MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Russia: the poisoning of Alexei Navalny
14.9.2020 - (2020/2777(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Idoia Villanueva Ruiz
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
B9‑0279/2020
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Russia: the poisoning of Alexei Navalny
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (the Chemical Weapons Convention or CWC),
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas clinical and toxicological findings by German medical experts and a specialised laboratory of the German armed forces have determined that Mr Navalny, a Russian opposition politician, has been the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the ‘Novichok’ group, a substance which has been added to the prohibited agents under the Chemical Weapons Convention; whereas he was poisoned on Russian territory and transferred with the consent of the Russian authorities to a Berlin hospital, where he remains in intensive care;
B. whereas the 24th conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) agreed on 28 November 2019 to update the list of Schedule 1 chemicals banned by the convention to include the advanced nerve agents known as Novichok;
C. whereas the Chemical Weapons Convention clearly stipulates how to proceed in cases of alleged violations of the convention, including in cases where the provisions of the convention must be applied rather than unilateral measures by individual states or a group of states;
D. whereas Russia is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention;
1. Welcomes the news that Mr Navalny has emerged from his coma, hopes for his full and speedy recovery and expresses its solidarity with his family;
2. Stresses that the use of agents prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention anywhere, by anybody, and under any circumstances, constitutes a violation of international law, and that such a crime needs to be investigated in a transparent manner and those responsible brought to justice; calls on Russia to fulfil its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and to cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); calls on the OPCW and its member states to act in accordance with the stipulations of the CWC;
3. Urges the Government of the Russian Federation, in cooperation with the OPCW, to carry out a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into the poisoning of Mr Navalny, to disclose to the OPCW any information relevant to its work, to make the results of its investigations public and to bring those responsible for the use of agents prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention to justice;
4. Demands that the German authorities cooperate closely with the Russian authorities and the OPCW with a view to ensuring the success of the investigations;
5. Is disturbed at the number of cases of poisoning, or other forms of targeted assassination, of current and former Russian citizens, either within Russia itself or on foreign soil, over the last two decades; stresses that the failure in many cases to hold perpetrators accountable and provide justice for the victims and their families is hard to explain or justify; calls on Russia to immediately end impunity for such cases and to guarantee the security of its citizens;
6. Expresses deep concern that the assassination attempt against Mr Navalny adds to the high tensions between Russia and the EU and is being used to further escalate the difficult relations; notes with concern that politicians and the media have created hostile stereotypes and that the escalation of rhetoric is having a dangerous impact on EU and Russian societies;
7. Stresses that the current confrontation between the EU and Russia is not in the interests of the two partners, their citizens or their economies; underlines that concrete efforts need to be made to overcome the renewed confrontational division of the European continent; stresses that the only option to preserve the security and well-being of the people on both sides is to resolve the differences through dialogue and negotiation;
8. Underlines that parliamentary dialogue is not a reward, but an instrument to raise concerns, exchange arguments and promote mutual understanding and trust; points out that Parliament itself uses this instrument in its relations with many other partners with whom deep differences persist; notes that interparliamentary relations with the Russian Duma have been frozen for more than six years, and takes the view that this lack of dialogue has contributed to the mutual mistrust; calls for the normal functioning of the interparliamentary dialogue between the Russian Duma and Parliament to be restored:
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.