audio-visual media through four practical training sessions. The sessions,...
Judges and prosecutors in Armenia discussed various dimensions of criminal proceedings in absentia and confiscation of property of illicit origin
A series of discussions addressing crucial legal aspects related to criminal proceedings in absentia and the confiscation of property of illicit origin were held under the joint European Union and Council of Europe project “Support to the Justice Reform in Armenia”. In total, 90 specialists from...
Legal professionals from Azerbaijan advocate for zero tolerance on domestic violence
A group of 25 legal professionals in Azerbaijan convened in Baku for the café discussion "Zero tolerance to domestic violence in society". This event takes place during the "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" period, which runs from 25 November to 10 December every year. The event...
Ukraine Police exchanges with peers on the role of law enforcement in preventing discrimination and promoting diversity
A peer-to-peer workshop between the Portuguese and Ukrainian police was, organised on 7 December 2023, provided a platform for exchange of experiences on the prevention of discrimination and promotion of diversity in the remit of law enforcement work. At the opening, Erlend Falck, Deputy Head of...
The Council of Europe supports the strengthening of capacities of representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society on promoting equality and non-discrimination
A round-table on equality and non-discrimination, gathering representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, Council of Europe and European Union Delegation to the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg on 4-5 December 2023. The aim of the activity was to discuss and review...
Armenian equality body ready to respond to discrimination and hatred
A training programme on combating discrimination adapted to the staff needs of the Human Rights Defender's Office in Armenia, bolstered their capacities to respond to cases of discrimination and hatred in line with European standards, notably those developed by the European Commission against...
Training legal professionals to combat discrimination on religious, ethnic and linguistic grounds in the Republic of Moldova
Legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, registrars, assistants and counsellors from judicial institutions of the Republic of Moldova, were trained on the latest European and Council of Europe standards and European Court of Human Rights case law on cases of discrimination on...
Empowering diversity through the inaugural session of the Public Council on National Minorities’ Rights in Armenia
The inaugural session of the Public Council on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons belonging to National Minorities (the Public Council), adjunct to the Human Rights Defender Office in Armenia, was held on 30 November 2023 in Yerevan. The event is perceived as a milestone,...
Azerbaijani authorities examine techniques to prevent and combat money laundering schemes associated with new payment methods
The landscape of the traditional financial system continues to change with the rise of crypto assets. This drives the crucial need for further enhancement of the investigation and prosecution against the increasingly sophisticated money laundering schemes employed by criminals to obfuscate the...
Supporting the launch of an awareness-raising initiative by the Armenian Ministry of Justice on the protection of whistleblowers
Financial support was provided to the Ministry of Justice of Armenia to launch an awareness raising initiative on the protection of whistleblowers. The Partnership for Good Governance project will work closely with the national authorities of the country, to support the implementation of several...
European standards on hate speech and hate crimes at the centre of training for legal professionals in the Republic of Moldova
Legal professionals from judicial institutions in the Republic of Moldova enhanced their knowledge and understanding of European standards on hate speech and hate crimes through a tailor-made training session. The scope of the activity is relevant to the work of these professionals, ensuring...
Mediation training programme advances skilled mediators in Armenia
The creation of a pool of highly skilled mediators is the aim of the mediation training programme organised for twenty prospective mediators. This is an initiative between the Council of Europe the Ministry of Justice in Armenia and the Arbitration and Mediation Centre of Armenia (AMCA). The...
Enhancing Judicial Data Management in Georgia: training and preparation of a methodology for statisticians
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a training session for court statisticians involved in data collection in Georgian courts. This training was an occasion to present all the issues involved in data collection: ways to harmonise, systematise and check the...
Addressing hate speech issues for youngsters in Armenia
Teachers and youth workers from various regions of Armenia attended a training session that enabled exchanges of ideas on combating hate speech through human rights education. The training promoted Council of Europe tools destined to raise awareness among school children in Armenia on hate speech...
Launching the third cycle of women’s access to justice mentoring programme in Georgia
An event hosted by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia was held to mark the start of the third cycle of the mentoring programme on women’s access to justice for legal professionals. The event also marked the finalisation of the second cycle that resulted in another generation of...
National authorities in Azerbaijan strengthen capacities towards effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions
Targeted financial sanctions are a key tool to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism and proliferation. Azerbaijan has enhanced their efforts in this area, by adopting a new law on targeted financial sanctions and developing guidelines for its effective implementation. With the aim to...
New platform for dialogue on preventing and combating discrimination in the Republic of Moldova
A platform for dialogue and cooperation on preventing and combating discrimination was created among Police and the Equality Council in the Republic of Moldova at the occasion of the workshop “Practical aspects of investigating cases of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic...
Combating hate speech through human rights education in Armenia
Two online training sessions on “Combating hate speech through human rights education” for educators and youth workers in Armenia, raised awareness on hate speech and on the importance of promoting a human rights education in their work, both in the formal and non-formal systems. The first online...
Creation of a law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations network to tackle racism and discrimination
A network comprised of law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions was launched on 24 October. The creation of this network aims to improve the response of law enforcement institutions to hatred and discrimination,...