Written declaration No. 481 | Doc. 12648 | 13 October 2011

The banning of the Moscow Pride March in 2011

Signatories: Mr Håkon HAUGLI, Norway, SOC ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT, Sweden, ALDE ; Ms Karin ANDERSEN, Norway, UEL ; Mr Mörður ÁRNASON, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Tor BREMER, Norway, SOC ; Ms Karmela CAPARIN, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Mikael CEDERBRATT, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Vannino CHITI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Igor CORMAN, Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Ms Lydie ERR, Luxembourg, SOC ; Ms Mirjana FERIĆ-VAC, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Paul FLYNN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Sylvi GRAHAM, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Michael Aastrup JENSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Mats JOHANSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Francine JOHN-CALAME, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Birkir Jón JÓNSSON, Iceland, ALDE ; Ms Virág KAUFER, Hungary, SOC ; Ms Krista KIURU, Finland ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Pierre KUCHEIDA, France, SOC ; Mr Jean-Paul LECOQ, France, UEL ; Ms Sophie LØHDE, Denmark, ALDE ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Lilja MÓSESDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Riitta MYLLER, Finland, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Johannes PFLUG, Germany, SOC ; Mr Jørgen POULSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Andrea RIGONI, Italy, ALDE ; Ms Ingjerd SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Christoph STRÄSSER, Germany, SOC ; Ms Doris STUMP, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Lord John E. TOMLINSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Anette TRETTEBERGSTUEN, Norway, SOC ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Karin S. WOLDSETH, Norway, EDG

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

In September 2010 the European Court of Human Rights held unanimously that the Russian Federation had violated the right to freedom of assembly when banning public events in support of LGBT rights in Moscow in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

In May 2011 the authorities again prohibited such an event, and arrested a number of people who tried to proceed with a peaceful demonstration. This indicates a lack of commitment of the Russian Federation to the principles of the Council of Europe. Not only does it damage respect for human rights in Russia, it undermines the standing of the Court and of the Council of Europe itself.

We the undersigned express our grave concern at the manifest failure of the Russian Federation to carry out its obligation to respect the European Convention on Human Rights and the damage this is causing to the standing of the Council of Europe. We call upon the rapporteurs on Russia in the Monitoring Committee to give due consideration to these concerns in their next report.