In a statement published on Monday 18 March, after the polling stations closed for the “so-called elections” in the Russian Federation, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theódoros Roussópoulos, condemned the absence of alternative candidates, free media and opportunities for civil society to express itself, the torture inflicted on Alexei Navalny “for months”, and “above all” the fact that these elections were being held on “illegally occupied and annexed territory” of Ukraine.
In these circumstances, he says, “Mr Putin clearly lacks any vestige of democratic legitimacy”.
The Assembly therefore urges the international community to “no longer recognise Putin’s legitimacy as President”.
It calls for “all contact with Putin to cease, except in the pursuit of peace and for humanitarian purposes, for example in organising prisoner exchanges or to bring home the lost children of Ukraine”.
Mr Roussópoulos also confirmed the Assembly’s support “for the Russian democratic opposition who share the Council of Europe principles and values, human rights defenders, independent journalists and free civil society”.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/bed (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)