During the EP plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs debates and vote on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.&nbsp;Statements on &nbsp;Russia, in particular the case of Eston Kohver, Oleg Santsov and Alexander Kolchenko - Angola - Azerbaijan, by Mark DEMESMAEKER (ECR, BE), Tunne KELAM (EPP, EE), Pavel SVOBODA (EPP, CZ), Pavel TELICKA (ALDE, CZ), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Javier&nbsp; NART (ALDE, ES), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ (S&amp;D, RO) and Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EU - Russia (T)

EU - Azerbaijan (T)

respect for human rights in the world (T)

PREDA, Cristian Dan (EPP, RO)

SARGENTINI, Judith (Greens/EFA, NL)

NART, Javier (Renew, ES)

LUNACEK, Ulrike (Greens/EFA, AT)

TELIČKA, Pavel (ALDE, CZ)

DEMESMAEKER, Mark (ECR, BE)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

AVRAMOPOULOS, Dimitris (EL, EC)

KELAM, Tunne (EPP, EE)

SVOBODA, Pavel (EPP, CZ)

FRUNZULICĂ, Doru-Claudian (S&D, RO)

EU - Angola (T)

Debates and votes on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law: Russia, in particular the case of Eston Kohver, Oleg Santsov and Alexander Kolchenko - Angola - Azerbaijan

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/18050951/I108205Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Flags of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (1 shot)

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Mark DEMESMAEKER (ECR, BE), "The Kremlin must know that we shall not forget any of these names. The attitude of the Russian authorities is symptomatic of the general deterioration of the Human Rights situation in Putin's Russia". 

SOUNDBITE (English), Tunne KELAM (EPP, EE), "The message by the parliament to Russian authorities is very clear and strong, free all these persons immediately and unconditionally".

SOUNDBITE (Czech), Pavel SVOBODA (EPP, CZ), "I'm very happy that sanctions against Russia have been prolongued even though I am sorry that they do impact Russian citizens. But it is for their Human Rights as well that we are fighting here today".

SOUNDBITE (English), Pavel TELI&#268;KA (ALDE, CZ), "These are really, basically gangster methods. This has nothing to do with a society which respects Human Rights. This requires not only condemnation and strong words, this requires really concrete action".

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, "We will continue to use our financial instruments to support civil society and we will attend the court trials of Human Rights defenders and opposition figures".

Vote on Russia (6 shots). 627 votes: 378 in favour, 111 against and 138 abstentions.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), "Wheter Mr. dos Santos has been president for 35 or 36 years it doesn't matter, it's a corrupt country, where the elite steals the money from oil production, now the prices of oil have sunk".

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Javier NART (ALDE, ES), "Corruption is what we are talking about and that corruption finds its way on European countries, used as money-laundries for the rotten money of the rotten, corrupt Angolan oligarchy that rules the population. This is the point. Condemning the regime is right, I think we should back the resolution in full but I think point number 15 is essential".

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), "I went to Angola in july and I could see how the economic crisis due to sinkinf oil prices and the uncontrolled corruption has increased social tensions and protests and how Angolan people are more and more angry about the never ending looting of resources of the elite around the president. That's why the EU shouldn't continue to turn a blind eye on the corruption in Angola".  

SOUNDBITE (English), Doru-Claudian FRUNZULIC&#258; (S&amp;D, RO), "From beating women to unleashing dogs on protesters, it seems that in Angola the corrupted ruling elite hates its own people".

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, "The european Union delegation in Luanda has been following closely the case against journalist Rafael Marques, as well as the case against the Cabinda Human Rights activist Jos&eacute; Marcos Mavungo, monitoring the trials and being in contact with their lawyers".

Vote on Angola (5 shots). 624 votes: 550 in favour, 14 against, 60 abstentions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ulrike LUNACEK (Greens/EFA, AT), "In the Eastern Partnership, unfortunatelly, Azerbaijan has become a country with the worst Human Rights records. Even Belarus has recently released 6 political prisoners so, as Human Rights have to be at the core and are at the core of the relations of the European Union with third countries, we need to stand up toghether for those who defend Human Rights, the rule of law and the freedom of the media. We cannot have double standards, like, with countries that have oil and gas and countries that do not have that".

SOUNDBITE (French), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO), "We can not accept the strategy of the green party, that is, to come to a plenary session, without going through the Foreign Affairs Committee and to ask to the plenary to decide on instruments of the Neighbourhood Policy, on consultations being made by the institutions of the Union. It is president Alijev that had signed with president Tusk an agreement to precisely try and improve the Human Rights situation". 

Vote on Azerbaijan (9 shots) 639 votes: 365 in favour, 202 against, 72 abstentions.