Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly

At the meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, an exchange of views was held on the intrusion of ROSU members into northern Kosovo and Metohija in May and the arrest of two UNMIK officers.

This is the story of how a key political body within the Council of Europe sought to circumvent a United Nations Convention protecting the rights of people with disabilities. It's also about how one of its members, Bulgaria, is pushing back against the move.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has accused the Venice Commission of being a "mouthpiece of Turkey's opposition," criticizing the timing and wording of its new report on the government-supported constitutional amendment to shift Turkey to an executive presidential system. 

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has prepared a report regarding the April 16 constitutional referendum in which citizens of Turkey will decide whether to replace the current parliamentary system with an executive presidency, warning that the changes would usher in a "one-person regime."

The Council of Europe is concerned of a nationalist and anti-immigration German political party's Islamophobic statements as it is contrary to European values, the organization's secretary general has said in a statement. 

Armenians voted in a referendum to boost the prime minister's powers, results showed on Dec. 7, a move supporters say will bolster stability but opponents warn will entrench the ruling party's control over the ex-Soviet state.