MINISTERS’ DEPUTIES

CM Documents

CM/AS(2017)Quest718-final

7 September 2017

Written Question No. 718 by Mr Michael Aastrup Jensen: “House arrest of the Russian librarian, Ms Natalya Sharina” (Reply adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 6 September 2017 at the 1292nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)

 

1.         On the occasion of the examination of Written Question No. 718, the delegation of the Russian Federation provided the Committee of Ministers with information on the criminal proceedings brought against Ms Sharina and indicated that she enjoys the rights and guarantees provided by national legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of the ongoing judicial procedures.

2.         Further, concerns were voiced that Ms Sharina had been prosecuted solely because she was Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature and the Council of Europe, in particular the Commissioner for Human Rights, was invited to closely follow developments in her situation.

3.         Also, during the discussion, one member State raised its concerns with respect to the inadmissibility of interfering in the ongoing judicial proceedings taking place in other States, as well as of ways of putting pressure on judges and undermining the independence of the judicial system as a whole.

4.         The Committee of Ministers will continue to carefully follow the case of Ms Sharina, as well as all other individual cases in member States of the Council of Europe brought before it by the distinguished members of the Parliamentary Assembly.