Human rights defenders in the Russian Federation have been subjected to acts of harassment, surveillance, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, violent attacks, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, torture, forced disappearances and killings.

According to the UN SRSG's report on the situation of human rights defenders in the Russian Federation many NGOs working within Russia “are involved in activities that are not solely focused on human rights. Amongst those working with a specific human rights focus, most deal with issues such as the war in Chechnya, conscript law, the alternative civil service, refugee issues, minority issues, detention conditions in prisons, legal reform, nationalism and xenophobia, and torture.”1 In January 2006 a new law was passed which severely restricts the activities of NGOs operating in Russia and allows the Ministry of Justice to monitor the activities and funding of NGOs and grants the authorities a greater degree of control over human rights related projects. In October 2006 a law in relation to the registration or re-registration of international NGOs in Russia came into force which requires the organisation to go through a bureaucratic process believed to represent an attempt by the Kremlin to limit the influence of these organisations and deter other such organisations from seeking to establish a branch based in Russia - both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were forced to temporarily close their offices in Russia as their registration documents were apparently incomplete. Domestic NGOs who are critical of government policies and highlight human rights violations are subject to judicial harassment, stigmatisation and may even be at risk of closure. Individual critics of human rights violations allegedly carried out by state authorities, especially those who have been outspoken on Russia's policy towards the conflict in Chechnya, have been victims of judicial harassment, acts of intimidation, violent attacks, forced disappearances and killings. Independent journalists are particularly vulnerable and several such journalists have been killed in recent years including Anna Politkovskaya in October 2006. Freedom of assembly has also been curtailed and peaceful demonstrations have been banned or violently suppressed. The Gay Pride march in May 2006 was prevented from taking place and LGBTI defenders are subject to discrimination and abuse. A climate of impunity prevails in Russia for those who have carried out grave human rights violations whilst the relatives or human rights defenders who seek to bring these perpetrators to justice are instead persecuted.

URGENT CASES

Russian Federation: Search at the home of human rights defender Mrs Stefania Kulaeva

Post date: 2012/02/10

On 3 February 2012, the district police inspector carried out a search at the home of human rights defender Mrs Stefania Kulaeva, head of the Anti-Discrimination Centre 'Memorial' (ADC 'Memorial'), following a complaint that a brothel was operating at her address,...

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Russian Federation: Brutal attack on human rights defender Mr Philipp Kostenko

Post date: 2012/02/7

On 3 February 2012, human rights defender Mr Philipp Kostenko was attacked and badly beaten by two unidentified individuals in Saint Petersburg.

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Russian Federation: Website of Interregional Committee Against Torture hacked

Post date: 2012/02/3

On 28 January 2012, the website of the Russian Interregional Committee Against Torture (CAT) was hacked.

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Russian Federation: Campaign of harassment against children's rights defender Mrs Vera Drobinskaya

Post date: 2012/01/27

On 16 January 2012, a group of individuals visited the home of children's rights defender Mrs Vera Drobinskaya and attempted to take her seven foster children from her. Vera Drobinskaya has been subjected to a campaign of harassment after denouncing violations of...

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Russian Federation: Detention of human rights defender Mr Anton Ryzhov on his way from Chechnya

Post date: 2012/01/23

On 21 January 2012, human rights defender Mr Anton Ryzhov was temporarily detained in Nizhny Novgorod as he was on his way back from Chechnya.

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