en |    Press releases05.01.2010

Russia - human rights: Greens condemn arrest of Sakharov Prize winner Alexeyeva

82 year-old Ludmila Alexeyeva - 2009 Sakharov Prize winner and Chair of the Russia Helsinki Committee - was among 50 protestors and bystanders arrested and detained for several hours for participating in a peaceful protest in Moscow on New Year's Eve. Although they have been released, the protestors face possible further action as they appear in court today and on 11-12 January.

Greens/EFA Co-Presidents Rebecca Harms and Daniel Cohn-Bendit comment:

"We condemn that Ludmila Alexeyeva and others were arrested and detained for peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights. Their arrest speaks volumes for the authorities' disregard of the Russian constitution, which allows the right to peaceful protest.

We urge the Russian authorities to refrain from taking further action against the people who were arrested. We will continue to scrutinise the treatment of all human rights defenders in Russia. We also reiterate our call to the EU Council and Commission to put the protection of human rights defenders at the centre of EU-Russia relations."