Russia: Plenary debate on Navalny, Ukraine & Czechia - quotes from Sergey Lagodinsky & Markéta Gregorová
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Today (28th April) at 15:00, Members of the European Parliament will debate the case of Alexei Navalny, Russian military actions on the Ukrainian border, and the role of Russian intelligence officers in the 2014 explosion of a weapons depot in the Czech Republic. The resolution will be voted on tomorrow and the results of the vote will be announced at 16:30. The European Parliament condemns Russia's attacks in the Czech Republic, military actions on the Ukrainian border, and the detention and treatment of Alexei Navalny. MEPs are calling for his immediate release in addition to targeted sanctions by the European Union against Russia. The Greens/EFA group successfully pushed in calling for a halt to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in the resolution. |
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Sergey Lagodinsky MEP, Greens/EFA Group spokesperson on Russia, comments: "We call on the Russian leadership to release Alexei Navalny immediately. It is unacceptable and inhumane that medical treatment only starts after weeks of hunger strike and sleep deprivation. Alexei Navalny's life is in danger and needs the full support of the European Union. The ban on Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption foundation is the latest escalation in the campaign against any opposition and dissent to the Russian leadership. "We welcome that MEPs clearly side with Alexei Navalny, his foundation and other persecuted people and condemn the military provocations on the Ukrainian border. We demand a strong stance from the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Clear red lines are needed for the EU's relations with Russia, and this relationship must be based on respect for democracy and human rights." |
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Markéta Gregorová, Pirate Party MEP and Greens/EFA Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, comments: "Today's debate shows that the people of the Czech Republic have the support of the whole European Parliament. Not only that our demands for compensation of families of the citizens who died in 2014 explosion in Vrbětice were included in the resolution, but that we are also supported in the exclusion of Rosatom from the Dukovany nuclear power plant tender. The reaction of the Russian government shows that when the EU stands together and speaks as one it has an impact. Let this be the lesson learned for our future dealings with Kremlin." |
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