Ukraine urges Council of Europe not to lift Russia ban

[Rogue Valley]

Ukraine urges Council of Europe not to lift Russia ban

Russian president Vladimir Putin addresses the audience during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation
of Ukraine's Crimea region in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.

6/23/19
Ukraine has warned that the Council of Europe will lose all legitimacy if it restores voting rights to Russia, in what would be the first case of penalties on Moscow being lifted since the annexation of Crimea. The Strasbourg-based body, which upholds humans rights laws in Europe, is expected to vote to let Russia back into the fold on Monday, when members of the parliamentary assembly (PACE) will give a final decision. The Telegraph understands that both France and Germany are in favour of Russia being handed back its voting rights, which were stripped after the 2014 annexation amid an international outcry. But Kyiv is increasingly concerned that restoring voting rights to Russia would amount to a whitewashing of its conduct and undermine the Council of Europe. "What we have here is not diplomacy, it is the surrender of the Council of Europe." Russia's parliamentary delegation to PACE was stripped of its voting rights in April 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. Moscow responded to the suspension of voting rights in 2017 by halting its membership payments, which left a sizable hole in the Council of Europe's budget.

It has also skipped meetings of the body. Advocates of the compromise argue Russian membership of the Council of Europe is important because it means Moscow is subject to the European Convention on Human Rights, allowing Russian citizens a valuable recourse to justice in cases of abuse by the state. The European Court of Human Rights has passed more than 2000 judgments on human rights violations by Russia since 1959 - more than another Council member except Turkey. But critics, including Ukraine, say it would signal that Europe is no longer serious about punishing Russia for its annexation of Crimea and on-going involvement in a five-year war in Eastern Ukraine. More than 12,000 people have been killed since the war in Donbas began. The agreement adopted by foreign ministers in May was passed by a qualified majority. Britain said it joined a consensus with other ministers, although it was reported the UK opposed the decision along with Poland, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is unclear how the UK delegation will vote on Monday.

Moscow has fulfilled none of its Minsk II obligations. Crimea remains occupied and Russian troops remain in eastern Ukraine. Angela Merkel (as usual) wants to further appease Putin.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Russia Cleared to Return to Europe’s Top Rights Body

A majority of European PACE delegates (principally France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Turkey) voted to allow Russia to return to this human rights conclave.

Illegal occupations. 12,000+ dead in eastern Ukraine and hundreds of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar prisoners in Russia's gulags. War crimes in Syria. Shooting down passenger airliners. Unbelievable.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Today, 118 people have destroyed trust in European institutions. Many thanks to PACE members from Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, UK, Sweden, 2 brave Germans, 2 Dutch, 2 Finns, 1 Armenian, 1 Czech, 1 Croat, 1 Dane, 1 Lichtenstein, 1 Moldovan, 1 Romanian, 1 Slovakian, who stood for values when many others chose valuables.

PACE vote. You can see which country delegates supported Russia's return.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairperson Iryna Heraschenko, also a PACE delegate, states that the Ukrainian delegation to the PACE has not obtained any support from the Presidential Administration (Volodmyr Zelenskyy).

 

[Vlad Dreamer]

I think this is a shame for European democracy and for Europe as a whole. To bend before the lawless aggressor is a shameful page for today's members of the PACE, whose descendants would be ashamed of their parents' decision today.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Protest in front of the Council of Europe office in Kyiv.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Lithuania regrets the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to amend its rules, opening the way for the unilateral return of the Russian delegation

6/25/19
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania expresses its regret regarding the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In the early morning of 25 June in Strasbourg, PACE decided to amend its Rules of Procedure, weakening its sanctions mechanism, and opening the way for the unilateral return of the Russian delegation to PACE. The decision of PACE to create exceptional conditions for Russia, which continues to violate international law and does not change its aggressive actions towards other Member States of the Council of Europe, undermines the fundamental values ​​and authority of the organization. It is important to note that Russia has not done anything to implement the PACE resolutions 1990 (2014) and 2034 (2015) condemning the annexation of Crimea and the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In addition, Russia continues to violate international law by granting Russian citizenship to the population of the occupied Donbas and by ignoring the request of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to release the illegally detained Ukrainian servicemen. What is more, Russia demonstrates its nihilistic approach to the Council of Europe values by deciding to include in the Russian delegation to PACE parliamentarians who actively contributed to the annexation of Crimea.

At the same time, Lithuania notes with appreciation the efforts of the parliamentarians of Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and other countries to defend the values ​​and principles of the Council of Europe, which shows that Russia's violations of international law and the annexation of Crimea will remain on the agenda of PACE. In 2014 and 2015, PACE suspended the rights of participation and representation of the Russian delegation in response to Russia's occupation and annexation of Crimea and aggression against Ukraine. PACE adopted two resolutions condemning these actions of Russia as gross violations of international law and as in breach of the Council of Europe Statute. Since 2016, the Russian delegation has not been submitting its credentials to PACE, aiming to boycott the PACE sanction mechanism. Furthermore, since 2017, Russia has suspended payments to the budget of the Council of Europe and has applied illegal financial pressure against the Council of Europe. At the Session of the Committee of Ministers in Helsinki on 17 May, the Minister L. Linkevičius expressed Lithuania's disapproval of changes in procedures aimed at facilitating the unilateral return of the Russian delegation to PACE.

+10

 

[Vlad Dreamer]

This is unacceptable from any civilizational side.

We live on the eve of the end of the world?

 

[Rogue Valley]

This is unacceptable from any civilizational side.

We live on the eve of the end of the world?

I'm seeing more and more Russian appeasers in the European Union.

That doesn't bode well for the continent.

 

[Vlad Dreamer]

I'm seeing more and more Russian appeasers in the European Union.

That doesn't bode well for the continent.

Russians are spreading their corruption everywhere, and in Europe, they have especially succeeded in this.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Russians are spreading their corruption everywhere, and in Europe, they have especially succeeded in this.

It pains me, but I have to agree. Europeans have forgotten the horrific lessons of yesteryear.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Yesterday, the Ukrainian delegation launched a protest against the unconditional restoration of the Russian Delegation’s rights in PACE.
Today, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia and Georgia joined Ukraine. The Ukraine delegation has left the assembly hall in Brussels and is heading back home.

 

[Rogue Valley]

On the day that PACE voted to allow Russia re-admission with all sanctions removed, Russian forces launched 39 separate attacks in eastern Ukraine.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Disgusting

 

[Rogue Valley]

Russia's Reinstatement To PACE Is a Grave Mistake

It’s telling that most of the states against this move are geographically closest to Russia.

PACE/COE complex in Brussels.

6/26/19
The small Ukrainian town of Avdiivka is unknown to most people. Nestled in the east of Ukraine, just two kilometers from the contact line with the occupied Donbass region, it’s a town that has seen most of its population flee after relentless shelling and gunfire by Russian-led forces. Avdiivka was once a bustling town of heavy industry, as its coke plant – amazingly still running — stands as a reminder of. It is now a battered ghost town that has been filleted of its citizenry and its soul. The tragedy of Avdiivka is the tragedy of many Putin-sponsored crimes that plague democracies young and old alike. Much of the eastern European region is battling under the Kremlin’s heavy fist, whether it be kinetic operations that violate their sovereignty or more subtle ways of showing small, independent states that Moscow believes it’s in charge. It is against this backdrop of terror and criminality that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe amended its rules to allow the readmission of the Russian delegation — sanctioned after the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory in 2014 — back in to the human rights body. Ukraine, the Baltic states and other eastern European governments are justifiably angered.

Some in the British Government want to underplay the significance of this development, but member states who supported this change are visibly embarrassed by their actions, evidenced by the fact that the PACE press release didn’t even mention the outcome of the change that had been pushed through against the will of Russia’s neighbors. It’s telling that most of those who are against this move are states geographically closest to Russia whilst, those who endorsed it remain at a safe distance. But geography provides no comfort. Some have argued that it is better for Russian civil right activists to have the federation back in the councilto provide an avenue of accountability for human rights breaches. This ignores the fact that Russia’s government continues to shun the rulings of international bodies — most recently the ruling of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, which required Putin to release the 24 Ukrainian Sailors Russia has held illegally since December last year. The truth is that this Faustian pact helps only the coffers of the council and the tyrant in Red Square. It does nothing for human rights activists in Russia and has only offended young democracies on Putin’s doorstep, left standing for European values while western Europe shrugs its shoulders. How grotesque. Europe has opted to embolden the tyrant at the expense of the oppressed — both in Russia itself and on our very own continent. Thankfully, as recent protests in Georgia show, there are some willing to stand up for the dignity of democracy. Many in Tbilisi will know of a town just like Avdiivka. So, when the next Kremlin intervention happens in Europe, Europe mustn’t feign surprise. We were warned.

A disgusting appeasement by Europe.

 

[Rogue Valley]

MPs warn Russia let off hook over Crimea annexation as it rejoins PACE

6/26/19
British MPs warned Russia had been let off the hook for its annexation of Crimea on Wednesday after Moscow was allowed back into the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly with no sanctions or conditions attached. Russia was stripped of its voting rights in the Strasbourg-based body, which upholds human rights, after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and has since refused to pay membership fees. Earlier this week, the Council's parliamentary assembly (PACE) voted to allow Moscow back into the fold, but a challenge to that move led by Ukraine was dismissed on Wednesday afternoon. However, PACE did call on Moscow to release 24 Ukrainian sailors in Russian custody, to cooperate on the investigation into the shoot down of flight MH17, and to stop suppressing scrutiny of its human rights record. It marks the first time an international body has lifted penalties imposed on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent invasion of eastern Ukraine, and will allow Russian MPs to vote in the Council without conditions attached.

"We believed it was important that conditions were added and we worked hard to strengthen the terms of the restoration of Russia credentials," said Martin Whitfield, a Labour MP and UK representative of PACE. "Russia has failed to show a consistent and unswerving commitment to human rights in the past, human rights that mark the bedrock of The Council of Europe." Stella Creasy, another UK PACE delegate, added: "Today, without any qualms, we let back in a country that has shown no signs or recognition of the issues that led to them being suspended. The whole point of the Council of Europe is to challenge governments on their human rights record." "The fact that Russia is holding celebratory press conferences [about its re-entry] while we are no further forward in resolving LGBT abuses, and abuses of rights of the rights of women, that tells you something." She called on Theresa May, who is due to meet Vladimir Putin at this week's G20 summit Japan for the first since the Salisbury attack, to forcefully raise the same concerns. The British delegation said it would challenge the Council of Europe over the issue again at the next session, which is due to be held in October.

Kudos to the British PACE delegates that voted no regarding Russia's return to the body without any restrictions.

 

[Rogue Valley]

After doing some research, it seems Emanuel Macron of France and Angela Merkel of Germany may have brokered a back-room deal with Putin - Russia's re-admittance to PACE with no restrictions in exchange for Moscow releasing the 24 Ukrainian sailors in Russian captivity. The sailors remain in Russian captivity.

The government of Ukraine has stated that it has refused to bargain for the release of its sailors because on 25 May 2019 Russia was ordered to release the sailors immediately by the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. In addition, the court also ruled that Russia does not legally control maritime access to and from the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait.

The PACE delegations of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Estonia, and Georgia have departed from the PACE HQ in Brussels and have stated they may possibly not return in protest of Russia's re-admittance.