Russia Should Curb Racial Discrimination

(New York, April 1, 2003) Russia should immediately implement the United Nations’ recommendations on curbing racial discrimination, Human Rights Watch said today.

The backlash following the hostage taking was a recent dramatic illustration of a systemic problem of discrimination against non-ethnic Russians in Russia. Elizabeth Andersen   Executive Director   Europe and Central Asia Division   Human Rights Watch

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The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which reviews compliance with the United Nations’ anti-discrimination convention, recently adopted its concluding observations and recommendations for Russia. The committee’s observations expressed concern about widespread racial discrimination by police and other officials, as well as attacks on ethnic minorities by non-state actors.  
 
“The committee sends the clear message that the Russian government falls far short in its efforts to combat racial discrimination,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch. “The Russian government should now implement the recommendations as a matter of priority.”  
 
In its conclusions, the committee expressed concern at “racially selective inspections and identity checks targeting people from specific minorities,” reports that residence registration was used “as a means of discriminating against certain ethnic groups,” and that the lack of residence registration is used to “deny a number of political, economic and social rights.”  
 
In February 2003, Human Rights Watch submitted a briefing paper to the U.N. committee to consider in its review of Russia’s record. The Human Rights Watch briefing paper detailed the backlash against ethnic Chechens after the October 23, 2002 mass hostage taking by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater. The briefing paper reported that:  

 

• Moscow police stepped up identity checks and arbitrarily detained hundreds of Chechens, routinely fingerprinting and photographing them;
 
 

• Police officers planted drugs and ammunition on Chechens and solicited bribes from them in exchange for not pressing charges;  
   
  
• Police officials at registration offices routinely refused to register Chechens for obligatory resident permits, frequently referring to “instructions from above;”
 
 

• Police exerted pressure on Moscow landlords to evict Chechen tenants;
 
 

• Moscow schools threatened to close their doors to Chechen children who are not properly registered, although most children were able to continue to attend classes.
 

 
“The backlash following the hostage taking was a recent dramatic illustration of a systemic problem of discrimination against non-ethnic Russians in Russia,” Andersen said.