At the OSCE Permanent Council Russia is urged to release all political prisoners
On 19 April 2024, at the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Nordic-Baltic countries, including Lithuania, reacted to ongoing systematic repression and crackdown on civil society in Russia and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all unlawfully detained political prisoners. In their joint statement, the Nordic-Baltic countries highlighted the case of human rights defender Oleg Orlov, imprisoned for condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine, also human rights activist and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, serving a 25-year sentence, and a “Wall Street Journal” reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been unlawfully detained for more than a year. Countries stressed that, "these are just a few examples of the continued widespread and systematic crackdown and suppression of independent voices by the Russian authorities”.
At the same time, the Nordic and Baltic countries expressed deep regret, that Russia refused to provide answers to specific questions officially submitted on 22nd March regarding the ongoing repression against political opposition, their detention, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of those in detention. These issues were brought to the attention of the Russian delegation at the initiative of the Nordic-Baltic countries following the invocation of the OSCE Vienna Mechanism by 41 OSCE participating States against the Russian Federation.
The text of the joint Nordic-Baltic statement is available here.
