Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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78. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his response to the increasing use of anti-extremism laws to prosecute reporters in Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20579/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The leveraging of anti-extremism laws to target reporters in Russia is greatly concerning. This is part of a broader deterioration in the domestic human rights situation, which has been severely undermined by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

I share the concerns raised by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on 7 May that Russia’s legislative framework to combat terrorism and extremism is being used to criminalise independent journalism.

The World Press Freedom Index released on 3 May describes a crusade against independent journalism in Russia. 30 journalists are currently detained under criminal charges, including terrorism, extremism, and violating the law on foreign agents.

In October, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia found that laws on anti-terrorism and anti-extremism are being used to limit freedom of expression. These measures have had such a silencing effect that more than 1,500 journalists have fled abroad since 2022.

Since March, seven journalists have faced charges, including for criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine or for alleged links to the late Alexei Navalny, and his anti-corruption foundation, itself labelled as ‘extremist’ in 2021.

Ireland has welcomed the adoption of sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Regime, in view of the deterioration of the situation in Russia, including the listing in March of a number of individuals and entities linked to Mr. Navalny’s death. Ireland will support any further EU measures targeting those directly responsible for human rights violations in Russia.

Ireland is committed to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression. At Russia’s Universal Periodic Review and the Human Rights Council, Ireland called on Russia to end acts of intimidation, prosecution and violence against journalists. Journalists must be able to work without fear of reprisals – in line with Russia’s international human rights obligations.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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79. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he regards the outcome of the Russian Federation's presidential election in March as legitimate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20578/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 94 together.

The presidential elections held by Russia on 15-17 March took place in a highly restricted environment exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.

These elections were neither free nor fair and ultimately reflect a wider deterioration in human rights and democracy in Russia under Vladimir Putin. They took place in an ever-shrinking political space, which has resulted in an alarming increase of violations of civil and political rights, with many candidates precluded from running. This deprived Russian voters of a real choice and heavily limited their access to accurate information.

Russian authorities continue to increase systematic internal repression by cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of repressive legislation and politically motivated prison sentences. The shocking death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in the run-up to the elections is yet another sign of the accelerating and systematic repression in Russia.

Ireland condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempts by the Russian Federation to illegally annex the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Accordingly Ireland does not recognise as legitimate the results of polls held in these regions of Ukraine under the temporary occupation of the Russian Federation.

Similarly, Ireland does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and therefore does not recognise the so-called elections held in the occupied Crimean peninsula.

More broadly, the political situation in Russia has increasingly descended into authoritarianism in recent years, and has deteriorated further since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are ongoing examples of mass arbitrary arrests and detentions, as well as harassment of peaceful anti-war activists, human rights defenders, journalists, cultural figures and ethnic minorities. Domestic opposition leaders have been arrested and prosecuted on politically motivated charges. Legislation has been introduced to essentially shut down civil society in Russia.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation has described a so-called legal carousel whereby victims are put through a series of arbitrary detentions until a fabricated criminal charge is raised against the victim. Confessions are frequently obtained through the use of torture or other coercive practices. There is no independent oversight, reporting, or investigation mechanisms, which perpetuates impunity for such serious crimes.

Ireland remains deeply concerned at the shocking erosion of human rights in Russia, and the persecution of individuals for exercising their personal freedoms, including rights to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly. Ireland will continue to highlight these issues at the Human Rights Council, the OSCE and other relevant international fora.

Russia is currently subject to the most comprehensive and far-reaching sanctions ever imposed by the European Union. The European Union adopted additional sanctions on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion and continues to keep its sanctions under review, including in response to the increasing erosion of human rights and civil liberties in Russia.