European Liberal Democrat Leader tells Putin what everyone else is thinking

2.52.50pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 19th Oct 2006

Spelling out wide spread European concerns about the rapid decline in freedom and democracy in Russia, ALDE'S leader Graham Watson has written an open letter to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The letter was printed today in the Russian newspapers Novaya Gazeta and Nezavisimaya Gazeta and will appear in the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat tomorrow. Published on the occasion of the Lahti Summit, the letter calls upon President Putin to liberate his country from the shackles of authoritarianism and reverse those policies which are strangling his country and its private citizens. "The next generation agreement between the EU and Russia", writes Graham Watson "must be based on a stronger common understanding of democracy and human rights".

Open letter to Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

On the occasion of the meeting with European Heads of State and Government

Lahti, Finland, 20th October 2006

President Putin,

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Members of the European Parliament, are deeply concerned by the rapid decline in freedom and democracy in your country.

We are deeply concerned that the killing of the prominent and independent journalist, Anna Politkovskaya on 7th October is one of dozens of high profile assassinations of media personnel, nearly all of which go unpunished and unresolved, leading to a situation which is stifling freedom of thought and opinion in Russia ;

We are deeply concerned that this premeditated murder, and many more like it, including the killing of bankers such as Andrei Kozlov (murdered 13th September) and Alexander Plokhin (murdered 10th October) and that of Anatoly Voronin from Tass News Agency (16th October) represent the latest signs of increasing lawlessness taking root in your country;

We are deeply concerned that political opposition is being slowly but surely eliminated and that those who dare to finance it, such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky, are being silenced and incarcerated;

We are deeply concerned that, whilst terrible atrocities have been committed on both sides, the conduct of Russian policy in Chechnya is unacceptable, making a bad situation worse by creating lasting hatred and bitterness and in contravention of international norms of Human Rights ;

We therefore challenge you to reverse those policies which are strangling your country and its private citizens, conduct an open and independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Anna Politkovskaya and others and bring the perpetrators of this and other murders to justice.

In essence, we challenge you to liberate your country from the shackles of authoritarianism, permit the free expression of opinion and guarantee an independent and functioning judiciary that will protect all citizens of Russia from fear and violence.

We wish to build good economic and commercial relations with your country but believe that the next generation agreement between the EU and Russia must be based on a stronger common understanding of democracy and human rights.