What changed

B90155/2024

B90150/2024

European Parliament resolution on the murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia, Alexeiin Navalny,particular civilthose societyconcerning Alexei Navalny and the human rights defenderssituation in Russia,the country,

– having regard to the Conventionstatement forby theits ProtectionConference of HumanPresidents Rightsof and21 FundamentalFebruary Freedoms2024 (theon Europeanthe Conventiondeath onof HumanAlexei Rights),Navalny,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

– having regard to the joint statement by the Commission President and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 16 February 2024 on the death of Alexei Navalny,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which the Russian Federation is a party,

– having regard to the statement by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 19 February 2024 on behalf of the European Union on the death of Alexei Navalny,

– having regard to the international human rights obligations to which Russia has committed itself to uphold as a member of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN, and as a signatory to other human rights treaties,

– having regard to the statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, of 22 February 2024,

– having regard to the EuropeanUniversal ConventionDeclaration onof Human Rights and the Protocols thereto, in particular Article 10 on the right to freedom of expression and ArticleEuropean 11Convention on the right to freedom of assembly andHuman association,Rights,

– having regard to the opinion piece co-signed by the Chairs of the European Parliament’s PPE, S&D, Renew and Left Groups entitled ‘Let’s work to ensure that the end of the East-West confrontation is the beginning of a new era of democracy and prosperity’, published in Le Monde on 4 April 2022,

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Russian Federation has turned into a classic fully fledged bloody dictatorship, a fact which for various reasons has been neglected by many Western nations and which has enabled both internal repression and external aggression;

A. whereas Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition figure and the 2021 Sakharov Prize laureate, was killed in a Siberian penal colony, reportedly on 16 February 2024, while serving an unjust prison sentence; whereas the killing of Alexei Navalny is yet another sign of the increasing and systematic repression in Russia;

B. whereas Alexei Navalny, a Russian lawyer, opposition politician and anti-corruption activist, and laureate of the 2021 Sakharov Prize, died on 16 February 2024 at the Arctic IK-3 penal colony, while serving an arbitrary politically motivated sentence, and after having been repeatedly subjected to torture and inhumane treatment;

B. whereas through his work, Alexei Navalny exposed the illegalities and corruption at the heart of the Putin regime;

C. whereas an earlier attempt to kill Alexei Navalny took place on 20in August 2020, whenAlexei heNavalny was poisoned by awith military-gradethe Novichok nerve agent in what isby consideredthe toKremlin haveregime; beenwhereas ahe politicallyhad motivatedbeen assassinationheld attemptin bydetention ansince elite17 toxinsJanuary team2021, infollowing Russia’shis Federalbrave Securityreturn Serviceto (FSB);Russia;

D. whereas the murder of Alexei Navalny is not an isolated incident but forms part of Putin’s pattern of violence, suppression of dissent and intimidation against political opponents and civil society activists in Russia, as evidenced by the continued harassment, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, assassination attempts or killing of individuals who dared to speak out against the government, including Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Sergei Protazanov, Natalya Estemirova, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Magnitski, Sergei Skripal and others;

D. whereas from the moment of his arrest, Navalny endured a series of human rights violations, including ill treatment, torture, arbitrary punishment and psychological pressure, which highlights the systematic challenges faced by those opposing the Russian regime;

E. whereas state-sponsored assassinations and the physical elimination of opposition leaders have not only gone unpunished, but the people accused of committing these outrageous crimes have also been rewarded by the Kremlin;

E. whereas Alexei Navalny’s health deteriorated due to mistreatment and a lack of proper medical care;

F. whereas the Russian authorities and political leadership are continuing their repressive and authoritarian regime against their own citizens, civil society, political opposition and media workers, who are often subject to acts of harassment, surveillance, physical attacks, threats, raids and searches of their offices and homes, slander and smear campaigns, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention and ill treatment, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly;

F. whereas Navalny’s unwavering dedication to the fight against corruption and for a more democratic Russia persisted even under inhumane prison conditions, illustrating his commitment to the principles of democracy and justice;

G. whereas the Russian regime does not care about preserving the identity of the nearly 200 ethnic and national communities living on its territory, many of them indigenous; whereas xenophobia, racism and the exaltation of the ‘great Russian’ above all others flourish in the country with support of the government;

G. whereas Navalny’s lawyers are being harassed and three of them have been in pre-trial custody since October 2023;

H. whereas the Russian authorities have intensified their campaign seeking to stifle any criticism regarding previous Soviet and current ongoing crimes, particularly since the war of aggression against Ukraine, with people remaining in prison, pre-trial detention or sent for compulsory treatment to psychiatric hospital, including Dmitry Ivanov, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ioann Kurmoyarov, Viktoria Petrova, Maria Ponomarenko, Aleksandra Skochilenko, Dmitry Talantov and opposition activists Aleksey Gorinov and Ilya Yashin;

H. whereas the EU has repeatedly condemned his poisoning and all politically motivated rulings against him for his legitimate political and anti-corruption activities and called for his immediate and unconditional release;

I. whereas Putin recruits individuals to kill his political opponents outside Russia; whereas on 13 February 2024 a 28-year-old Russian pilot, Maksim Kuzminov, was brutally murdered in Spain after refusing to commit war crimes in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and earlier a Chechen refugee, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was murdered in Berlin, while Putin is now demanding the release of the perpetrator;

I. whereas Russian citizens have been paying tribute to Alexei Navalny across the country and in the diaspora; whereas hundreds have been detained across Russia at rallies commemorating Navalny and there are reports that several of the men arrested were issued military summonses; whereas the EU Ambassador to Russia, Roland Galharague, and many of his counterparts from the Member States, the UK and the US were among those who honoured Alexei Navalny’s memory at the Solovetsky Stone in Moscow;

J. whereas Alexei Navalny was commonly seen as the main opposition figure contesting Putin’s rule and his oppressive kleptocratic system, therefore being a personal enemy of Putin;

J. whereas since the re-launch of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russian authorities have increased their repression of political opposition, the media and civil society;

K. whereas the reactions of Western democracies to these assassinations and other aggressive actions of the Russian Federation have not been strong enough to deter the Kremlin from continuing its hostile and oppressive policies;

K. whereas anti-war candidates have been prevented from standing in the forthcoming 2024 presidential elections in Russia;

L. whereas the earlier liquidation of Memorial comes amid repeated and systematic attempts by the Russian Government to rewrite history and curtail free debate about the evaluation of historical crimes and events, the most notable case being that of sustaining the Katyn lie; whereas the fate of Memorial clearly demonstrates how ‘foreign agents’ laws are used by the Russian authorities as a tool to intimidate and silence critics and independent voices;

L. whereas Vladimir Putin, against whom the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in March 2023 in connection with the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children, is seeking to be ‘re-elected’ as President of the Russian Federation;

M. whereas according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Russian authorities have labelled dozens of media organizations ‘undesirable’ since 2021 and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is the 142nd entity to be labelled as such; whereas the list includes several exiled and independent media outlets, including broadcaster Dozhd TV (TV Rain), Meduza, Novaya Gazeta Europe, iStories, The Insider, Bellingcat and Proekt;

M. whereas independent war reporting and protests against the war are banned and criminalised by law in Russia; whereas according to Amnesty International, more than 21 000 anti-war activists were subjected to serious reprisals in Russia in 2022;

N. whereas an active civil society is a crucial aspect of a democratic and open society, and is essential for safeguarding human rights and the rule of law; whereas NGOs play a crucial role in modern democratic societies and must therefore be able to operate freely without undue interference from public authorities; whereas the Russian authorities’ crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders resembles Soviet times and ultimately harms the interests of the Russian people and the possibilities for open and free dialogue;

N. whereas dozens of journalists have recently been arrested in Russia for covering demonstrations by the wives, mothers, sisters and children of Russian men mobilised to fight against Ukraine;

O. whereas there are over 1 000 political prisoners in the Russian Federation; whereas the EU shows solidarity with all dissidents and the Russian people, who, despite the threat to their freedom and their lives, and the pressure from the Kremlin and the Russian authorities, continue to fight for freedom, human rights and democracy;

O. whereas there are clear signs that a significant part of the Russian population does not support new efforts to conscript more Russian men to fight against Ukraine and that they want the Putin regime to stop the war; whereas the people of Russia cannot be confused with the warmongering, autocratic and kleptocratic Kremlin regime;

1. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the murder of Alexei Navalny; expresses its sympathy to the family of Mr Navalny; calls for an international investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, with the aim of holding those responsible to account; calls for a joint and adequate international response to this tragedy;

P. whereas the human rights group Memorial has designated over 600 people as political prisoners in Russia;

2. Emphasises that Alexei Navalny’s views on Russia’s aggressive actions on the international stage evolved and he changed his earlier views on Russia’s imperial policies, including the aggression against Georgia in 2008 and against Ukraine since 2014; is convinced that the Kremlin feared that under certain circumstances, a similar trajectory would be followed by others;

Q. whereas the Putin regime’s severe curtailment of human rights in Russia is in clear contravention of the nation’s own constitution and legal framework, as well as a violation of Russia’s international obligations;

3. Calls for the EU to explore diplomatic, economic and legal avenues to hold to account those responsible for the murder of Alexei Navalny, as well as other members of the regime responsible for human rights violations, including high-level officials and members of the security forces and the penitentiary sector, based on the List of 6 000 published by Alexei Navalny`s Anti-Corruption Foundation International; welcomes the recent adoption of sanctions by the US following Mr Navalny’s death and invites the EU to coordinate the democratic world’s response;

1. Expresses its strongest and most solemn condemnation of the murder of Alexei Navalny and underlines that the full responsibility for this political murder rests with the Russian state and its president Vladimir Putin;

4. Strongly condemns the arrest of the Russians who wished to commemorate Mr Navalny’s death in Russia;

2. Conveys its sincere condolences to Yulia Navalnaya, their children and the entirety of their family, while standing in solidarity with them and with all the other brave Russians who, despite widespread repression and severe personal consequences, continue to find the courage to speak the truth, to oppose Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to uphold human values;

5. Expresses its utmost respect, solidarity and support for the people who are risking their freedom and even lives in defence of basic human and civil rights which are being notoriously violated by the regime in Russia; commends the courage demonstrated by Vladimir Kara-Murza;

3. Pays solemn tribute to the life, anti-corruption and pro-democratic work and lasting legacy of Alexei Navalny, all of which serve as a powerful testimony to the fight against the oppressive Putin regime;

6. Is of the opinion that any permanent changes in the Russia Federation require the de-imperialisation, decolonisation and re-federalisation of the state and a clear break with Russia’s imperial past;

4. Urges the Russian authorities to allow Alexei Navalny’s family to organise a decent funeral, according to their wishes;

7. Urges the international community to ensure accountability for the crimes the regime has committed not only on the territory of the Russian Federation, but also on European Union soil and worldwide;

5. Demands an immediate, thorough, international and independent investigation into the precise circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny; emphasises the imperative need for accountability and justice; calls for the EU and its Member States to assume a leading role in coordinating and actively supporting this investigation;

8. Reiterates that the EU should stand in full solidarity with Russian civil society which has subscribed to universal democratic values and rejected imperialism, and to make use of the European human rights violations sanctions regime to sanction perpetrators of human rights violations; calls on the Council to pursue its work on this matter without delay; stresses that perpetrators of human rights abuses should neither be granted EU visas nor should they be allowed to keep assets in Member States and exercise freedoms which they themselves deny to their citizens;

6. Deplores and condemns the disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Kremlin-controlled media that have sought to smear Alexei Navalny’s legacy and dignity both prior to and following his death, as well as that of his wife, family and close collaborators;

9. Encourages the EU to work closely with international partners, including the G7 and other like-minded countries, and to coordinate efforts to address human rights abuses and violations in Russia, including through stronger targeted sanctions, diplomatic pressure and support to civil society;

7. Expresses its support for the Russian citizens who have been paying tribute to Alexei Navalny and stands in solidarity with independent Russian civil society and the democratic opposition; calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Russia;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the family of Alexei Navalny, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, International Memorial and the Memorial Human Rights Centre, and the Russian authorities.

8. Urges the Council to adopt further tough sanctions, including under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (the EU Magnitsky Act), against all those involved in Navalny’s persecution and death, including political decision makers, intelligence officers, investigators, prosecutors, judges, prison directors and other high-level prison officials;

9. Urges the Council to adopt restrictive measures against those responsible for the arbitrary arrest and detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Alexei Gorinov, Yuri Dmitriev, Alexandra Skochilenko, Mikhail Afanasiev, Ivan Safronov and others prosecuted for their association with Alexei Navalny or for their opposition to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as of journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva;

10. Denounces the escalation of human rights violations by the Russian regime and condemns the ongoing crackdown on government critics, human rights defenders, anti-war activists, independent journalists and LGBTIQ activists; calls on the UN Human Rights Council to conduct an immediate investigation into the acts of inhuman imprisonment, torture and murder of political opponents;

11. Underlines that the killing of Alexei Navalny serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the Putin regime’s repressive policies and to take a decisive stand against such actions;

12. Calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to show their unfailing solidarity with and to actively support independent Russian civil society and the democratic opposition, who are working to transform Russia into an open society where political rights, fundamental freedoms and human rights are respected, thereby fulfilling the aspirations of the Russian people to live in a free democratic open society and honouring the enduring legacy of Alexei Navalny;

13. Urges the EU and its Member States to enhance the EU’s strategic communication and capacity to address and prevent, in a timely manner, the spread of the ideology and propaganda of the Putin regime and its supporters; insists on the creation of new and support to existing Russian-language media channels to this end;

14. Reiterates its call for the diplomatic representations of the EU and its Member States to continue to closely monitor court proceedings against members of the Russian political opposition and their prison conditions; urges the Member States to provide humanitarian visas and other support to Russian dissidents at risk of political prosecution;

15. Underlines that, in the context of the increasingly repressive measures against political opponents and Russia’s intention to conduct presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine from 15 to 17 March 2024, these elections cannot be considered to meet the basic international electoral standards and that it therefore will not recognise the results of these illegal, manipulated, unfair and non-competitive elections;

16. Calls for the EU, its Member States and like-minded global partners to increase their political, economic and military support to Ukraine; welcomes the recent 13th package of sanctions adopted by the Council and calls for further measures to deter Russian aggression, such as the expansion of the EU sanctions lists, including the Magnitsky sanctions list, taking into account the 6 000 individuals named by Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation; calls for the Russian Central Bank’s frozen assets to be confiscated and channelled into the Ukraine Facility;

17. Calls for the EU and its Member States to further support the documentation of human rights violations in the Russian Federation, to support turning the examination by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of the human rights situation in the Russian Federation into a fully independent investigative mechanism, to uphold the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation and to further accountability through extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Russian authorities, and to make it available in the Russian language.