European Parliament recognizes Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism

The European Parliament in a vote on Wednesday supported a resolution recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

It was reported by the European Pravda.

The resolution was supported by 494 MEPs, 58 were against and 44 abstained.

In the document, the European Parliament acknowledged that Russia carries out indiscriminate attacks on residential areas and civil infrastructure in Ukraine, as a result of which thousands of people died. In the occupied territories, the aggressors carry out executions without trial, abductions, sexual violence, torture, and other atrocities, the resolution added. Mass murders in Bucha, Irpen, Izyum, and Liman were also mentioned, as well as attacks on the Mariupol theater and the railway station in Kramatorsk.

The authors of the draft also noted that Russia violates the principles of the UN Charter, caused a humanitarian crisis in Mariupol and destroyed 95 percent of the city, cut off Ukrainians' access to gas, electricity, water, and internet, as well as to basic goods and services.

The European Parliament stresses that the targeted attacks and atrocities carried out by the Russian Federation against the civilian population of Ukraine, the destruction of civil infrastructure, and other serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law constitute acts of terror against the Ukrainian population and war crimes; expresses its unequivocal indignation and condemns these attacks and atrocities and other acts that Russia has committed to achieving its destructive political goals in Ukraine and on its territory.

In this regard, the European Parliament called on the EU and its member states to develop a legal framework to define states as sponsors of terrorism and states that use the means of terrorism, which would entail a number of significant restrictive measures against these countries and would have profoundly restrictive consequences for the EU's relations with these countries.

The European Parliament also calls on the EU Council to subsequently consider adding the Russian Federation to such a list of state sponsors of EU terrorism, and for EU partners to take similar measures.

In addition, MEPs called on the EU and its member states to take measures to initiate a comprehensive international isolation of Russia, including regarding Russia's membership in international organizations and bodies such as the UN Security Council and to refrain from holding any official events in the Russian Federation.

"The European Parliament calls for further reduction of diplomatic relations with Russia and reduction of contacts with its official representatives at all levels to the absolute minimum necessary; calls on EU member states to close and ban Russian state institutions, such as the Russian Centers for Science and Culture, as well as organizations and associations of the Russian diaspora that operate under the aegis and guidance of Russian diplomatic missions and promote Russian state propaganda worldwide," said

Author - Olena Madiak, 23/11/2022