[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 4, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, this fall, the countries of Europe 
celebrated in Rome the 50th anniversary of the signing of the European 
Convention on Human Rights.
  As a result of the horrendous atrocities and suffering during World 
War II, the countries of Europe, in an effort to create greater unity, 
organized the Hague Congress on May 7, 1948, remembered as the 
``Congress of Europe.'' Several months later, five foreign ministers 
met in Brussels to set up the Council of Europe, consisting of a 
ministerial committee and a consulting body. The Convention for the 
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the European 
Convention on Human Rights) was drawn up within the newly-formed 
Council of Europe and signed on November 4, 1950. The Convention 
entered into force in September 1953.
  The Convention was set up to take the first steps for the collective 
enforcement of certain rights enshrined in the United Nations Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. These rights range from protecting 
freedom of thought to the right to a fair trial. The first country to 
ratify the convention was the United Kingdom, which approved the 
document on March 8, 1951. Thus far, 41 countries have ratified the 
Convention, which currently protects the rights of over 800 million 
people.
  To mark the anniversary of the Convention, ministers from all of the 
countries which have ratified the Convention met for a two-day 
conference in Rome this fall. Lamberto Dini, the Italian Foreign 
Minister, opened the conference. He praised the achievements of the 
convention, but lamented the continuing abuses of human rights: ``In 
too many countries the dignity of too many individuals continues to be 
stamped on and despoiled, too often amid general indifference.'' The 
delegates met not only to celebrate the achievements of the past, but 
also to discuss many current human rights issues. The importance of the 
Convention was further highlighted by the presence of delegates from 
the United States and Japan, neither of whom are members of the 
convention.
  The vision set out in the Convention remains an unfinished project. 
Across the European continent, discrimination against vulnerable groups 
and individuals leads to mistreatment or torture, especially ethnic, 
religious and racial minorities, refugees and asylum seekers. Much work 
has been done by The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, 
a body set up in 1987 within the Council of Europe; nevertheless, the 
fact that many human rights abusers are able to act with impunity and 
escape justice continues to be a serious problem. Recently, human 
rights have been violated on a large scale in Bosnia, Kosovo and 
Chechnya; the onus is on European nations to improve intervention and 
rapid response methods in order to prevent such violations of human 
rights occurring in the future. The countries of Europe should rest 
assured that the United States will stand with our European friends in 
their efforts to achieve the goals of the Convention.

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