Russia’s politically motivated killings marked at protest

SIX people recently killed in politically motivated assassinations in Vladimir Putin’s Russia were remembered in Dublin yesterday.

During a protest at the Russian Embassy, Green Party chairman John Gormley said Ireland and the EU must challenge Russia on human rights abuses.

The Greens were taking part in a Europe-wide protest against what they term the Russian Government’s dismal attitude towards human rights.

Deputy Gormley said: “The assassinations this year of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, journalist Anna Politkovskaja and the vice-president of the Central Bank Andrei Kozlov are symptomatic of the deteriorating regard for human rights in the Russian Federation.

“Vladimir Putin’s system of so-called ‘guided democracy’ is far from democratic. He is using it to keep his political opponents and dissenting voices under control.

“The media, business, NGOs, elections and political parties are all subject to rigid state control.

“Human rights violations by the justice system, the police and the military are barely investigated and rarely punished. So it is not surprising that politically motivated killings have not either been properly investigated or brought to court. The Russian Parliament recently approved a law permitting secret services to carry out targeted assassinations abroad. The situation there is going from bad to worse.”

Green Parties across Europe called on the president and government of the Russian Federation to:

nProperly investigate human rights violations committed by state bodies and bring the perpetrators to justice

nClarify politically motivated assassinations, especially the killing of Anna Politkovskaja

nGuarantee freedom of the media and the freedom to hold public assemblies

nMake it possible for civil society organisations to do their work — even if they criticise the Government.

Mr Gormley said he was calling on Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern to make human rights a key factor in Ireland’s diplomatic dealings with Russia, and to persuade the European Council to make Human Rights a guiding principle in EU-Russia policy.

“Respect for human rights must not be weakened by economic and energy interests,” said Mr Deputy Gormley.