PUSSY RIOT: SWOBODA CALLS FOR PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON ‚FARCE JUSTICE‘ IN RUSSIA

The Socialists and Democrats at the European Parliament today call for an urgent debate on the political use of justice in Russia, following yesterday’s scandalous verdict against the members of the Pussy Riot rock band.

S&D group leader, Hannes Swoboda, said:

„We cannot tolerate and accept the verdict on the Pussy Riot. This is no interference into an independent judiciary as Putin and the Orthodox Church interfered in the trial anyway.

„We must protest against this scandalous verdict which shows the dependence of the judiciary on politics in Russia. All the EU institutions and countries must take a clear stance and condemn this kind of „farce justice“ and the Russian authorities‘ intimidatory attacks to freedom of opinions and to NGOs.

„The European Parliament cannot remain silent. We expect all the other political groups in the European Parliament to support our request for an urgent debate, in the next parliamentary plenary session in Strasbourg (10-13 September 2012).“