PACE rejects registration of proposal to label Putin as a terrorist
The Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has rejected an amendment proposed by Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko and three co-authors, which sought to hold Russian leader Vladimir Putin accountable for numerous acts of terror against civilians.
The incident occurred while working on the resolution titled "Europe's Commitment to a Just and Sustainable Peace in Ukraine", which the PACE will consider on 30 January. Proposals for this document were being registered the day before.
As Merezhko said in an interview with European Pravda in Strasbourg, along with five other Ukrainian MPs, including the head of Ukraine’s parliament delegation and Swedish MP Markus Wiechel, they proposed an amendment that, if adopted, would have seen the Assembly "recognise that Vladimir Putin is a terrorist under whose guidance numerous acts of terror have been committed against the civilian population".
However, after all the proposals were published, Merezhko’s amendment was notably absent.
European Pravda has obtained a response from the PACE Secretariat explaining the rejection. They informed Merezhko in writing that "designating a Head of State as a terrorist is tantamount to using offensive and insulting terms that are inappropriate in an official Assembly document".
Merezhko responded, stating, "For any international lawyer, it’s clear that 'terrorist' is a legal term. Especially considering the Assembly has already recognized Russia as a terrorist regime!"
"It’s not the Secretariat's role to decide what’s offensive to whom. There are PACE members who could reject my amendment – that’s how the democratic process works. But what happened now is an act of political censorship," he added.
During the PACE session, the issue of Georgia's powers was also discussed. The Assembly ultimately confirmed Georgia's powers but imposed demands and sanctions on the country. In response, Georgia announced its "withdrawal" from PACE.
At the same time, European Pravda reported that the "deep state", referring to the Secretariat of the Assembly and the relevant committee, sided with the Georgians, attempting to undermine the sanctions against the Georgian delegation.
It was only after a lengthy and emotional debate among the MPs that the resolution was amended, resulting in a compromise version.