Resolution on the murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia

The European Parliament adopted by 506 votes to 9, with 32 abstentions, a resolution on the murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR groups and Members.

Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian political figure and the 2021 laureate of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, perished in a Siberian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle while serving a unfounded, politically motivated prison sentence. The killing of Alexei Navalny is yet another sign of the increasing and systematic repression in Russia according to Parliament.

In its resolution, Parliament strongly condemned the murder of Alexei Navalny and expressed its wholehearted condolences to his family, associates and colleagues, and to his countless supporters across Russia. It also expressed its full support to Yulia Navalnaya in her determination to continue the work started by Alexei Navalny.

Members underlined that the Russian Government and Vladimir Putin should personally bear criminal and political responsibility for the death of their most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny, and that under such circumstances it is justifiable to raise the question of Vladimir Putin’s legitimacy in public and international discourse.

The Russian authorities are called on to:

- allow Alexei Navalny’s body to be buried according to his family’s wishes and not to obstruct his family’s efforts to organise a dignified funeral ceremony;

- drop all arbitrary charges and to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons;

- immediately end the use of torture, other ill treatment and arbitrary disciplinary measures against all detainees and to urgently reform prisoners’ detention conditions;

- immediately release the hundreds of people who have been detained in recent weeks for peacefully paying tribute to the memory of Alexei Navalny;

The resolution demanded an independent and transparent international investigation into the exact circumstances of Alexei Navalny’s death and into those responsible, in order to uncover the truth, ensure accountability and deliver justice. The Council should effectively use the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime and implement targeted measures against those involved in and responsible for the politically motivated trials against Alexei Navalny, his sentencing, his imprisonment and his detention conditions, including the prosecutors and judges, prison staff and those responsible for his premature death.

Member States are called on to:

- step up their efforts to find feasible ways of freeing the worst-affected prisoners, in particular political prisoners who are ill or have been tortured, including the option of possible exchanges of imprisoned individuals;

- introduce extensive EU restrictive measures against individuals involved in the political persecution and fabrication of cases against Russian civil society representatives and activists, and to consider adding further persons identified by Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation to the sanctions list as regime enablers who contribute to waging and financing the war of aggression against Ukraine and to perpetrating domestic repression in support of the regime’s survival;

- expand and further facilitate the programme for humanitarian visas for Russian human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and independent journalists at risk of political persecution.