FINROSFORUM: Russia May Leave PACE
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posted by eagle on June, 2009 as Human Rights
 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ( PACE) may deprive Russia of its right to vote in the organisation. Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Russian State Duma’s committee on international affairs, said Russia may, as a consequence, leave PACE altogether. In such a case, Russian citizens would lose their right to appeal the sentences meted out in Russian courts to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Russia would thus join Belarus, which so far has been the only country in Europe outside PACE.
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FINROSFORUM: Report: Corruption Taints Courts In Russia
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posted by eagle on as Human Rights
A special European investigator issued a stinging report Tuesday that alleges widespread political abuse of the Russian courts and urges countries not to extradite people to Russia if they might be denied a fair trial, The Washington Post reported.
The conclusions by Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, a former German justice minister, are likely to further strain Russia’s relations with the Council of Europe, which commissioned the probe and is locked in a standoff with Moscow over the future of the European Court of Human Rights.
Russia joined the council in the 1990s, but it has recently attacked the court’s impartiality and is the lone council member blocking a plan to streamline its operations. The court, based in Strasbourg, France, acts as an appeals panel of last resort ... >> full...
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News Blaze: Anna Politkovskaya's Trial Closes In Russia, But The Investigation Must Continue, Says Amnesty International
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posted by eagle on as Human Rights
Published: June 25,2009
Anna Politkovskaya's Trial Closes in Russia, but the Investigation Must Continue, Says Amnesty International
WASHINGTON , June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The investigation into the murder of human rights journalist Anna Politkovskaya must continue with renewed vigor, Amnesty International said today as a jury in a Moscow military district court acquitted all those charged with involvement in the murder. "We urge the relevant Russian authorities not to stop here but to continue the investigation into the murder and to bring to justice all those involved, including the gunman and those who ordered the killing," said Nicola Duckworth,Europe and Central Asia Program Director at Amnesty International. The jury stated that they did not find proof of guilt in the evidence provided by the investigation. Anna Stavitskaia, one of the representatives of the children of Anna Politkovskaya, noted after the trial that the investigation had been weak and that the defense of the accused had been much ...
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FINROSFORUM: Steadfast in Protest : Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2009
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posted by eagle on as Human Rights
 The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has published their Annual Report 2009. Here we publish the section reporting abuses in Russia.
Political contextIn 2008, repression against Russian human rights defenders and the independent media worsened in a climate of tightening policies. The transfer of power from Mr. Vladimir Putin, now Prime Minister, to Mr. Dmitry Medvedev, the new President, did not change the policy of the country. The economic crisis, which severely affected the population at the end of the year, and the August war with Georgia in 2008, led to a consolidation of repression against defenders, opponents and, more generally, against anyone critical of the authorities. Opposition activists were again having trouble enforcing their right to peaceful assembly, and during the year the sometimes brutal arrests increased. Several protests ... >> full...
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The Other Russia: To Avoid Revolution, Russia Must Democratize—Economist
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posted by eagle on as Human Rights
June 18th, 2009 •  As the economic crisis continues to impact Russia, economist Yegor Gaidar argues that Russia must democratize to avoid serious social clashes.
Gaidar, the director of the Institute for the Economy in Transition, describes two options authorities may take to curb protest: wide-scale repression, or democratization. The former could lead to unrest and even revolution. Yet whether Russian authorities are willing or capable of doing the latter remains open to heated debate. Gaidar’s piece first appeared in the the Vedomosti newspaper on June 16th. Juncture: Russia Has Had Enough Revolutions (Rus). “What is happening in our economy is having political consequences. Governing Russia when the population’s real income is rising 10% a year is a pleasant occupation. Under those conditions political repressions and voting manipulations are not needed to maintain power and popularity. Leading a country when the population’s real income is declining and the number of ...
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