For Human Rights
The movement For Human Rights keeps track of, and reports on, a wide spectrum of human rights issues including freedom of expression, refugee rights, trials monitoring and freedom of association. The movement not only works to promote and educate issues relating to human rights, but also provides social and humanitarian assistance, free legal consultations and legal representation. The movement is led by Lev Ponomarev who has been working as a human rights defender since the 1980s. He is also a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group. The human rights defender has recently been charged with repeated violations of the law on public assemblies for being an outspoken defender of human rights.
The environment for the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Russian Federation is difficult, especially for those who defend and promote the rights of LGBTI people, ethnic and religious minorities, refugees, as well as activists of the North Caucasus and the unlawfully annexed Crimean Peninsula. HRDs are often subjected to acts of harassment, surveillance, physical attacks, threat, raids and searches on their offices and homes, slander and smear campaigns, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, and ill-treatment, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. There have also been cases where HRDs have been murdered as a result of their work.
