A few days before the first anniversary of the death of Russian political opponent Alexei Navalny, a death described as “murder” by the European Parliament, in a plenary debate on Wednesday 12 February, several political representatives called for support for Russian civil society and opponents of President Vladimir Putin’s regime and his war in Ukraine.
“We have a duty to support civil society in Russia and to defend the (Russian) opposition abroad”, stressed Sandra Kalniete (Latvian), speaking on behalf of the EPP. She recalled that Russia was continuing its war of aggression in Ukraine and was involved in disinformation, in elections such as those in Moldova and Georgia, and in attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Andreas Schieder (S&D, Austrian) pointed out that press and media freedom was non-existent in Russia. “The first victim is Russian democracy (...) In Russia, there are still people who believe in a better future and are fighting for democracy, people who are prepared to give everything and risk everything. These people need our solidarity and intervention for democracy and freedom. We must take action against all enemies of democracy”, he pleaded.
According to Martin Schirdewan (The Left, German), the Russian regime must be urged to release those who oppose Putin and the war in Ukraine, and they must be granted asylum in the EU. Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, German) expressed a similar view, saying that those who are against the war and against Vladimir Putin must not be forgotten.
Pierre-Romain Thionnet (PfE, French) and Nicola Procaccini (ECR, Italian) said that Mr Navalny was a patriot. “The courage of a few can encourage many to act. Just as one flame ignites another, so the will of one ignites another and makes the cause of justice shine”, the latter explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)