Russia's Olympics in Sochi

The Facts:

Forced evictions
The Russian government is resettling some 2,000 families to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure. But not all of those evicted received fair compensation for their properties and in some cases, homeowners were forced out with no compensation at all. Many resettled residents lost a portion of their livelihoods because they depended on agriculture or income from seasonal rentals in their seaside homes.

Migrant worker abuses
The transformation of Sochi from a small resort town to international Olympic host has been made possible by more than 70,000 workers, including tens of thousands of migrant workers from outside of Russia. Many of these migrant workers faced exploitation – with employers failing to pay their wages, confiscating workers’ passports, and forcing them to toil up to 12 hours a day with only one day off each month – all in violation of Russian law.

Press and civil society crackdown
Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for independent journalists, who face threats, harassment, and lawsuits. Fifty journalists have been murdered since 1992. Some journalists have been told that reporting on Olympics-related environmental concerns or evictions is taboo. In the past year Russian authorities have not only clamped down on the press by passing new laws on Internet content, they also targeted civil society with laws restricting public assemblies and nongovernmental organizations.

Polluting the Environment
Virtually all the mercury that is used in artisanal mining is released into air, rivers, and soil, posing a serious health risk for adults and children working in mining, communities living near mines, and for populations globally.

Environmental destruction
Environmental experts warn that the construction of a new road and a high-speed railway has damaged Sochi’s Mzymta River and the fragile local ecosystem of the surrounding Sochi National Park. The dumping of illegal construction waste and the construction of power lines have resulted in landsides, causing homes to sink and partially collapse, threatening residents' health and safety. In one village, Olympic construction destroyed local drinking wells, leaving villagers with no reliable drinking water source for years.

What We Want:

Forced evictions:

The IOC should insist that Russia stop the illegal eviction of people from their homes without adequate compensation as it builds the Olympic venues. The authorities should not sue homeowners in efforts to force them to accept lower compensation or avoid paying compensation altogether. Although unlawfully evicted property owners will never get their homes back, they should be fairly compensated.

Migrant worker abuses:

The IOC should insist that its partner, Olympstroy, the state company constructing Olympic venues, its subcontractors, and all other businesses engaged in Olympic construction, pay workers fully and on time and pay owed back wages. They should return workers’ passports and guarantee working hours and days off consistent with Russian law. Housing and food, when part of compensation, should meet minimum standards. Authorities should create a means for migrant workers to safely lodge complains against employers and hold abusive employers to account.

Press and civil society crackdown:

Thousands of Russian and foreign journalists will cover the Sochi Winter Olympics. They should be able to show the full picture of life in Russia. As required by the Olympic Charter, the IOC should insist on freedom of the press for foreign and Russian journalists alike, which is consistent with the country’s responsibility to welcome the international community as host of the Games.

Environmental destruction:

The IOC should insist that Russian authorities compensate and assist Sochi residents whose homes and health have been harmed by the Games’ preparations. The IOC should also push authorities to ensure all Olympics-related construction follows the law and that all companies obtain environmental and other permits. Russia should continue repairing environmental damage after the Games are over.

The Olympics and Rights:

Human Rights Watch’s experience documenting abuses by countries hosting the Olympic Games strongly suggests that, without solid human rights commitments and monitoring from the IOC, future host countries with dicey rights records could see similar violations in the run-up to the Games. To curb this, the IOC should publicly take a zero-tolerance stance on such abuses, including those by Russia. The IOC should also establish a standing committee to monitor Olympics-related human rights concerns and measure the impact the Games have on host countries’ human rights environments.