Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights made the following statement today on the situation of human rights activist Yuri Guaiana, detained by police in Russia:
"I am extremely concerned for the safety of Yuri Guaiana, an Italian activist, who was detained by police in Moscow on his way to the General Prosecutor's Office to hand over signatures collected in a petition against the treatment of gay men in Chechnya. I urge the Russian authorities to release him as soon as possible...""Defending the right to freedom of expression and the right to receive information is paramount in times like today when verifiable news and information are in decline and fake news is on the rise," declared the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT).