Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-26-Speech-4-189"
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"en.20070426.27.4-189"2
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".
Madam President, honourable Members, first of all, I would like to express my thanks for having the opportunity to participate in the debate for the second time and take the floor as the German spokesperson on human rights.
I believe that a substantial part of the values and human rights on which Europe is founded have been established by Russian intellectuals and artists. We should remind ourselves of this fact and ensure that we continue to tread along this path and not a different one.
We all watched the events of 14 and 15 April in Moscow and St. Petersburg with a great deal of anxiety. Quite a few of us wonder whether, in view of these developments, the freedom of assembly in Russia is in jeopardy. The Russian Constitution guarantees Russian citizens the right to assemble peacefully, without bearing arms, in order to hold rallies and demonstrations, parades and pickets.
This is obviously contrary to the manner in which the Russian authorities acted recently against demonstrators in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Gary Kasparov reported these actions to me in a personal telephone call. It also needs to be borne in mind that the demonstrations of 14 and 15 April differed from previous marches in that the militia acted in a more hard-line manner and that, on this occasion, accredited journalists were detained temporarily as well as attacked.
The reporting carried out by several newspapers after the incidents was thoroughly critical.
talked about ‘Making mincemeat of those who disagreed’ and
about ‘All power to OMON’, while
talked about ‘A besieged fortress and unprecedented toughness’.
However, there were also reports in which events were played down. A similar picture could be seen in the reaction of the Russian Government. While some government offices defended the action, the spokesperson on human rights, for example, Mr Lukin, conceded that the police had substantially exceeded their authority. The Governor of St. Petersburg, Mr Matvienko, ordered all complaints regarding attacks by Russian police units to be investigated. Sergei Yastrzhembsky, adviser to the Russian President on EU issues, made the same demand, while Ella Pamfilova, Chair of the commission, pointed out that the actions of the militia had damaged Russia’s standing worldwide.
The Federal German Government also reacted to these events and, on 16 April, publicly expressed its anxiety in a statement given by the EU Council Presidency. In addition, Germany’s Deputy Government spokesperson, Mr Thomas Steg, declared in Berlin on 16 April that the excessive use of force at the weekend was cause for concern. The action taken against journalists was also unacceptable.
The Federal German Government is awaiting a full account of events from the Russian authorities. Following the incidents in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the German embassy in Moscow immediately lodged a complaint at a high level and requested an immediate and full explanation. We will naturally also speak to the Russian authorities with a certain degree of vigour concerning the situation regarding the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly at the forthcoming human rights consultations between the EU and Russia which are scheduled for 3 May.
The development of the human rights situation in Russia must continue to be followed very attentively. This especially applies to the freedom of speech and assembly and free and fair access to the media. As a member of the United Nations, including its role as a member of the new Human Rights Council, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, Russia is obligated to respect fundamental rights. Respect for these fundamental rights is also of the utmost importance in view of the forthcoming elections in Russia.
We will make it clear to Russia that it is in the country’s own interests to do everything possible to ensure that the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly are strengthened and not weakened further."@en1
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"Moskovskiy Komsomolets"1
"Novaya Izvestiya"1
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