STRASBOURG, June 27 (RAPSI) - PACE rapporteur Arcadio Diaz Tejera (Spain) is concerned about the consequences of the recent protests in Turkey and has called on the Council of Europe to work out principles for observing human rights while maintaining law and order during public protests and rallies, RIA Novosti reports on Thursday.

The Popular Protest and Challenges to Freedom of Assembly, Media and Speech report notes that the right of individuals to protest against their democratically elected governments is as legitimate as the government's right to keep its ground during a dispute.

Tejera spoke of the recent rallies in London, Madrid, Paris, and Stockholm, as well as in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Russia and Turkey, stating that the authorities' response to public campaigns has not always been "proportionate." However, he did not specify which countries used disproportionate force against the protesters.

On May 31, a peaceful rally organized by the opponents of a government redevelopment plan for Istanbul ended in harsh intervention by the police and prompted a wave of protests that swept across other Turkish cities on an unprecedented scale, he said. He expressed deep regret over the four lives lost in the clashes, including one police officer.

Tejera called on Council of Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland to consider developing a set of guidelines for observing human rights in the process of law enforcement during rallies and protests.