Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13935 | 18 December 2015

Brutal violations of human rights in Russia: new challenges

Signatories: Ms Iryna GERASHCHENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Levan BERDZENISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Boryslav BEREZA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Mustafa DZHEMILIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Thomas FEIST, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Axel E. FISCHER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Adele GAMBARO, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Karl GARÐARSSON, Iceland, ALDE ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Vladyslav GOLUB, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Dzhema GROZDANOVA, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Rózsa HOFFMANN, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Mariia IONOVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Michael Aastrup JENSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Serhii KIRAL, Ukraine, EC ; Mr Serhiy LABAZIUK, Ukraine, SOC ; Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Georgii LOGVYNSKYI, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrii LOPUSHANSKYI, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Meritxell MATEU, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', EPP/CD ; Ms Liliana PALIHOVICI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Ion POPA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Viktor VOVK, Ukraine, EC ; Mr Piotr WACH, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE ; Mr Leonid YEMETS, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Svitlana ZALISHCHUK, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Kristýna ZELIENKOVÁ, Czech Republic, ALDE

The murder of the opposition leader Boris Nemtsov; the persecution of political activists; the sentencing of artists to long prison terms; the kidnapping of people on the territories of neighbour States and criminally charging them as in the case of Nadia Savchenko amongst others; the criminalisation of members of the LGBTI community; the permanent limitation of press freedom and freedom of speech; torture in prisons and police stations; unchecked racism and xenophobia on the streets – this is the reality of contemporary Russia. These facts are documented in numerous reports by international human rights organisations.

Such violations have been observed not only inside Russia but also in territories illegally controlled by Russia or by Russian-led terrorists. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its last report expressed concern about torture and sexual violence against women in occupied Donbass, about violence and discrimination in occupied Crimea (Ukraine) and the exacerbation of the already difficult living conditions of internally displaced and refugee women, as well as concerns about the population in the conflict areas in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions (Georgia).

In its Resolution 2063 (2015), the Parliamentary Assembly expressed its deep concern over the increased harassment and repression of activists and human rights organisations and the intimidation of dissident voices in Russia.

However, given the lack of progress in the above-mentioned and other matters, the Assembly should address these serious human rights issues.