14.2. in accordance with the decision of the Committee of Ministers in the Navalnyy and Ofitserov group at its 1492nd DH meeting held in March 2024, ensure the release of all prisoners currently detained in the Russian Federation in abuse of power and for the purpose of silencing them and deterring other critics of the regime from protesting or speaking out;

14.3. co-operate with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), as long as the Russian Federation remains a Party to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ETS No. 126), thereby allowing for the monitoring of the reported political prisoners’ state of health, conditions of detention pending their release and allegations of torture and ill-treatment.

15. The Assembly further recalls that the Russian Federation refuses to pay just satisfaction awarded bythe European Court of Human Rights for both individual and interstate cases. The Assembly resolves toexplore other possible avenues to secure the payment of such awards, calling on member and observerStates, as well as the European Union, to do the same.

16. Noting the need to provide the Russian and Belarusian anti-war movements with greater recognitionand support, the Assembly calls on member and observer States of the Council of Europe to:

16.1. publicly highlight the continuation and ongoing work of the Russian and Belarusian anti-war movements;

16.2. implement programmes of international solidarity with the Russian and Belarusian anti-war movements, including by organising events, promoting media coverage, academic research, conferences and roundtables, and supporting artistic endeavours;

16.3. explore further steps to provide information to the Russian population by cutting through the Kremlin’s information blockade, including by providing:

16.3.1. a welcoming environment for independent Russian news outlets, including their registration as legal entities and the facilitation of their ongoing work;

16.3.2. any necessary financial support to independent Russian news outlets;

16.3.3. facilitation of the entry and stay of independent Russian journalists and social media influencers;

16.3.4. financial and other support to Russian anti-war social media influencers;

16.3.5. free and stable VPNs (Virtual private networks) for the Russian population;

16.4. support Russian and Belarusian civil society organisations located abroad in their efforts to legally and financially support anti-war protesters within the Russian Federation and Belarus;

16.5. prevent businesses from refusing to supply goods and services to independent Russian and Belarusian civil society organisations supporting anti-war causes or the defence of human rights, by enforcing relevant national laws and regulations and/or strengthening them as necessary;

16.6. prevent the application of international sanctions to independent Russian and Belarusian civil society organisations supporting anti-war causes or the defence of human rights, including financial and banking sanctions.

17. Alarmed by the dire conditions of imprisonment of Vladimir Kara-Murza and other individuals detainedfor their anti-war stance, the Assembly calls on:

17.1. member and observer States of the Council of Europe to deploy diplomatic efforts to secure the release of political prisoners in the Russian Federation and Belarus who have opposed the war of aggression against Ukraine, prioritising Vladimir Kara-Murza and others who have serious health conditions;

17.2. member and observer States of the Council of Europe to pursue prisoner exchanges in order to obtain the release of political prisoners in the Russian Federation and Belarus who have opposed the war of aggression against Ukraine, prioritising Vladimir Kara-Murza and others who have serious health conditions (noting in particular the potential role of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America);

17.3. the United States of America to recognise Mr Kara-Murza as a “wrongfully detained person” under the Levinson Act, with a view to intensifying the activities of the Government of the United States to secure Mr Kara-Murza’s release.

13 DE MAIO DE 2024 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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