"The Protection of Human Rights is Endangered"

DW-WORLD: What are your plans for your term as Commissioner for Human Rights?

Thomas Hammarberg: One emphasis will be on defending human rights in times of terrorism. The protection of human rights is very endangered when governments take action against terrorism. There's also a lot to do, for example, to safeguard comprehensive human rights for people with disabilities. A further urgent issue is the treatment of Roma in some European countries.

What are you going to do differently than your predecessor Alvaro Gil-Robles?

He did outstanding work and it is essential that I carry on what he began. He visited 35 of the 46 member states in the Council of Europe and put together expert reports. I will go to the outstanding countries -- Germany is one of them -- and report on the human rights situation there. Subsequently, I will call on those countries my predecessor visited and report on the extent to which they have followed our recommendations.

Does a Commissioner for Human Rights even have power?

He has a certain power when he primarily communicates with non-governmental organizations and the ombudsman or the human rights commissioner on the national level in every country. The third point of contact is, of course, the media. These three play a significant role together. It is my intention to work more closely with them and to support their work. The Commissioner for Human Rights can thus be more than just a symbolic figure in Strasbourg.

What do you consider the biggest problems for your task?

I think it's currently xenophobia in Europe. People seem to be afraid of foreigners and suspicious of minorities. This is a warning signal. I hope that I can show with my work that these sentiments are not justified. It's important that all people in all societies have full human rights. This way, no divides can develop in a society, which make some people feel excluded and maybe even develop animosity towards the country in which they live.

What has been achieved through the position of the Commissioner for Human Rights?

Above all, recognition within governments that human rights are an important topic now exists -- that they have to be put on the political agenda and can no longer be ignored. If we can show that there are problems and refer to solid and independently researched facts, then we automatically have a basis for discussion with governments. My predecessor led a direct dialogue with most European governments, so that he could directly relay his recommendations to the right powers.

Click here to read about Hammarberg's assessment of the situation in Russia and intelligence activities in Europe.

Which countries have particular deficits?

My approach is that all countries have human rights problems. These have to be identified in every country and improvements strived for. There will never be a situation where a nation doesn't have any problems anymore. I am rather skeptical towards governments, which smugly say that there are no human rights abuses in their country. One of my goals is therefore to control the situation in all 46 Council of Europe member states without exception. Of course, I am aware that the problems in some countries are significantly more severe than in other parts of Europe. This can be a result, for example, of a country's economic situation or a previous war.

What significance does Russia have in the Council of Europe?

Russia is the largest country in the Council of Europe with the highest population. It is just celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its membership. Russia will, by the way, be chairing the Council of Europe in the next term and is therefore a significant country within the Council. Of course, controlling human rights in this large country is problematic. It's absolutely necessary for the Commission of Human Rights to follow very closely what happens there and, of course, also express recommendations for improvement. This is one of my priorities.

Your predecessor was very involved with the situation in Chechnya. How do you want to proceed in this conflict?

I will also intensely concern myself with Chechnya. I hope to be able to travel there. I have visited the country in the past, so that I have a certain feeling for the situation there. I want to put Chechnya very high up on my agenda.

Will you be dealing with the question of intelligence services' authority in countries of the Council of Europe?

I am concerned that there is confidential contact between intelligence services, including the US secret service, which is used in a manner harming human rights. In Europe, people are being kidnapped and either taken to Guantanamo by US intelligence or to countries like Egypt or secret locations. These people have the right to fair treatment, which they're being denied. I am in favor of the Council of Europe looking into this.

What would you like to have achieved at the end of your six-year term?

I hope that Belarus is a member of the Council of Europe by then. It isn't today, since it's undemocratic. But I think that there will even be reforms in that country, which theoretically belongs to Europe. I hope that the step backwards in human rights, which we've experienced since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 will cease -- and that the previously determined human rights standards will once again be confirmed and enforced in reality. I also hope that there will be significantly more respect towards the rights of minorities in Europe and foreigners that come from other parts of the world.

Thomas Hammarberg of Sweden took over this week as the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights in Strasbourg. He succeeds the Spaniard Alvaro Gil-Robles, who was the first to hold this position. The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly appointed the 64-year-old Hammarberg in October 2005 for the six-year term. The Swedish diplomat and human rights activist was, among other things, general secretary of amnesty international and head of the Olof Palme Center in Stockholm.