Open call to the German Council Presidency and High Representative/Vice- President Josep Borrell We, Members of the European Parliament, are appalled by and strongly condemn the murderous attack on Alexey Navalny’s life, Russia’s most renowned opposition figure. We acknowledge the statement by the Berlin Charité hospital according to which, "clinical evidence suggests an intoxication through a substance belonging to the group of cholinesterase inhibitors", followed by the German government's confirmation that experts found unequivocal proof of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group that has poisoned Alexey Navalny. We concur with calls by various European governments’ on Russian authorities for a full and transparent investigation into the case to hold the perpetrators accountable. However, we remain extremely sceptical that Russian authorities are fit and willing to investigate the real background of this crime. We all look back at a long history of Putin opponents and independent journalists attacked and/or murdered and Russian authorities failing to bring to justice the real perpetrators: Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, Boris Nemtsov, Pyotr Verzilov and Vladimir Kara-Murza - these are only the most prominent cases in this gruesome track record. Thus, we call upon the EU High Representative Josep Borrell and the German Council Presidency to work towards an international investigation into the poisoning of Alexey Navalny within structures of the United Nations and Council of Europe with possible support of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Russia, as a leading member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe, is bound by their obligations to protect fundamental human rights and investigate crimes. We also reaffirm the necessity by the EU to swiftly establish the EU Human Rights Violations Sanction Mechanism, so we can hold accountable the people who are behind those attacks against opposition figures and journalists. We cannot stand by and watch while opposition in Russia is systematically subjected to poison attacks. Brussels, 4 September 2020 Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA) Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA) Rasmus Andresen (Greens/EFA) Petras Austrevicius (Renew Europe) Andrus Ansip (Renew Europe) Alice Bah Kuhnke (Greens/EFA) Bartosz Arłukowicz (EPP) Katarina Barley (S&D) Attila Ara-Kovács (S&D) Nicola Beer (Renew Europe) Maria Arena (S&D) Robert Biedroń (S&D) Vladimír Bilčík (EPP) Moritz Körner (Renew Europe) Gabriele Bischoff (S&D) Andrey Kovatchev (EPP) Brando Benifei (S&D) Andrius Kubilius (EPP) Isabel Benjumea (EPP) Elżbieta Kruk (ECR) Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA) David Lega (EPP) Vlad Marius Botoș (Renew Europe) Miriam Lexmann (EPP) Patrick Breyer (Greens/EFA) Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe) Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA) Leopoldo López Gil (EPP) Maria da Graça Carvalho (EPP) Peter Lundgren (ECR) Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA) Erik Marquardt (Greens/EFA) Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (S&D) Radka Maxová (Renew Europe) Antoni Comín (NI) Liudas Mažylis (EPP) Ignazio Corrao (NI) Dace Melbārde (ECR) Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (Greens/EFA) Karen Melchior (Renew Europe) Katalin Cseh (Renew Europe) Csaba Molnár (S&D) Peter van Dalen (EPP) Dolors Montserrat (EPP) Jakop Dalunde (Greens/EFA) Javier Nart (Renew Europe) Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA) Hannah Neumann (Greens/EFA) Klára Dobrev (S&D) Niklas Nienaß (Greens/EFA) Anna Donath (Renew Europe) Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA) Pascal Durand (Renew Europe) Ljudmila Novak (EPP) Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová (ECR) Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew Europe) Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA) Urmas Paet (Renew Europe) Laurence Farreng (Renew Europe) Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA) Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA) Mikuláš Peksa (Greens/EFA) Tomasz Frankowski (EPP) Kira Peter-Hansen (Greens/EFA) Niels Fuglsang (S&D) Sabrina Pignedoli (NI) Gianna Gancia (ID) Kati Piri (S&D) Alexandra Geese (Greens/EFA) Peter Pollák (EPP) Andreas Glück (Renew Europe) Clara Ponsatí (NI) Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D) Carles Puigdemont (NI) Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA) Frédérique Ries (Renew Europe) Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA) María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew Bernard Guetta (Renew Europe) Europe) Henrike Hahn (Greens/EFA) Sándor Rónai (S&D) Svenja Hahn (Renew Europe) Bronis Ropė (Greens/EFA) Andrzej Halicki (EPP) Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA) Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA) Christel Schaldemose (S&D) Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Greens/EFA) Andreas Schieder (S&D) Pär Holmgren (Greens/EFA) Radosław Sikorski (EPP) Evin Incir (S&D) Michaela Šojdrová (EPP) Rasa Juknevičienė (EPP) Jordi Solé i Ferrando (Greens/EFA) Sandra Kalniete (EPP) Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA) Radan Kanev (EPP) Maria Spyraki (EPP) Peter Kofod (ID) Ivan Štefanec (EPP) Arba Kokalari (EPP) Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA) Petros Kokkalis (GUE/NGL) Ramona Strugariu (Renew Europe) Riho Terras (EPP) Róża von Thun und Hohenstein (EPP) Eugen Tomac (EPP) Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA) István Ujhelyi (S&D) Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA) Monika Vana (Greens/EFA) Adrián Vázquez Lázara (Renew Europe) Marianne Vind (S&D) Pernille Weiss (EPP) Michal Wiezik (EPP) Salima Yenbou (Greens/EFA) Milan Zver (EPP) .