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Russian Federation: Website of Interregional Committee Against Torture hackedposted on: 2012/02/03

On 28 January 2012, the website of the Russian Interregional Committee Against Torture (CAT) was hacked.

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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: Detention of human rights defender Mr Anton Ryzhov on his way from Chechnyaposted on: 2012/01/23

On 21 January 2012, human rights defender Mr Anton Ryzhov was temporarily detained in Nizhny Novgorod as he was on his way back from Chechnya.

Russian Federation: Human rights defender Mr Igor Kalyapin at risk of facing a criminal charge of disclosing State secretsposted on: 2012/01/20

On 18 January 2012, human rights defender Mr Igor Kalyapin was informed that a statement had been filed with the investigative authorities in the Chechen Republic accusing him of disclosing State secrets.

Igor Kalyapin is chairman of the Committee Against Torture, and founder and President of the Joint Mobile Group (JMG), who received the Front Line Defenders Award in April 2011 for their work in investigating torture and disappearances in Chechnya.

On 18 January 2012, Igor Kalyapin was notified by Mr Igor Sobol, Senior Investigator at the Department for the Investigation of Serious Cases of the Central Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Prosecutor’s Office, that the leader of the Chechen OMON (special police forces) had filed a statement accusing him of disclosing State secrets. On the basis of the statement, an enquiry was launched and a criminal case may be opened against Igor Kalyapin. Such disclosure constitutes a crime under Article 283 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and carries with it a prison sentence of 3 to 7 years.

The filing of this statement comes in the context of recent progress made in investigations conducted by the JMG, who works with Igor Sobol's investigative group, into cases in which members of the Chechen OMON are the chief suspects, in particular the abduction and subsequent ill-treatment of Mr Islam Umarpashayev. This case is the most high-profile case of the JMG and is currently under investigation by a group led by Igor Sobol. Igor Kalyapin represents the victim in that investigation. The “State secrets” allegedly disclosed refer to the fact Igor Kalyapin identified the place where Islam Umarpashayev was illegally detained on blogs that he wrote in the summer of 2011.

Igor Kalyapin described how the investigating group, accompanied by the JMG and Islam Umarpashayev, had attempted to enter the place where the victim had been detained in order for him to formally identify it for the purpose of the investigation.

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: Death threats against human rights defender Ms Lilya Shibanova amid campaign of persecution against election watchdog Golosposted on: 2011/12/13

On 11 December 2011, the words “Shibanova, die” were discovered daubed on the apartment door of Ms Lilya Shibanova, head of election monitoring organisation NGO for Democratic Rights and Liberties Golos (“Voice” or “Vote” in Russian).

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: 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: 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.