Thank you Mr President, 

From the outset we would like to thank Ms. Katzarova for her extensive and independent work, which has resulted in a second a report to this Council. A report, which once more details the structural, state-sponsored system of grave and widespread human rights violations in Russia. 

We urge Russia to halt its unabated, systematic crackdown on freedom of expression and political dissent, to fully cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur and to implement all recommendations included in her reports.

We furthermore call on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release the 1,372 arbitrarily detained persons mentioned in the report, and to stop the criminalization, prosecution, imprisonment, ill-treatment and torture of dissenting voices. 

The conclusions of the report are clear, and they speak to the importance of continued monitoring of the human rights situation in the country. 

Madame Special Rapporteur,
In the context of a deteriorating  human rights situation, not least by the use of repressive legislation, how can the international community best support dissenting voices and human rights defenders, both those remaining in Russia and those in exile? 

Thank you.