Information Society CoE Director Kleisjen to EuroFora : CoE+ to act for Human Rights at the Internet

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Shortly after a Top representative of the Armenian CoE's Ministers Presidency just warned a PanEuropean/International Multi-Stakeholders Meeting on Internet Freedom about Risks for Mass Crimes, as that of the 1st Genocide in Modern History at the eve of Turkish State's edification, less than 1 Century ago (1915-1922), facilitated then by the Telegraph, mutatis-mutandis could be committed and/or aggravated tody through the Internet, f.ex. via "Mass Surveillance", if Human Rights are not adequately protected, as recent Denunciations started to reveal provoking widespread notorious Concerns,

CoE's experienced Director for Information Society and Action against Crime, Jan Kleijsen from Austria (the forthcmin CoE Ministers' President : November 2013 - May 2014), ensured "EuroFora" that, as things evolve today, it seems certain, that, "Definitively", Strasbourg's Organisation is due to do "something" notable on the currently "Hot" issue of protecting both National Security whenever it might be really necessary, but also Internet Users' Privacy, Freedoms and elementary Human Rights.

This could be done also by adequate and efficient "Transparency", in order to "Protect Internet Freedom", via a "Dialogue" between "Multi-StakeHolders","on enhanced Cooperation", for "an Informed Decision-Making", according to the main items at the Agenda discussed by a PanEuropean/International Conference organized for 2 Days at CoE'ss Headquarters in Strasbourg (See Infra), mainly in order to suggest practical Remedies to the well known Global "Surveillance" problems, which surfaced recently, during CoE's 2012-2015 "Internet Governance Strategy", given also certain Concrete Steps, imminent at its Ministers' level, and at CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, starting Next Week, (See Infra).

While CoE's Assembly is due to debate and vote on a Resolution asking all 47 CoE's Member States to "take into account the "Global Principles on National Security and the Right to Information," adopted on 12 June 2013 by an assembly of experts from international organisations, civil society, academia and national security practitioners", the present, September 2013 CoE's PanEuropean/International Conference attracted Wider Participation also from the USA, Brazil, Mexico, New Zeland, etc., as well as from EU Commission, California-based ICANN and various other Global Internet-related NGOs, (such as "Electronic Frontier Foundation", "Privacy International", "Internet and Jurisdiction", "Internet Society", "Reporters without Borders", etc), Google, Facebook and ATT (USA), Orange (France), Yandex (Russia), and other Big Players among Communication Corporations, International NGOs, etc.

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Already in the Past, the beginning of the use of a (then) "New" Technology for Communication, as was then the "Telegraph", (a technical progress in itself), was abused by the declining former Ottoman-Turc Empire, in order to commit a "Massive Crime" which resulted at the 1st Genocide of Modern History : "Even if there had already been Deadly Aggressions against Armenian People previously, then, they were more or less "Sporadic", (f.ex. around 1895, 1908, etc). But, "fom April 1915", suddenly, by using the Modern Technology that was then the Telegraph, in order to send immediately, exactly the same message to everyone involved, which was Received at the Same Moment, in various Geographic Destinations, by Many Agents of the Turkish regime, the brutal Mass Deportations and Killings which targetted Armenians and later also Greeks a.o. up to 1922 included.

The above-mentioned Stern Warning was issued by the Chair of the Concluding, key Debate on "How to Improve" the situation, a Senior Engineer from IT Foundation : - Garegin Chugaszyan, , speaking later-on to "EuroFora", flanked by a Chief Expert from the Office of Armenia's President, also warned that, moreover, for any People on Earth which has a widespread "Diaspora" accross the World, (such as Armenians : "2/3 of our People ", Jews, Greeks, Irish, Italians, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Arabs, Philipinos, Chinese, etc., even Americans themselves), it's also "a matter of National Security" to Protect the Privacy and Freedom of their Internet communications, without undue Surveilance/Spying and/or other illegal Interferences on them.

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EU Commission's representative, Andrea Glorioso, who works with the competent for the 2020 "Digital Agenda" EU Commissioner Noelie Kroess (Comp. her Replies to "EuroFora"s Questions, December 2012 in Brussels, etc), stressed that all EU Membe States and EU Officials have now (since 2010's entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty with EU's Charter on Fundamental Freedoms), an Obligation, "a Duty" to protect Freedom on Internet, and this was naturally reminded also for all the 47 CoE's Member States (including Russia, etc), by several other participants, according to ECHR's case-law, which has recently started to be developed also in CoE's unfolding "Internet Strategy 2012-2015", accompagnied by various related CoE's Ministers' Decisions, : F.ex. on Internet's "Integrity and Openness" (2011), or on "Risks .. stemming from Digital Tracking and other Surveillance technologies" (2013), etc.

While even Big Internet Companies, like Google, etc., said that they are interested into these kind of issues, also because they are currently important in order to "Build Trust" among Users. To the point that they would be ready even to contribute Financially in such EU/CoE's activities, NGOs, etc. However, for a realy "Multi-Stake Holders'" approach , obviously, "it's not enough to take in 70 People that I know, and another 70 People that you know" : On the contrary, "we have to be aware that there will always be much more People who would like to intervene, and that's its an "On-Going Process", which includes also issues of "Legitimacy", warned in Conclusion, Ian Brown, from Oxford's Cyber Security Centre.

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As it was observed during CoE's Conference by several participants that, since the recent denuciations about Global Internet Surveillance by Edwards Snowden, concerning some alleged controversial methods of USA's NSA, etc., but also probably others, a Growing series of various Internet Freedom/Safety related events/initiatives are currently undertaken or planned by many Actors, obviously, a main concluding Question was that which was clearly raised Today by the French Foreign Ministry's new "Representative for International Negotiations on Information Society and Digital Development", David Martinon, an experienced former Spokesman at the Presidential Palace Elysée (comp. several Topical Statements given in reply to "EuroFora" co-Founder's Questions then) : - "Who will do this Job ?", as he simply asked at the final debate....

The immediate Replies, (even from the otherwise very active EU Commission's representative, Antonio Glorioso, who claimed that, currently, the competent EU Directorate "doen't have the Funds" for that, as well as from the hard working Legal Director of CoE's AV "Observatory, Suzanne Nicoltchev, who declared her interest to actively contribute by collecting, interpreting and orgenizing relevant Legal Data, but also the inability to do more without adequate resources, etc), appeared, at first, rather .. reserved, given the Immensity of the Important but Huge Task lying ahead, even if most particpants agreed that the CoE, given also its current Official Mission and Experience to work for "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", (particularly since the 2004 Warsaw Heads of State/Government Summit : Comp. "EuroFora" co-Founders' NewsReports from Warsaw then, published at "TCWeekly" etc), as well as its long experience for International Cooperation both in the Preparation and the Scope of Application of many among its Legal Instruments, often "Open" also to Non-European Countries accross the whole World, was well placed, at least in order to collect, stimulate and help forge "Common Starndards" on the Internet, due to be negotiated and spread throughout the Globe.

But CoE's experienced and competent Director of Information Society and Action against Crime, Jan Kleisjen, speaking later Today to "EuroFora", appeared much more crystal-clear, Concrete and Optimist for the posssible role of Strasbourg's PanEuropean Organization, at least for the foreseable Future :

- Replying to an "EuroFora"s question on whether there is already now a Political Will at the CoE to start playing a Major Role on these issues, in the context of its 2011-2015 Internet Governance Strategy, adopted mainly by its Committee of Ministers after the landmark "G8" Heads of State/Government Summit at Deauville, (Comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports from that May 2011 Summit of the 8 Biggest Countries' Heads of State/Government, particualarly related to Internet and Freedom/Democracy, etc), the experienced

Kleijsen pointed at first to the CoE's PanEuropean "Parliamentary Assembly"'s forthcoming "Report", scheduled for its Plenary Session "Next Week" in Strasbourg, which, - "I think that it will really Frame and Digg into this issue very much", as he stressed.

- In particular, he invited "EuroFora" to "remember what happened with the (previous) Marti Report, (drafted by the Swiss Liberal Senator/Attorney Dick Marty" on "Secret Detentions" (and undeclared Air Flights transporting prisoners, etc, to which was later added also another Mart'y's Investigative Report on "Missing" Persons' organs' harvesting and traffic which had reportedly targetted mainly Serbian Prisoners of certain Kosovar Albanian groups linked to a Turkish Medical Network and abroad, as it had initially been reveamed by the famous UN International Tribunal for ex-Yugoslavia's Attorney General, Carle del Ponte, who has recently made similar Findings, as key member of an UN-brokered International Investigation Committee, among some Turkey-backed Extremist Islamic Armed Groups in Syria, reported by International Media),.

- It "was meant to shed some Light on a number of things that were happening : Much of It was Denied at the time, but Admitted at a Later Stage", CoE's Senior Official reminded to "EuroFora" on this regard.

- Now, "the (forthcoming) Motion is Public" : it it's clearly about "Massive Eaves-Dropping", and "I think that we (CoE) can expect very Interesting Proposals from them" (CoE's PanEuropean Assembly's MEPs from 47 Countries), Jan Kleisjen highlighted for the foreseeable Future.

+ In particular, as it already happened also with Marty's above-mentioned Reports, which "were done in close Cooperation with the EU Parliament", and "I expect that it will be case" also now, he added.

++ Moreover, "at any case, this issue" (of "Massive EavesDropping" via the Internet), which "is already on the Agenda of (CoE's) Pariamentary Assembly" next week in Strasbourg, "will also be on the Agenda of (CoE's) Ministerial Conference in Belgrade", hosted by Serbia for CoE's Ministers of Communications "at the 7th and 8th of November" 2013, ...

=> - "So, there will be Definitively something happening there !", the experienced CoE's Senior Official ... ,

from Austria, the forthcoming President-in-office of the PanEuropean Organisation for the period, precisely, of November 2013 - May 2014.

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+ Reacting to another "EuroFora"'s Question on the possibility, or not, for CoE's "Multi-StkeHolders" approach on Global Internet Governance in general, applied in such delicate issues, "to associate not only Governments, Companies, Civil Society's NGOs, perhaps enlarged also to "Technicians", or even "Internet Users" in general (f.ex. through Educational channels, etc), as some other participants suggested, but also certain Individual Persons, be it, f.ex. one or another key MP, an Engineer, a Journalist, a key User, etc., who have something important and useful to say, either in order to Denounce a negative fact, or to Suggest a Positive alternative as a Solution", etc.,, "without always going necessarily 100% Public", but using Methods f.ex. similar to those already used by several NGOs who inform CoE's Committee to Prevent Torture (CPT), the ECHR, and/or the PanEuropean Commissioner on Human Rights, etc., CoE's Senior Official appeared receptive, at least as far as WhistleBlowers are concerned :

- Indeed, "there are WhistleBlowers who go Public, but there are also (other) WhistleBlowers who want a limited, not General Public" audience, he observed.

- " I think that we should do whatever we can in order to reach People who want to share their Concerns with (European/International) Authorities" (that they can Trust). In this regard, "we (CoE) are Preparing an Instrument for WhistleBlowers", and, "in that context, it will" probably "make it clear, this sort of Detection that (CoE's) Member States may wish to exted to WhistleBlowers, and I think that in the Context of the Adoption of that, we (CoE)'ll also have a Debate on How WhistleBlowers can Best Raise their Concerns", i.e., "perhaps without necessarily going Totally Global, as it happened in this case", (of Snowden),

- Already, in this regard, the active "Polish Professor" Dr. Joanna Kulesza, from the University of Lodz, "joined by a NGO from New Zeland", "said that there is a Distinction to be made between WhistleBlowers who go Totally Public, and those who prefer to Communicate their Concerns to a Select group of People, but in order to Try to Change something", (that they find Wrong and/or Dangerous).

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However, speaking earlier on CoE's decisions, Kleisjen observed, from one side, that the EHR "Increasingly uses CoE's Regulations on Intenet in order to define Freedom of Expression, f. ex. in an affair vis a vis Turkey, from last December 2012", etc. but also, from another side, that f.ex., a previous Proposal to set up a Monitoring mechanism on Fredom of Expression, supported by most CoE Member States and its Parliamentary Assembly, hadn't been finaly accepted by CoE's Committee of Ministers, because there were some opposals. So that some are thinking now about a kind of "Soft" Monitorig; which might work in practice. Because, menwhile, the Need to act adequately, becomes more and more perceptible : F.ex. various other CoE's Monitoring bodies, (such as COE's Human Rights Commissioner, the AV Observatory, CoE's Assembly, etc), even if they are not yet in a position to Monitor all CoE's Recommendations and Standards, also because of lack of Resources, neverthelees, "we find often Freedom of Expression at the Internet during our various (CoE Member) State Visits", as another CoE's Official acknowledged today.

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PACE's Resolution

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