UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC54 - ID SR on Russia 21 September 2023

Thank you very much, Mr Vice President, Mr Vice President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates and representatives of civil society, it is my honour to address you today for the first time in my capacity as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation and to present to you my report on the human rights situation within Russia's internationally recognised borders.

This has been a challenging assignment, but it has been made more so by the Russian authorities attempt to obstruct my work and to isolate the Russian human rights mandate by trying to dissuade other UN human rights mechanisms from collaborating with me.

I should continue to work constructively with all stakeholders and I respectfully urge the Russian Federation to reconsider its approach towards my mandate.

Mr Vice President, my mandate was denied access to the territory of the Russian Federation, but this did not stop me from receiving information from almost 200 sources both within and outside Russia.

I met human rights defenders in person, by telephone or online, and received written submissions, including from individuals remaining within the Russian Federation who put their freedom and even their lives at risk to communicate with my mandate.

I applaud them and I thank everyone for their valuable submissions.

Because of the risk of retaliation against them, I have not disclosed the names of my interlocutors.

The large amount of information shared with me is indicative of the magnitude of the human rights challenges facing Russian society today.

I remain committed to speaking up for the people and assisting those both inside and outside the Russian Federation who risk persecution, arbitrary arrest, long term imprisonment, an exposure to torturing your treatment for raising dissenting voices.

This mandate is theirs too.

Their voice to the international community reminding us all of the enormous struggle they endure to to exercise their human rights.

Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, My report is not an exhaustive account, but an overview of significant patterns relating to the suppression of civil and political rights in Russia, including freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association, the lack of independence of the judiciary, the denials of the right to a fair trial, and the use of torturing your treatment and arbitrary detention.

Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine that started in February last year has been followed by a rapid deterioration of the human rights situation.

However, the roots of this repression go back much further.

The incremental and calculated restrictions on human rights in Russia over the past two decades have culminated in the current state policy of criminalising any actual or perceived dissent and bolstering support for the war.

Through censorship, state sponsored propaganda and state controlled information sources, the authorities have effectively closed civic space in Russia, silencing public dissent and independent media.

There have been mass arbitrary arrests, detentions and harassment of human rights defenders, peaceful anti antiwar activists, journalists, opposition leaders, cultural and religious figures, minorities and anyone speaking out against Russia's war on Ukraine or daring to criticise the government's actions.

Nova Gazeta, one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Russia, was forced to shut down last year, its editor in chief and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitri Muratov said when it closed today.

Russian citizens are left alone in the face of state propaganda.

The Russian Ministry of Justice accused Muratov of creating and disseminating and I quote, material that spread negative opinions of Russia's foreign and domestic policies on international platforms.

End of quote, these are grounds for criminal prosecution in Russia.

A few days ago, the Russian authorities designated Muratov as a foreign agent, which carries additional restrictions and penalties.

Mr Vice President, the Russian the Russian legislature has been passing repressive legislation quickly through processes that lack public oversight.

The ambiguity and scope of new or amended laws, along with their arbitrary enforcement has forced many independent voices into exile or into prison.

Particularly egregious are the amendments of the foreign agents and undesirable organisations.

Legislation which have ended the independent functioning of civil society by restricting and penalising the normal activities of human rights defenders, non governmental organisations and independent media outlets, forcing many to close.

Hundreds of organisations and individuals have been stigmatised with the label a foreign agent affiliated with a foreign agent or undesirable which puts them under government scrutiny, sometimes without their knowledge and can lead to criminal prosecution.

Mr Vice President, distinguished delegates, starting on the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, the government ordered all media to use on the official state sanctioned sources of information when reporting on the war.

Thousands of Internet sites have been blocked and journalists are prosecuted for reporting so-called fake news about the war or discrediting the army.

Just recently, a Russian court sentenced journalist Mikhail Afanasiev to fight Venkov Fears in prison for reporting on Russians refusing to fight in the war on Ukraine.

Over 20,000 people were detained between February 2022 and June this year for participating in largely peaceful anti war protests.

Over 600 criminal lawsuits were initiated against so-called anti war activity, including against Ole Kurlov, the Co Chair of Memorial, one of the most widely respected human rights organisations in Russia that received the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the use of force against peaceful anti war protesters.

He has been well documented.

I have received credible reports of torturing your treatment against protesters, including allegations of **** and other sexual violence committed by law enforcement officials against both women and men in detention.

There has been a surge in politically motivated prosecutions, with over 500 new cases last year alone.

Some have been charged with treason, espionage or other serious crimes.

The cases of political figures like Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Karamurza, Ilya Yashin and Alexei Gorinov have received international calls for clemency, yet still received extraordinarily lengthy prison sentences up to 25 years.

The indictment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich on charges of espionage highlights the recent use of surcharges against investigative journalists and people with no access to state secrets.

At least 82 such cases were initiated in the first seven months of this year, but the real number is probably much higher.

Excellencies.

Since February 2022, Russian authorities have spread propaganda justifying the war as AI quote forced response to an imminent ****** from Ukraine and have used rhetoric to incite hatred and violence against Ukrainians.

Primary and secondary schools are required to hold mandatory classes designed to propagate this viewpoint among children.

Teachers, children and their parents face threats and serious consequences for children skipping these classes or expressing dissenting views, even for drawing an anti war picture.

Within Russia, the right to a fair trial, while provided for procedurally in domestic law, is broadly disregarded in practise.

This, plus the weakened independence of the national judiciary and law enforcement bodies, leaves little hope for accountability and fosters an environment of impunity.

The highest judicial body in the country, the Constitutional Court was once seen as a driver of human rights based reforms of the law.

However, this is no longer the case as shown by the Court's recent ruling validating the criminalization of peaceful anti war expressions and opinions.

Mr Vice President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, as my report documents, the situation is grave in the Russian Federation.

Today, I call upon the Russian authorities to undertake comprehensive human rights reforms to redress the damage of the past two decades and to fulfil their international human rights obligations.

I thank all those who are dedicated to this cause, as our efforts also contribute to upholding international human rights standards.

The international community should continue seeking engagement with Russian authorities to secure the immediate release of all people detained on politically motivated grounds in the Russian Federation and to put in place comprehensive policies to protect and enable the vital work of human rights defenders and independent professionals to carry out their essential democratic functions in the Russian Federation.

Thank you for your attention and like I look forward to your questions during the interactive dialogue.

HRC54 - SR on Russia 21 September 2023