WRITTEN QUESTION E-1929/02

by Matti Wuori (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Case of the Russian military journalist Grigory Pasko

The Russian Supreme Court has set the date for its hearing in the espionage case against journalist Grigory Pasko to 25 June. The conviction of Mr Pasko has caused huge protests both in and outside Russia. The European Parliament adopted, on 7 February 2002, a resolution on the jailing of the Russian military journalist Grigory Pasko and the closure of TV-6 (P5_TA(2002)0067).

An issue which has not been subject to particular attention is the considerable disinformation on Pasko's case that Russian authorities and the state controlled media have brought up.

When meeting with Jacques Chirac in Paris in January 2002, President Putin stated publicly that it was an undisputed fact that Pasko had transferred classified information to Japan. This is not true. Pasko was convicted of collecting information with the intention of handing it over, but the handing-over never took place.

Furthermore, the Kremlin-controlled national ORT-TV has transmitted several programmes on this case. These programmes present a highly twisted version of events, and appear as an attempt to smear Pasko in the public eye as a traitor and a spy.

Is the Commission aware of the state of affairs in Mr Pasko's case? Since the final verdict against Pasko has not yet been given, the above-mentioned seems to be in disconformity with the presumption of innocence. Will the Commission bring this up with the relevant Russian authorities? Will the Commission continue to monitor the Pasko case, and what concrete steps will it envisage in that respect?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-1929/02 and E-1978/02given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(30 July 2002)

The Commission shares the concern over the situation of Mr Pasko, whose conviction lacks some of the fundamental elements of independent and fair justice such as publicity. The Commission hopes that a speedy solution will be found by the appropriate Russian instances to remedy Mr Pasko's unfortunate personal situation.

Looking beyond the worrying personal situation of Mr Pasko, this affair is also regrettable since it fits into a trend of weakening media freedom in Russia. The ruling of the military collegium of the Supreme Court on 25 June 2002 denying Mr Pasko's appeal, coincided with a number of other court decisions that have raised concerns among Human Rights activists and the media community in Russia, as well as internationally. In this respect, it must be noted that the Joint Statement of EU-Russia Summit on 29 May confirms our common goal of strengthening a society based on respect for democratic principles and human rights. The defence of freedom of expression is fundamental in this context.

The EU has raised the specific case of Mr Pasko with the Russian authorities. The Commission is open to consider further diplomatic action in the light of developments.

More generally, the Union will continue to raise freedom of expression and editorial freedom in its political dialogue with Russia, in particular the need to preserve the important achievements made in the field of freedom of expression since 1991. This is an essential component in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership based on shared core values between the EU and the Russian Federation.