France, Strasbourg, Jan. 24 /Trend, A. Maharramli /
Nils Muizienks was elected as the PACE Commissioner for Human Rights on the second day of the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). He will assume office on April 1, 2012 for a six year term.
Voting on candidates from various countries nominated for the post of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, was held at the CE Representative Committee's meeting on Nov.24, 2011. As a result, a list of three candidates out of five scoring the most votes, was submitted to PACE. The candidates were Yves Monette (Belgium), Nils Muizienks (Latvia) and Frans Timmermans (Netherlands).
The Commissioner for Human Rights is elected by the Parliamentary Assembly based on nomination of the CE Committee of Ministers.
The term of office of the current Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg will end by late March 31, 2012. He was elected to PACE on Oct. 5, 2005, and assumed his office on April 1, 2006.
Heads of states and governments of the CE made the move to establish an Institute of Commissioner for Human Rights at a high-level meeting in Strasbourg in 1997. In this regard, the committee of ministers adopted a resolution on the establishment of the Institute for Human Rights Commissioners and defined its mandate in 1999. The first Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights was Spaniard Alvaro Gil-Robles (1999-2006).