EU-Russia relations will be on the agenda of the European Council, which sets the political priorities of the European Union, when meets June 24-25. It is an important time for the EU to call on the Kremlin for human rights violations in Russia.
As the EU implements its “principled pragmatism”In its relations with Russia, it must remain faithful to its human rights commitments. Supporting Russian civil society and critics of the Kremlin facing harassment, intimidation and persecution should be key.
The EU has rightly condemned the poisoning, and later imprisonment, of the key opponent of the Russian government, Alexey Navalny, and recently recognized that Russia “uses increasing political repression”. But he must think about the full extent of this repression.
Here in Russia, activists use the phrase “the steering wheel of the Kremlin crackdown.”
For the past year, it has been an endless assault. A swarm of oppressive new laws target civic groups, individual activists, the media and even educational activities. A newly expanded definition of “foreign agents” puts at risk an indefinite number of activists and critics, who now – as the Kremlin probably predicted – will guess every one of their posts or social media posts, for fear that they are not liable to fines or criminal prosecution. Authorities recently slapped more media outlets with the toxic label, putting some of them at risk of closure.
The Kremlin is blacklisting organizations as “undesirable” without explanation, including respected groups based in the EU. Now the Russians risk administrative and criminal penalties if they engage with these groups. New bills propose to extend this ban beyond the borders of Russia and to make the imprisonment of “delinquents” infinitely easier. A growing number of activists have already been labeled criminals or are behind bars for these outrageous charges.
Authorities are abusing Russia’s anti-extremism legislation to ban prominent critics and oppress minority religious groups. They have used the global pandemic to ban public opposition rallies, while cynically rallying crowds to pro-Kremlin events.
Even performing artists critical of the situation in Russia, as well as some educational initiatives linked to foreign institutions, have become targets of repression.
Recognizing this attack, the EU should be unambiguous in its message that the Russian authorities can only be trusted partners if they uphold fundamental rights-based values. The EU should urge the Kremlin to end its crackdown on criticism and repeal abusive laws, and instead support and engage with independent civic groups and critical voices.
