UN expert reports: “System of human rights violations” in Russia

UN expert reports
“System of human rights violations” in Russia

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Repression against civil society in Russia has become even more severe in recent years. This is the conclusion of a report for the UN. The extent of the repression is likely to be even greater than the figures compiled by the responsible special reporter.

According to a UN report, human rights are increasingly being disregarded in Russia. “There is now a structural, state-sponsored system of human rights violations,” reports Mariana Katzarova. The Bulgarian was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2023 as special rapporteur on the situation in Russia. The system is designed to suppress civil society and political opposition, her report says.

Critics of the Russian war against Ukraine and dissidents are being persecuted more and more harshly. Katzarova put the number of convicted political prisoners at at least 1,372. These human rights defenders, journalists and critics of the war were accused on flimsy grounds and sentenced to long prison terms. They were tortured in custody. Political prisoners were held in solitary confinement cells, others were forcibly placed in psychiatric clinics. The true number of those affected may be higher than the number of people known to Katzarova, said an employee.

More and more people in Russia are being classified as “foreign agents” – by which they are believed by Russia to be supported or influenced from abroad, according to Katzarova’s report. This significantly limits their work opportunities and forces many to give up. The law on this dates back to 2012.

As of August 16, 846 individuals and organizations had been labeled as foreign agents, most of them since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the report states. These include nearly 200 media organizations and more than 100 journalists. From 2012 to March 2022, only 336 were classified as “foreign agents.” Russia refuses to cooperate with her, Katzarova said.

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