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 deep concern over the declarations of
the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on May 26,
2004, in front of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the
Parliament.
In his annual speech on the state of the Nation, the Russian
president declared : "thousands of associations and civil unions
exist and work constructively in [Russia]. However, far from all of
them are concerned by the defence of the real interests of the
people. For some of these organisations, the main objective has
become to receive funds from influent foreign and domestic
foundations, for others the aim is to serve dubious groups and
commercial interests".
Mentioning "influential foreign foundations" and "dubious groups and
commercial interests" might namely be interpreted as referring to
businessmen Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Gousinsky, both exiled, and
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is currently in detention. All three are
being prosecuted for alleged economic fraud. Their prosecution is
linked to the fact that they are well-known opponents to the Kremlin
regime and that they have been financing political opposition
movements, as well as NGOs criticising the authorities. Some Russian
NGOs have been very involved in denouncing their prosecutions which,
regardless of the validity of the criminal charges brought against
the businessmen, illustrate the attempts by the Russian government to
silence political dissent and pluralism.
The Observatory recalls that Mr. Putin’s statement is part of a
general libellous campaign against NGOs that started some months ago.
This campaign aims at portraying NGO members as criminals and
representatives of foreign enemies of Russia, in order to discredit
them in front of the Russian population. It also aims at operating a
pernicious division between "good" and "bad" NGOs, so as to divide
and weaken the community of human rights defenders. The last example
of this campaign was illustrated during a press conference, on May 7,
2004 when General Kraev, High Representative of the General Direction
of Sentence Enforcement of the Ministry of Justice, also accused
human rights organisations of being financed by criminal
organisations and by oligarchs (see Open letter of the Observatory to
Vladimir Putin, May 24, 2004). These declarations were linked to the
recent activities and protests of human rights defenders against the
deplorable conditions of detainees in Russia.
Mr. Putin’s declarations are all the more unacceptable that this
speech constitutes a well thought and prepared statement discrediting
NGOs in front of one of the highest
institutions of Russia, the Federation Council. The Observatory fears
that this declaration constitutes a green light to every kind of
repression, harassment and libellous
campaign.
The Observatory recalls that the international financing is one the
main conditions to the independence of NGOs and is guaranteed by the
Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of United Nations on
December, 9 1998, which states in its article 13 that "[e]veryone has
the right, individually or in
association with others, to solicit, receive and utilize resources
for the express purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and
fundamental freedoms through
peaceful means, in accordance with article 3 of the present
Declaration".
The Observatory urges Russian authorities to comply with the
Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, in particular article 1 which
states that "[e]veryone 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" and article 13 above mentioned, as
well as international and regional instruments for the protection of
human rights.
For more information, please contact : FIDH: 00 33 1 43 55 25 18 -
OMCT: 00 41 22 809 49 24