SEPTEMBER 2005

5.9.2005 17:51 MSK
Committee for Lawyers’ Rights set up
RUSSIA, Moscow. On 1 September, All-Russian Public Movement for the Human Rights set up the Committee for the Rights of Lawyers. Mikhail Trepashkin was elected Chairman of the Committee. On 31 August he was granted an early conditional release from prison where he had been serving sentence for divulging state secret — a charge that Trepashkin and his lawyers believe to be politically motivated. Besides Trepashkin the Committee members include lawyers Rouslan Koblev, Yelena Liptser, Stanislav Markelov and Roustam Chernov.

Speaking at the press conference at Independent Press Centre on 2 September, Mikhail Trepashkin and Lev Ponomaryov, Executive Director of All-Russian Public Movement For the Human Rights, revealed the Committee’s purpose and goals. They include publicising every case of unlawful and unfounded persecution against lawyers; alerting higher executive and judicial bodies to violations of lawyers’ legitimate rights in the context of criminal investigations; protecting ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 9/10/2005 2:30 AM

Photo from www.gettyimages.com

Photo from www.gettyimages.com
Politician Suggests Ban on Foreign Travel for Young Russian Girls

Created: 09.09.2005 15:58 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:58 MSK > document.write(get_ago(1126267094)); </SCRIPT> , 21 hours 29 minutes ago

MosNews

To mark International Beauty Day Nikolai Kurianovich, a State Duma deputy with the nationalist <NOBR>LDPR</NOBR> party, suggested introducing a ban on foreign travel for Russian girls under 21, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

In his opinion, young Russian girls must not visit other countries as tourists, even if they are accompanied by men.

Moreover, Kurianovich asked colleagues to legally reduce rights of Russian girls to marry foreigners, saying it would help preserve the nation’s gene pool.

Russia’s Central Eastern neighbor Turkmenistan has already applied restrictions to foreigners who want to marry Turkmen women. An outsider wishing to wed a female citizen of the state has to render a $50,000 tribute to the country’s budget.

Also, earlier this ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 9/10/2005 7:19 AM

Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP
Former Russian Guantanamo Prisoners to Sue U.S.

Created: 09.09.2005 17:24 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:24 MSK > document.write(get_ago(1126272248)); </SCRIPT>

MosNews

Eight former Russian Guantanamo prisoners are going to sue the U.S. for holding them illegally, Ekho Moskvy radio station reported.

The most active of the group, Airat Vakhitov, who has been closely cooperating with Russian rights activists and writing a book about Guantanamo, told the radio station that the current life of the former inmates is very difficult.

Two of them have been under examination facing charges of terrorism in Russia. One is dying of injuries he sustained in the notorious prison.

Vakhitov also said he has filed his own lawsuit on charges that he was subjected to torture and is awaiting the trial.

Eight Russians were seized in a counter-terrorist operation in Afghanistan and kept at the Guantanamo base in Cuba with other Taliban and terrorist ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 9/13/2005 3:18 AM
CAUCASIAN KNOT / NEWS

6/9/2005

Moscow government amends federal laws

The Moscow City Court has today begun hearing of a lawsuit for declaring invalid the Moscow government directive about rules of registration and deregistration of citizens. As lawyer Igor Trunov acting on behalf of 16 claimants told Caucasian Knot, the Moscow government has passed a huge number of additional rules that regulate this process and make it more difficult and considerably different from the corresponding federal legislation which is effective throughout the rest of Russia.

Mr Trunov believes the Moscow government directive is only to the advantage of corrupted officials. "We have been contacted by dwellers of residence halls who have no money for bribes and other extortion. Therefore, they remain unregistered, foreign workforce without rights," says the lawyer. "Meanwhile, their children suffer because they have no registration either and cannot go to schools or kindergartens ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 9/13/2005 7:02 AM
Sep 13 2005 2:04PM
Prosecutor's office reports on violations in adoption

MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - The Prosecutor General's Office has submitted a report to Education Minister Andrei Fursenko on violations in extending accreditation to foreign child adoption organizations.

The Prosecutor General's Office found serious violations in the prolongation of accreditation to most of the organizations that were authorized to assist child adoption in Russia.

"It has been stated that 31 out of 52 offices of foreign organizations received accreditation in violation of acting legislation," said the report, signed by Deputy Prosecutor General Mikhail Fridinsky, which was published on the Prosecutor General's Office website on Tuesday.

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11383025