• Human Rights in Russia

    Mass protests following Russia’s December 2011 parliamentary elections prompted promises of political reforms. However, after his return to the presidency, Vladimir Putin oversaw the swift reversal of former President Dmitry Medvedev’s few, timid advances on political freedoms and unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against civic activism. New laws restrict nongovernmental organizations, undermine freedoms of assembly and expression, and discourage international advocacy.New local laws discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Abuses continue in the counterinsurgency campaign in the North Caucasus.

  • On the night before the “foreign agents” law came into force, unknown individuals sprayed graffiti reading, “Foreign Agent! ♥ USA” on the buildings hosting the offices of three prominent NGOs in Moscow, including Memorial.
    © 2012 Yulia Klimova/Memorial
    Russia: “Foreign Agents” Law Hits Hundreds of NGOs: Updated June 24, 2013
    Starting in early March 2013 the Russian government launched a nationwide campaign of inspections of nongovernmental organizations, unprecedented in its scale and scope.
More news »

Featured Content

Subscribe to content feed

Reports

More >>

Russia

  • Russia: Annul Guilty Verdict Against Aleftina Khorinyak and Lidia Tabarintseva
    Jun 28, 2013
    Human Rights Watch writes to the prosecutor general of Russia to express its concerns about the May 20, 2013 conviction of Aleftina Khorinyak and Lidia Tabarintseva on charges of illegal trafficking of potent substances (article 234 part 3of the Russian Criminal Code) and forgery of documents (article 327 part 2) for helping a terminally ill man, Mr. Viktor Sechin, who was in constant severe pain, obtain opioid pain medicines.
  • Russia: Harsh Toll of ‘Foreign Agents’ Law
    Jun 25, 2013
    Russian authorities are using a new law that requires some nongovernmental organizations to register as “foreign agents” to curtail a broad range of work by independent organizations. Human Rights Watch reviewed dozens of warnings and violation notices issued under the law from the prosecutor’s office to nongovernmental organizations. These documents reveal an apparent effort to limit advocacy, advisory, and public education activities on a wide spectrum of issues that involve comment on, or interaction with, government authorities.
  • Russia: Reject Discriminatory Bill
    Jun 23, 2013
    The Russian parliament’s upper chamber should reject a draft law that would discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The bill would make it an administrative offense to expose minors to information about “non-traditional sexuality.” The Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper chamber, is scheduled to debate the draft law on June 26, 2013.
  • Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 20 June
    Jun 20, 2013
  • Letter to the Director General of the International Olympic Committee on Discrimination of LGBT People in Russia in Relation to 2014 Winter Olympics
    Jun 20, 2013
    In this letter I would like to raise Human Rights Watch’s concerns about the homophobic draft law that is expected to pass in the Russian parliament’s upper chamber in the coming weeks. This draft law is clearly incompatible with the Olympic Charter’s promotion of “human dignity,” as well as a blatant violation of Russia’s international legal obligations to guarantee non-discrimination and respect for freedom of expression.
  • Welcome to Russia’s Syria doublespeak
    Jun 19, 2013
    While world leaders managed to produce a joint communique on Syria at the end of the G8 summit, the closing media remarks made it clear that Vladimir Putin hasn’t actually moved an inch on the issue. The Russian president once again lashed out at the European Union and the United States for considering arms shipments to the Syrian opposition, suggesting it will further destabilize Syria. At the same time, he made it clear that Russia will continue supplying a range of weapons to the Syrian government, arguing that this will help stabilize the region while preventing a foreign intervention.
  • Campaign Letter to the IOC
    Jun 14, 2013
  • Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 13 June
    Jun 13, 2013
  • Russia/Kyrgyzstan: Overturn Extradition Orders
    Jun 13, 2013
    Russia’s Supreme Court should stop the extradition of three ethnic Uzbeks to Kyrgyzstan, where they would be at serious risk of torture. On June 19, 2013, the court is scheduled to hear an appeal of the prosecutor general’s decision to extradite Gairatbek Saliev, in response to a request by the Kyrgyz government for his extradition to stand trial on multiple charges relating to the June 2010 interethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.
  • Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 11 June
    Jun 11, 2013
more documents on this topic »