From fraud to bribery, from illegal betting to doping, from match-fixing to money laundering: Corruption in Sport is a global phenomenon threatening the integrity of the overall industry and posing a major challenge for today’s societies. The International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), a multi-stakeholder initiative to strengthen efforts to eliminate corruption and promote a culture of good governance in the field, is organising a High-level event in London (Mansion House, Walbrook, 6th December), bringing together senior figures from governments, sports bodies and international organisations to analyse sport’s vulnerability to corruption. More...

“The Council of Europe strives to protect and promote human rights of all, including people with disabilities of which there are an estimated 80 million in Europe,” Mr Timo Soini, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland pointed out in a statement today on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. More...

The report “Prisons in Europe 2005-2015” shows that from 2005 to 2015 the geographic distribution of prison population rates (number of inmates per 100,000 inhabitants) remained stable across Europe. In 2005, these rates tended to decrease from east to west with some exceptions: England and Wales, Scotland, Spain and Portugal had relatively high prison population rates, whilst Croatia, Greece, Slovenia and Turkey had low rates. More...

Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to human rights and democracy and action by states is necessary to prevent and effectively sanction terrorist acts. However, the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation has become one of the most widespread threats to freedom of expression, including media freedom, in Europe. More...

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has welcomed recent improvements in various places of detention in Northern Ireland, whilst underlining that further progress is needed in certain areas. More...

The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe has adopted the first European text setting out ethical principles relating to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial systems.
The Charter provides a framework of principles that can guide policy makers, legislators and justice professionals when they grapple with the rapid development of AI in national judicial processes. More...

Ahead of Human Rights Day, Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, calls on member states to halt the attacks against human rights defenders and improve their safety and working environment. More...

Following the second International Summit on Human Genome editing and the announcement of the birth of two babies in China following genome intervention, the Council of Europe Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO), representing 47 European states, considers it important to reiterate its Statement on genome editing technologies adopted during its 8th plenary meeting (1-4 December 2015). More...

“I deeply regret the reported executions of Mr Syamyon Berazhny and Mr Ihar Hershankow in Belarus, which were carried out despite the strong call made by the Committee of Ministers in October 2018 to the authorities of Belarus to establish a formal moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition of the death penalty," Mr Timo Soini, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, underlined in a statement today. More...

Corruption among judges is one of the main threats to society and the functioning of a democratic state. It undermines judicial integrity, which is fundamental to the rule of law and a fundamental value of the Council of Europe. More...