Brussels, 15/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Council of Europe (CoE) Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg has commented on the European arrest warrant (EAW) and its overuse which he sees as a “threat to human rights”. Human rights NGOs have expressed concerns about “the imprisonment of innocent persons, disproportionate arrests, violations of procedural rights and the impossibility in some countries for an innocent person to appeal against a decision”. The “problems appear to have worsened with the increase of the number of EAWs” - on average of “more than one thousand per month, the overwhelming majority of which relate to minor crimes”. (S.P./transl.rt)