Human Rights Commissioner Wants Germany To Stop 'Forced Returns' To Kosovo

Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg has written to Germany’s Interior Minister urging him to "avoid" further ‘forced returns’ to Kosovo.


“The infrastructure and resources available there are in fact not adequate for the sustainable integration of returnees,” the Commissioner said following the publication today of his letter to the German Federal Minister of the Interior, Thomas De Maizière.

Thomas Hammarberg: Time To Overcome Ethnic Divisions In Bosnia And Herzegovina

At the end of his three-day visit to Bosnia Herzegovina, Thomas Hammarberg has called for an end to the discrimination of national minorities in the country.


The Council of Europe’s Human rights Commissioner said: “Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina should end discrimination towards members of national minorities by bringing law and practice fully into line with human rights standards including the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.

“The right to equality should be ensured for members of all ethnic groups.”

Europe should accept more refugees in need of safe resettlement

European countries are closing their borders to migrants, arguing that they have room only for “genuine” refugees, who cannot return to their home countries without risking their lives or freedom, says the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, in his latest Human Rights Comment published today

Czech Republic: “Equal education for Roma children should be guaranteed,”says Commissioner Hammarberg

“There has been virtually no change on the ground in the Czech Republic since the European Court of Human Rights found three years ago that the country had discriminated against Roma children by educating them in schools for children with mental disabilities.”

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg reached this conclusion after a three-day visit to the Czech Republic. He stated that the implementation of this landmark judgment (D.H. and Others v the Czech Republic) “is, worryingly, delayed and it is not clear that this will change in the near future.”

Report: Human Rights For Transgender People

In ‘Human Rights And Gender Identity,’ Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights stakes out the key battlegrounds in the anti-discrimination campaign waged by transgender people.

Thomas Hammarberg: Bulgaria Must Respect Minority Rights

In a letter published today to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg expresses his concern at the treatment of the county’s minority groups.


Commissioner Hammarberg highlights the need for the Bulgarian authorities to improve the living conditions of Roma.

He also calls for a guarantee of the right to freedom of religion for all minorities, following the Supreme Court of Cassation’s decision last May to remove the Chief Mufti.

Thomas Hammarberg: European Muslims are stigmatised by populist rhetoric

European countries appear to face another crisis beyond budget deficits – the disintegration of human values. One symptom is the increasing expression of intolerance towards Muslims. The Swiss referendum banning the building of minarets was no exception: opinion polls in several European countries reflect fear, suspicion and negative opinions of Muslims and Islamic culture.

Thomas Hammarberg Deplores "Inhuman" Treatment Of Disabled People In Institutions

“The prosecutor general in Bulgaria has initiated criminal investigations into 166 deaths and 30 more cases of abuse of children living in state homes for young people with mental disabilities.

"This was an important signal not only for the Bulgarian authorities but for several other states with similar old-style institutions for children or adults”, says Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg.

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Disabilities: Europe Must Do Better

Airlines Are Not Immigration Authorities

European states seek to reduce immigration through improper threats of sanctions against airlines and other transport companies. They pass heavy responsibility on to the carriers in order to limit access to their territories, said the Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg.

Travel personnel, who cannot possibly have the appropriate competencies for ensuring the rights of refugees under international law, have been made to decide if someone should be allowed to board an airplane or ship – or not.

For a refugee in need of international protection this is a serious barrier, as one must gain access to a state’s territory in order to seek and possibly obtain asylum. Not everyone who fears torture or repression has the proper documents to travel, especially if he or she fears persecution from national authorities, who control the issuing of passports and other travel documents.  (more ...)

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Elderly across Europe live in extreme hardship and poverty

Image by pedrosimoes7 via Flickr

''Hundreds of thousands of elderly persons across Europe are struggling for their everyday survival. European leaders should develop adequate policies to improve the living conditions of this vulnerable group of people'' said the Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg.

''Many elderly suffer a shocking level of poverty. They tend to be ignored by politicians and are often seen as being non-productive and worthless in modern society. Their human rights must not be further undermined by governments’ austerity programmes.'' (more ...)

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