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Russian Federation: Update - Investigations into the case brought by human rights defender and lawyer Ms Sapiyat Magomedova against police officers and counter claim put on holdposted on: 2012/01/24

Ms Sapiyat Magomedova was informed by reliable sources that further investigations into the case which she initiated against two police officers, Batirbi Magdiev and Nariman Mollaev, have been put on hold.

Russian Federation: Final appeal hearing of human rights defender Oleg Orlovposted on: 2012/01/19

The final appeal hearing of Oleg Orlov, the head of the Human Rights Centre “Memorial” will take place tomorrow 20 January 2012 at 2pm in Khamovniki district court of Moscow.

Russian Federation: Update – Date set for next hearing of case against police accused of attack on Ms Sapiyat Magomedovaposted on: 2011/11/03

The next hearing of the case against the police officers Batirbi Magdiev and Nariman Mollaev is scheduled to take place in the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan at 9.30 am on 14 November 2011.

Russian Federation: Update – Judicial harassment of human rights defender Ms Sapiyat Magomedova continues, trial of her suspected attackers is delayedposted on: 2011/10/25

Both trials related to the beating of human rights lawyer Ms Sapiyat Magomedova have been suspended indefinitely.

Russia: Natalya Estemirova's relatives lodged a complaint to ECHR against ineffective investigationposted on: 2011/09/20

Human Rights Center Memorial issued a statement on the complaint lodged by the relatives of the murdered human rights activist Natalya Estemirova to the ECHR.

Russia: Gay Culture and Rights Celebrated Despite Attacksposted on: 2011/09/20

LGBT organisation Coming Out issued a statement about Third International Festival QueerFest 2011, which opened September 15 in St. Petersburg, Russia, despite protests and attacks by members of clerical extremist organisations, who threw eggs, exploded firecrackers, and sprayed pepper spray at the premises.

Russia: Natalya Estemirova's relatives lodged a complaint to ECHR against ineffective investigationposted on: 2011/09/20

Human Rights Center Memorial issued a statement on the complaint lodged by the relatives of the murdered human rights activist Natalya Estemirova to the ECHR.

Full Text of the Statement from Memorial

September 8, deputy head of the department of the Prosecutor General's Office Aleksey Vasilkov said that the murder of the human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, happened on July 15, 2009, is solved. HRC "Memorial" and Estemirova's relatives suppose that the prosecution doesn't have any grounds to state that.

September 9, lawyers from HRC "Memorial" (Moscow) and European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (London) and the lawyer of victim's family Roman Karpinskiy applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). They lodged a complaint against the failure to carry out an effective investigation of the case, which violates Art. 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Particularly the applicant's legal representatives (Estemirova's relatives, who were recognized as an aggrieved party) have been denied access to the criminal case files.

Russia: Gay Culture and Rights Celebrated Despite Attacksposted on: 2011/09/20

LGBT organisation Coming Out issued a statement about Third International Festival QueerFest 2011, which opened September 15 in St. Petersburg, Russia, despite protests and attacks by members of clerical extremist organisations, who threw eggs, exploded firecrackers, and sprayed pepper spray at the premises.

Full text of the statement from Coming Out

Third International Festival QueerFest 2011 opened September 15 in St. Petersburg, Russia, despite protests and attacks by members of clerical extremist organisations, who threw eggs, exploded firecrackers, and sprayed pepper spray at the premises. Close to 200 people attended the opening ceremony, including representatives of Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders of Sweden, Human Rights Council of St. Petersburg and other leading human rights organisations of Russia and abroad; diplomats from the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, France, Norway, artists and members of civil society spoke about the importance of LGBT rights work in Russia.

QueerFest's mission is to give Russian gays and lesbians a sense of Pride and to raise awareness of LGBT rights in society at large.

Russia: Fully Investigate Estemirova’s Murderposted on: 2011/07/14

Little Progress on Second Anniversary of Prominent Chechen Activist’s Killing

(Moscow, July 14, 2011) – The Russian authorities have made little attempt to effectively investigate possible involvement by local officials in the July 2009 murder of the prominent human rights advocate Natalia Estemirova, Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Defenders, Front Line Defenders, Amnesty International and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said today, on the second anniversary of her death.

Further Information

The organizations, citing a new independent report detailing severe problems with the government’s inquiry, reiterated their call for a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.

“Two years after Estemirova’s murder, there are more questions than answers about the circumstances surrounding her killing,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Strasbourg: The Human Rights Prize of the Council of Europe goes to Committee Against Torture of the Russian Federationposted on: 2011/06/27

The Russian organisation, The Committee against Torture, has won the 2011 Human Rights Prize. It was awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to Igor Kalyapin on behalf of the Committee.

further Information

The bi-ennial prize is in recognition of outstanding action in the defence of human rights in Europe.

Igor Kalyapin is the Chairman of the Committee Against Torture.

“I hope it will help us to be better heard, to speak loudly about the problems we have in Russia and particularly in Chechnya.”

One member of the jury panel, Dick Marty, paid particular tribute to the work of the group of 45 lawyers in the North Caucusus and Chechnya region.

“I had the opportunity to see their work at first hand, and it’s extraordinary in the sense that they are a team of young lawyers who assist victims, parents, and they do everything possible to ensure that the judicial machine is put into action. They fight impunity, and I must say that in this country (Russia) impunity is almost universal.”

The award isn’t just about the 10,000 euros prize money. It is a way of keeping human rights in Europe in the spotlight.

Federación Rusa: Actualización: Alexei Sokolov, defensor de los derechos humanos, en huelga de hambreposted on: 2011/06/17

El 10 de junio de 2011, el Sr. Alexei Sokolov, defensor de los derechos humanos, se declaró en huelga de hambre como protesta por las condiciones de su encarcelamiento. Alexei Sokolov es fundador y presidente de Pravovaja Osnova (Fundación Legal), una organización que defiende los derechos de los prisioneros, y –durante toda su carrera- ha denunciado repetidamente el uso de tortura por parte de la policía rusa. Fue sentenciado a tres años de prisión el 13 de mayo de 2010, acusado de robo y está detenido actualmente en el Hospital de la Colonia Penal No. 37.

Más información

El defensor comenzó la huelga de hambre como protesta por la violación de los derechos de los prisioneros y, particularmente, por la restricción de los llamados telefónicos, la asignación de tiempos para las duchas y la prohibición de que los prisioneros vistan ropa deportiva en algunos momentos del día. El 7 de junio de 2011, la administración de la prisión negó autorización a Alexei Sokolov para realizar llamados telefónicos, sobre la base de que un prisionero no puede realizar más de seis llamadas por año.

Russian Federation: UPDATE - Human rights defender Alexei Sokolov goes on hunger strikeposted on: 2011/06/17

On 10 June 2011 human rights defender Mr Alexei Sokolov declared a hunger strike in protest against prison conditions. Alexei Sokolov is the founder and chairman of Pravovaja Osnova (Legal Foundation), an organisation which defends prisoners’ rights, and throughout his career he has repeatedly denounced the use of torture by Russian police.He was sentenced to three years in prison on 13 May 2010 on charges of theft and robbery and is currently in detention in the Hospital Penal Colony No. 37.

Further Information

He began a hunger strike in protest against the violation of prisoners rights and in particular against the restrictions on phone calls, the allocation of times for showers and the prohibition on prisoners from wearing sportswear at certain times of the day. On 7 June 2011 the prison administration refused Alexei Sokolov permission to make phone calls on the basis that a prisoner should have no more than six phone calls a year. However, prisoners who had actively cooperated with the prison administration were allowed to make such calls.

Russian Federation: Message from Oleg Orlov: "This is a Victory for All of Us”posted on: 2011/06/17

Dear Friends, Colleagues!

This last Tuesday the court acquitted me on charges of slandering Ramzan Kadyrov. I express my sincere gratitude to all those who supported me throughout these difficult nine months while the trial was in progress – to all those who were concerned about me, phoned, wrote letters, signed statements of support, came to the sessions of the court, wrote and spoke about the trial in the press, on the radio and television.

This is a victory for justice. This is a victory for all of us! Thank you.

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Russian Federation: Svetlana Gannushkina to Become a Knight of the Legion of Honour Today posted on: 2011/06/09

Today, June 9 2011, Svetlana Gannushkina – a member of the Council of the Human Rights Centre “Memorial,” chairman of the Committee of “Civic Assistance,” and member of the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation– will become a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Further Information

Svetlana Alexeevna received a letter in December 2010 notifying her that, by decree of the President of France, she had been elected a Knight of the Order.

The solemn ceremony of presenting the award to the human rights activist will take place in the embassy of France at 6:30 pm today. Gannushkina has invited her friends and colleagues to this ceremony. The ambassador of France to Russia, Jean de Gliniasty, will present the award to Svetlana Alexeevna.

Previously the Legion of Honour was awarded to Sergei Adamovich Kovalev.

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Russian Federation: UPDATE - Prosecutor's Office confirms that human rights defender Alexei Sokolov was beaten while in detentionposted on: 2010/10/14

Human rights defender Mr Alexei Sokolov was beaten while being held at Novosibirsk prison. Alexei Sokolov is the chairman of Pravovaja Osnova (Legal Foundation), an NGO which works to defends the rights of prisoners. Throughout his career, he has repeatedly denounced the use of torture by the Russian police. Alexei Sokolov is also a member of a civic supervisory committee on places of detention appointed by the Russian Parliament.