Publication in Russian of the part on “Europe and the CIS” of the 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

2006 witnessed the confirmation of strong tendencies of repression aimed at reducing - sometimes drastically - the capacity of independent civil society to operate in several countries in Europe and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The strategies used by these States, in particular in several CIS member States (Belarus, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) were aimed primarily at making national laws more restrictive in relation to freedom of association, thus making it easier to control independent civil society, which was frequently considered as a threat to the maintenance of ruling powers.

Freedoms of assembly and peaceful gathering were also flouted in many countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan). Thus, in the Russian Federation, even if the project of amendments to the 2004 Law on demonstrations was withdrawn by the Russian parliamentarians in early 2007, the 2004 law is still used as a tool for repressing freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. Besides, the Duma of Moscow passed a Law on demonstrations in February 2007, which entered into force on the territory of the Moscow region and which drastically curtails freedoms of assembly and peaceful gathering.

In addition, freedom of expression remains in 2006 the most common reason invoked for repressing human rights defenders in the region, particularly when denouncing the lack of democracy or freedoms, fighting discrimination or even denouncing corruption or torture. Likewise, activists promoting universal values faced serious reprisals by nationalist and far-right groups, while State authorities failed to provide adequate protection.

Indeed, human rights defenders were still being subjected to serious retaliation as a result of their activities. Again, in 2006, human rights defenders, including Ms. Anna Politkovskaya, a renowned journalist, were killed in the Russian Federation, where acts of violence recur each year. Defenders were further subjected to ill-treatment and acts of torture (Belarus, Russian Federation, Turkey, Uzbekistan), sometimes leading to death (Turkmenistan), death threats (Moldova, Russian Federation), smear campaigns (Azerbaijan, Greece, Kyrgyzstan), judicial proceedings and arbitrary arrests or detentions (Russian Federation, Turkey, Uzbekistan), or constraints upon their freedom of movement (Azerbaijan, Belarus). In particular, in Uzbekistan, 2006 was marked by the sentencing of all the individuals arrested in 2005 for denouncing the violations perpetrated during the Andijan events. These defenders, who often received heavy sentences following iniquitous trials, are now being held in extremely difficult conditions. Since early 2007, several defenders have also been accused and sentenced because of their human rights activities.

The Russian version of this excerpt of the Annual Report of the Observatory is available on both FIDH and OMCT websites, at the following links:

www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/europeRusse05_BD.pdf

/files/2007/07/4238/europe_and_cis_russian_version.pdf

The whole versions of the Annual Report in English, French and Spanish are also available on both OMCT and FIDH websites.

For further information, please contact:
OMCT : Delphine Reculeau : + 41 22 809 49 39
FIDH : Gaël Grilhot : + 33 1 43 55 25 18

[1] The Annual Report of the Observatory has been published every year in three languages (French, English and Spanish) since the creation of this programme in 1997. The French, English and Spanish versions of the 2006 Annual Report were respectively published on March 14, March 22 and July 12, 2007.