Wednesday 23 December 2009

Press release on Protocoll 14 disappeared from the website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Two days ago I wrote about the resuming of the ratification process of Protocol 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights by Russia - but it seems that the background information that I have used is not available anymore.

My post followed the publishing of a press release of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in which both the President of the PACE and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe welcomed the approval for ratification of Protocol 14 by the Russian Duma.

The press release could be found here. Now this press release has disappeared - it has been deleted.

You can see that it has been actively removed when you look at the URL:
http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/NewsManager/EMB_NewsManagerView.asp?ID=5137&L=2

This press release with the IDs 5137 (English) and 5138 (French) is not available anymore, while the previous and following press releases with the IDs 5135/5136 and 5139/5140 are still accessible.

Does that mean that the information on the change of mind of the Russian Duma provided in the press release was wrong or that it was just non-authorised?

Update: In a new press release, this time coming directly from the Council, the Secretary General welcomes "indications" that the Duma is going to resume its ratification procedure in January.

2 comments:

тете Хрю Svinkina - AuntieGruntie Oinkie said...

My rough guess is this: the Kremlin sometimes issues statements that sound like it is really set to do something, but then nothing really happens, and when you look at the statement with a hindsight, you see that it was really a declaration of intentions only. Like "the issue of X will be seriously reconsidered". OK, it does get reconsidered, but nothing comes out of it (nor any positive outcome was intended).
I guess this is what happened with the statement of intent on ratifying Protocol 14.
Quote from the RIA Novosti news agency, Dec. 21, 2009
http://www.rian.ru/international_justice/20091221/200531720.html
"Speaker of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov told the reporters that [Medvedev] asked the deputies to resume consideration [of Protocol 14]."

Oink

Julien Frisch said...

Yes, could be, but it must have sounded strong enough to produce and to publish a press release - and I suppose that the person in the Council of Europe asking to write this text must have had quite strong indications...