European Parliament, Brussels, Sitting of Thursday 26 February 2004

Olivier Dupuis (NI-Radical). - Mr President, Rt. Hon. colleagues, Mr Commissioner, I believe we must emphasise what Mr Brie has already told us. We are discussing a recommendation to the Council in the absence of the Council, which is not an encouraging sign of the Council’s interest in such an important question. Nevertheless, I believe that the debate is wide-reaching, certainly more so than what we find in this morning’s papers, that is Mr Chirac’s comments about Europe’s lack of respect for Russia.

Which Russia are we talking about? The Russia of the recent general elections? In which, as some colleagues have already pointed out, we witnessed - even worse than in Serbia - the near-monopolisation of the "nationalist parties", the term we use when we want to demonstrate a sense of decency, though we know very well that they are actually Fascist parties. We can’t say that, however, because it is Russia we are talking about!

I am in complete agreement with several colleagues: Mr Arvidsson, who has drawn up a list of many little things that are not OK, Mr Brie, Mr Wuori and others. I believe that there is hardly anything that is OK. As the general elections showed. As for the presidential elections, we cannot really use the term ‘election campaign’, because there hasn’t been one. We have all witnessed the scandal of the Rybkine affair, from the name of a candidate who was kidnapped, taken to a foreign country, drugged, and brought back. There was the scandal related to the candidacy of Mikhail Khodorkovski: one of the most important Russian entrepreneurs. We would not have tolerated even a fraction of what was done to him. I believe that the Court in Strasbourg is bound to confirm this, in three years, unfortunately, because by that time Mr Khodorkovski’s business and Mr Khodorkovski himself will have suffered enormously.

I have one question for Mr. Patten: when can we talk about human rights abuse? When 20% of a population of one million people have been wiped out, is it a case of human rights abuse, genocide or biblical tragedy? I believe that we can talk about human rights abuse when we are faced with a certain number of serious exceptions to a legislation that is known and generally respected. On the other hand, when we are faced, as in the current situation in Chechnya, with the elimination of 200,000 people in 9 years, with tens of thousands of cases of torture and rape, it is no longer a case of human rights abuse, but of genocide. I believe that many colleagues, including myself, are rather reluctant to use the word genocide. We all know why. In Europe, 60 year ago, something extremely serious happened which is called genocide. In Rwanda, something extremely serious happened which is called genocide. And today, in Chechnya, something is happening which is called genocide and which has no relation, Commissioner Patten, with human rights abuse.

I would like to thank the rapporteur Belder, and many colleagues who have, I believe, been forced to admit that what is happening in Chechnya, in Russia, no longer has any relation with human rights abuse and with a lack of democracy. It is much more serious!