Russia
24.05.04
Urgent Interventions
The Russia Federation: defamatory declarations against human rights organisations
Open letter
To Mr Vladimir Putin,
President of the Russian Federation
To Mr Yuri Tchaika, the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation
Paris - Geneva, May 24, 2004
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern over the defamatory declarations made by General Valerii Kraev, the Head of the General Direction of Sentence Enforcement of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation (GUIN), accusing human rights organisations of being financed by criminal networks.
On May 7, 2004, during a press-conference on the situation of Russian prisons, General Kraev said that “according to the information of the Ministry of Justice, NGOs were financed by criminal organisations”. In particular, General Kraev accused some human rights organisations, “criminal authorities”, inmates’ families and lawyers of destabilizing the activities of the Ministry of Justice by pressuring the administration of the prison system and by disseminating false information in the media. According to the information received, General Kraev declared that his accusations were based on information obtained through “phone tapping” and “found on the Web”.
According to Kraev, there are 163 “so called” human rights organisations financed by oligarchs. He was in particular referring to Boris Berezovsky, a well-known Russian businessman currently living in exile. In his statement, Mr. Kraev implicated the following NGOs: Tchelabinsk Amnesty, Ural Amnesty, Irkutsk Civil Information Initiative and All-Russian Public Movement “For Human Rights”, and the Committee in Support of the Detainees. He added that with this money “the Russian criminal structures wish to organize drug trafficking in the detention places and to destabilize the situation”. He also mentioned that there are “more than 360” other human rights organisations with whom “it is possible to reach a constructive co-operation. Without their help, it would be impossible to create a civil society.” Amongst those organisations he named the Moscow Helsinki Group, who led monitoring activities in the prisons with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Committee for Civil Rights, which aids the rehabilitation of prisoners after their release.
The Observatory recalls that General Kraev, then the head of the Sverdlovsk branch of the Interior Ministry, ordered the violent repression of students protests on April 16, 1998. In 1999, he was dismissed from his position following accusations of corruption and links to organized crime.
The Movement “For Human Rights” indicated that neither it nor the Committee in Support of the Detainees received money from the Foundation of Boris Berezovsky, which in any case has existed legally in Russia since 2001. Ural Amnesty received some money in 2001-2002 from this foundation but all financial reports were transmitted to the Ministry of Justice and approved by it.
Lev Ponomarev, the leader of the Movement “For Human Rights”, lodged a complaint against General Kraev to the Moscow Court for slander. According to Mr. Ponomarev the accusations of General Kraev show a “fantastic image of a global plot with the participation of Human Rights Defenders, oligarchs and criminals”. He also demanded to see the judicial decision which led to the “phone tapping” on which General Kraev based his declarations.
In a press-conference held in Moscow on May 14, where both Ponomarev and Kraev participated, the general denied that he ever made accusations against Ponomarev or his NGO.
The Observatory fears that the declarations of General Kraev are linked to the recent activities and protests of human rights defenders against the deplorable conditions of detainees.
In April 2004, a wave of protests and collective hunger-strikes engulfed Russian prisons, especially in Tchelabinsk, Ural and Irkutsk. On May 6, according to the information received by the Observatory, the inmates of Irkusk prison Sizo-1 started a hunger strike, which was followed on May 7 by the inmates of two other Irkusk prisons: UK2727/15 and UK272/19.
Human rights defenders have played a critical role in bringing to justice those responsible for torture and ill-treatment of inmates. Last year, as a result of their activities, three prison employees accused of beating inmates, were brought to justice. However, several fact-finding commissions sent by the Ministry of Justice as a result of recent protests and hunger-strikes concluded that “criminal leaders led this protests and hunger strikes in order to establish their influence zones”.
Finally, the Observatory notes with concern that the division made by General Kraev between the “good” and the “bad” human rights NGOs may be an attempt to divide the community of human rights defenders and to weaken its impact and credibility.
The Observatory is specially concerned by the fact that these statements are another illustration of recent acts of intimidation and harassment against the development of an independent civil society in Russia.
The Observatory urges Russian authorities to acknowledge the important role played by human rights defenders in the development of democracy and the rule of law, and to promote their work. More generally, the Observatory urges Russian authorities to comply with international and regional instruments for the protection of human rights, especially with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of United Nations on December, 9 1998.
The article 1 of this Declaration states that “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, while the article 12.2. states that “The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”.
Sidiki KABA Eric SOTTAS
President of the FIDH Director of the OMCT
To Mr Vladimir Putin,
President of the Russian Federation
To Mr Yuri Tchaika, the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation
Paris - Geneva, May 24, 2004
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern over the defamatory declarations made by General Valerii Kraev, the Head of the General Direction of Sentence Enforcement of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation (GUIN), accusing human rights organisations of being financed by criminal networks.
On May 7, 2004, during a press-conference on the situation of Russian prisons, General Kraev said that “according to the information of the Ministry of Justice, NGOs were financed by criminal organisations”. In particular, General Kraev accused some human rights organisations, “criminal authorities”, inmates’ families and lawyers of destabilizing the activities of the Ministry of Justice by pressuring the administration of the prison system and by disseminating false information in the media. According to the information received, General Kraev declared that his accusations were based on information obtained through “phone tapping” and “found on the Web”.
According to Kraev, there are 163 “so called” human rights organisations financed by oligarchs. He was in particular referring to Boris Berezovsky, a well-known Russian businessman currently living in exile. In his statement, Mr. Kraev implicated the following NGOs: Tchelabinsk Amnesty, Ural Amnesty, Irkutsk Civil Information Initiative and All-Russian Public Movement “For Human Rights”, and the Committee in Support of the Detainees. He added that with this money “the Russian criminal structures wish to organize drug trafficking in the detention places and to destabilize the situation”. He also mentioned that there are “more than 360” other human rights organisations with whom “it is possible to reach a constructive co-operation. Without their help, it would be impossible to create a civil society.” Amongst those organisations he named the Moscow Helsinki Group, who led monitoring activities in the prisons with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Committee for Civil Rights, which aids the rehabilitation of prisoners after their release.
The Observatory recalls that General Kraev, then the head of the Sverdlovsk branch of the Interior Ministry, ordered the violent repression of students protests on April 16, 1998. In 1999, he was dismissed from his position following accusations of corruption and links to organized crime.
The Movement “For Human Rights” indicated that neither it nor the Committee in Support of the Detainees received money from the Foundation of Boris Berezovsky, which in any case has existed legally in Russia since 2001. Ural Amnesty received some money in 2001-2002 from this foundation but all financial reports were transmitted to the Ministry of Justice and approved by it.
Lev Ponomarev, the leader of the Movement “For Human Rights”, lodged a complaint against General Kraev to the Moscow Court for slander. According to Mr. Ponomarev the accusations of General Kraev show a “fantastic image of a global plot with the participation of Human Rights Defenders, oligarchs and criminals”. He also demanded to see the judicial decision which led to the “phone tapping” on which General Kraev based his declarations.
In a press-conference held in Moscow on May 14, where both Ponomarev and Kraev participated, the general denied that he ever made accusations against Ponomarev or his NGO.
The Observatory fears that the declarations of General Kraev are linked to the recent activities and protests of human rights defenders against the deplorable conditions of detainees.
In April 2004, a wave of protests and collective hunger-strikes engulfed Russian prisons, especially in Tchelabinsk, Ural and Irkutsk. On May 6, according to the information received by the Observatory, the inmates of Irkusk prison Sizo-1 started a hunger strike, which was followed on May 7 by the inmates of two other Irkusk prisons: UK2727/15 and UK272/19.
Human rights defenders have played a critical role in bringing to justice those responsible for torture and ill-treatment of inmates. Last year, as a result of their activities, three prison employees accused of beating inmates, were brought to justice. However, several fact-finding commissions sent by the Ministry of Justice as a result of recent protests and hunger-strikes concluded that “criminal leaders led this protests and hunger strikes in order to establish their influence zones”.
Finally, the Observatory notes with concern that the division made by General Kraev between the “good” and the “bad” human rights NGOs may be an attempt to divide the community of human rights defenders and to weaken its impact and credibility.
The Observatory is specially concerned by the fact that these statements are another illustration of recent acts of intimidation and harassment against the development of an independent civil society in Russia.
The Observatory urges Russian authorities to acknowledge the important role played by human rights defenders in the development of democracy and the rule of law, and to promote their work. More generally, the Observatory urges Russian authorities to comply with international and regional instruments for the protection of human rights, especially with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of United Nations on December, 9 1998.
The article 1 of this Declaration states that “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, while the article 12.2. states that “The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”.
Sidiki KABA Eric SOTTAS
President of the FIDH Director of the OMCT