Brussels, Belgium. The Council of the European Union has imposed restrictive measures on eight additional individuals in Russia, according to an official announcement. The Council said the individuals are responsible for serious human rights violations and repression of civil society and democratic opposition.
Individuals targeted
The Council said the new listings target members of the judiciary, including two judges, one prosecutor and one investigator described as being involved in politically motivated trials. The Council said they were responsible for sentencing Russian activists Dmitry Skurikhin and Oleg Belousov on politically motivated charges.
The measures also target the heads of penal colonies and a pre-detention centre where political prisoners Aleksei Gorinov, Pavel Kushnir, Mikhail Kriger and journalist Maria Ponomarenko were held.
Conditions cited by the Council
According to the Council, the prisoners had been speaking out against Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and criticising Putin’s regime, and were kept in solitary confinement and inhuman and degrading conditions.
Sanctions measures
Those designated are subject to an asset freeze, and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. They are also subject to a travel ban preventing entry into or transit through EU territories.
Legal basis and broader framework
The Council said the EU remains unwavering in its condemnation of human rights violations and repressions in Russia and is concerned about the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, especially in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The decision forms part of a broader sanctions framework established by the Council in March 2024, creating a new framework for restrictive measures targeting those responsible for serious human rights violations or abuses, repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia.
What impact do you think these EU measures could have on the individuals and institutions targeted?
