Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-15-Speech-2-098-000"
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"en.20110215.5.2-098-000"2
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"Mr President, at the request of Baroness Ashton, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council is representing the High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission during this debate. Baroness Ashton, as you may know, is travelling in northern Africa and in the Middle East this week.
The situation in the Northern Caucasus is particularly worrying and needs urgent action. We welcome the new strategy for economic and social development and the efforts by Deputy Prime Minister Khloponin, but much more needs to be done to provide a lasting response to the barbaric acts of terrorism against civilians. The continuing immunity and impunity of security forces operating in Chechnya is fuelling grievances and terror in the region and is a source of deep preoccupation for us.
We pay tribute to all those who have lost their lives and to those who have fallen victim to aggression because of their professions or beliefs, as well as the courageous ones who cannot be deterred from their civil engagement in such a precarious environment.
Overall, the current report has not been a very positive one. However, there are positive signs in the situation of human rights in Russia. These are often offset by backward developments and, overall, have not been enough to achieve real improvements, but we must not be discouraged.
The significant body of European Court of Human Rights case-law provides an important incentive for the development of Russian law with regard to respect for human rights. We are engaged in a serious dialogue with Russia on human rights. Russia accepts this and, of course, also uses it to criticise what it sees as imperfections in the EU. We will continue with that dialogue. There is no alternative.
I wish to thank you for raising the issue of the situation of human rights and the rule of law in Russia. Despite some very positive signals from President Medvedev last year, the actual human rights situation in Russia and, in particular, in the Northern Caucasus region, remains deeply preoccupying. Violence, harassment and intimidation against activists, lawyers and independent journalists are of great concern to us.
The number of cases to support this statement is unacceptably high. The brutal attacks on Russian journalists, Oleg Kashin and Anatoly Adamchuk, and environmental activist, Konstantin Fetisov, are among the latest reminders of the climate of insecurity and intimidation that journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Russia face in their day-to-day work.
Despite assurances at the highest levels, the perpetrators are rarely brought to justice and sentenced. Accountability for violence and intimidation against human rights defenders – let me mention the cases of Mrs Estemirova, Mrs Politkovskaya, Mrs Barburova and Mr Markelov among a great number of others – remains an important test for the independence and efficiency of Russia’s judiciary. As long as the crimes remain unsolved, a climate of impunity will continue to prevail.
There are, however, also positive developments. I should mention here the Moscow City Council’s decision to authorise peaceful and regular demonstrations – which were forbidden until last year – such as those in support of Article 31 or the day of press rallies. We have welcomed this decision. At the same time, we continue to receive reports about arbitrary arrests of peaceful demonstrators, including opposition leaders, at these very same authorised demonstrations, as well as others across the country. This is a matter of serious concern to us.
Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and association are preconditions for the development of modern societies. All of these freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. They also form part of the commitments that Russia has entered into as a member of the United Nations, the OSCE and the Council of Europe. The EU urges Russia to uphold its commitments and guarantee this right to citizens.
President Medvedev has asked his Presidential Human Rights Council to examine the Khodorkovsky, Lebedev and Magnitsky cases. We very much welcome this decision. The EU has made no secret of its serious concerns with the way these cases have been handled.
President Medvedev has often spoken out against what he has termed the legal nihilism prevailing in Russia. The EU stands ready to support Russia’s efforts to overcome this, starting with the reform of its judicial system. Convinced that real modernisation needs established respect for the rule of law and its equal and fair application, we have put the rule of law at the core of our partnership for modernisation.
In this context, concrete activities have already been prepared – for example, the setting up of an appeal system for civil and criminal court cases in Russia – in close cooperation with the President’s administration and the Council of Europe. We are ready to work with Russia on this, as well as on new projects on corruption and the Hague Conventions."@en1
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