PACE General Rapporteur: Amateur Investigations Can Lead To Culture Of Accusations Without Due Process

• 16.09.2024, 16:24

Eerik-Niiles Kross has reacted to the video by the FBK.

PACE General Rapporteur on Russian Democratic Forces Eerik-Niiles Kross has made a statement:

“On September 12, 2024, the Vilnius-based headquarters of the Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, aka Team Navalny) published a video accusing former Yukos partner and Israeli businessman Leonid Nevzlin of ordering the attack on Leonid Volkov. The report indirectly implicated Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Russian Anti-War Committee.

The criminal attack on Leonid Volkov is currently being investigated by Lithuanian law enforcement authorities in cooperation with Poland. Volkov has acknowledged the professionalism of the investigation.

The video published by FBK, claiming to have new evidence in the case, should be reviewed by the relevant authorities. In Council of Europe member states that honor the rule of law and individual freedoms, criminal offenses must be investigated by the police and judged by courts. Replacing these processes with amateur investigations and attempts at public judgment may be necessary in totalitarian environments, such as in today's Russian Federation. However, in democratic societies, this undermines the judicial system and can lead to a dangerous culture of accusations without due process.

FBK, as an organization very familiar with the Putin regime's methods of disinformation and use of “kompromat” against its opponents, might find it challenging to trust the law enforcement agencies of democracies. However, for the sake of Russia’s future, it must overcome this reflex.”