Ukraine walks out of Europe human rights body as Russia returns

Delegation leaves Council of Europe assembly in protest at readmission of Russian MPs

Andrew Roth in Moscow
Tue 25 Jun 2019 12.29 BST Last modified on Tue 25 Jun 2019 13.25 BST

The Ukrainian delegation at the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe has walked out in protest after Russian MPs were allowed to return to the human rights body five years after the annexation of Crimea.

In a 118-62 vote, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Pace) voted to allow the Russia’s delegation to return to the body. This move is one of the first penalties imposed upon Moscow to be rolled back since its military entered Ukraine in 2014.

Russia had threatened to leave the Council of Europe, which oversees the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, unless its voting rights to the body were restored.

Human rights advocates worried that ordinary Russians could lose the right to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights for protection from abuses in Russia’s police and legal system. The court orders Russia to pay millions of euro in compensation each year.

But delegates from Ukraine warned that allowing Russia to return to the body would be seen as a concession and show weakness in Europe’s resolve to contain Russia.

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