Description of the situation:
According to the information received, on December 7, 2011, Ms. Evgenia Chirikova was detained in Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport as she was returning from Brussels where she had meetings with members of the European Parliament and the European Commission.
The objective of these meetings was to denounce, among others, the human rights violations that are currently taking place in Russia in the framework of the crackdown of peaceful protests denouncing the results of the parliamentary elections, to call for the release of all political prisoners arrested during the last days as well as to denounce the Moscow - St. Petersburg motorway project, ahead of the planned visit to Europe of President Medvedev.
Her passport was taken away by an immigration officer “for additional control”, and no explanation was given to her. Immigration officers then started to undress and search Ms. Chirikova, who was finally released after one hour, and her passport was returned to her. No reasons for her arrest and search were provided to her.
The Observatory condemns the above-mentioned acts of harassment against Ms. Evgenia Chirikova since they seem to merely aim at sanctioning her human rights activities and expresses its deep concern about the ongoing attempts to hinder the peaceful activities of human rights defenders.
The Observatory further recalls that Ms. Evgenia Chirikova already faced judicial harassment and was condemned on August 4, 2010 for “holding an unsanctioned rally” and “resisting the police”[1]. She also faced administrative harassment in February 2011[2].
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Russian Federation, urging them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Evgenia Chirikova as well as of all members of the Campaign for the Defence of the Khimki Forest and all human rights defenders in the Russian Federation;
ii. Put an end to any act of harassment against Ms. Evgenia Chirikova as well as against all human rights defenders in the Russian Federation, and ensure in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals;
iii. Comply with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, especially:
its Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”,
its Article 5, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels (a) to meet or assemble peacefully”;
its Article 6 (b) and (c), which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others [...] as provided for in human rights and other applicable international instruments, freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms and [...] to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters”,
and Article 12.2, which provides 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”;
iv. Comply with the provisions of the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of human rights defenders and the promotion of their activities, and in particular With Article 2.i), in which the Committee calls on member States to “create an environment conducive to the work of human rights defenders, enabling individuals, groups and associations to freely carry out activities, on a legal basis, consistent with international standards, to promote and strive for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms without any restrictions other than those authorised by the European Convention on Human Rights;;
v. More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by the Russian Federation.
Addresses:
· Mr. Dmitri Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, Ilinka Str, 23, Moscow, 103132, Moscow, Russian Federation, Faxes:+ 7 495 606 5173 / 630 2408
· Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Rashid Nurgaliev, ul. Zhitnaya, 16, 117049 Moscow, Russian Federation, Telegram: Rossiia, 117049, Moskva, Fax: + 7 495 637 49 25
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Smolenskaya-Sennaya pl, 32/34, 121200 Moscow, Russian Federation, Telegram: Fax:+ 7 495 644 2203
· Mr. Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigations Committee of the Russian Federation, Building 28, house 15, Naberezhnaya Akademika Tupoleva, Moscow, 105005, Russian Federation
· Ambassador Mr. Valery Loshchinin, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in Geneva, Avenue de la Paix 15, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland, E-mail : mission.russian@vtxnet.ch, Fax: +4122 734 40 44
· Ambassador Mr. Alexandra Romanov, Embassy of the Russian Federation in Brussels, 66 avenue de Fré, 1180 Brussels, Belgium. Fax: +32 2 374 26 13. E-mail: amrusbel@skynet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic mission or embassy of the Russian Federation in your respective country.
***
Geneva-Paris, December 12, 2011
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
[1] See Observatory Urgent Appeal RUS 002/0810/OBS 099.
[2] See Observatory Urgent Appeal RUS 001/0211/OBS 026.
