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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

11.3.2008

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Bart Staes, Milan Horáček
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the arrest of demonstrators following the presidential elections
in the Russian Federation

Procedure : 2008/2549(RSP)
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Dokumentforløb :  
B6-0128/2008
Indgivne tekster :
B6-0128/2008
Vedtagne tekster :

B6‑0128/2008

European Parliament resolution on the arrest of demonstrators following the presidential elections in the Russian Federation

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on the Russian Federation with regard, in particular, to the one of 14 November 2007 on the EU-Russia summit,

-   having regard to the EU-Russia consultation on Human Rights,

–  having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas on 3 March 2008 riot police in Moscow arrested dozens of activists in a chaotic unauthorised protest against the presidential election of the previous day that the opposition forces considered as a stage-managed farce, whereas the city authorities had refused to authorise the protest saying that the pro-Kremlin Young Russia group had already planned gatherings at every large meeting point in the capital,

B.  whereas Other Russia decided to go ahead with the march and had said it would appeal against the city's decision,

C.  whereas the head of observers from the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe declared that Russia's democratic potential was unfulfilled and said that candidates had been denied equal access to the media and that registration made it hard for independents to stand,

D.  whereas last month the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe decided not to monitor the presidential election because of restrictions imposed by Moscow,

E.  whereas Mikhail Kasyanov, former Prime Minister and current leader of the People's Democratic Union, registered as a candidate on 14 December 2007 but was later disqualified by the Central Election Commission, which stated that too many of the 2 million signatures of support were forged, whereas Kasyanov appealed the decision to the Supreme Court which rejected the appeal on 6 February 2008,

F.  whereas in recent months Russia has waged an increasingly vocal campaign against OSCE election observers, accusing them of bias,

G.  whereas freedoms of expression, association and assembly have been curtailed in recent years and human rights defenders, independent civil society organizations, political opponents and ordinary citizens have all been victims of this rollback on civil and political rights,

H.  whereas as a member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, the Russian Federation has undertaken to respect freedom of speech and of assembly; whereas the EU is supposed to share with Russia a strategic partnership based on the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law,

I.  whereas there is a lack of coherence vis-à-vis Russia since the criticism on the human rights situation and democratic standards raised in Brussels is rarely or very weakly raised by the European authorities once in Moscow,

1.  Strongly condemns the violent crackdown by the Russian anti-riot police during last week's peaceful demonstrations in Moscow and calls on the Russian authorities to comply with their international obligations and to respect freedom of expression and freedom of assembly; urges the immediate release of all those demonstrators who are still being detained;

2.  Regrets the Russian authorities' attitude vis-à-vis the electoral observation missions of OSCE / ODIR and calls for a more constructive approach; considers such missions as an indispensable tool for the enhancement of democracy in Europe in compliance with OSCE objectives;

3.  Expresses its deep concern at the growing control by the Kremlin of major broadcast media and at the creeping erosion of freedom of speech and access to broadcast media of opposition members;

4.  Regrets the timid reactions of concern by the EU Presidency and the Commission whenever democracy and human rights are violated in Russia; deplores the attitude of those European Heads of state who, while visiting Moscow, fail to address human rights issues with their Russian counterparts;

5.  Calls on the Council and Commission to lodge a protest with the Russian authorities and to raise the issue of respect of basic freedoms in the upcoming EU-Russia summit and in the next regular meetings with Russian officials;

6.  Asks the newly elected Russian president, Alexander Medvedev, to reassess the treatment of imprisoned opposition personalities (like Michail Chodorkovski and Platon Lebedev); underlines the fact that this would facilitate the elaboration of an even closer partnership between the Russian Federation and the European Union;

7.  Welcomes the declared commitment by the newly elected President of Russia to uphold the rule of law; stresses in this regard the crucial importance of Russia’s effective implementation European Court of Human Rights judgments, including those pertaining to Chechnya, as a unique opportunity to promote accountability and bring an end to ongoing abuses in the broader North Caucasus region; urges the Council and Member States to make Russia’s full compliance with European Court judgments a key priority at all levels of dialogue with Russia;

8.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Member States and the Government and the Parliament of the Russian Federation.