Menseregte: Alexei Navalny in Rusland, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan

Parliament passed three resolutions on Thursday (15 January): stressing that the convictions of Alexei Navalny (Foto) and his brother were "based on unsubstantiated charges" and calling for the judicial proceedings to be "free of political interference"; condemning the "brutal massacre of schoolchildren" in Pakistan; and deeply concerned by the homosexual propaganda bill in Kyrgyzstan.

The case of Alexei Navalny in Russia
Parliament underlines that the conviction of the lawyer, anti-corruption campaigner and social activist Alexei Navalny and the sentences passed on him and his brother, Oleg Navalny, were "based on unsubstantiated charges" and deplores that the prosecution "seems to be politically motivated". It calls for the judicial proceedings in the Navalny cases to be "free of political interference" and to meet internationally accepted standards. MEPs fully back the campaign against corruption initiated by Alexei Navalny and state their concerns at the "possible political use of a family member to intimidate and silence" Alexei Navalny.

Parliament calls on the Council to develop a unified policy towards Russia that commits the 28 EU member states to a strong common message on the role of human rights in the EU-Russia relationship. It asks the High Representative to put forward a strategy towards Russia as a matter of urgency "aimed at maintaining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of European states" and supporting the strengthening of democratic principles in Russia.

The Peshawar school attack in Pakistan

Parliament strongly condemns the "brutal massacre of schoolchildren" on 16 December 2014 perpetrated by the Pakistani Taliban splinter group Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) as "an act of horror and cowardice". It calls on the government of Pakistan to take "urgent and effective measures" in keeping with internationally recognised standards on the rule of law and to strengthen its efforts to arrest and prosecute TTP militants It also urges the government to abide by the recently ratified international agreements on human rights and "to reserve anti-terrorism laws for acts of terror, instead of using them to try ordinary criminal cases".

Homosexual propaganda bill in Kyrgyzstan

MEPs express deep concerns at the potential adoption of the bill on "dissemination of information about non-traditional sexual relations" currently under review in the parliament of Kyrgyzstan and call for its withdrawal. They reiterate that "sexual orientation and gender identity are matters falling within the sphere of the individual right to privacy, as guaranteed by international human rights law" and call on the Commission, the Council and the External Action Service "to make clear to the Kyrgyz authorities that the eventual adoption of this bill could affect relations with the EU in line with Article 92 (2) of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement".

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All three resolutions were adopted by a show of hands.