Following a declaration adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, the Commissioner has taken on a more active role in the protection of human rights within Europe. Resulting from the previous efforts of a group working on "Protecting and Supporting Human Rights Defenders in Europe" in 2006, the Commissioner will now work on protecting human rights defenders across Europe, and will also promote their their work and activities.
Compiled from: "The Commissioner becomes the main European mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders," Council of Europe, www.coe.int, 8 February 2008.