The Council of Europe’s Secretary General issues a Statement Condemning Russia for its Human Rights Violations

07-08-2023 

Sofía Medina Sánchez 

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence 

On the 6th of August, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Council of Europe Secretary General, issued a statement expressing deep concern over Russia’s increasingly harsh efforts to suppress legitimate criticism from opponents, activists, and ordinary citizens amid its aggressive actions against Ukraine. 

The Secretary General emphasised the imperativeness of Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza release, as directed by the European Court of Human Rights interim measures issued on 16th of February 2021. Furthermore, she commented on the Russian authorities’ obligation to thoroughly investigate the past attempts on their lives. 

Marija Pejčinović Burić concluded with the following statement: “I am dismayed by the extent to which the fair trial and due process safeguards as well as other rights of the two opposition politicians continue to be manifestly violated by the Russian authorities. The consistent failure to administer justice in an impartial way lays bare the arbitrary and ill-founded nature of the proceedings leaving little doubt as to the politically retributive goal behind their convictions”. 

This statement demonstrates the Council of Europe’s commitment towards the protection of human rights and shows solidarity towards those individuals who fall victim of such grave violations. 

Sources and further Reading: 

Council of Europe, Newsroom, Human Rights situation in Russia, 6 August 2023: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/human-rights-situation-in-russia

Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 2375 (2021)1,
The arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny in January 2021: https://pace.coe.int/pdf/4056fe4379c7acb646c98412d83f1263cb4b0f4270009df31ca3813b74ca5e87/res.%202375.pdf