Europe’s top human right authority faces investigation over corruption

The Europe’s top human right authority, the Council of Europe, has appointed three top European judicial officials -Sir Nicholas Bratza, the erstwhile supremo of European Court of Human Rights, France-based judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere and former ECHR judge Elisabet Fura- to investigate the corruption charges raised against some members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. If the allegation, raised by some members of PACE, are worth believable, they have conspired with Azerbaijan, a political disturbance hit country, to derail a report which exposes the human right violation happening in the country and directs the responsible country to release the political prisoners. Some top media houses earlier reported that some members of PACE had received illicit payment from the Azerbaijan government and actively participated in the lobbying plotted by the Azerbaijan authorities.

According to the report, the Azerbaijan government has framed false charges against the opposition members and detained many political opponents illegally. As per the report, the Azerbaijan president, Ilham Aliyev, has encouraged the security forces to forcefully crack down all dissident movement. It is learned that the investigation has been launched after several civil society groups and human rights organisation across the Europe demanded an investigation into the allegation that affects the credibility of the European human right watchdog adversely. It is the first time such a top agency of the continent is being placed under the armpit of investigation over the corruption charge. No case of lobbying and bribery, even if it is executed by the members of the most powerful authority in the world, should be encouraged or tolerated under any circumstances, says expert.

Vignesh

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