NICOSIA – President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Jean-Claude Mignon has described former MP of Cyprus and member of PACE Christos Pourgourides as a “symbol of democracy”.

PACE President was speaking during a special ceremony at which Pourgourides was declared a Lifetime Member of the Assembly.

Pourgourides has served as President of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Vice-President of PACE, President of the Sub-committee on Human Rights and PACE Spokesman in the Venice Commission.

PACE President made a special reference to two important reports prepared by the former member of the Cyprus Parliament, on the issue of enforced disappearance of persons, which marked the beginning of a broader European support of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Jean-Claude Mignon also referred to Pourgourides’ decisive contribution to the promotion of the well function of the European Court of Human Rights and the obligation of the member states to comply with the Court’s decisions and cooperate with it.

Christos Pourgourides said that defending human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people has always been its sole aim and motivation. Unfortunately, he concluded, in several European countries and generally in the world, serious human rights violations still take place.