8 July 2012 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 6 July 2012 Press Release Parliamentarians vote for visa ban bill, rule of law in Russia Case of Sergei Magnitsky central to international political debate MONACO, 8 July 2012 – Parliamentarians from across Europe, Central Asia and North America today voted today to call on parliaments to ban visas and freeze assets for human rights abusers connected to the death of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky. The debate at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session marks the first time parliamentarians from Russia and the United States were in the same room to debate the measure. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared nixing the measure a top foreign policy priority, and United States Senator John McCain spoke in support of the resolution. (Watch video of McCain's speech.) United States congressional committees approved in June similar legislation introduced by OSCE PA Vice-President Benjamin Cardin. [Read more] Proposed Russian Law Expands Assault on Civil Society Freedom House A new law threatening thousands of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia passed the first step toward adoption with overwhelming support in the country’s Parliament on June 6, further escalating the government’s broad assault on civil and political liberties. The law would label foreign-funded NGOs as “foreign agents” if deemed under a vague definition to be engaged in political activities, forcing them to re-register within 90 days or face suspension, and enforcing frequent and heavy-handed financial disclosure requirements that would likely disrupt their operations. Failure to comply could result in heavy fines and prison sentences of up to two years. The bill passed with a vote of 323-4 with one abstention in its first of three planned readings in the lower house of the Duma, and could see final approval with President Putin’s signature within the month. The proposed law follows on the heels of a controversial bill passed in June that dramatically increased fines on protesters and protest organizers who participate in “unsanctioned” public demonstrations to levels exceeding an average citizen’s annual salary. [Read more] 6 June 2012 Russia: Liberals condemn heavy-handed police intervention against protesters European Liberal Democrats
Sir Graham Watson MEP, President and Astrid Thors MP, Vice-President of the ELDR Party jointly voiced the concern of European Liberals about the arrests of ELDR member party Yabloko’s activists and other civil society organisations protesting today against a further limitation of the right to assembly and to express your opinions freely. This is particularly disappointing for European Liberals as this happens only one day after the EU-Russia Summit where President Vladimir Putin ironically informed the world that “everybody is walking freely now” who protested against the rules regulating mass protests. [Read more] ALDE calls for EU wide visa ban on Russian officials involved in the Sergei Magnitsky case The ALDE Group in the European Parliament has today launched a procedure inside the European Parliament seeking to establish a common EU list of officials responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, for the subsequent judicial cover-up and for the on-going and continuing harassment of his mother and widow. The ALDE Group in the European Parliament has today launched a procedure inside the European Parliament seeking to establish a common EU list of officials responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, for the subsequent judicial cover-up and for the on-going and continuing harassment of his mother and widow. The proposal is to impose and implement an EU-wide visa ban on these officials and to freeze any financial assets they, or their immediate family, may hold inside the European Union, along the lines quietly done, or under consideration, in a number of countries. [Read more] 15 March 2012 PLENARY SESSION External relations − 15-03-2012 - 14:11 The European Parliament has condemned shortcomings and irregularities in the preparation and conduct of Russia's 4 March presidential elections. In a resolution passed on Thursday, it called on Vladimir Putin to tone down his rhetoric against the protestors and begin a "sincere dialogue" with them. MEPs point to the continuing concern "about developments in Russia with regard to human rights and commonly agreed democratic principles, electoral rules and procedures". Irregularities in the electoral process Parliament regrets that the choice of voters was limited in the recent elections and demands comprehensive analyses of "all irregularities with a view to strengthening democratic rules for future elections". It points out that international election observers from the OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, found that the presidential elections were "deeply skewed in favour of one candidate through shortcomings in the registration process, unequal media coverage and the use of State resources in favour of one candidate". [Read more] 22 February 2011
The ALDE group secured a paragraph in the resolution adopted by the European Parliament last week on Russia, reminding “the Council and the High Representative of the full array of appropriate measures that may be used when faced with systematic human rights abuses and failures to uphold the rule of law”. [...] |
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