Moscow Bureau for Human Rights - 11.01.2005

Moscow Bureau for Human Rights 

Meeting of ECRI & Human rights defenders in Moscow

By Alexander Brod, Director of Moscow Bureau for Human Rights 

Human rights defenders and Council of Europe representatives expressed their awareness of the problems of xenophobia and racism in Russian Federation.

A meeting of Council of Europe Commission on Counteraction to Racism and Xenophobia (ECRI) representatives and Moscow Bureau for Human Rights and partner organizations experts took place in the Council of Europe information center. ECRI members from Great Britain, Albania, Netherlands, Belgium were conducting a 4-day visit in Russia in order to collect materials, necessary for preparation of a report on racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and religious persecutions problems in Russia. This report will be presented to the Russian Federation government in December 2005 for discussion and responding.

The MBHR director Alexander Brod emphasized while opening the meeting that he and his colleagues consider the attention from the side of Council of Europe representatives to the up-to-date problems of xenophobia and extremism to be extremely important. Mutual efforts are needed to recognize and overcome these problems, terrorizing Europe and, particularly, Russia. He noted also that an activation of radical nationalists is observed for the last three years in Russia, as well as publishing of xenophobic literature. About 100 chauvinistic newspapers are issued in Russia, and there are more than 10 public organizations, actively promoting xenophobia and racism. Number of politicians use xenophobic rhetoric for promoting themselves as candidates during election campaigns. Radical nationalism has raised from the underground and is becoming a part of political specter.

«Holocaust» foundation president Alla Gerber noted that Russia is sick with xenophobia and the situation becomes worse every year. «A country, which won a victory over Nazi Germany, is not able to conquer the Nazism ideology». She named political and socio-economical crisis, defective policy towards emigrants, lack of anti-fascist education of citizens as the causes of the disease.

Juridical director of MBHR, president of the ISHR Russian section Vladimir Novitskiy told about the problems with application of Russian Federation Criminal Code articles, devoted to heating of interethnic dissention. There is no unified expert institution, and that allows the accused to involve “friendly” experts. The qualification of the law-enforcement services staff is far from perfect. They often share the xenophobic point of view. But one could notice the activation of the law-application practice towards national-radicals. The extremists in respond strengthened pressing on human rights defenders-antifascists, MBHR staff in particular. 

MBHR expert Semyon Tcharniy spoke about creating of paramilitary groups by nationalistic organizations. He noted that appeals to create such groups, often masked as “public units”, were heard from the side of Russian National Unity, Slavic Union, Movement Against Illegal Immigration. No doubt there exists an armed nationalistic underground, beginning to conduct force actions. In particular, the murder of anti-fascist N.Gyrenko and judge N. Urlina in 2004, attempt to murder of RAO EAS representative A.Tchubays in March 2005 and attempt to blow up the train Grozniy-Moscow on June, 12 2005 could be named in this connection. And ex- lieutenant colonel V. Kvatchkov, arrested and accused of attempt to murder A.Tchubays, stated in his interview to “Zavtra” newspaper that this attempt is “an act of partisan war against occupational power”. The human rights defenders are outraged by the fact that this officious extremist is registered as a candidate for Russian Federation State Duma.

Co-chairman of the Press Freedom Institute Sergey Guryanov described the situation with the conscience freedom in Russia. According to his evaluation, a monopolization of religious sphere by Russian Orthodoz Churche takes place at present, and its competitors are chased with the help of state representatives.

Sergey Belyayev, international MBHR expert (Strasbourg) also took part in the meeting.

ECRI regularly receives the regional monitoring data of MBHR and partner organization during three years already, invites Russian experts to participate in its conferences, entrusts MBHR with preparation of analytical materials.