Resolutions of the Third All-Russia Congress for Human Rights …

     Resolutions of the Third All-Russia Congress for Human Rights
                                 On Political Persecution in Russia

                    Address of the IIIrd All-Russia Congress for Human Rights
      to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Parliamentary Assembly
            of the Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe,
                          European Parliament, European Commission,
                     Secretary General of the Council of the European Union

    We, participants in the Third All-Russia Congress for Human Rights, are appealing you to
express your serious concern to the authorities of the Russian Federation in connection with
politically motivated persecution of large scale.
    The Helsinki Act and obligations of Russia in accession to the Council of Europe directly
demand from the democratic states to stand for the human rights and fundamental freedoms
violated on the territory of the Russian Federation.

   The scale of political persecution in the Russian Federation is catching up with the
Soviet-time level.
   This persecution happens in the most various forms:
   as fabrication of criminal cases including with the help of provocations, planting arms and
drugs, fabrication of cases on espionage and extremism;
   as administrative detention of participants in demonstrations non-agreeable to the authorities;
   as attacks by unknown persons (in civilian clothes or camouflage without badges of rank);
   as forced hospitalization to mental health clinics;
   as fabrication of cases in respect of close relatives of human rights advocates.

   Human rights advocates, civil and political activists are being intimidated and continuously
shadowed. Journalists are subjected to persecution.

    The authorities offhandedly violate civil rights of imprisoned and arrested persons in the
course of political persecution. For example, after reinstating the criminal prosecution, already
convicted Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev were transferred to a prison in Chita ­ in
defiance of the court decision. While - in defiance of the law ­ neither relatives nor even defence
lawyers were admitted to the persons arrested by the police in dispersal of "Dissenters' Marches"
in Moscow (24 November) and Saint-Petersburg (25 November).

    There are tens of political prisoners in the Russian Federation to date. These are the scientists
charged with "espionage" by the special services, persons involved in the YUKOS case,
participants in radical democratic opposition movements, first of all, in the "Other Russia"
coalition, natives of the North Caucasus region falsely charged with terrorism and religious
extremism.
    We ask to take into account that in Russia the power was practically seized by the special
services which completely cut off the citizens from any political activity in order to achieve their
corporate and private purposes. The dissenters are being subjected to open and secret
repressions. Tortures in the MVD [Ministry of Internal Affairs] and other "law enforcement"
agencies became usual. The constitutional rights are denied to the citizens and their associations.
The activity of political parties is being suppressed. The elections are brought to formal voting
procedures.
     In 2007, it was for the first time that PACE considered the problems of growing spy scare
and persecution of citizens for political reasons twice (on 19 April and 2 October) at its sessions.
It was twice that the PACE session adopted resolutions demanding release of well-known
Russian scientists Igor Sutyagin and Valentin Danilov convicted in criminal cases fabricated by

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the FSB [Federal Security Bureau] (espionage and disclosure of state secrets). The PACE
demands were fully ignored by the chekist authority of our country.
    It is very essential for the world not to overlook the problem of political repressions in
Russia.

12/10/2007 Moscow

                   It is necessary to stop the state terror in the North Caucasus
                    Address of the IIIrd All-Russia Congress for Human Rights
      to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Parliamentary Assembly
            of the Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe,
                            European Parliament, European Commission,
                      Secretary General of the Council of the European Union

    We, participants in the Third All-Russia Congress for Human Rights, are appealing you to
express your serious concern to the authorities of the Russian Federation in connection with the
situation in the region of North Caucasus.
    The Helsinki Act and obligations of Russia in accession to the Council of Europe directly
demand from the democratic states to stand for the human rights and fundamental freedoms
violated on the territory of the Russian Federation.
    The scale of human rights violations on behalf of the security agencies both official and
unofficial, created by the authorities, is such that one may speak about state terror in
conditions of the state of emergency practically in force for many years.

   First of all, the matter concerns the situation in the Republic of Ingushetia, Chechen
Republic, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and Republic of Dagestan.
   One should not believe that the enduring war in Chechnya has come to the end and only
separate acts of terrorism in the neighboring regions spoil a beneficial image. The situation in the
North Caucasus region remains quite tense and, in essence, is a form of long-running armed
conflict.
   First of all, the matter concerns the situation in the Republic of Ingushetia, Chechen
Republic, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and Republic of Dagestan.
   A fundamental right to life is being constantly violated in Dagestan, Ingushetia,
Kabardino-Balkaria and Chechnya, the actions of the law enforcement and security
agencies are the source of overwhelming majority of these violations.

    Practically totalitarian regime was established on the territory of Chechnya as a result of
enduring military campaign.
    "Dead" police order, established by the regime of the Kadyrovs in Chechnya, did not result
in cessation of the conflict which started crawling to the contiguous regions.
    Many people in the region constantly live fearing to become a victim of fabricated charges of
terrorism, to be kidnapped, subjected to torture and killed (including for the purpose of
suppressing the very fact of torture). One more threat to life is a risk to perish in the course of
antiterrorist operations carried out ­ using heavy weapons ­ in densely populated residential
areas and settlements.
    Seen as a serious destabilizing factor are the "forays" of the so called "Kadyrov" special
forces to the territory of Dagestan and Ingushetia. It is with these raids that many disappearances
of people or non-judicial executions, including under the pretence of staged defeat of terrorists,
are linked.
    There are widely practiced violations of freedom of conscience ­ religious dissidents
(followers of "pure Islam"), not calling to violence or religious enmity, are being prosecuted.
Wahhabism as a religious school is banned by law in Dagestan.
    There are constant violations of freedom of assembly and demonstrations.


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    The practice of "cleaning up operations" in respect of the whole settlements has been
renewed in Ingushetia, the eye-witnesses are telling about cruel beatings, malicious insults and
humiliations. The authorities openly present "cleaning up operation" as a form of collective
punishment.
    The events in Ingushetia is a typical example of how the authorities themselves create
conditions for the terrorist underground to appear and strengthen in the region, committing gross
and mass violations of human rights. Confidence in the authorities both republican and federal
has come down into an earlier unprecedented level.
    Until recently large scale persecutions against the religious dissidents (so called "prayers")
were taking place in Kabardino-Balkaria, massive punitive repressions were deployed. They led
to the rebellion of 13-14 October in Nalchik. After these events the believers were less
persecuted, but the recent events give rise to concern.
    At the same time the rights of ethnic minority ­ Balkarian population ­ are being violated in
Kabardino-Balkaria. They are facing system discrimination. The authorities are trying to ban the
authoritative "Council of Elders of the Balkarian People".
     In defiance of legislation on local self-government, the communities with both Balkarian and
Kabardian population are illegally deprived of adjacent lands.
      Legislative ban to give the bodies of deceased in antiterrorist operations reckoned among
the terrorists to the relatives created a source of additional tension, especially taking into account
the Caucasian and Moslem attitude to traditions pertaining to burial.

   It was only over the last weeks that the political terror manifested itself both in the murder of
human rights advocate Farid Babayev in Dagestan and attack against human rights advocate
Oleg Orlov in Ingushetia as well as against the newspersons ­ members of the REN TV film crew
Artyom Visotsky, Stanislav Goryachev, Karen Sakhinov and a correspondent of Argumenty I
Fakty weekly newspaper Svetlana Izotyeva.

    We are seriously concerned about the life of our colleagues ­ human rights advocates and
journalists working in the North Caucasus.

12/10/2007 Moscow

         There is a need for civil resistance to lawlessness, dictates and arbitrariness
                   in the name of protection of human rights and freedoms
                    Address of the IIIrd All-Russia Congress for Human Rights

    In January 2001, the All-Russia Extraordinary Congress for Human Rights, which
established a tradition to hold representative nation-wide forums dedicated to the protection of
human rights, took place in Moscow.
    At the next human rights forums: 2002 (All-Russia Congress for Immigrants and Forced
Migrants; International Conference "For Termination of War and Establishment of Peace in the
Chechen Republic"); 2003 (Conference "Civil Society for Democratic Parties", Conference of
Civil Organizations); 2006 (Second All-Russia Congress for Human Rights) ­ the
representatives of free trade unions and activists of civil organizations, as well as the participants
in social protest groups and members of democratic parties were actively working together with
the human rights advocates.
    7 years that passed since the Extraordinary Congress for Human Rights resulted in
substantial deterioration in observance of the whole complex of constitutional rights and human
freedoms.

    Liquidation of civil rights
    The court independence was lost. The possibilities for defence are being quickly reduced.
The jury trials are being manipulated. The "espionage" and other politically motivated trials are
being framed up on permanent basis. Fabrication of criminal cases became an instrument of

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business take-over and reprisals against the dissenters. The practice of psychiatry abuse has been
resumed.
    The criminal investigation is a torture one time and again. The gravest crimes, tortures and
murders are committed in the places of confinement, including with the hands of the so called
"activists", tens of "torture zones" are functioning. A new GULAG [Main Department of
Correctional Labor Camps and Labor Colonies] has appeared in fact. Cruelty, arbitrariness and
corruption corrode the armed forces ­ the soldiers run away or commit suicide; the alternative
service is of discriminative character.
    Already for several years some republics of the North Caucasus: Chechnya, Dagestan,
Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria are living in conditions of actual martial law: kidnapping,
actions of "death squads", tortures, non-judicial executions, use of heavy weapons in densely
populated residential areas became a norm. The operations in "Nord-Ost" and Beslan showed
that the authorities are ready to sacrifice the lives of hundreds of hostages rather than to carry on
peace negotiations.
    Almost all the main mass media became the instruments of state propaganda based on cult of
the head of state and fear of external and internal "enemies". The independent media are being
persecuted, the journalists are being killed. There have been introduced serious restrictions on
activity of the non-governmental organizations. The right to meetings and assembly was severely
restricted; processions were banned at all for a number of organizations.

    Liquidation of political rights
    Actual liquidation of the Council of Federation as an upper chamber of the parliament.
Abolition of nation-wide elections of the regional heads of executive power. Discriminatory
legislation on parties and referendum. Abolished possibility for a citizen to run for deputy.
Abolished none of the above voting. Manipulations with the parties ­ their "raider" take-over;
prohibition and liquidation under any pretexts.

    Liquidation of socio-economic and cultural rights
    Intensive blows on civil and political rights created the conditions wherein adoption of the
laws on "benefits monetization", housing and public utility as well as pension reforms became
possible. Tens of millions, in general, pensioners, are doomed to chronic poverty. Eviction from
apartments to the street, including eviction of families with young children became a principally
new phenomenon.
    The independent business of all dimensions turned into an object of shameless pressure and
state racket.
    The case of YUKOS initiated a large scale take-over of property by the state.
    There has been established a quickly enlarging system of state-monopolistic capital.
    The opportunities to get free education have been sharply reduced.
     The ideological censorship went from the sphere of policy to the one of culture ­ criminal
prosecution for art activities appeared again. The Museum of Andrey Sakharov, curators Andrey
Erofeyev, Marat Gelman and others became an object of criminal prosecution in connection with
the exhibitions "Look out, religion!", "Russia-2", "Prohibited Art-2006", "Sots-art" [socialism
and art]. Writer Vladimir Sorokin was subjected to the similar prosecution.

    The civil society of modern Russia is acting in conditions of arbitrariness of all the
governmental departments, their dictates and corrupted character, xenophobia which
seized the country.
    Political trials are taking place again in our country, unconcealed political detection
appeared, tens of political prisoners are in prisons and colonies. Lawyers defending political
prisoners are being prosecuted. There have been created the "assault detachments" of youth for
struggle including the one involving force, with the opposition and Russian citizens of "non-
Slavonic nationality".
    Political murders and murders of tens of journalists. Bloody milestones of reprisals: Galina
Starovoitova, Yury Shchekochikhin, Larisa Yudina, Sergey Yushenkov, Anna Politkovskaya,

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Alexandr Litvinenko, Farid Babayev... The paymasters of these crimes and often their
perpetrators go unpunished.
    The waves of prosecution in respect of participants in the IInd Russian Social Forum (Saint-
Petersburg, July 2006), "Other Russia" coalition and the main thing ­ so called "elections" to the
State Duma of the fifth convocation, which turned into a bacchanalia of lawlessness, falsification
and repressions, became a culmination of political rights violations. A propaganda billow of lies
and hatred towards the opposition fell upon the society.
    Simple respect for the law does not allow us to recognize the results of these "elections" as
legitimate.

    The security agencies suppressing the opposition and persecuting the dissent turn out to
be the only source of "legitimacy" for the ruling group.
    There has been created a special form of government which may be conditionally named as
"chekism" ­ an authoritarian regime headed by persons coming from special services seizing
control of the politics and economy. The struggle for power between the bureaucratic clans is
carried on in the form of conspiracies and fabrication of criminal cases. The system of power is
held up by the popularity of Putin, massive propaganda "brain-washing" and repressions.
    To date it is only the civil society that may stop degradation and disintegration of the state
having united in the name of protection of human rights, humanistic and democratic principles as
well as a principle of rights protection. It is a common task of the civil society.
    The civil organizations, including the human rights ones, permanently accomplish very
important specific tasks, help and protect people, actively interact with the state and municipal
power.
    There is a need for solidarity of the civil, political and social organizations, journalists,
people of science, culture and art, all those proceeding from the priority of human rights and
freedoms. We are giving them a hand.
    We are calling all the citizens of Russia, reckoning themselves "in the country" on the side of
Sakharov and not in the "country" on the side of Putin, to protect these rights and freedoms and
to unite in various civil organizations for the sake of their protection.

   We are convinced that we shall find support from the honest professionals among the
government and law enforcement agencies in a difficult work to restore the Russian state as a
law-governed, democratic, federative and social one.


12/10/2007 Moscow




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