Participation of the Russian human rights groups in the consultations on human rights between Russia and the EU: third round
On the 3-rd March 2006 Vienna will play host to representatives of the European Union and the Russian Federation as they carry out the third round of consultations between the EU and Russia on human rights. This new mechanism was launched a year ago and offers a forum for both discussion of human rights situaion in Russia and in countries of the EU, and cooperation in the sphere of human rights at an international level. The consultations take place once every six months; previous meetings were held in Luxemburg and Brussels. Russia is represented by officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the European Union by officials from the “big three”: the Presidency of the EU (currently Austria), the European Commission and the Council of the EU.
Since last summer Russian NGOs have been attempting to secure greater transparency in these inter-governmental consultations and insist upon the participation of civil society institutes in discussions. Dissatisfied with the absence of response to their demands, Russian human rights groups organized a series of public hearings about human rights in Russia, which were held in Brussels in September of last year to coincide with the second round of official consultations.
As part of its preparations for the third round of consultations the European Union decided to take the first step in addressing the demands of Russian NGOs. It has invited them and representatives of foreign NGOs to a meeting in Vienna on the 2-nd March – on the eve of inter-governmental dialogue. The aim is to discuss with civil organizations the pressing issues that are on the agenda for discussion the following day with representatives of the Russian government. The official Russian delegation had also been invited to participate in the meeting with the NGOs, but unfortunately has declined to take part.
The meeting with the NGOs will last for three hours, from 15.00 to 18.00, and will address the following issues:
1. The human rights situation in the Chechen Republic and Northern Caucasus as a whole.
2. The obedience of law in the work of law enforcement agencies, independence of judiciary and pressure on advocates.
3. The situation of non-governmental organizations in light of the new law on NGOs.
4. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance, in particular with regard to ethnic and religious minorities.
During the meeting the non-governmental organizations will present a series of reports on these issues.
The following representatives from Russian NGOs will participate in the meeting:
1. Tatyana Lokshina (DEMOS Centre, Moscow)
2. Yuri Dzhibladze (Centre for Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Moscow)
3. Svetlana Gannushkina (The Russian Committee for Refugees “Civic Assistance”, Moscow)
4. Oleg Orlov (Memorial Human Rights Centre, Moscow)
5. Sergei Kovalev (Memorial Society, Moscow)
6. Lev Ponomarev (The All Russia Public Movement for Human Rights, Moscow)
7. Natalya Taubina (“Public Verdict” Foundation, Moscow)
8. Galina Horeva (The Union of Soldier’s Mothers of Russia, Murmansk)
9. Alexandr Verhovskii (The Information-analytical Centre, SOVA, Moscow)
10. Usam Baisaev (Human Rights Centre Memorial, Nazran’.)
11. Alexandr Brod (Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Moscow)
12. Alexandr Novitzkii (Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Moscow)
13. Oxana Chelivesha (The Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship, Nizhniy Novgorod)
The following representatives of international NGOs will participate in the meeting:
1. Eliza Musaeva, Aaron Roads and Joachim Frank (International Helsinki Federation)
2. Holly Cartner (Human Rights Watch)
3. Friederike Behr, Chris Collier and Andrea Huber (International Amnesty)
4. Alexandra Koulaeva (International Federation of Human Rights)
5. Leonid Reichman and Ishtvan Fenyvesi (European Roma Rights Centre)
6. Viorel Ursu (Open Society Institute, Brussels Office)
7. Shoma Chatterji (Society for Peoples Under Threat)
In Vienna on the 3-rd of March from 13.00 to 15.00 the Russian human rights organizations, the International Helsinki Federation and the International Federation of Human Rights will also give a press conference entitled “Human rights groups call on the European Union to address the acute problems of the violation of human rights and to guarantee the participation of NGOs in the consultations on human rights between Russia and the EU”
APENDIX
Documents prepared by Russian human rights groups for the third round of consultations on human rights between Russia and the EU:
Since last summer Russian NGOs have been attempting to secure greater transparency in these inter-governmental consultations and insist upon the participation of civil society institutes in discussions. Dissatisfied with the absence of response to their demands, Russian human rights groups organized a series of public hearings about human rights in Russia, which were held in Brussels in September of last year to coincide with the second round of official consultations.
As part of its preparations for the third round of consultations the European Union decided to take the first step in addressing the demands of Russian NGOs. It has invited them and representatives of foreign NGOs to a meeting in Vienna on the 2-nd March – on the eve of inter-governmental dialogue. The aim is to discuss with civil organizations the pressing issues that are on the agenda for discussion the following day with representatives of the Russian government. The official Russian delegation had also been invited to participate in the meeting with the NGOs, but unfortunately has declined to take part.
The meeting with the NGOs will last for three hours, from 15.00 to 18.00, and will address the following issues:
1. The human rights situation in the Chechen Republic and Northern Caucasus as a whole.
2. The obedience of law in the work of law enforcement agencies, independence of judiciary and pressure on advocates.
3. The situation of non-governmental organizations in light of the new law on NGOs.
4. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance, in particular with regard to ethnic and religious minorities.
During the meeting the non-governmental organizations will present a series of reports on these issues.
The following representatives from Russian NGOs will participate in the meeting:
1. Tatyana Lokshina (DEMOS Centre, Moscow)
2. Yuri Dzhibladze (Centre for Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Moscow)
3. Svetlana Gannushkina (The Russian Committee for Refugees “Civic Assistance”, Moscow)
4. Oleg Orlov (Memorial Human Rights Centre, Moscow)
5. Sergei Kovalev (Memorial Society, Moscow)
6. Lev Ponomarev (The All Russia Public Movement for Human Rights, Moscow)
7. Natalya Taubina (“Public Verdict” Foundation, Moscow)
8. Galina Horeva (The Union of Soldier’s Mothers of Russia, Murmansk)
9. Alexandr Verhovskii (The Information-analytical Centre, SOVA, Moscow)
10. Usam Baisaev (Human Rights Centre Memorial, Nazran’.)
11. Alexandr Brod (Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Moscow)
12. Alexandr Novitzkii (Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Moscow)
13. Oxana Chelivesha (The Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship, Nizhniy Novgorod)
The following representatives of international NGOs will participate in the meeting:
1. Eliza Musaeva, Aaron Roads and Joachim Frank (International Helsinki Federation)
2. Holly Cartner (Human Rights Watch)
3. Friederike Behr, Chris Collier and Andrea Huber (International Amnesty)
4. Alexandra Koulaeva (International Federation of Human Rights)
5. Leonid Reichman and Ishtvan Fenyvesi (European Roma Rights Centre)
6. Viorel Ursu (Open Society Institute, Brussels Office)
7. Shoma Chatterji (Society for Peoples Under Threat)
In Vienna on the 3-rd of March from 13.00 to 15.00 the Russian human rights organizations, the International Helsinki Federation and the International Federation of Human Rights will also give a press conference entitled “Human rights groups call on the European Union to address the acute problems of the violation of human rights and to guarantee the participation of NGOs in the consultations on human rights between Russia and the EU”
APENDIX
Documents prepared by Russian human rights groups for the third round of consultations on human rights between Russia and the EU:
The Chechen Republic: Consequences of “Chechenization” of the conflict
According to the representatives of Russian authorities, the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic is over, the process of political regulation of the conflict is finished, and the republic has been returned into the legal space of Russian Federatio
Northern Caucasus: Conflict Spill-Over Outside the Chechen Republic in 2004-2005
In the very beginning of the second Chechen war Ingushetia hosted large numbers of forced migrants from the Chechen Republic. The Federal Center from the very beginning exerted pressure on them in order to make them return to Chechnya, while the security forces insisted on the expansion of the zone of "counterterrorism operations" to Ingushetia. However, Ingush authorities successfully resisted these attempts until the end of 2001, thereby supporting the stability of the republic.
Systematic violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Russian Federation, as reflected in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
The Russian Federation ratified the European Convention and recognized the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights in May 1998. From 1998 to the present day the ECtHR has pronounced judgment on 109 cases involving complaints that originated in Russia
On the situation of Chechens outside Chechnya July 2005 – February 2006
In 2002 it was officially announced that the military operations in Chechnya had been accomplished and the period of reconstruction had started. From that year on the “Memorial” Human Rights Center and the “Civic Assistance” Committee have been issuing annual reports devoted to the description of the situation of Chechen residents, both within Chechnya and outside it. Unfortunately, the analysis of the situation invariably leads us to two main conclusions.
Concocting criminal proceedings for “Islamic extremism”
Over the past eighteen months, a campaign has been pursued in Russia to concoct criminal proceedings for “Islamic extremism” against representatives of various Islamic sects, for which a special term, unconventional Islam, has even been invented
Radical nationalism and efforts to oppose it in Russia in 2005
The year 2005 witnessed a sharp increase – in fact, doubling – of the number of people victimized by violent attacks motivated by racial, ethnic, religious, and social hatred. Promotion of hatred against Jews and immigrants of non-Russian ethnicities in 2005 was not only more visible, but much more intensive than before, and permeated political life, including parliamentary debates and election campaigns
Situation in the Russian law-enforcement system and its influence on human rights observance.
The legal reform that has been implemented in Russia over the past ten years has had a positive impact on the human rights and freedoms guarantees. The progress that has been observed within the penitentiary system is especially noticeable. Nevertheless, law-enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation, especially the police, continue to be a source of human rights violations
According to the representatives of Russian authorities, the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic is over, the process of political regulation of the conflict is finished, and the republic has been returned into the legal space of Russian Federatio
Northern Caucasus: Conflict Spill-Over Outside the Chechen Republic in 2004-2005
In the very beginning of the second Chechen war Ingushetia hosted large numbers of forced migrants from the Chechen Republic. The Federal Center from the very beginning exerted pressure on them in order to make them return to Chechnya, while the security forces insisted on the expansion of the zone of "counterterrorism operations" to Ingushetia. However, Ingush authorities successfully resisted these attempts until the end of 2001, thereby supporting the stability of the republic.
Systematic violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Russian Federation, as reflected in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
The Russian Federation ratified the European Convention and recognized the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights in May 1998. From 1998 to the present day the ECtHR has pronounced judgment on 109 cases involving complaints that originated in Russia
On the situation of Chechens outside Chechnya July 2005 – February 2006
In 2002 it was officially announced that the military operations in Chechnya had been accomplished and the period of reconstruction had started. From that year on the “Memorial” Human Rights Center and the “Civic Assistance” Committee have been issuing annual reports devoted to the description of the situation of Chechen residents, both within Chechnya and outside it. Unfortunately, the analysis of the situation invariably leads us to two main conclusions.
Concocting criminal proceedings for “Islamic extremism”
Over the past eighteen months, a campaign has been pursued in Russia to concoct criminal proceedings for “Islamic extremism” against representatives of various Islamic sects, for which a special term, unconventional Islam, has even been invented
Radical nationalism and efforts to oppose it in Russia in 2005
The year 2005 witnessed a sharp increase – in fact, doubling – of the number of people victimized by violent attacks motivated by racial, ethnic, religious, and social hatred. Promotion of hatred against Jews and immigrants of non-Russian ethnicities in 2005 was not only more visible, but much more intensive than before, and permeated political life, including parliamentary debates and election campaigns
Situation in the Russian law-enforcement system and its influence on human rights observance.
The legal reform that has been implemented in Russia over the past ten years has had a positive impact on the human rights and freedoms guarantees. The progress that has been observed within the penitentiary system is especially noticeable. Nevertheless, law-enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation, especially the police, continue to be a source of human rights violations