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Arbitrary arrest of Russian human rights defender and freedom fighter Vladimir Kara-Murza

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15514 | 28 April 2022

Signatories:
Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Knut ABRAHAM, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Nerea AHEDO, Spain, ALDE ; Ms Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Ms Krista BAUMANE, Latvia, ALDE ; Ms Margreet De BOER, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Mònica BONELL, Andorra, ALDE ; Ms Reina de BRUIJN-WEZEMAN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Uldis BUDRIĶIS, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Iulian BULAI, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Jaroslav BŽOCH, Czech Republic, ALDE ; Mr Dara CALLEARY, Ireland, ALDE ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Damien COTTIER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Klára DOSTÁLOVÁ, Czech Republic, ALDE ; Ms Nicole DURANTON, France, ALDE ; Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Peter FRICK, Liechtenstein, ALDE ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Jean-Pierre GRIN, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Franziska HOOP, Liechtenstein, ALDE ; Ms Gyde JENSEN, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Aleš JUCHELKA, Czech Republic, ALDE ; Mr Raimond KALJULAID, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Claude KERN, France, ALDE ; Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Eerik-Niiles KROSS, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Konstantin KUHLE, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Jacques LE NAY, France, ALDE ; Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Michael Georg LINK, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Arminas LYDEKA, Lithuania, ALDE ; Mr Jacques MAIRE, France, ALDE ; Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Dmytro NATALUKHA, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Aušrinė NORKIENĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Yuliia OVCHYNNYKOVA, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Bob van PAREREN, Netherlands, EC/DA ; Mr Lukas SAVICKAS, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Elena-Simona SPĂTARU, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Petra STIENEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Davor Ivo STIER, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Ms Diana STOICA, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Jorida TABAKU, Albania, EPP/CD ; Ms Rita TAMAŠUNIENĖ, Lithuania, EC/DA ; Ms Ingvild Wetrhus THORSVIK, Norway, ALDE ; Ms Nicole TRISSE, France, ALDE ; Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD

We condemn in the strongest terms the arbitrary arrest of Vladimir Kara-Murza by Russian law enforcement agencies and call for his immediate release.

The Investigative Committee of Russia accused Kara-Murza of spreading of false information about the Russian army in Ukraine. The penalty for spreading "deliberately false information" about the Russian army leads to "serious consequences" that can range from 5 to 10 years in prison.

Mr Kara-Murza is a well-known Russian opposition politician, a close associate of the late Deputy Prime Minister and liberal politician Boris Nemtsov. He is also a highly respected intellectual who has already twice been victim of extremely dangerous unexplained poisoning which made him comatose.

Shortly before his arrest, he addressed the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly on the issue of political prisoners in the Russian Federation.

The Assembly owes it to Russian democrats and to the future of the Russian people as a whole to push back against the complete elimination of the Russian democratic society organised by President Putin and his inner circle. They have by now imprisoned more than 500 political opponents, including persons such as Vladimir Kara-Murza, who oppose the war of aggression against Ukraine. The political assassination of Boris Nemtsov and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, both documented in earlier reports of the Assembly, show the need for the Assembly to continue paying attention to the fate of opposition politicians in Russia.

The Assembly should therefore carefully follow the case of Mr Kara-Murza and make relevant recommendations as need be, including to further strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation.