Amendment No. 2 | Doc. 13011 | 02 October 2012

The definition of political prisoner

Signatories: Mr Patrick MORIAU, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Agustín CONDE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr George LOUKAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Younal LOUTFI, Bulgaria, ALDE ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Øyvind VAKSDAL, Norway, EDG

Origin - 2012 - Fourth part-session

In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 3 with the following paragraph:

"The Parliamentary Assembly confirms that the interpretation and application of any criteria defining a political prisoner are the exclusive competence of the European Court of Human Rights, which is the only authority to assess violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, as stipulated in the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols."

Explanatory note

A civil war in Southern Africa some 25 years ago should not form the basis of objective standards for all Council of Europe member States in the present day. Only the current case-law of the European Court of Human Rights should be considered as the 'gold standard' in this regard.