Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe is a loss of hope for human rights

[TexasTowelie]

By Jeffrey Kahn
1:30 AM on Mar 23, 2022


The last light that kindled hope for Russia to be included within Europe burned out last week. Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe. This decision, coinciding with the council’s decision to terminate Russian membership with an eye toward expulsion, is much graver than widely understood.

This is no mere diplomatic rift. It is the snuffing out of hope not only for millions of Russians, but for hundreds of millions of Europeans whose countries remain members of an organization that emerged from the embers of Europe’s last horrible conflagration.

The Council of Europe describes itself as the continent’s leading human rights organization. Its focus, unlike the European Union, has been building democracy and the rule of law more than building commerce. But the two go hand-in-hand, and no member of the EU, nor future member, could remain outside it.

The signal achievement of the Council of Europe is its Convention of Human Rights. From its stunningly beautiful court in Strasbourg, France, the European Court of Human Rights decides cases brought under the convention, a commitment to fundamental human rights that is enforceable against states by their own citizens, often requiring states to pay money damages and make systemic reforms to their legal and political frameworks.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2022/03/23/russias-withdrawal-from-the-council-of-europe-is-a-loss-of-hope-for-human-rights/

[Martin68]

1. I don't think Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe is a loss of hope for human rights.

That hope was lost quite a bit before the withdrawal, and solidified with the invasion of Ukraine.