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69-679: The Moscow Mechanism started as the "Vienna Mechanism" in the "Concluding Document of the Vienna Follow-up Meeting" in 1989, and was developed further in the 1990 Copenhagen Declaration and a meeting in Moscow in 1991, leading to the name "Moscow Mechanism". The two together can be called the "Human Dimension Mechanism". In principle, the Vienna Mechanism only defines procedures for participating states to pose questions about human rights to other participating states, while

138-469: A New York City -based nonprofit organization that sends humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Her trial began on June 20, 2024 and she admitted guilt on August 7. On August 15, 2024, she was sentenced by the regional courts of Sverdlovsk and Yekaterinburg to 12 years in prison. The judiciary of Russia is subject to manipulation by political authorities according to Amnesty International . According to Constitution of Russia, top judges are appointed by

207-512: A prisoner of conscience following his detention after returning to Russia and called on the Russian authorities to release him. As of June 2020, per Memorial Human Rights Center , there were 380 political prisoners in Russia, including 63 individuals prosecuted, directly or indirectly, for political activities (including Alexey Navalny) and 245 prosecuted for their involvement with one of

276-444: A "mission of experts" (maximum three people); and requests for a "mission of rapporteurs" (maximum three people). For the creation of the resource list, each participating state can nominate up to six experts, each with a term of three to six years and for no more than two consecutive terms. The other participating states may present reservations against the appointments, up to a maximum of two experts per state. The reservations prevent

345-466: A campaign of prison reform that has resulted in apparent improvements in conditions. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has been working to reform Russia's prisons since 1997, in concert with reform efforts by the national government. The rule of law has made very limited inroads in the criminal justice since the Soviet time, especially in the deep provinces. The courts generally follow

414-417: A former inmate Sergei Savelyev who was put in charge of the video recording system prison authorities as an IT specialist. Russian authorities fired a few prison officials incriminated in these videos and also placed Savelyev on wanted list for "illegally accessing sensitive information". The abuse was described as part of systematic and countrywide technique for extortion of money and false witness statements by

483-474: A maximum rate of 30.5 in 2002, and then a fall to 20 murders per 100,000 people in 2006. Despite positive tendency to reduce, Russia's index of murders per capita remains one of the highest in the world with the fifth highest of 62 nations. With a prison population rate of 611 per 100,000 population, Russia was second only to the United States (2006 data). Furthermore, criminology studies show that for

552-509: Is common and widespread. Doctors and nurses sometimes also take part in torturing and beating prisoners and suspects. Russian police is known to be using torture as a means to extract forced confessions of guilt. Sometimes police or jail guards employ trusted inmates to beat, torture and rape suspects in order to force confessions of guilt. This torture method is called "Pressing Room" or "Press Hut". Those trustees receive special prison privileges for torturing other prisoners. In

621-918: Is of the opinion that "At the Copenhagen CSCE Conference on the Human Dimension, Eastern European countries (excluding Albania,which joined the CSCE process in June 1991) commit themselves to multiparty parliamentary democracy and to the rule of law ." The document was part of the legacy of President George Bush . Human rights in Russia#Situation in Chechnya Russia has consistently been criticized by international organizations and independent domestic media outlets for human rights violations . Some of

690-649: Is only 0.43%, while in case of law enforcement and military officials accused of violent abuse of power, including ending in death of the suspect, it's almost 4%. At the same time those convicted also receive disproportionately lenient convictions—almost half of them were suspended sentences or fines. In 2021, a massive cache of videos from Russian prisons and penal colonies were published by NGO Gulagu.net with thousands of hours of first-hand recordings of torture of inmates by prison officials, involving rape and other forms of sexual assault such as penetration with sticks. The videos cover years 2015–2020 and were exfiltrated by

759-694: Is reported that some young male conscripts are forced to work as prostitutes for "outside clients". Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia works to protect rights of young soldiers. In the 1990s, the growth of organized crime (see Russian mafia and Russian oligarchs ) and the fragmentation and corruption of law enforcement agencies in Russia coincided with a sharp rise in violence against business figures, administrative and state officials, and other public figures. The second President of Russia Vladimir Putin inherited these problems when he took office, and during his election campaign in 2000,

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828-426: Is the "Television", which involves forcing the victim to stand in a mid-squat with extended arms in front of them holding a stool or even two stools, with the seat facing them. Former serviceman Andrei Sychev had to have both legs and genitals amputated after this torture due to gangrene caused by cut bloodflow. Other torture methods include the "Rack" or "Stretch", which involves hanging a victim on hands tied behind

897-706: The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg became a last court of appeal for Russian citizens from their national system of justice. According to Chapter 1, Article 15 of the 1993 Constitution , these embodiments of international law take precedence over national federal legislation. As a former member of the Council of Europe and a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights , Russia carried international obligations related to

966-780: The Human Rights Watch 2016 report, the human rights situation in the Russian Federation continues to deteriorate. By 2016, four years into Putin's third term as president, the Russian Federation had sunk further on the Freedom House rating: [T]he Kremlin continued a crackdown on civil society, ramping up pressure on domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and branding the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy and two groups backed by billionaire philanthropist George Soros as 'undesirable organizations'. The regime also intensified its tight grip on

1035-749: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1973, these documents were mostly unknown and unavailable to people living under Communist rule. Furthermore, the Communist authorities showed little respect for these commitments. Human rights activists in the Soviet Union consistently faced harassment, suppression, and arrest. During Putin's first term as President (2000–2004), Freedom House rated Russia as "partially free" with poor scores of 4 on both political rights and civil liberties (1 being most free, and 7 least free). In

1104-682: The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia . The mechanism was used once in the 2000s, in relation to an investigation following from the attempted attack on president Niyazov on 25 November 2002 . The mechanism was used in April 2011 in relation to the situation in Belarus following the 2010 presidential election and in November 2018 in relation to the human rights situation in Chechnya . As of July 2024,

1173-499: The "Elephant Method", which is beating a victim wearing a gas mask with cut airflow, and the "Supermarket Method", which is the same but with a plastic bag on head, electric shocks including to genitals, nose, and ears, binding in stress positions , cigarette burns , needles and electric needles hammered under nails, prolonged suspension, sleep deprivation, food deprivation, rape, penetration with foreign objects, asphyxiation—in interrogating arrested suspects. Another torture method

1242-469: The Beaten" was created in Moscow by human rights activists and journalists who "suffered from beatings in numerous Russian cities". In June 2013, construction worker Martiros Demerchyan claimed that he was tortured by Sochi police. Demerchyan, who spent seven weeks constructing housing for the 2014 Winter Olympics , was accused by his supervisor of stealing wiring. Demerchyan denied the allegations, but when

1311-594: The FSB and law enforcement. The Constitution of Russia forbids arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. Chapter 2, Article 21 of the constitution states, "No one may be subjected to torture, violence or any other harsh or humiliating treatment or punishment." However, in practice, Russian police, Federal Security Service and prison and jail guards are regularly observed practicing torture with impunity—including beatings with many different types of batons, sticks and truncheons, water battles, sacks with sand etc.,

1380-676: The Federation Council, following nomination by the President of Russia. Anna Politkovskaya described in her book Putin's Russia stories of judges who did not follow "orders from the above" and were assaulted or removed from their positions. In an open letter written in 2005, former judge Olga Kudeshkina criticized the chairman of the Moscow city court O. Egorova for " recommending judges to make right decisions", which allegedly caused more than 80 judges in Moscow to retire in

1449-524: The Moscow Mechanism additionally defines procedures for the creation of missions of independent experts to respond to concerns either within a state or by visiting another state. The Moscow Mechanism was amended in 1993 in Rome. The Vienna Mechanism defines four procedures related to participating states' questions about human rights: The Moscow Mechanism allows OSCE participating states to request

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1518-478: The Muslim organizations that are banned in Russia. 78 individuals on the list, i.e. more than 20% of the total, are residents of Crimea. Russia has been accused of hostage diplomacy and has exchanged prisoners with the United States. On 4 March 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill introducing prison sentences of up to 15 years for those who publish "knowingly false information" about

1587-601: The OSCE's comprehensive security goal". The mechanism was invoked twice in 2023, in relation to Belarus and Russia. In February 2024, the Moscow Mechanism was invoked by 45 participating states, with the aim of "address[ing] arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian Federation". Ukraine accepted the request and nominated three experts. The experts, Veronika Bílková, Cecilie Hellestveit  [ no ] and Elīna Šteinerte, carried out their mission. Their 86-page report, together with associated letters,

1656-566: The OSCE, together defining four areas of law. The legally invalid reasons for most of the detentions were "[the civilians'] general support for Ukraine and rejection of the Russian occupation, to force them into cooperation with the occupying powers, or [to] spread fear in the population". Some of the detentions may have been legally valid. The mission also found that many of the illegally detained civilians were subjected to torture, sexual violence, lack of food and water, lack of medical assistance, and lack of mattresses and beds. The systematic nature of

1725-606: The RF Ministry of Justice. By September 2016 144 NGOs were listed on the Register, including many of the oldest, most well-known and respected organisations, both internationally and domestically. Government can brand NGOs as "undesirable" to fine and shut them down. Members of "undesirable organisations" can be fined and imprisoned. The deepest concern was reserved for the periodic unsolved assassinations of leading opposition politicians, lawmakers, journalists, and critics of

1794-471: The Russian Federation. On 28 July 2022, 38 OSCE participating states activated the Moscow Mechanism for the establishment of an expert mission to investigate human rights violations in Russia. The mission's goals included assessing the state of implementation of OSCE human rights commitments, in particular the effects of government policies on civil society, media freedom, the rule of law and the capacity of democratic processes and institutions, and on "achieving

1863-551: The Russian armed forces and their operations, leading to some media outlets in Russia to stop reporting on Ukraine or shutting their media outlet. As of December 2022, more than 4,000 people were prosecuted under "fake news" laws in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine . In early 2024 Ksenia Karelina was arrested in Yekaterinburg and charged with Treason by the Russian government for sending $ 51.80 to Razom ,

1932-400: The appointment of the full mission. On 22 March 2024, 41 participating states invoked the Vienna Mechanism in relation to political prisoners in Russia . The list of concerns included "Continued Arbitrary or Unjust Arrests and Detentions", "Targeting of Political Opposition", and "Torture and Mistreatment". Seven questions requesting specific information from Russian authorities in relation to

2001-653: The arbitrary detention likely qualifies as a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(e) of the Rome Statute . Copenhagen Declaration The Copenhagen Declaration is a text agreed by the CSCE in June 1990 at Copenhagen. It contains specific election-related commitments. Yuri Reshetov , the head of the Soviet delegation dubbed it the new European constitution. His American counterpart, Max Kampelman , labelled it "a programme for democratic action". NATO

2070-636: The back, the "Refrigerator", which involves subjecting a naked victim, sometimes doused in cold water, to subzero temperatures, the "Furnace", where the victim is left in heat in a small space, and "Chinese torture", where the feet of the victim laying on a tabletop are beaten with clubs. In 2000, human rights Ombudsman Oleg Mironov estimated that 50% of prisoners with whom he spoke claimed to have been tortured. Amnesty International reported that Russian military forces in Chechnya engage in torture. Torture at police stations , jails, prisons and penal colonies

2139-439: The cases of Pussy Riot , Alexei Navalny , Zarema Bagavutdinova , and Vyacheslav Maltsev and to block candidatures of Kremlin's political enemies. A 2019 report by Zona Prava NGO titled "Violence by Security Forces: Crime Without Punishment" highlighted disproportionately large number of acquittals and dropped cases against law enforcement officers when compared to overall rate of acquittals in Russian courts. The latter

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2208-521: The concerns were defined in the invocation. As of July 2024, the Moscow Mechanism had been activated fifteen times, including within the context of armed conflicts that affected civil society. The mechanism was used five times in the 1990s, including in 1992 in the context of attacks on civilians in the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War , and in April 1999 in response to

2277-407: The country and, with their advocacy, citizens have directed a flood of complaints to the European Court of Human Rights since 1998. By 1 June 2007, 22.5% of its pending cases were complaints against the Russian Federation by its citizens. This proportion had risen steadily since 2002 as in 2006 there were 151 admissible applications against Russia (out of 1,634 for all the countries) while in 2005 it

2346-728: The enforceability or disregard of resolutions from intergovernmental bodies, such as the European Court of Human Rights . As of 16 March 2022, Russia is no longer a member state of the Council of Europe . Human rights were severely restricted within the Soviet Union . From 1927 to 1953, it was ruled as a totalitarian regime, and until 1990, it was also ruled as a single-party state . The government commonly silenced freedom of speech and it also used harsh measures against all dissenters. No independent political organizations, including labor unions , private businesses, churches, and opposing political parties, were tolerated. Citizens' movement

2415-427: The entrance of her apartment. In 2003, Yuri Schekochikhin mysteriously died from illness, causing speculation into his death, such as poisoning. In 2003, the liberal politician Sergei Yushenkov was shot dead. In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium and died. A British inquiry concluded that President Putin had "probably" approved his murder. In 2006, investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya

2484-427: The establishment of an ad hoc mission of independent experts to investigate a particular question or problem related to the human dimension of the OSCE in their own territory or in the territory of another OSCE State. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was created for administrative support. Three procedural steps are added: creation of a "resource list" of independent experts; invitations to

2553-424: The experts and freedom to meet with representatives of civil society. After receiving the report, the inviting state must send the report and a description of any action it has taken in response to the other participating states. If, within ten days, the would-be inviting state, termed a "requested state", refuses to create a requested mission, or if the requesting state considers the issue to remain unresolved after

2622-411: The experts from taking part in missions concerning the state that made the reservation, unless that state expressly consents. The resource list is considered vaild once at least 45 experts have been appointed. A participating state can suggest that another state invite a mission of up to three experts to examine and attempt to resolve human rights issues on its territory. The inviting state itself selects

2691-479: The findings of the Moscow Mechanism report published in April 2022. The mission's report, presented on 14 July 2022 to the OSCE Permanent Council, confirmed the outcomes of the previous mission and identified blatant violations of international humanitarian law, mainly attributable to the Russian armed forces, as well as widespread violations of human rights, especially in the territories occupied by

2760-508: The founder and coordinator of the human rights movement Crimean Solidarity was imprisoned by Russian authorities and charged with "membership of a terrorist organisation". Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders demand his immediate release. There were cases of attacks on demonstrators organized by local authorities. With the passing of time some of these prisoners have been released or, like Igor Sutyagin , exchanged with other countries for Russian agents held abroad. Nevertheless,

2829-463: The government, at home and sometimes abroad. According to a BuzzFeed News report in 2017, current and former US and UK intelligence agents told the outlet that they believe that Russian assassins, possibly on government orders, could be linked to 14 deaths on British soil that were dismissed as not suspicious by police. In 1998, human rights advocate Galina Starovoitova was shot dead in St. Petersburg at

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2898-566: The issue of human rights. In the introduction to the 2004 report on the situation in Russia, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe noted the "sweeping changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union undeniable". However, starting from Vladimir Putin 's second presidential term (2004–2008), there were increasing reports of human rights violations. Following the 2011 State Duma elections and Putin's subsequent return to

2967-451: The mechanism had been invoked seven times in the 2020s. Veronika Bilkova and Elīna Šteinerte, two of the Moscow Mechanism experts, saw the early 2020s invocations in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the human rights situations in Russia and Belarus as "reveal[ing] the true potential of the Moscow Mechanism, giving it a new lease of life." In September 2020 the mechanism was invoked in response to human rights issues related to

3036-504: The media, saturating the information landscape with nationalist propaganda while suppressing the most popular alternative voices. Reportedly in 2019, with France and Germany ’s constant efforts in saving Moscow from being expelled from the Europe's human rights watchdog, Russia might retain its seat if it resumes its membership fees payment. International monitors and domestic observers have listed numerous, often deeply-rooted problems in

3105-492: The most commonly cited violations include deaths in custody, the systemic and widespread use of torture by security forces and prison guards, the existence of hazing rituals within the Russian Army —referred to as dedovshchina ('reign of grandfathers')—as well as prevalent breaches of children's rights , instances of violence and prejudice against ethnic minorities, and the targeted killings of journalists. As

3174-538: The most complex and painful problem as of March 2007 was to trace over 2,700 abducted and forcefully held citizens; analysis of the complaints of citizens of Chechnya shows that social problems were ever more frequently coming to the foreground; two years earlier, he said, complaints mostly concerned violations of the right to life. The Federal Law of 10 January 2006 changed the rules affecting registration and operation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia. The Russian-Chechen Friendship Society , among others,

3243-406: The most extreme cases, hundreds of innocent people from the street were arbitrarily arrested, beaten, tortured and raped by special police forces. Such incidents took place not only in Chechnya, but also in Russian towns of Blagoveshensk, Bezetsk, Nefteyugansk, and others. In 2007, Radio Svoboda ("Radio Freedom", part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ) reported that an unofficial movement "Russia

3312-401: The new president won popular support by stressing the need to restore law and order and to bring the rule of law to Russia as the only way of restoring confidence in the country's economy. According to data by Demoscope Weekly , the Russian homicide rate showed a rise from the level of 15 murders per 100,000 people in 1991, to 32.5 in 1994. Then it fell to 22.5 in 1998, followed by a rise to

3381-526: The non-acquittals policy; in 2004 acquittals constituted only 0.7 percent of all judgments. Judges are dependent on administrators, bidding prosecutorial offices in turn. The work of public prosecutors varies from poor to dismal. Lawyers are mostly court appointed and low paid. There was a rapid deterioration of the situation characterized by abuse of the criminal process, harassment and persecution of defense bar members in politically sensitive cases in recent years. The principles of adversariness and equality of

3450-574: The numbers continue to mount. According to some organisations there are now more than 300 individuals who have either been sentenced to terms of imprisonment in Russia, or are currently detained awaiting trial (in custody or under home arrest), or have fled abroad or gone into hiding, because of persecution for their beliefs and their attempts to exercise their rights under the Russian Constitution and international agreements. In April 2019, an Israeli citizen who carried 9.6 grams of hashish

3519-431: The often youthful activists who have protested in support of freedom of assembly, against the alleged mass falsification of elections in 2011 and, since 2014, against the occupation of Crimea, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and corruption in the highest echelons of the government and State. Political prisoners are often subjected to torture in prisons and penal colonies. On 10 May 2014, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov

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3588-471: The parties to criminal proceedings are not observed. In 1996, President Boris Yeltsin pronounced a moratorium on the death penalty in Russia . However, the Russian government still violates many promises it made upon entering the Council of Europe. According to Politkovskaya, citizens who appeal to European Court of Human Rights are often prosecuted by Russian authorities. The court system has been widely used to suppress political opposition as in

3657-539: The period from 2002 to 2005. In the 1990s, Russia's prison system was widely reported by media and human rights groups as troubled. There were large case backlogs and trial delays, resulting in lengthy pre-trial detention. Prison conditions were viewed as well below international standards. Tuberculosis was a serious, pervasive problem. Human rights groups estimated that about 11,000 inmates and prison detainees die annually, most because of overcrowding, disease, and lack of medical care. A media report dated 2006 points to

3726-467: The period from 2005 to 2008, Freedom House rated Russia as "not free" with scores of 6 for political rights and 5 for civil liberties according to its Freedom in the World reports. In 2006, The Economist published a democracy rating, which placed Russia at 102nd among 167 countries and defined it as a " hybrid regime with a trend towards curtailment of media and other civil liberties". According to

3795-674: The presidency in spring 2012, there has been a legislative onslaught on many international and constitutional rights, e.g. Article 20 (Freedom of Assembly and Association) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which is embodied in Articles 30 and 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (1993). In December 2015, a law was enacted that empowers the Constitutional Court of Russia to determine

3864-481: The successor state to the Soviet Union , the Russian Federation is beholden to the same human rights agreements that were signed and ratified by its predecessor, such as the international covenants on civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and cultural rights . In the late 1990s, Russia also ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (with reservations ), and from 1998 onwards

3933-494: The suppression of the 2020 Belarusian protests . In March 2022, 45 participating states promoted, with the support of Ukraine, the activation of the Moscow Mechanism for the establishment of an independent expert mission on violations and abuses committed in the war of the Russian Federation, supported by Belarus, against Ukraine. The report of the Mission of Experts composed by Wolfgang Benedek , Veronika Bílková and Marco Sassòli

4002-440: The three experts, excluding its own nationals and appointees in the resource list, and no more than one citizen or resident of any state may be included in the mission. The mission is expected to collect information, carry out mediation and encourage dialogue and cooperation, and to provide a report within three weeks. The inviting state is obliged to fully cooperate with the mission, including by guaranteeing freedom of movement for

4071-864: The total at 89. By May 2017, Memorial considered there were at least 117 political prisoners or prisoners of conscience (66 accused of belonging to the Muslim organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami which has been banned in Russia since 2010). Among these prisoners is also human rights defender Emir-Usein Kuku from Crimea who was accused of belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir although he denies any involvement in this organization. Amnesty International has called for his immediate liberation. At various times those imprisoned have included human rights defenders , journalists such as Mikhail Trepashkin , and scientists such as Valentin Danilov . Since 2007, loosely-worded laws against "extremism" or "terrorism" have been used to incarcerate

4140-623: The victim returned to work to collect his pay, he was met by several police officers who beat him all night, breaking two of his teeth and sexually assaulted him with a crow bar. He was treated in hospital, but doctors told his family they had found no serious injuries on his body. Torture and humiliation are also widespread in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation . The term dedovshchina refers to systematic abuse of new conscripts by more long-serving soldiers. Many young men are killed, raped or commit suicide every year because of it. It

4209-414: The visit of the mission of experts, then the requesting state can request a mission of rapporteurs. The requesting state needs the support of at least six other states. Consent of the requested state is not required. A mission of three experts, none of whom may be citizens, residents or appointees of any of the states concerned, is appointed to visit the requested state and provide a report within two weeks of

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4278-536: Was 110 (of 1,036), in 2004 it was 64 (of 830), in 2003 it was 15 (of 753) and in 2002 it was 12 (of 578). Chechnya posed a separate problem and during the Second Chechen War , which lasted from September 1999 to 2005, there were numerous instances of summary execution and forced disappearance of civilians there. According to the ombudsman of the Chechen Republic , Nurdi Nukhazhiyev,

4347-500: Was arrested in Simferopol , Crimea. He was taken to Russia, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for alleged terrorist activities. Amnesty International considered the trial unfair and called for the release of Sentsov. Human Rights Watch described the trial as a political show trial calling for the liberation of the filmmaker. On 7 September 2019 Sentsov was released in a prisoner swap. In May 2018 Server Mustafayev ,

4416-531: Was closed. A detailed report by Olga Gnezdilova demonstrated that small, genuinely volunteer organisations were disproportionately hit by the demands of the new procedures: for the time being, larger NGOs with substantial funding were not affected. Following Putin's re-election in May 2012 for a third term as president, a new Federal Law was passed, requiring all NGOs in receipt of foreign funding and "engaged in political activities" to register as " foreign agents " with

4485-809: Was detained in Russia and sentenced to more than seven years in prison in October 2019. This sentence had political reasons. She was pardoned in January 2020. On 22 June 2020, Human Rights Organization along with Amnesty International wrote a joint-letter to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Igor Viktorovich Krasnov. In their letter, they asked for the release of six human rights defender who were convicted and sentenced in November 2019 to prison terms ranging from seven to 19 years on groundless terror-related charges. On 17 January 2021, Amnesty International declared Alexei Navalny to be

4554-611: Was presented to the OSCE Permanent Council on 13 April 2022. The report documented clear patterns of violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. On 2 June 2022, the same 45 participating states invoked the Moscow Mechanism to establish a new mission of experts composed of Veronika Bilkova ( University of Prague ), Laura Guercio ( University of Perugia ) and Vasilka Sancin (University of Ljubljana ) to consider, follow up and build upon

4623-507: Was published in April 2024 by the OSCE. The experts estimated that the number of arbitrarily detained Ukrainian civilians was "in the thousands", and that the "vast majority" of Ukrainian civilians detained by Russian authorities were not detained for reasons or under conditions allowed by either international humanitarian law (IHL) or international human rights law (IHRL), thus qualifying as arbitrary. The report also referred to elements of international criminal law (ICL) and "commitments" of

4692-567: Was shot dead. In 2009, human rights advocate Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were shot dead in Moscow. In 2015, opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin. In 2017, journalist Nikolay Andrushchenko was beaten to death. The numbers reliably considered to be political prisoners have risen sharply in the last four years. In May 2016, the Memorial Human Rights Centre put

4761-462: Was strictly controlled both within the country and internationally, and private property rights were heavily limited. In practice, the Soviet government significantly curtailed many of the principles of the rule of law , civil liberties , legal protections, and property rights, considering them representative of " bourgeois morality", according to the Soviet legal thinker Andrey Vyshinsky . Despite officially signing human rights agreements, such as

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