I chose freedom over justice, Julian Assange says in first comments after detention

Strasbourg, France Reuters Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower media group WikiLeaks, told European lawmakers on Tuesday his guilty plea to US espionage accusations was necessary because legal and political efforts to protect his freedom were not sufficient. “I eventually chose freedom over an unrealisable justice,” Assange said, in his first public comments since his […]
US, Britain, EU to sign first international AI treaty

Reuters The first legally binding international AI treaty will be open for signing on Thursday by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union members, the United States and Britain, the Council of Europe human rights organisation said. The AI Convention, which has been in the works for years and was adopted in May after […]
Ukrainians better treated than others displaced by war, Council of Europe says

Reuters Ukrainians who fled their homes to escape Russia’s invasion have received better treatment than those displaced by other ongoing wars and emergencies, Europe’s top human rights group said this week, calling on member states to support all equally. In its annual report, the Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission (ECRI) said “admirable efforts” have been […]
Rights groups petition European watchdog to secure clean water in French Caribbean

Reuters The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said on Thursday it has filed a collective complaint to a European rights body to demand that France urgently ensures access to drinking water in its Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe. The island territory has long faced water shortages, which right groups associate to poor infrastructure and contamination […]
The first outside legal analyses of Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’ are in, and they’re critical

Vatican City AP Several prominent lawyers have published stinging academic critiques and legal opinions about the Vatican’s recently concluded “trial of the century,” highlighting violations of basic defense rights and rule of law norms that they warn could have consequences for the Holy See going forward. The opinions cite Pope Francis’ role in the trial, since he […]
European leaders meet in Iceland to reaffirm values as Ukraine war rages on

Reykjavik, Iceland Reuters European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. In only the fourth summit of the Council of Europe since it was founded […]
Make it easier to prosecute top Vatican clerics, financial watchdog urges

Vatican City Reuters A financial watchdog urged the Vatican on Wednesday to sharpen up its procedure for prosecuting senior clerics and hire more investigators with financial expertise. In a 275-page report on efforts to protect the city-state against the scandals that have plagued it down the decades, the monitoring body of the Council of Europe […]
Turkey withdraws from European treaty protecting women

Istanbul, Turkey AP Turkey withdrew early Saturday from a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence that it was the first country to sign 10 years ago and which bears the name of its largest city. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s overnight decree annulling Turkey’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a blow to women’s rights […]
Pope commits to clean finances amid scandal in backyard

Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis told European anti-money laundering experts Thursday that the Vatican was committed to “clean finance,” as he denounced financial speculation amid a spiraling corruption investigation in the heart of the Holy See. It is rare for a head of state to meet with the Council of Europe’s Moneyval teams, who make […]
Cardinal Pell returns to Vatican mired in financial scandal

Rome, Italy AP Cardinal George Pell, who left the Vatican in 2017 to face child sexual abuse charges in Australia, returned to Rome on Wednesday to find a Holy See mired in the type of corruption scandal he worked to expose and clean up. The 79-year-old Pell arrived at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport on […]