PACE again suspends Russia

STRASBOURG – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided again to strip Russia of the right to vote or take part in the assembly’s governing bodies until April. In announcing its decision on January 28, PACE condemned Russia’s “illegal annexation of Crimea” in March of last year. The PACE statement also condemned Russia’s role in “instigating and escalating developments in Ukraine, including with arms supplies to insurgent forces and covert military action by Russian troops inside eastern Ukraine.” Russia continues to deny playing any role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. After the decision, the head of Russia’s delegation to PACE, Aleksei Pushkov, said his country will suspend until the end of 2015 its participation in the pan-European body dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. PACE first suspended Russia in April of last year. (RFE/RL, with reporting by TASS)