Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 March 2021
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions taken by the EU directly or in conjunction with the UN to address issues such as the imprisonment of opposition leaders in the Russian Federation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12473/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraHaving survived an attempted poisoning on Russian soil, Mr. Navalny chose to return home of his own free will. His imprisonment raises serious questions around the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights. I am deeply concerned by the mass detentions and scenes of police violence during peaceful protests, linked to his arrest and imprisonment, across Russia in January and February.Ireland's view on this matter has been communicated directly to the Russian Ambassador at official level in addition to my statements on 18 January and 3 February. EU Foreign Ministers considered this issue at our meeting on Monday 18 January and again on Monday 22 February. Agreement was reached on moving ahead with sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime in response to events surrounding the arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny, and these were published 2 March.
On 16 February the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted an interim measure on behalf of Mr. Navalny, indicating to the Russian Government that he should be immediately released, on the basis of “the nature and extent of risk to the applicant’s life, demonstrated prima facie for the purposes of applying the interim measure, and seen in the light of the overall circumstances of the applicant’s current detention”. In 2017 the ECHR condemned his original conviction for fraud and money-laundering as "arbitrary and unfair" and ordered Russia to pay compensation.
Both the EU and Ireland will continue to work with the international community to keep pressure on the Russian Government to uphold rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights in Russia. I will continue to call for Russia to carry out a transparent investigation into the poisoning of Mr. Navalny in full cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
