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Päätöslauselmaesitys - B8-0047/2015Päätöslauselmaesitys
B8-0047/2015
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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Russia, in particular the case of Alexei Navalny

13.1.2015 - (2015/2503(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Charles Tannock, Mark Demesmaeker, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Jana Žitňanská, Stanisław Ożóg, Karol Karski, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk, Ruža Tomašić, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Arne Gericke on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0046/2015

Menettely : 2015/2503(RSP)
Elinkaari istunnossa
Asiakirjan elinkaari :  
B8-0047/2015
Käsiteltäväksi jätetyt tekstit :
B8-0047/2015
Äänestykset :
Hyväksytyt tekstit :

B8‑0047/2015

European Parliament resolution on Russia, in particular the case of Alexei Navalny

(2015/2503(RSP))

The European Parliament,

                 having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2013 on the ‘European Neighbourhood Policy: towards a strengthening of the partnership – position of the European Parliament on the 2012 reports’,

–    having regard to its previous resolutions, in particular on closing down of Memorial (Sakharov Prize 2009) in Russia;

–    having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit of 29 November 2013,

- having regard to the Constitution of Russia, in particular Article 118 thereof, which states that justice in the Russian Federation is to be administered by courts alone, and Article 120 thereof, which provides that judges are independent and are subordinate only to the Russian Constitution and federal law,

-  having regard to the EU-Russia human rights consultations,

-  having regard to the statement by the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lukin, of 4 March 2014 on public demonstrations in Moscow and the steps taken by the law enforcement agencies,

-  having regard to the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index measures for 2014 and the perceived levels of public sector corruption,

-  having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the Russian Federation, as a full member of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has committed itself to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights; whereas as a result of numerous serious violations of the rule of law and the adoption of restrictive laws during the past months, there are grave concerns with regard to Russia’s compliance with international and national obligations;

B.  whereas on 30th of December 2014, a Russian court has given Alexei Navalny a suspended prison sentence, while sentencing his brother Oleg to for 3½-years in prison for embezzlement; whereas after the conviction of Alexei and Oleg Navalny thousands of people rallied in Moscow near Kremlin and some 200 protesters were detained by Russian authorities;

C.  whereas the human rights situation in Russia has been deteriorating in recent years and the Russian authorities have adopted a series of laws containing ambiguous provisions which are used to place further restrictions on opposition and civil-society actors, and hinder the freedoms of expression and assembly;

D.  whereas the Russian authorities are expanding their mass surveillance programmes, providing them with a very powerful tool which can be used to monitor and oppress opposition voices;

E.  Whereas other human right defenders and NGOs are facing harassment by the Russian authorities, including inspections and other forms of prosecution; whereas one of the most notable examples is the Soldiers’ Mothers organization, which since 28 August has been effectively accused as acting as a “foreign spy”, with its leaders – including Ella Polyakova - facing a slandering campaign in Russia’s state-run media;

 

F.  whereas the anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, who has been under house arrest since February 2014, has become a prominent face of Russian opposition to President Vladimir Putin, leading mass demonstrations of thousands of citizens onto the streets of Moscow and in several major Russian cities in protest against corruption and alleged election fraud in the winter of 2011-2012;

1. Strongly condemns the seemingly politically – motivated conviction of Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg and views this sentence as yet another example of lack of independence and impartiality of the judicial institutions of the Russian Federation; this approach has many echoes of the previous Mikhail Khodorkovsky imprisonment case

 

2.  Reminds that Alexei's brother Oleg, the father of two small children and a former executive of the state-owned postal service, has never played a role in the Russian opposition movement; considers that sentencing Oleg to prison is an attempt by intimidation by the Russian authorities to control the political activities of his brother;

3.  Calls on the Russian government to respect the rights of all citizens to exercise their fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and opinion, freedom of assembly and association, and universal human rights;

4.  Recalls the importance of Russia’s full compliance with its international legal obligations, as a member of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and with the fundamental human rights and the rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

5.  Calls on the Russian government to take concrete steps to reverse the deterioration of human rights, in particular by ceasing the campaign of harassment against civil-society organisations and activists;

6.  Strongly condemns harassment of civil society actors and NGOs, especially the Soldiers’ Mothers organization, which publicly speaks about the alleged death of Russian soldiers in Ukraine against the backdrop of repeated denial of any involvement in the armed conflict by the Russian authorities;

 

7.  Expresses dismay at the continuing lack of progress in bringing to justice those responsible for the deaths of individuals, including Sergei Magnitsky; urges the Council to consider and respond to Parliament's recommendation of October 2012 calling for targeted EU sanctions against those identified as responsible for Magnitsky's death and others implicated in gross violations of human rights;

 

8.  Urges the Russian judicial and law enforcement authorities to carry out their duties in an impartial and independent manner;

9.  Stresses that freedom of assembly in the Russian Federation is granted under Article 31 of the Russian Constitution and under the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia is a signatory, obliging the Russian authorities to respect it;

10.  Calls on the High Representative and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to ensure that the cases of all persons seemingly prosecuted for political reasons are raised in EU-Russia human rights consultations, and that Russia’s representatives in these consultations are formally requested to respond in each case;

11.  Calls on the Presidents of the Council and the Commission, as well as the VP/HR to continue to follow these cases closely, to raise these issues in different formats and meetings with Russia, and to report back to Parliament on the exchanges with the Russian authorities;

12.  Urges the Council to develop a unified policy towards Russia that commits the 28 EU Member States and EU institutions to a strong common message on the role of human rights in the EU-Russia relationship and the need to end the crackdown on freedom of expression, assembly and association in Russia;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.