Human rights

The hostages of Ilham Aliyev

13/05/2016 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Some political prisoners have been released by the Azerbaijani authorities in the past few months. But many are still behind bars, held as hostages

LGBT in Donbas: Back to the USSR

12/05/2016 -  Konstantin Skorkin

The war in the Donbas region, which began in 2014, has created a humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine. The status of people from the LGBT community has also been affected

Ukraine: the fate of displaced persons

05/05/2016 -  Matteo Tacconi Kiev

War in the Ukraine has caused about 1,5 million internally displaced persons. The living conditions of those who have fled the war zone in the east of the country are often very difficult. Report

The letter of Aylisli

28/04/2016 -  Akram Aylisli

Azeri writer Akram Aylisli, banned from taking part to a Literary Festival in Italy, writes to President Ilham Aliyev presenting the meaning of his most recent work, Stone Dreams

Akram Aylisli’s Dream

07/04/2016 -  Akram Aylisli

A few days ago, the writer Akram Aylisli was due to participate in the Incontri di Civiltà literary festival in Venice. Azerbaijani authorities prevented him from attending. This is the speech he could not read

Akram Aylisli, a writer under restrictions

31/03/2016 -  Simone Zoppellaro

Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli was expected to take part to the “Incroci di civiltà” International literature festival today in Venice, but the Baku authorities blocked him at the airport. Our interview

Remembering Syria in a Jewelry Box

23/03/2016 -  Sana Aljendi

Sana Aljendi is a Syrian migrant, currently living in Turkey. For Sana, today Syria is just a box full of jewelry and memories of Damascus, her home city

Azerbaijan, the Nowruz amnesty

23/03/2016 -  Simone Zoppellaro

In Azerbaijan and in the rest of Europe there was satisfaction for the amnesty that allowed 15 journalists, opposition politicians and human rights activists, to return to freedom. In the Caucasian country, however, there are still too many political prisoners

The dangerous spread of crimes of solidarity

18/03/2016 -  Nando Sigona

Criminalising volunteers who act in solidarity with migrants and refugees is a way of detering European civic society from getting involved. Further mobilisation is the answer

Brussels and Ankara, the bad deal

17/03/2016 -  Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg

The migration deal between EU and Turkey is illegal and must be changed, says CoE Commissioner for Human Rights. There are other ways to address the migrants crisis, complying with the member States obligations to protect those who flee wars and persecution

National minorities under the Georgian Dream

02/03/2016 -  Marilisa Lorusso Tbilisi

Giorgi Bobghiashvili, of the European Centre for Minority Issues, spoke to us about national minorities and inclusive policies in Georgia ahead of the next general elections

Istanbul, in the traffickers' net

08/03/2016 -  Dimitri BettoniFilippo Cicciù Istanbul

For the vast majority of refugees and migrants, using the Turkish network of traffickers is the only choice in order to start the journey along the Balkan Route. Our report

Azerbaijan: Mission Nardaran Challenge

02/02/2016 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Protests in Nardaran, a majority conservative Shia village in the outskirts of Baku, indicate a growing discontent for the country's difficult social and economic conditions

After the war, a human rights emergency in Ukraine

05/11/2015 -  Danilo Elia

A dramatic picture emerges from the new report on the situation in Ukraine released by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights. Now that the armed conflicts have ceased, it is daily life that kills

A Balkan Odyssey

27/10/2015 -  Andrea Oskari Rossini

The flow of migrants and refugees along the Balkan trail is turning into a humanitarian crisis, with no recognition of the needs of vulnerable categories. Reports of violence by the Bulgarian police

Refugees in Turkey, heading West

06/10/2015 -  Fazıla Mat Istanbul

Turkey is hosting some 2 million Syrian refugees, but won’t grant them refugee status. This, and the tough life they are leading, drives them to try heading towards Europe

The Balkan trail: Orban's wall

22/09/2015 -  Giovanni Vale Budapest

The Hungarian wall, on the border with Serbia, casts a first curtain on the Balkan Trail, forcing refugees to change course and head to Croatia, making their journey even more difficult. Seventh and final episode of our correspondent's diary

Balkan Trail: arrival in Preševo

21/09/2015 -  Giovanni Vale Preševo

From Macedonia to the border with Serbia. The refugees cross the border and head for Preševo. Fifth episode of the travelogue by our correspondent on the Balkan Trail

Azerbaijan: Aliyev’s most wanted list

04/09/2015 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The jail sentence inflicted on investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova is the latest episode in the fight against freedom of speech in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: a circus trial, clowns and a glass cage

19/08/2015 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The trial of Khadija Ismayilova, the main investigative Azerbaijani journalists in prison since last December, began last July 24 and may close as early as this week

The new wall and us: children who do and don't remember

25/08/2015 -  André Cunha, (with the collaboration of Móni Bense)

Chronicle of a journey along the border between Hungary and Serbia in late June and early July, a week from the building of a new wall in Europe. Second Episode

Kosovo approves the Special Court

11/08/2015 -  Violeta Hyseni Kelmendi Pristina

Following a month-long deadlock, the Kosovo Assembly has finally voted the law establishing a Special Court to judge the KLA alleged war crimes

Turkey of refugees, among the Yazidis in Diyarbakır

24/07/2015 -  Dimitri Bettoni Diyarbakır

In Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey, there are at least 20,000 refugees, including many Yazidis, who dream of reaching Europe. Second part of the report

Turkey of refugees

17/07/2015 -  Dimitri Bettoni Istanbul

According to the latest UNHCR estimates, approximately 1.770,000 refugees have reached Turkey since 2011 to date. We devote a report to their situation in Istanbul, Diyarbakir, and Urfa. The first episode

Srebrenica, the way back

10/07/2015 -  Andrea Oskari Rossini Sarajevo

The commemorations of the twentieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide will be taking place in a town where hardly anyone lives any more

Srebrenica: the needs of the victims

08/07/2015 -  Nils Muižnieks* Strasburgo

The stand of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights ahead of the Srebrenica commemoration. Addressing the needs of the victims of the genocide must be the priority

Lights, fireworks, flying carpets: welcome to Baku 2015

23/06/2015 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The European Games are not bringing to Azerbaijan the positive media coverage its authorities had expected, investing millions on the event. The best deal was Lady Gaga's

Sport Cannot Ignore Human Rights

04/06/2015 -  Michel ForstDunja MijatovićNils Muižnieks Geneva, Vienna, Strasbourg

Human rights officials highlight the crackdown on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan ahead of the inauguration of the European Games in Baku

Dealing with the past through feminism

19/05/2015 -  Caterina BonoraDaniela Lai Sarajevo

The Sarajevo Women's Court and transitional justice in the former Yugoslavia: preliminary reflections

Silence Of the Lambs, Azerbaijani Style

13/05/2015 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The European Games in Baku are only a month away, while the list of the country's political prisoners keeps on growing