The EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights debates with the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. Statements of MEPs Maria ARENA (S&D, Belgium), Željana ZOVKO (EPP, Croatia), Andrius KUBILIUS (EPP, Lithuania) and of experts Sacha KOULIEVA, Lecturer in Human Rights from Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and Audrone PERKAUSKIENE, Head of Division for Russia at the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

debate

meeting

Subcommittee on Human Rights

EU - Russia (T)

ARENA, Maria (S&D, BE)

ZOVKO, Željana (EPP, HR)

KUBILIUS, Andrius (EPP, LT)

The recent human rights developments in Russia - AFET: extracts from the debate with the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee

General view of the meeting room (three shots)

SOUNDBITE (French), Maria ARENA (S&amp;D, BE), We have also called on the Coucil to strengthen the EU's existing restrictive measures against Russia and impose additional targeted restrictive measures under the new EU global human rights sanctions regime against all individuals who were or are involved in bear responsibility for the attacks against Alexei Navalny.

SOUNDBITE (English), &#381;eljana ZOVKO (EPP, HR), We must ensure from the Parliament that our member states maintain their unified position on sanctions. We must also ensure that all EU Member States institutions strictly respect the five guiding principles on our relations with Russia described in the EU Global security strategy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sacha KOULIEVA, Lecturer in Human Rights from Sciences Po&apos;s Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), The Russian authorities used the COVID-19 epidemic as a pretext to ban public protests, but also to bring some criminal cases against the activists around the dates they were expecting this activists to take part in the demonstrations. There is this famous sanitary case, criminal case now, which is threatening dozens of people with very tough measures, although the eleven thousands of detainees were put all together without any sanitary requirements to the centres, which we were not adopted to receive so many people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sacha KOULIEVA, Lecturer in Human Rights from Sciences Po&apos;s Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) , In terms of the protests, we have this numbers. We have this eleven thousand people detained. We have torture and criminal cases. We know that some people were tortured just to give the password to their phone, for instance. Although it was just a person who was detained during the demonstration and not suspected of any criminal activities of whatsoever. We also have some minors, quite some minors who were arrested during this event. And some of them, as this girl from some pictures, was 11 years old, had nothing to do with a demonstration. They were just on the street.

SOUNDBITE (English), Audrone PERKAUSKIENE, Head of Division for Russia at the European External Action Service (EEAS), The visit of High Representative to Moscow also serves the purpose of supporting the civil society on the ground and will contribute to the Foreign Affairs Council discussion on Russia on 22nd of February. And later, the European Council strategic discussion on Russia in March.

SOUNDBITE (English),  Audrone PERKAUSKIENE, Head of Division for Russia at the European External Action Service (EEAS, At the moment, the EU's spending 24 new projects in Russia totalling 11 million euros in the field of human rights and support of civil society funding covers such as training and capacity building on human rights activist, support of media, freedom of association, fight against torture and any form of discrimination. And the minimal also, since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU has mobilised project partners to protect the vulnerable people and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

SOUNDBITE (English), Andrius KUBILIUS (EPP, LT), I would say that it's much broader question on the forthcoming elections, Duma elections. And if my logic is right, Putin will follow Lukashenko and he will try to steal elections and that is the most important issue what we shall face. So Navalny is a trigger, but the major problem will be stealing of elections.

General view of the meeting room (five shots)