Doc. 9919

19 September 2003

Human Rights in Macedonia

Written Question No. 405 to the Committee of Ministers

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 852^nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (17 September 2003)

I. Written Question No. 405 by Mr Cilevičs (Doc. 9340)

Recalling that, on 16 January 2002, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), a prominent human rights NGO network, published a statement concerning attacks on and threats to the Macedonian Helsinki Committee;

Learning that the statement recorded that these attacks are caused merely by the Macedonian Helsinki Committee’s efforts to hold the Government of Macedonia accountable in terms of fulfilling its human rights obligations;

Noting that IHF quotes Macedonia’s Minister of the Interior as referring to the president of the Macedonian Helsinki Committee, Mirjana Nacevska, as “state enemy number 1”, “anti-Macedonian”, etc,

Mr Cilevičs,

To ask the Committee of Ministers,

-       whether the Committee of Ministers follows these developments;

-       how the Committee of Ministers evaluates the attitude of the Government of Macedonia towards the leading human rights NGO in the country in the light of Macedonia’s obligations and commitments as a Council of Europe member state;

-       whether the Committee of Ministers considers it necessary to publicly express its attitude in this respect.

II. Reply by the Committee of Ministers

At the time, the regrettable incident referred to by the honourable parlementarian was widely reported and criticised by international non-governmental organisations active in the human rights field.

The Committee of Ministers has been reliably informed, however, that relations between the Government of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and the Helsinki Committee in that country have meanwhile considerably improved since the change of government following the parliamentary elections held in September 2002. This was acknowledged by the Helsinki Committee itself in its annual report for 2002 and confirmed by the authorities.

The Committee of Ministers has been assured by the authorities that the Helsinki Committee will remain able to pursue its activities freely and without interference of the kind referred to in the written question. It sees no need for further action in this matter.