Support Konstantin Baranov, human rights activist and anti-fascist from Rostov-on-Don, Russia!

Dear friends and colleagues!

We appeal to you on behalf of the Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance and the international program “Solidarity” of the Youth Human Rights Movement. Your support is needed to Konstantin Baranov, human rights activist and anti-fascist from Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

In the middle of July Konstantin started receiving threats connected with his anti-fascist activity. There are serious reasons to suppose that the cause of the threats is the disclosure of Konstantin’s personal data that he indicated in a complaint to the Office of Public Prosecutor of the Rostov region about neo-Nazi concerts taking place in the city, and also his activity on monitoring xenophobia. You can learn more about this situation at the website of the international program “Solidarity” of the YHRM. Unfortunately such a situation is a distressing tendency.

During the last period in Russia the occasions of threats to human rights defenders and anti-fascists due to their professional activity are becoming more frequent. From January 2009 it happened to the employees of the “SOVA” Center for Information and Analysis (Moscow) – Alexander Verkhovsky and Galina Kozhevnikova, from August 2008 – to the director of the Institute of Social Problems “United Europe” (Orel city) – Dmitry Krayukhin, from December 2008 – to the chairman of the “Memorial” human rights commission of the Komi Republic – Igor Sazhin and others. Such actions of the people adhering to the extreme-right views remain unpunished.

 Besides, it is well known that a widespread practice of the offices of public prosecutor is to demonstrate any received appeal to those against whom it is directed. It might lead to a disclosure of an applicant’s personal data, which is illegal and particularly dangerous in the case the applicants are human rights defenders and anti-fascists.

We believe that public authorities should pay special attention to the appeals of human rights defenders, and also to ensuring safety for human rights defenders and anti-fascists.

Thereupon we ask you to join the solidarity campaign and to send a message to the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation with the following appeal:

• To carry out prosecutor’s examination on the fact of the applicant’s personal data disclosure and to engage the guilty in disciplinary liability;
• To reinforce control for security of personal data of any applicants, in particular indicated in requests coming from human rights activists and anti-fascists and related to the activity of the extreme right organizations and groups;
• To organize an explanatory work on this subject for employees of the regional offices of public prosecutor;
• To inform the applicant about the decisions taken within statutory time period.

You may find the sample text of the appeal on our Russian webbsite. You can request additional information on the situation by e-mail: w-case-hrd-kbaranov@yhrm.org.

 

Campaign in support of Human Rights House – Voronezh

More than 100 signatures collected to support the House.

We are thankful to everyone who have already supported us, and those, who are going to do it soon  ))

Each 200 signatures will be collected and sent to the Chairman of Voronezh city district Sergey Koliukh.

We hope that with your support we can send the first signatures this week.

Thank you!

READ ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN IN ENGLISH HERE!

UPDATE: we got to keep the house!!!! 2009-09-01

 

YHRM hotas av vräkning!

I Voronezh finns sedan några år ett Mänskliga rättigheternas hus.

Det låter bättre på engelska eller ryska; Human Rights House, Dom Prav Tjeloveka. Där har MPD sitt huvudkontor. MPD som är YHRM-Swedens moderskepp. Nu skall lokalerna säljas, och kanske rivas.

Skriv under till stöd för dem!

 

International Youth Meeting in Georgia

Youth meeting “Intercultural and Interreligious Diologue v.s. Hate-motivated Violence in Europe” took place on 21-26 April in Bakuriani, Georgia. This event was organized by “Union 21 century” – a non-governmental organization, which carries out socio-cultural projects and delivers monitoring of hate crimes in Georgia.

The major topics of the meeting were: the level of right-wing extremists’ violence in Europe, European and national legislation that addresses hate crimes, methods of counteracting that are available for the youth sector of civil society in Europe.

Representatives of Ministry of Justice of Georgia and Tolerance Centre of Ombudsman’s Office of Georgia delivered reports about the International tools Georgia employs to combat hate-motivated violence and about the rise of religious-motivated intolerance in Georgia.

Activists from Germany, Italy, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and other countries also held reports about the relevant situation in their home environment.

Anastasia Denisova, the member of Coordinating Council of International Youth Human Rights Movement contributed to the International Meeting on behalf of Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance (YNRI). Her presentation “Civil Society Activism: what is done and what needs to be done” was devoted to the analysis of the youth factor in right-wing extremism, especially in Russia, and youth actors against intolerance. In conclusion she highlighted such activities of YNRI, as Antifascist Archive of non-violent actions, program “Foreign Students’ Rights Defense” and specific actions like “Package for Mayor”, etc.

In September 2009 the follow-up event is going to be held in Georgia and be devoted to specific youth projects aimed at combating intolerance with joint efforts.

Read more!

 

Statement of the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation

Statement of the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation

 

The Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lukin let out the statement “On the right of citizens to publicity of executing judicial powers”.

 

According to Lukin, “the problem of publicity and openness of legal proceedings in the present situation of loss of trust of the population to justice is one of the most actual ones in a state governed by the rule of law… Publicity of legal proceedings renders useful educational and precautionary influence on people at a hall of judicial session, provides strengthening of legality and helps to prevent breach of the law”.

 

The statement concludes with the words: “Fairness and impartiality of justice are inconceivable without publicity”.

 

Full text of the statement is available at: http://ombudsman.gov.ru/doc/vistup11/z13_11_08.shtml (in Russian).

 

March Against Hatred

This Sunday people in St Petersburg will take to the streets for the fifth consecutive year running to demonstrate against racism in Russia. Members of Amnesty International from all over the world are sending messages of solidarity to the organisers of the ”March Against Hatred”.

Pressmeddelande från YHRM

 

Human Rights in Russia – Alternative Report 2008

MATERIALS PREPARED BY RUSSIAN NGOs FOR THE UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF RUSSIA IN THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

This collection of materials has been produced in August-September 2008 by a coalition of Russian NGOs for submission to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the course of preparation of Universal Periodic Review of implementation of international obligations by the Russian Federation in the UN Human Rights Council. The materials have been prepared in accordance with the Office of the HCHR guidelines and include recommendations and references to more detailed reports and publications.

 

Rapport från Georgiens flyktingläger

International Monitoring Group REPORT THE CONDITIONS OF THE CIVIL POPULATION DURING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN the RUSSIAN FEDERATION and GEORGIA

Representanter från YHRM deltog den 25-29 augusti 2008 i en Monitoring till Georgien. Delegationen bestod av ryssar, ukrainare, georgier och en italienare. De besökte Tbilisi och Gori, men lyckades inte ta sig in på de områden som kontrollerades av Ryssland. Läs rapporten (på engelska) på YHRM’s hemsida.

YHRM: International Monitoring Group REPORT on Mission in Georgia

 

The Name of Russia is not Stalin, says young Russian human rights activists

APPEAL

of the working group of the international action “Remember 1937!”
and the initiative group of the international campaign “Anti-Stalinism”
on the situation around the project “The name of Russia”

 

 

On the 8^th of May this year the state central television channel ”Rossiya”, the radio station “Mayak”, the Institute of Russian history of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Foundation “Public opinion” launched a project called “The name of Russia – historical choice 2008” (www.nameofrussia.ru). The idea of the project is that one historical character that symbolizes Russia for its citizens should be elected in a series of steps. “Who personifies Russia and Russia’s past, with whom are we facing the future? A villain or a saint? An evildoer or a genius? A hero or an impostor? You are to answer to all those questions!” says the presentation on the internet site of the project.

 

Uttalande mot kriget från rysk ungdomsorganisation

STATEMENT
of the Russian participants
of the International Network – Youth Human Rights Movement (YHRM)
on the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia

 

For a few days already Russia is at war. A war which is going on on our behalf, but in breach both of the UN mandate and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. A war called a “peacemaking operation”, but leading to the death of civilians. A war that every new day is motivated with more and more lies and seeds more and more hatred. A war which is accompanied with inaction of the world’s intergovernmental organizations and mutual accusations of double standards.

 

Though the war is taking place on one territory, the hatred, the interethnic discord and the militaristic propaganda are spreading far beyond its borders, and thereby the war affects not only our friends and colleagues in the zone of military actions – it has also come to our towns and to our homes.