Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 14 February 2019 - Strasbourg

The situation in Chechnya, and the case of Oyub Titiev

  Csaba Sógor (PPE). – Mr President, ten years ago Natalya Estemirova was brutally murdered in Chechnya for her work on human rights. Since then, sadly, the atmosphere for activists and journalists in Chechnya has not improved. Oyub Titiev, her successor as director of the Human Rights NGO Memorial, not only faces ten years in prison on charges that that are widely recognised as fabricated, but has in recent months seen his colleagues, lawyer, personal life and even family threatened. The arrest of Mr Titiev falls in a clear pattern in which the authorities of the Chechen Republic tried to crush all criticism of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin—backed leader of Chechnya.

Therefore, I urge the Council to continue its work on a Magnitsky Act, the High Representative as well as the European External Action Service (EEAS) to give this and all other cases of political persecution a priority in EU—Russia discussions, and my colleagues to put this incredible injustice on their countries’ agendas.