The Council of Europe Makes a Statement on the War in Ukraine

The Council of Europe Makes a Statement on the War in Ukraine
Photo by Artur Papyan on Flickr

09-03-2022

Manon Picard

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

On the 8th of March 2022, leaders of the Council of Europe, an international human rights organisation, made a joint statement regarding the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. The leaders of the Council of Europe who made the joint statement were the following: Mr. Luigi Di Maio, International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tiny Kox, President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and Mrs. Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 

The statement reiterated that the Russian Federation had been suspended from the Council of Europe on the 25th of February 2022 since Russia had failed to respect the “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”. Moreover, the joint statement demanded that the Russian Federation implement the interim measures indicated by the European Court of Human Rights on the 1st and 4th of March 2022. The Council of Europe also requested that Russia complied with the principles enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and the principles of democracy and human rights represented by the Council of Europe. The joint statement specifically declared: 

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, an unjustified military attack […] We reiterate our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”. 

Today marks the 14th day since the Russian Federation started its unlawful military attack on the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Although Russia has not respected any of the international calls for peace and a withdrawal of its troops from Ukrainian territory, the Council of Europe “once again call[s] on the Russian Federation to stop its aggression, return to the path of diplomacy and fully recommit to European values”.

Sources and further reading:

Council of Europe. (2022, March 8). Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Newsroom Council of Europe. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/council-of-europe-leaders-make-joint-statement-on-the-aggression-of-the-russian-federation-against-ukraine