Today, the Chairs of 11 national parliaments’ Foreign Affairs Committees made a statement strongly condemning the Russian court decision that sentenced one of the leading opposition politicians and Kremlin’s vocal critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison on politically motivated charges, and demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees call the conviction of Kara-Murza a clear demonstration of misuse of power by Russian authorities and an attempt to silence the political opponents. “The Russian legal system continues to be instrumentalised against advocates for democracy, journalists, and other courageous activists,” they stated in the Joint Statement initiated by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The Chairs call on all persons responsible for Mr Kara-Murza’s prosecution, detention, and sentencing to be held accountable by imposing targeted sanctions under the EU regulation or “Magnitsky law”. “We consider Mr Kara-Murza’s conviction to be contrary to Russia’s international obligations on human rights, including the right to a fair trial, and call for his immediate and unconditional release without further delay,” they declare.

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees made the Statement at the European Security Parliamentary Conference in London. The Statement has been signed by the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, Iceland, United Kingdom, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Czechia, and Denmark. The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson signed the statement on behalf of Estonia.

Text of the Statement in English

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
[email protected]
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