International

The ban on the Communist Party of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of expression and the right of association and should be immediately reversed, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty's statement came in reaction to the judicial decision taken this week in Kiev, a ruling which led to the ban on the party participating in elections. SP Senator Tiny Kox, president of the left group in the Council of Europe, supports Amnesty International's call. 'It is extremely sad to see Ukraine becoming ever worse when it comes to respect for fundamental rights. These rights, which include freedom of expression, association and assembly, are guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, which Ukraine as a member state of the Council of Europe has committed itself to uphold, but which it is instead increasingly making a mess of.'

By Anne Marie Mineur - European Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete is a jovial man. He jokes, claps you on the shoulders and gives the impression that he is just as worked up about climate change as are the rest of us. We’re doing this together, is the message, and he’s there for us. But we shouldn’t attach much value to his words, as you’ll see if we examine his deeds.