Joint Call of Parliamentarians on the condition of Alexei Navalny in prison
2021-04-08 | European ParliamentWe, the undersigned, are shocked and troubled by the most recent news of Alexei Navalny’s condition in prison.
Russia’s leading opposition figure is reported to suffer severe back pain with losing sensitivity in parts of his legs. It is no more than six months since he survived a vicious poisoning attack with a nerve agent that has long-term crippling effects on his health. In prison, he is systematically denied any medical treatment. On top, prison guards wake him up every hour at night, a practice amounting to torture by sleep deprivation according to his lawyers. This is why medical experts called on the Russian authorities to allow Mr Navalny’s treatment and why he himself now resorted to a hunger strike. Let’s not forget: Mr Navalny’s incarceration itself is a travesty of justice – he was formally sent to prison for not checking in with Russian authorities on a fabricated case (as confirmed by European Court of Human Rights) when he was recuperating in Germany from poisoning and subsequent coma.
Russian authorities with its secret services tried to kill Alexei Navalny last August, they may now be attempting the same, in a slower, even more cynical way.
Europe has offered Alexei Navalny a place to recover from the attempt at his life. Specialized labs in Germany, France and Sweden confirmed the assassination attempt used Novichok, an internationally banned chemical weapon. Angela Merkel personally met Mr Navalny in hospital and many other Western leaders expressed their solidarity after the poisoning attack. We need to intervene again.
We urge Russia to immediately allow medical treatment of Alexei Navalny and release him from prison. We call on the EU Council as well as EU member states’ leaders to reach out to Russian authorities to request the immediate release of Alexei Navalny, which was mandated by European Court of Human Rights’ decision in February 2021. In addition, we demand the EU Council task EU ambassador to Russia to conduct, together partners from the UK, Canada and the US, a visit of the prison facility and meet Alexei Navalny. It is critical now that Alexei Navalny’s fate became the symbol of injustice many thousands face because of increasing brutality of Russian regime against its own citizens.
In December 2020, the EU launched its Global Human Rights Sanction Regime modelled on so-called Magnitsky Act. This law has been inspired by one Sergei Magnitsky, a brave Russian lawyer who was tortured to death in prison in 2009 – he was systematically denied treatment when he developed a serious medical condition. We still can act now in case of Alexei Navalny so we avoid commemorating later.
Marek HILSER, Senator, Czech Republic
Andrius KUBILIUS, MEP, EPP, Lithuania
Lukas WAGENKNECHT, Senator, Czech Republic
Žygimantas PAVILIONIS, MP, Lithuania
Miroslav BALATKA, Senator, Czech Republic
André GATTOLIN, Senator, France
Mikulas BEK, Senator, Czech Republic
Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, MEP, Renew, Romania
David SMOLJAK, Senator, Czech Republic
Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, MEP, Renew, Lithuania
Tomas FIALA, Senator, Czech Republic
Liudas MAŽYLIS, MEP, EPP Lithuania
Zdenek NYTRA, Senator, Czech Republic
Dace MELBĀRDE, MEP, ECR, Latvia
Jan SOBOTKA, Senator, Czech Republic
Matas MALDEIKIS, MP, Lithuania
Jiri RUZICKA, Senator, Czech Republic
Bernard GUETTA, MEP, Renew, France
Jaromira VITKOVA, Senator, Czech Republic
Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, MEP, EPP, Lithuania
Petr OREL, Senator, Czech Republic
Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, MEP, EPP, Poland
Miroslava NEMCOVA, Senator, Czech Republic
Hermann TERTSCH, MEP, ECR, Spain
Premysl RABAS, Senator, Czech Republic
Aušra MALDEIKIENĖ, MEP, EPP, Lithuania
Ladislav KOS, Senator, Czech Republic
Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, MEP, S&D, Hungary
Sarka JELINKOVA, Senator, Czech Republic
Erik MARQUARDT, MEP, Greens, Germany
Pavel FISCHER, Senator, Czech Republic
Pernille WEISS, MEP, EPP, Denmark
Helena LANGSADLOVA, MP, Czech Republic
Roberts ZĪLE, MEP, ECR, Latvia
Jan LIPAVSKY, MP, Czech Republic
Klemen GROŠELJ, MEP, Renew, Slovenia
Pavel ZACEK, MP, Czech Republic
Riho TERRAS, MEP, EPP, Estonia
Ondrej BENESIK, MP, Czech Republic
Miriam LEXMANN, MEP, EPP, Slovakia
Frantisek KOPRIVA, MP, Czech Republic
Sandra KALNIETE, MEP, EPP, Latvia
Petr GAZDIK, MP, Czech Republic
Jerzy BUZEK, MEP, EPP, Poland
Tomas MARTINEK, MP, Czech Republic
Janina OCHOJSKA, MEP, EPP, Poland
Jan BARTOSEK, MP, Czech Republic
Eugen TOMAC, MEP, EPP, Romania
Jan FARSKY, MP, Czech Republic
Ivan ŠTEFANEC, MEP, EPP, Slovakia
Roman SKLENAK, MP, Czech Republic
Krzysztof HETMAN, MEP, EPP, Poland
Frantisek VACHA, MP, Czech Republic
Ivars IJABS, MEP, Renew, Latvia
Marek VYBORNY, MP, Czech Republic
Franc BOGOVIČ, MEP, EPP, Slovenia
Zbynek STANJURA, MP, Czech Republic
Radvilė MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ, MP, Lithuania
Petr FIALA, MP, Czech Republic
Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, MEP, S&D, France
Vít RAKUSAN, MP, Czech Republic
Juozas OLEKAS, MEP, S&D, Lithuania
Jaroslav VYMAZAL, MP, Czech Republic
Assita KANKO, MEP, ECR, Belgium
Adela SIPOVA, Senator, Czech Republic
Radosław SIKORSKI, MEP, EPP, Poland
Róża THUN UND HOHENSTEIN, MEP, EPP, Poland
Javier NART, MEP, Renew, Spain
Andrzej HALICKI, MEP, EPP, Poland
Alexander ALEXANDROV YORDANOV, MEP, EPP, Bulgaria
Ondřej KOVAŘÍK, MEP, Renew, Czech Republic
Andreas SCHIEDER, MEP, S&D, Austria
Leopoldo LÓPEZ GIL, MEP, EPP, Spain
Sergey LAGODINSKY, MEP, Greens, Germany
Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, MEP, EPP, Spain
Marketa GREGOROVA, MEP, Greens, Czech Republic
Lolita ČIGĀNE, MP, Latvia
Marko MIHKELSON, MP, Estonia
Renata CHMELOVA, Senator, Czech Republic
Bogdan KLICH, Senator, Poland
Lia Quartapelle, MEP, Italy