Protection of the human rights of its citizens is the primary duty of any country. However, many governments disregard this responsibility, with the situation quickly deteriorating in many nations. This report will discuss the current situation in Russia, concentrating on the changes which occurred in 2020. The brief will focus on the recent violations of human rights in the country, examine experts’ opinions, and discuss potential interventions that can promote permanent change.
Russia Federation: Background Information
Russia is one of the countries where the human rights situation is considered alarming. The country is the largest in the world, stretching from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia. According to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (Honstein, 2020), the country’s population reached 146,780,720 as of January 21, 2019, with 80.9% being ethnically Russian and 19.1% represented by various ethnic minorities. In terms of religion, more than half of the people of the country identify themselves as Orthodox, a quarter stating they are spiritual, and 13% saying they are atheist (Honstein, 2020). The country is considered “Not Free” by the Freedom House international ranking and scored 6 and 7 points on the scales of political rights and civil freedoms (Honstein, 2020). Overall, the country has a highly diverse population whose human rights need continuous monitoring and protection.
Human Rights as of September 2020
As of September 2020, the human rights situation in Russia can be categorized as problematic. The activities of many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were interfered with due to the law on “foreign agents” passed in October of 2018 (Human Rights Watch, 2020b). The law prevents NGOs from “providing anti-corruption evaluations of draft legal acts” and gives the government the authority to investigate and ban organizations (Human Rights Watch, 2020b). Overall, many NGOs receiving funds from foreign countries became vulnerable to governmental interference.
Additionally, freedom of expression in Russia is also being infringed upon. According to the report issued by the Human Rights Watch in 2020 (2020b, p. 475), the country’s authorities frequently “misuse incitement to hatred offenses to stifle legitimate protected speech.” In March 2019. The government passed the bill that sanctions articles and online posts that contain “fake news” or express “blatant disrespect” for the country (Human Rights Watch, 2020b). In addition, a significant number of prisoners and detainees in the country are physically assaulted by the prison staff (Human Rights Watch, 2020b). Considering the country’s laws and the attitudes towards prisoners and those who openly disagree with the government, the country’s overall human rights situation is alarming.
Human Rights Violations
The right to freedom of association continued to deteriorate during the fall of 2020. On November 18, 2020, the parliament introduced a bill aimed at extending “foreign agents” laws in the country (Human Rights Watch, 2020a). The new bill proposes to declare an individual of any nationality a “foreign agent” if they engage in political activity and receive funds or support from foreign organizations or individuals (Human Rights Watch, 2020a). According to Human Rights Watch (2020a), such individuals must register their activity with the authorities and can be forcibly included on the list of “foreign agents.” Overall, the bill will allow the government to further interfere with and obstruct the activities of NGOs and persons conducting any political activity and prevent human rights violations from being reported.
A severe infringement of freedom of speech and an incident of cruel and degrading treatment occurred in Russia in the fall of 2020. On September 7, 2020, a video was released showing the torture of 19-year-old Salman Tepsurkaev, the moderator of an online chat channel 1ADAT known for criticizing the authorities in Chechnya (Human Rights Watch, 2020c). Although it is unknown whether the kidnapping and attack on Tepsurkaev were conducted by the region’s government, it was openly endorsed by Chechen officials (Human Rights Watch, 2020c). This case illustrates both the violation of the right to freedom of speech and freedom from inhumane treatment. Since the video was published, the whereabouts of Tepsurkaev remain unknown, with the authorities unwilling to investigate his mistreatment and disappearance.
Expert Opinion
The government’s goal to expand the “foreign agent” laws fell under criticism from some experts. Thus, Amnesty International’s Researcher Natalia Prilutskaya condemned the proposed change, stating that the bill “will drastically limit and damage the work of civil society organizations” (Amnesty International, 2020). According to Prilutskaya (Amnesty International, 2020), the bill undermines the work of NGOs and human rights defenders working independently. If passed, individual advocates will not be able to effectively continue their work in the country (Amnesty International, 2020). In addition, Kara-Murza (2020) states that the Russian record of violations is substantial, and the country should not be granted a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Allowing Russia to re-join the council will indulge “the very culture of impunity it is supposed to combat” (Kara-Murza, 2020). Overall, expert opinion on the outcomes of human rights in Russia in the future shows a lack of certainty the country’s record of infringements is going to improve.
Potential Interventions
It is imperative to support the promotion of permanent changes in approach to human rights violations in the country. In my opinion, Russia has many laws and legislations that prevent this change and ensure it cannot be quickly achieved. In the cases discussed above, the first step would be to repeal the new bill proposing to extend the “foreign agent” laws and pass a new law defending the right to freedom of expression. Furthermore, as many kidnappings and inhumane treatment incidents remain unpunished and rarely investigated, the country should criminalize the police and government officials’ failure to examine such cases. It would be better accomplished by establishing an independent organization funded by the government. However, as the current administration has a long list of human rights violations, permanent change can only be achieved after the change of power.
Furthermore, interventions proposed by foreign states and independent organizations are unlikely to find support from the government. Therefore, international human rights groups should support local Russian organizations to promote change. There are many advocacy agencies currently active in the country. Thus, the Moscow Research Center for Human Rights coordinates the work of various civic groups in the country (Moscow Research Center for Human Rights, n.d.). Similarly, the Sakharov Center aims to distribute news not covered by the mainstream media, provide a safe space for various NGOs to communicate, and support cooperation between human rights advocates and critics (The Sakharov Center, n.d.). The Committee Against Torture is aimed at public investigation of complaints against torture and degrading treatment incidents not investigated by the police (Committee Against Torture, 2020). It is vital to support these organizations in order to facilitate change in the country.
Conclusion
In summary, the human rights situation in Russia shows a continual decline. There are concerning restrictions being imposed on the country’s citizens. The latest incidents display severe infringements on the rights to freedom of association, freedom from torture, and freedom of expression. Some experts voice an opinion that the country will continue to limit the listed rights and should not be allowed to return to the UN Human Rights Council in le of its numerous violations. Overall, permanent change in the state is possible if Russian human rights organizations are supported by international groups.
References
Amnesty International. (2020). Russia: New ‘foreign agents’ bill further erodes freedom of expression and association. Web.
Committee Against Torture. (2020). What we do. Web.
Honstein, E. (2020). Russia. ICNL. Web.
Human Rights Watch. (2020a). Russia: New move to suffocate civil society. Web.
Human Rights Watch. (2020b). World Report. Web.
Human Rights Watch. (2020c). Statement by Russian and international human rights organizations on the case of Salman Tepsurkaev. Web.
Kara-Murza, V. (2020). Vladimir Putin’s Russia doesn’t deserve a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Washington Post. Web.
Moscow Research Center for Human Rights. (n.d.). Moscow research center for human rights. Friends and Partners. Web.
The Sakharov Center. (n.d.). About us. 2020, Web.