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The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum strives to promote cooperation between the peoples of Finland and Russia by supporting civic initiatives for democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.
Finnish Lawyer Arrested in Moscow
The Finnish lawyer, Kari Silvennoinen, was arrested on his arrival at Moscow airport on 27 September 2013. The Russian authorities gave no reason for his arrest. Mr Silvennoinen has been held without food and drink over night.
Interpol Again Rejects Russian Request
The General Secretariat of Interpol has announced that Russia could not use Interpol to arrest William Browder, CEO and co-founder of Hermitage Capital, who was running a campaign to bring Russian officials responsible for the death of whistleblower Sergey Magnitsky to justice. A day earlier, Russia sent a search request to Interpol on Mr Browder.
Khodorkovsky Case Politically Motivated
The European Court of Human Rights has retracted its press release on the ruling in the case brought by the two former owners of the Yukos Oil Company, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, against the Russian state, NEWSru.com reported. Apparently, the initial press release stated that the charges against the two had “strong grounds,” whereas the Court ruling said nothing of the sort.
Mr Khodorkovsky’s lawyer, Karinna Moskalenko, said the Court was ready to concede that some political forces and state officials had reason to prosecute Mr Khodorkovsky and Mr Lebedev through Russian courts, and that the authorities might have had a “hidden agenda.” Ms Moskalenko said the Court did confirm that there was reason to suspect that the Khodorkovsky case was indeed politically motivated.
Finland: Call to Arrest Putin
A group of Finnish civic activists has today filed a report to the police, calling for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and for an investigation into his actions during the war in Chechnya.
Stop Persecution of Civil Society in Russia!
The Steering Committee of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum has issued a statement protesting the growing persecution of independent civil society organisations in Russia as a result of repressive legislation on “foreign agents.” The Forum cites the convictions meted out on two of its member organisations, the GOLOS Association and its regional partner, as well as the Kostroma Support Center for Civic Initiatives. The fourth NGO convicted as a “foreign agent” is the St Petersburg LGBT film festival, Side by Side. In all, the authorities have taken action against more than 40 NGOs, many of them members of the Forum.
Appeal for Solidarity with Levada Center
Academic freedom is under attack in Russia. Authorities have now targeted the independent research institute, Levada Center. On 15 May 2013, the prosecutor’s office of Moscow’s Savelovskaya District issued a warning to the institute, citing violations of Russia’s draconian new law on non-profit organisations.
Prosecuting the Dead
Kremlin Tightening The Screws
The Kremlin plans to change the rules of its puppet parliament by granting the Duma presidium and ethics commission the right to recall the mandates of deputies without a court order. According to a draft bill being prepared by deputies of the ruling United Russia party, grounds for kicking out deputies would include: repeated no-shows at Duma sessions or committee meetings, “public statements that discredit the parliament or that are of anti-state nature,” refusal to declare one’s income, and abuse of one’s diplomatic passport for private trips abroad.
Russian Freedom Continued to Decline
There is only one region in the world where political rights and civil liberties have been in continuous decline since 2001 — the countries of the former Soviet Union, with the exception of the Baltic States. That is according to Arch Puddington and Christopher Walker, the principal authors of the latest “Freedom in The World” report compiled annually by the US-based rights watchdog Freedom House.
Puddington, Freedom House’s director of research, lists possible explanations for the region’s downward trend: one is the legacy of the Soviet Union, and the other is Russia’s undemocratic influence. “The former Soviet Union –excluding the Baltic states– over the past five years, over the past decade, basically has gone from one decline to another decline. And Russia has led the way,” Puddington told RFE/RL.
Russia, ranked “Not Free” for the sixth year in a row, was among 25 countries that showed significant declines in democracy in 2010 with little serious resistance from the democratic world, the report said. Russia and Belarus were listed among the world’s most powerful authoritarian regimes. These countries acted with “increased brazenness” in 2010. In the former Soviet space, Russia continued to set the tone.
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