Whistleblowers are playing an increasingly important role in national and international politics. The persecution by the USA of the best known whistleblowers, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, stands in stark contrast to the positive assessment of their disclosures, which led to public information on grave infringements of rights.
Yet, in Europe too, whistleblowers are not protected from prosecution if they disclose information about violations of human rights or international law by state actors. Whistleblowers from the military and secret services in particular must expect harsh punishment.
However, the states that are members of the Council of Europe and parties to the European Convention on Human Rights should do everything possible to prevent impunity for state perpetrators, instigators and organisers of human rights violations and infringements of international law, even where the interests of state secrecy are affected.
Anchoring whistleblower protection in the European Convention on Human Rights would guarantee permanent protection for whistleblowers outside national jurisdictions and thus promote the safeguarding of international law and human rights by states. Infringements of obligations would become more risky and difficult to cover up.
Members of all political groups tabled a motion for recommendation on this topic in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (cf. enclosure and http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/Doc/XrefViewPDF.asp?FileID=20031&Language=EN). The committee on legal affairs and human rights will prepare the Assembly’s decision on what to recommend to the governments in the council of ministers.
In the context of the 100th anniversary of the First World War in 2014, various organisations will launch a campaign to support this initiative. After the experience of the breakdown of civilisation in the First World War the further development of international law began, leading ultimately to today’s UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European integration in the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Other organisations and individuals are invited to get involved in the European campaign. The following have already pledged their support:
- Whistleblower Netzwerk e.V. (tbc)
- Informationsstelle Militarisierung, IMI (Information Centre on Militarisation)
- Gabi Zimmer, Chair of the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament
- Andrej Hunko, Member of the German Parliament and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
- Søren Søndergaard, Member of the European Parliament, Denmark