The situation regarding human rights activists in Estonia

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13427 | 05 February 2014

Signatories:

Mr Alexey PUSHKOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Tamerlan AGUZAROV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Miloš ALIGRUDIĆ, Serbia, EDG ; Mr Anton BELYAKOV, Russian Federation, UEL ; Ms Natalia BURYKINA, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Igor CHERNYSHENKO, Russian Federation, EDG ; Ms Nadezda GERASIMOVA, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Vladimir ILIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Ögmundur JÓNASSON, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Olga KAZAKOVA, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Vassiliy LIKHACHEV, Russian Federation, UEL ; Mr Anvar MAKHMUTOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Igor MOROZOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Alexander ROMANOVICH, Russian Federation, SOC ; Mr Yury SHAMKOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Robert SHLEGEL, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Leonid SLUTSKY, Russian Federation, SOC ; Mr Valeriy SUDARENKOV, Russian Federation, SOC

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

The Parliamentary Assembly believes that the situation around the detention on 4 January 2014 by Estonia’s central criminal police of Mr. A. Zarenkov, leader of the Estonia without Nazism human rights group and one of the publishers of the Baltic World magazine for Russian compatriots in the Baltic States, requires a thorough investigation by the international community.

Taking into account the fact that Mr. A. Zarenko, an Estonian citizen, is a human rights defender and activist of the Estonian Russian-speaking community as well as the leader of the Estonia without Nazism human rights group, we believe that his anti-Nazi background and participation in the activities of Russian compatriots living abroad affects the investigation of the case.

Mr. A. Zarenkov is a human rights activist who comes out against xenophobia and neo-Nazism and defends the values of a tolerant society. Therefore, the Assembly believes it necessary to carefully look into the circumstances of the case and the general situation regarding human rights activists in Estonia.