Doc. 10574

7 June 2005

A tendency to infringe political and property human rights in some post-revolutionary Council of Europe member states

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Hancock and others

The Assembly believes that the respect of human rights should remain a key objective of not only European countries but also the world community. At the same time the developments in the countries that have recently passed through the so-called "coloured" revolutions show tendencies to infringe political and property human rights. New leaders of these countries in some case start theirs functions with campaigns aimed at removing regional and municipal level officials and repartition of property followed by initiation of criminal cases, arrests and seizures, and forced emigration. The victims of these campaigns are managers, businessmen and politicians known as sympathizers of the side defeated as a result of the revolution. Unfounded accusations of all kinds of economic and even criminal offences, as well abuse of the office are used as pretexts.

The first of the kind were the steps taken by the Georgian authorities in order to restrict the autonomy rights in Adjaria. The Ukrainian law enforcement authorities are allegedly preparing tens of thousands of criminal cases against political supporters of Victor Yanukovich. A number of duly elected members of the Kyrgyzstan parliament are prevented from taking their seats in the Parliament premises because they belong to a different clan. Thus we are observing settlements of accounts with the defeated side.

The members of the Assembly are convinced that the democracy building process should not be accompanied with violations of human rights. As the above scenarios are taking place in the Council of Europe member states as well as in Kyrgyzstan, an OSCE member state aspiring to the European democratic standards, the Assembly cannot remain indifferent and expresses its willingness to examine the situation related to the respect of political and property human rights in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

HANCOCK, Michael, United Kingdom, LDR

CHERNYSHENKO, Igor, Russia, EDG

COX, Thomas, United Kingdom, SOC

DEES, Dirk, Netherlands, LDR

DUPRAZ, John, Switzerland, LDR

ELTSOV, Victor, Russia, EDG

GREBENNIKOV, Valery, Russia, EDG

HUSEYNOV, Rafael, Azerbaijan, LDR

JUDD, Frank, United Kingdom, SOC

MARQUET, Bernard, Monaco, LDR

SEVERIN, Adrian, Romania, SOC

SMIRNOVA, Svetlana, Russia, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group