Participation of Mr. Kyriakos Hatzigiannis in the work of the OSCE SC
Deputy Kyriakos Hatzigiannis requested a full investigation into the causes of the death of Alexei Navalny during his intervention in a debate on respecting the rights of dissidents and politicians prisoners in which he participated in the framework of the work of the 23rd Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which takes place in Vienna.
According to an announcement by the Parliament, in his intervention in the context of the session of the General Committee for Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues, the Cypriot Member of Parliament and Vice-President of the OSCE CS expressed concern about the human rights situation in Russia and in particular about the restrictions on basic fundamental rights that exist for dissidents, making special reference to the recent death of Alexei Navalny. In this context, he asked for a full investigation into the causes of his death and the accountability of those who may be responsible.
Referring to Belarus, Mr. Hatzigianni pointed out that according to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as well as other international organizations, there are disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial, while civil society organizations citizens are subject to significant restrictions. He appealed to the country's authorities to fully implement the international obligations they have undertaken, while encouraging them to use the tools and mechanisms offered by the OSCE in this direction.
In relation to the situation of of political prisoners in Turkey, Mr. Hatzigianni condemned the fact that every year thousands of people face arrest and prosecution for simple posts on social media that are considered by the Turkish authorities as defamation, insulting the President or spreading terrorist propaganda, drawing disproportionate penalties . Finally, he pointed out that the OSCE and other international organizations should be able to objectively judge all states instead of focusing on individual states.
Furthermore, Mr. Hatzigianni, in his capacity as Vice President of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration participated in a session of said Committee where, among other things, the latest developments in relation to the New Pact on Asylum and EU Migration were discussed.
