Systematic large-scale persecution against anti-war protesters in the Russian Federation

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15578 | 27 June 2022

Signatories:

Mr Jacques MAIRE, France, ALDE ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Knut ABRAHAM, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Alin-Gabriel APOSTOL, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Krista BAUMANE, Latvia, ALDE ; Mr Caspar Van den BERG, Netherlands, ALDE ; Ms Larysa BILOZIR, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Reina de BRUIJN-WEZEMAN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Hubert BÜCHEL, Liechtenstein, ALDE ; Mr Iulian BULAI, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Zdravka BUŠIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Dara CALLEARY, Ireland, ALDE ; Mr Damien COTTIER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Corneliu-Mugurel COZMANCIUC, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Eva DECROIX, Czech Republic, EC/DA ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Olivier FRANÇAIS, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Jean-Pierre GRIN, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Ion GROZA, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Ms Franziska HOOP, Liechtenstein, ALDE ; Mr John HOWELL, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Maria JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI, Estonia, ALDE ; Lord Richard KEEN, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Claude KERN, France, ALDE ; Mr Mikko KINNUNEN, Finland, ALDE ; Ms Lisa Marie Ness KLUNGLAND, Norway, ALDE ; Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Stephanie KRISPER, Austria, ALDE ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Octavie MODERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Arkadiusz MULARCZYK, Poland, EC/DA ; Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, Ireland, ALDE ; Mr Joseph O'REILLY, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Ms Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Mihail POPSOI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Chris SAID, Malta, EPP/CD ; Ms Selin SAYEK BÖKE, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Ingjerd SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Serhii SOBOLIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Petra STIENEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Davor Ivo STIER, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Ms Diana STOICA, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Morten WOLD, Norway, EC/DA ; Mr Ahmet YILDIZ, Türkiye, NR

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

On 4 March 2022, in response to protests voiced in the Russian Federation against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin signed new laws criminalising the acts of “discrediting the Russian military,” “spreading knowingly false information about the use of Russian armed forces,” and “calling for sanctions against Russia” – acts now punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

These draconian laws are being used with the sole purpose of scaring into silence anti-war protesters and eradicating all dissent within society. According to OVD-Info, an independent Russian monitoring project on human rights and political persecution in Russia, since 24 February 2022, over 16 000 people have been detained across the country for speaking out against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. As many as 58 criminal cases, including against prominent Russian opposition figure and long-standing partner of the Parliamentary Assembly Vladimir Kara-Murza, and 2 393 administrative cases have already been initiated under the new legislation, which shows the systematic character of persecution against anti-war protesters by the Russian authorities.

In line with its Resolution 2433 (2022), the Assembly needs to stand with Russian civil society that opposes the crimes committed by the current Russian Government against its own population and the people of Ukraine. Large-scale repressions against Russian civil society that continues denouncing the war of aggression in Ukraine despite all odds show the need for the Assembly to demonstrate solidarity by keeping a close eye on and documenting gross human rights violations taking place in the Russian Federation amid the war in Ukraine.

We therefore urge the Assembly to examine the ever-growing persecution against anti-war protesters in the Russian Federation.