The Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe has denied Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko and three other co-authors of an amendment that places blame on Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin for the terror of the Russian occupation army against the civilian population of Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The PACE Secretariat denied registering an amendment to recognize Vladimir Putin as a terrorist due to concerns about using offensive terms in an official document.
- Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko criticizes the decision as an act of political censorship and stresses the importance of upholding democratic principles.
- The controversy arises from the proposed amendment labeling the Kremlin dictator as a terrorist, leading to debates on the use of such terms in diplomatic contexts.
- The PACE decision highlights the complexities of international politics and the fine line between freedom of expression and diplomatic protocols.
- Debates continue on whether the refusal to register the amendment was justified or an infringement on the democratic process within the Assembly.
Why did PACE refuse to register the bill recognizing Putin as a terrorist?
It is noted that the decision was made against the backdrop of work on the resolution "Europe's Commitment to a Just and Sustainable Peace in Ukraine", which is to be considered by PACE on Thursday, January 30.
The day before, the assembly registered proposals for this document.
In particular, Oleksandr Merezhko and five representatives of Ukraine in PACE, including the head of the Verkhovna Rada delegation, as well as Swede Marcus Wichel, proposed adopting an amendment according to which the assembly would recognize Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin as a terrorist.
However, after the publication of all the parliamentarians' proposals for amendments, Merezhko was not among them.
The PACE secretariat explained that "designating the head of state as a terrorist is tantamount to using offensive and obscene terms, which are inappropriate in an official document of the Assembly."
What the authors of the edit say
The Secretariat refers to the fact that the amendments cannot contain personal insults. But excuse me, it is clear to every international lawyer that "terrorist" is a legal, juridical term. Especially since the Assembly has already recognized Russia as a terrorist regime! — notes Merezhko.
According to the Ukrainian deputy, the PACE decision is an act of political censorship.
"It is not the secretariat's business to decide what is offensive to whom. There are PACE deputies who can reject my amendment. This is how the democratic process works. And what happened now is an act of political censorship," the MP notes.
