Mr. President,

The EU has the honour to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the group of 47 countries.

Over recent years, we have seen significant crackdowns and broad restrictions by Russian authorities of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly, as well as freedom of religion or belief. Recently, especially since the Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, repressions and attacks against individuals exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms have significantly increased.

We condemn the forcible dispersal of peaceful protests and mass arbitrary arrests and detentions of protestors, censorship and the forced closure of independent media and civil society organisations. We are seriously concerned about increasingly repressive legislation, including laws targeting so-called “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations”. We continue to call on Russian authorities to cease their brutal crackdown against members of the political opposition.

We denounce the ongoing serious violations of human rights in the Chechen Republic, in an environment of impunity.

Mr. President,

We call on the Russian Federation to abide by its international obligations and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for everyone in Russia.

We encourage the High Commissioner to report to the Council on the human rights situation in Russia.

We stand in full solidarity with the people in Russia.

The full version of this statement is uploaded on the HRC Extranet.

Thank you.