European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on Russia
Date: 2007-04-26
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Russia, censorship, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, human rights, repression

C 74 E/784

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2008

Thursday 26 April 2007

27.
Encourages the Commission to explore the advantages of establishing national independent bodies in
charge of determining the annual level of deficit consistently with the medium-term objective of a balanced
budget;

28. Welcomes the efforts of the Council and the Commission to improve statistical governance reporting
of fiscal data with a recommendation to Member States on EU-wide standards concerning statistical insti-
tutes,
independence, the confidentiality, reliability, and timeliness of
data, and the adequacy of resources of statistical institutes and improved monitoring rights for the Com-
mission;

including principles on professional

29.
Considers that there is room for improvement in the accounting of public assets and implicit liabil-
ities in order to increase transparency and comparability and to provide a sounder basis for taking decisions;
considers that the Commission should launch an initiative in this field;

30.
Deplores the lack of policy coordination in the euro-zone, draws attention to the divergence in fiscal
policies of the Member States in the euro-zone and is concerned about possible antagonistic effects of such
a lack of coordination; encourages further research into the different kinds of and measures relating to
structural and macroeconomic reform and their interaction and mutual impact at different phases of the
economic cycle in order to identify the best possible means of strengthening public finances while at the
same time achieving the Lisbon Strategy;

*

*

*

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

31.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2007)0169

Recent repression of demonstrations in Russia

European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on Russia

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the objectives of consolidating democracy and political freedoms in the Russian Fed-
eration, as laid down in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Commu-
nities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part (PCA) (1),
which entered into force in 1997 and expires in 2007,

— having regard to the EU-Russia human rights dialogue,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia, and in particular to its resolution of 25 October
2006 on EU-Russia relations following the murder of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (2) and
its resolution of 13 December 2006 on the EU-Russia Summit in Helsinki on 24 November 2006 (3),

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) OJ L 327, 28.11.1997, p. 1.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0448.
(3) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0566.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 74 E/785

A. whereas Russian opposition members rallied in Moscow's Pushkin Square on 14 April 2007; whereas
the so-called Dissenters' March was organised by Another Russia, an umbrella group which includes
various movements with different political backgrounds,

Thursday 26 April 2007

B. whereas minutes after the march began, the 2 000 protesters found themselves outnumbered by more
than four to one by security forces, who quickly dispersed the activists, beating and briefly detaining
those who sought to break through the riot-control lines,

C. whereas among those detained were the leader of the United Civic Front, former world chess champion
Gari Kimovič Kasparov and Maria Gaidar, the daughter of Russia's first post-Soviet reformist prime
minister; whereas former prime minister Mikhail Mikhailovitch Kasyanov only avoided arrest because
his bodyguards helped him to escape; whereas many journalists, including ARD correspondent Stephan
Stuchlik, who tried to capture the events and disseminate them to the West, were also beaten and
arrested,

D. whereas on 15 April 2007 another protest, albeit far smaller, organised by the same grouping, was
broken up in a similar way in St Petersburg, though Gari Kimovič Kasparov was detained before the
protest even began and some demonstrators were arrested pre-emptively whilst en route to the event,

E. whereas Vladimir Petrovich Lukin, Russia's human rights ombudsman, said that he believed police in
both cities had exceeded their authority and whereas Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, the governor of
St Petersburg, ordered an investigation into human rights violations that took place at the rally in
St Petersburg,

F. whereas the Russian authorities, in the run-up to the parliamentary and presidential elections, are put-
ting increased pressure on opposition groups and non-governmental organisations to refrain from any
activities directed against the president and the government and to prevent the media from reporting
any such activities,

G. whereas democracy has been weakened in Russia, in particular by the bringing of all major TV stations
and most radio stations under government control, the spread of self-censorship among the print
media, new restrictions on the right to organise public demonstrations and a worsening climate for
NGOs,

H. whereas the right of free assembly is a fundamental part of the democratic principles and human rights
standards that Russia has committed itself to upholding and repeatedly expressed its commitment to;
whereas those principles and values are also the basis for the strategic partnership between the EU and
Russia,

I. whereas as a member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
and the Council of Europe, the Russian Federation has undertaken to respect freedom of speech and
assembly; whereas observance of those principles is of particular importance in view of the forthcom-
ing elections in Russia;

1.
Strongly condemns the use of excessive force by the Russian anti-riot police during last weekend's
peaceful demonstrations in Moscow and St Petersburg, and calls on the Russian authorities to comply
with their international obligations and to respect freedom of expression and freedom of assembly;

Condemns, in particular, the repressive actions of the security forces against journalists carrying out

2.
their professional duty; regards such assaults on the media as unacceptable;

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Thursday 26 April 2007

Calls on the Russian authorities to order an investigation into the human rights violations that took

3.
place at both rallies and to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the violations;

Encourages the Russian State Duma to set up a working group to investigate why such force was used

4.
against peaceful demonstrators;

5.
Urges the Commission and the Council to express those concerns clearly in their contacts with the
Russian Government, in particular during the next EU-Russian Summit, to be held on 18 May 2007 in
Samara;

6.
Calls on the Russian leadership to do its utmost to avoid any repetition of those regrettable events, in
particular in the run-up to the next presidential and Duma elections, and to guarantee all political parties
and movements a chance to take part in the democratic process; calls on the Central Election Commission
and on the Russian judiciary to be vigilant, objective and impartial in scrutinising the campaign and election
processes;

7.
Is deeply disturbed by an emerging pattern of use of excessive force by the Russian authorities towards
opposition activists, which raises deep concern as regards democracy and respect for human rights in the
Russian Federation;

Reiterates its call for the EU-Russia Human Rights Dialogue to be stepped up so as to make it more
levels, with a view to

8.
effective and result-oriented, while fully involving the European Parliament at all
strengthening that element in the new PCA, which is due to be negotiated soon;

9.
Emphasises that, in order to achieve visible progress as regards democracy in Russia, the EU common
policy and Member States' bilateral relations with Russia should be guided by jointly agreed principles and
common positions;

10.
Urges the Russian authorities to fully respect, during the run-up to the parliamentary and presidential
elections, the democratic standards and principles laid down by the Organisation for Security and Coopera-
tion in Europe and the Council of Europe; calls on the Council of Europe to investigate the human rights
violations that took place at the rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Council of

11.
Europe and the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.

P6_TA(2007)0170

Kidnapping in Gaza of the journalist Alan Johnston

European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on the kidnapping in Gaza of the journalist
Alan Johnston

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas BBC journalist Alan Johnston was abducted at gunpoint on 12 March 2007 while returning

home in Gaza City and his whereabouts have remained unknown since that date,