Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-185"
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"en.20020207.10.4-185"2
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"Mr President, it is an honour for a small group to be allowed to open the dance, as it were, and I would like to do so by saying that without freedom of the press, democracy cannot flourish. The case of Grigori Pasko must make that clear to us. It is a heavy blow to the freedom of speech in Russia, to a country born of perestroika and awoken by it. It takes us back to the suppression of the free expression of opinion during the Soviet era. Hence our criticism of it, for the accusation is still founded on the secret martial laws of the Soviet Union, which are not recorded even by Russia's Ministry of Justice. In them, military personnel are forbidden to talk to foreigners. They cannot even go shopping any more, as for a long time many of the traders in Russia have been from other countries.
That is why we have appealed to Mr Ustinov, the State Prosecutor-General, to review this case without delay. We call to mind the case of Alexander Nikitin, whose appeal took sixteen months, especially bearing in mind the fact that Gregori Pasko is extremely poorly accommodated. There are not even windowpanes in his cell, and that in winter. Gregori Pasko does not want a pardon. I wish to point out to the Commissioner that there are remarkable false rumours circulating about that. This is not about an admission of guilt. He is in the right! He is within his rights to use freedom of speech. I would therefore like to ask the Commissioner to tell Mr Patten that this topic must at last find its way into the discussions between the EU and Russia!"@en1
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