09/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of the G-8 meeting this weekend, chaired by Russia, and the EU-Troika meeting with Russia on 15 February in Vienna (see other articles), Amnesty International is calling on the European Union to “not ignore the ongoing abuse of rights and democratic values in Russia”. At a time when the “EU deepens a strategic partnership with Russia, it must send a clear signal that it expects its partner to fully respect human rights standards”. Amnesty is concerned about the new Russian law that significantly bolsters Kremlin control on the activities of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Russia. Amnesty states that “As Russia prepares to take over the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe next May, there is even greater need for it to live up to its human rights commitments”.