Dear ladies and gentlemen,
We declare the rule of Russia’s current president, Vladimir Putin, to be illegitimate after the country’s 2024 “elections.” The key reasons are outlined in Resolution No. 2519 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, dated October 13, 2023, as well as in a special report within this resolution, of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights rapporteur, Mr. Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands), No. 15827, dated September 22, 2023.
We would like to draw your attention to the following facts, in support of this declaration of illegitimacy:
· The complete usurpation of power and pressure on any political opponents of the current regime, including repression and physical elimination of these opponents;
· The conducting elections in the temporarily occupied territories of independent Ukraine, and the use of methods of coercion to garner votes in illegal electoral events;
· The illegal, unconstitutional amendment of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to maintain the possibility of Vladimir Putin staying in power. Recall that according to part 3 of Article 81 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (before the 2020 amendments), the same person could not hold the position of President of the Russian Federation for more than two subsequent terms. Thus, Putin had no right to become President of Russia in 2012, nor in subsequent years;
· The war in Ukraine and the war crimes committed there, for which Vladimir Putin is on the international wanted list by a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Taking the step of declaring Putin’s presidency illegitimate will exert strong pressure on his regime to end the war in Ukraine. It will also allow the regime to be held accountable under international law for the war crimes it has committed. We urge you to back this urgent declaration.
- Austrevicius Petra, MEP
- Badertscher Christine, Member of National Council for the Greens, Switzerland
- Baroness Brinton, Vice President of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, GB
- Bechieau François, Deputy mayor of the 19th district of Paris, Adviser to the Greater Paris Metropolis
- Beck Marieluise, Former member of the Bundestag, Green Party
- Betancourt Pulecio Ingrid, Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist
- Bezhanishvili Zurab, President, International Community for Georgia Development and the Progress
- Boni Igor, president of the Italian Radicals, Italy
- Brand Michael, Member of Bundestag from CDU, Germany
- Bulai Iulian, MP Romania, President of the ALDE Group at PACE
- Camarra Monique, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy
- Chalmers David, Chair of Liberal Democrat Federal International Relations Committee, GB
- Dr. Hofreiter Anton, Chairman of the committee on European affairs of the federal parliament of Germany
- Dudko Olena, on behalf of European Youth of Ukraine
- Dupuis Olivier, former member of the European Parliament, Belgium/Italy
- Erndl Thomas, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Bundestag
- European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine, Catalonia
- Exner Martin, Deputy of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic
- Feifer Gregory, Executive Director, Institute of Current World Affairs, Washington DC
- Féraud Rémi, conseiller de Paris, Groupe Paris en commun
- Fotyga Anna, Member of the European Parliament, former Foreign Minister of Poland
- Franks Ian, Vice Chair of LibDems in Europe, GB
- Fücks Ralf, Director, Center for Liberal Modernity, Berlin
- Fukuyama Francis, American political scientist and Senior Fellow at Stanford
- Gahler Michael, MEP
- Garrigos Geneviève, human rights defender, former President of Amnesty International France
- Glucksman Raphael, MEP
- Golubeva Marija, former Minister of Interior of Latvia
- Gregoire Emmanuel, Paris deputy mayor, France
- Guetta Bernard, MEP
- Havlicek Pavel, Research Fellow at Association for International Affairs and Coordinator of the Czech Friends of Free Russia
- Heymans Pavlína, Head of Office EPP Women, Brussels
- Hilšer Marek — Senator of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
- Hyrrylainen Tret Adrian, elected member of LibDem Federal International Relations Committee, GB
- Imboden Natalie, Green Party of Switzerland
- Jamet Fournier Boris, Niakate Aminata, Raifaud Sylvain, Ziady Karim — conseillers de Paris
- Jardine Christine, Member of British Parliament
- Kalikh Andrey, researcher at international expert initiative iSANS
- Kallas Siim, MP, former Prime Minister of Estonia, former Vice President of the EU Commission.
- Kavtaradze Irakli — Former Member of Parliament of Georgia
- Kieserwetter Roderich, Member of Bundestag from CDU, Germany
- Kokalari Arba, MEP
- Kovatchev Andrey, MEP, Head of Bulgarian delegation of the EPP Group in the European Parliament
- Kravchuk Yevheniya, MP Ukraine, Chair of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, PACE
- Kross Eerik-Niiles, MP Estonia, former head of intelligence
- Krystyna Zachwatowicz, Polish art historian and theater and film set designer, professor of fine arts, Andrzej Wajda’s spouse
- Kubilius Andrius, Member of the European Parliament, Standing Rapporteur on Russia
- Laar Mart, former Prime Minister of Estonia
- Lega David, MEP, Sweden
- Les Guerrières de la Paix, women’s movement for peace, justice and equality, France
- Levi Isaac, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, London
- Maydell Eva, MEP
- Mažylis Liudas, MEP, Lithuania
- McFaul Michael, American academic and diplomat, former United States Ambassador to Russia
- Melchior Karen, MEP
- Mendras Marie, researcher and professor, Sciences Po, France
- Merezhko Oleksandr, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ukranian Rada
- Michalcová Andrea — Director, Centre for Informed Society
- Michnik Adam, Polish historian, essayist, former dissident, public intellectual
- Mihkelson Marko, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Estonian Parliament
- Mitov Daniel, Member of the Parliament, Former Foreign minister of Bulgaria
- Molina Fabian, Member of National Council, Switzerland
- Nordmann Roger, President of the Social Democratic group, Member of National Council, Switzerland
- Okamura Hayato, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Republic
- Olekas Juozas, MEP, former minister of defense of Lithuania
- Paet Urmas, MEP, former Foreign Minister of Estonia
- Pagazaurtundúa Maite, MEP
- Pavilionis Žygimantas, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania
- Petříček Tomáš, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
- Pouzyreff Natalia, Deputy of the French National Assembly, member of the Defense Committee, president of the French-Russian group
- Progressive Analytical Centre, Prague, Czech Republic
- Quartapelle Lia, member of the Chamber of Deputies (Democratic Party), Italy
- Quistorp Eva, former MEP, founding member of the German Green Party
- Rautu Andrei, Human Rights Representative, OCIDO/HRICO Bucharest, Romania
- Reinsalu Urmas, MP Estonia, former Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Romero-Michel Jean-Luc, Deputy Mayor of Paris
- Shekhovtsov Anton, Chair of the Centre for Democratic Integrity, Austria
- Stollmeyer Alice, Founder & Executive Director, Defend Democracy, The Hague, Netherlands
- Stowarzyszenie Memoriał Polska, Memorial Association, Poland
- Terras Riho, MEP, former Chief of Defense, Estonia
- Tofilat Sergiu, head of NGO Community Watch-Dog, member of the Chisinau city council, Moldova
- Van de Streek Hillie J. , Secretary General EPP WOMEN
- Viola Simona, co-founder and board member of the +Europa party, Italy
- Vogel Nathalie, Research Fellow at the Center for Intermarium Studies, the Institute of World Politics, Washington DC
- Von Lerchenfeld Walburga, vice president Germany, European Union of Women
- Von Wiese Irina, Chair of Liberal International British Group, GB
- Wermuth Cédric, Member of National Council, Switzerland
- Widmer Céline, Member of National Council, Switzerland
- Wyler Rebekka, co-Secretary General of the Swiss Social Democratic Party
- Zingeris Imanuelis, MP Lithuania, Head of Lithuanian Delegation to PACE
- +Europa, liberal and pro-European political party, Italy