MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on  the recent deterioration of the inhuman imprisonment conditions of Alexey Navalny and other political prisoners in Russia

14.2.2023 - (2023/2553(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 144 of the Rules of Procedure

Anna Fotyga, Karol Karski, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Bogdan Rzońca, Elżbieta Rafalska, Ryszard Czarnecki, Assita Kanko, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk, Eugen Jurzyca, Roberts Zīle, Angel Dzhambazki, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, Veronika Vrecionová, Charlie Weimers, Zdzisław Krasnodębski, Beata Szydło, Anna Zalewska, Adam Bielan
on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0133/2023

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B9‑0143/2023

European Parliament resolution on  the recent deterioration of the inhuman imprisonment conditions of Alexey Navalny and other political prisoners in Russia

(2023/2553(RSP))

The European Parliament,

—  having regard to the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

—  having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

 

1. whereas the Russian Federation has turned into a classical fully-fledged dictatorship, a fact which for various reasons has been neglected by many Western nations and which enabled both an internal repressions and external aggressions;
2. whereas Alexei Navalny, a Russian lawyer, opposition politician and anti-corruption activist, laureate of the 2021 Sakharov Prize has been in prison since February 2021, serving an arbitrary, politically motivated sentence and has been repeatedly subjected to torture and inhumane treatment, directly threatening his health and well-being;
3. whereas Alexey Navalny was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent on his flight on 20 August 2020 as part of a pattern of action against Putin’s opponents which has affected or led to the death of several leading opposition figures, journalists, activists and foreign leaders, including Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, Sergei Protazanov, Natalya Estemirova, Alexander Litvinenko, Viktor Yushchenko, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Sergei Skripal and others;

 

4. Whereas state-sponsored assassinations and the physical elimination of opposition leaders, , have gone unpunished and people accused of committing these outrageous crimes were awarded by the Kremlin;

 

5. whereas Russian authorities have intensified their campaign seeking to stifle any criticism regarding  previous Soviet and ongoing crimes, especially since the war of aggression against Ukraine, with people remaining in prison or pre-trial detention; including Dmitry Ivanov, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ioann Kurmoyarov, Viktoria Petrova, Maria Ponomarenko, Aleksandra Skochilenko and Dmitry Talantov and opposition activists Aleksey Gorinov and Ilya Yashin;

 

1. Strongly condemns the poisoning and arbitrary arrest of Alexey Navalny; calls for immediate and unconditional release of him and other prisoners of conscience;

 

2.  urges the Council to adopt restrictive measures against those responsible for arbitrary arrests, detentions and assassination attempts against  anti-war protesters;

 

3. underlines that majority of Russians support imperial policies of the Russian Federation with unanimous support within the leadership, cultural, sports and academic elites; therefore once more applauds those few individuals who decided to openly oppose the war;
4. strongly condemns decision to criminalize any discussion and research regarding crimes committed by the Soviet Union, inter alia by closing Memorial,  and to close any space for media freedom, including by revoking licence of independent media, such as Novaya Gazieta;

 

5. 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 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.