STRASBOURG: Europe’s top rights court condemned Russia on Thursday over a series of arrests of the outspoken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, calling them “politically motivated” attempts to curtail opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s government.
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg said seven arrests between 2012 and 2014 had violated Navalny’s rights to security, a fair trial and the freedom of assembly.
Each time the anti-corruption campaigner was detained and later convicted of either breaching procedures for holding public demonstrations or disobeying a police order.
In two of the arrests, the court ruled that “they had actually aimed at suppressing political pluralism.”
“It is a very clear judgment,” Navalny said after the ruling in Strasbourg, where he managed to arrive Wednesday after Russian border guards prevented him from flying out of Moscow the day before.
The agents said he could not leave until he paid a fine of 2.1 million rubles (28,000 euros, $31,600) connected to a 2013 conviction.
“The European court recognizes that it was a politically motivated arrest and persecution,” Navalny said.
“It was very important not just for me but for many people all over Russia who are arrested every day.”
The court ordered Russia to pay Navalny 50,000 euros ($56,000) in damages, as well as 1,025 euros in financial compensation and 12,653 euros for costs and expenses.
But Navalny said he did not expect the Russian government to hand over the money.
“It is going to ignore the ruling and say the European justice system is politically motivated... That is the Russian government’s standard response,” he said.
The court had already condemned Russia last year over the arrests, but rejected Navalny’s claim they were politically motivated.
That prompted a rare appeal by both Navalny and the Russian authorities.
In its ruling Thursday, the court called on Russia “to provide a legal mechanism for the authorities to take due regard of the fundamental importance of the right to peaceful assembly and show the necessary tolerance for unauthorized, peaceful gatherings.”
Navalny, a 42-year-old Yale-educated lawyer, has for years investigated suspected corruption by top officials, at times making allegations which have drawn thousands of people into the streets.
He came to prominence as an organizer of huge anti-Putin rallies that shook Russia in 2011 and 2012 following accusations of vote-rigging in parliamentary polls that restored Putin to the presidency.
His anti-corruption rhetoric is especially popular with younger people who follow his online channels and blogs.
But Putin has shown no appetite for opposition, and Navalny has repeatedly been arrested — last month he was released from back-to-back sentences for organizing demonstrations.
From 2013 to 2017 he was prohibited from leaving Russia, as authorities refused to issue him a passport because of the legal cases.
He was eventually allowed to leave the country in May last year to seek treatment in Spain for damage to his eye after an unknown assailant threw green dye in his face in Moscow.
But he was barred from running against Putin in presidential elections last March, prompting him to call for a boycott of a vote which returned the Russian leader to power with 76 percent of the vote.
Since then his 17-year-old daughter, Daria, has launched her own YouTube show called “Voice of My Generation.”
Vladimir Putin critic claims victory after rights court condemns arrests
Vladimir Putin critic claims victory after rights court condemns arrests
- Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg said seven arrests between 2012 and 2014 had violated Navalny’s rights
- The court had already condemned Russia last year over the arrests, but rejected Navalny’s claim they were politically motivated
India’s Parliament approves bill to open civil nuclear power sector to private firms
- The government termed it a major policy shift to speed up clean energy expansion
- The move carries global significance as India seeks to position itself as a major player in the next wave of nuclear energy
NEW DELHI: India’s Parliament approved new legislation Thursday that enables opening the tightly controlled civil nuclear power sector to private companies.
The government termed it a major policy shift to speed up clean energy expansion while the opposition political parties argued that it dilutes safety and liability safeguards.
The lower house of parliament passed the legislation Wednesday and the upper house on Thursday. It now needs the assent from the Indian president, which is a formality, to come into force.
The move carries global significance as India seeks to position itself as a major player in the next wave of nuclear energy, including with small modular reactors at a time many nations are reassessing nuclear power to meet climate targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Supporters argue the legislation marks a decisive break from decades of state dominance in nuclear energy while critics say it opens the door to risks, mainly health hazards, that could have long term consequences.
“It marks a momentous milestone for India and signals capable private sector players that the country is open for business in the nuclear energy space,” said Karthik Ganesan, director of strategic partnerships at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a think tank.
Junior Minister Jitendra Singh, who oversees the department of atomic energy, told lawmakers that the bill — which has been dubbed Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India — seeks to modernize India’s nuclear framework in line with technological, economic and energy realities. It also retains and strengthens core safety, security and regulatory safeguards.
“India’s role in geopolitics is increasing. And if we have to be a global player effectively, we have to live up to global benchmarks, follow global parameters and adopt global strategies,” Singh said in the lower house, adding that the legislation was necessary to address the country’s growing energy needs.
India wants more nuclear power and has pledged over $2 billion in recent months toward research and allied activities. Nuclear power is a way to make electricity that doesn’t emit planet-warming gases, although it does create radioactive waste.
India is one of the world’s biggest emitters of planet-heating gases and over 75 percent of its power is still generated by burning fossil fuels, mostly coal. India wants to install 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047 — enough to power nearly 60 million Indian homes a year.
Energy experts say that for the world to move away from carbon-polluting fuels like coal, oil and gas, sources like nuclear that don’t rely on the sun and the wind — which aren’t always available — are needed. But some are skeptical about India’s ambitions as the country’s nuclear sector is still very small, and negative public perceptions about the industry remain.
Opposition parties flagged concerns related to several provisions of the bill and urged the government to refer it to a parliamentary panel for examination. The government didn’t adhere to the request.
“The bill doesn’t have sufficient safeguards when it comes to mitigating the bad health of those impacted by living in areas closer to nuclear plants,” Ashok Mittal, a lawmaker from the opposition Aam Admi Party, told The Associated Press.
G. Sundarrajan, an anti-nuclear energy activist, called the bill a “disastrous law,” saying it takes away essential safeguards that are needed to make sure companies invest in safety and reduce the chances of a major disaster that can impact millions from occurring.
“It also provides little recourse for any Indian citizen to claim damages from nuclear companies even if they are affected by radiation leaks or suffer from any other health impact as a result of a nuclear plant in their region,” he said.
