Human rights in Russia have “significantly deteriorated” since President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February last year, alleges a study released Monday by an expert commissioned by the United Nations’ top human rights organization.
Mariana Katzarova, the Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia, has recounted internal repression that has primarily targeted critics of Putin’s war, as well as other opposition voices in Russia.
Their assessment, made public on Monday, is distinct from another investigation by U.N.-backed investigators, which accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine.
Never before has the council authorized a rights expert to investigate human rights violations in one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and the United States.
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- Human rights in Russia have ‘significantly deteriorated’: UN expert
- The UN General Assembly suspended Russia’s membership on April 22
- The meeting will take place on Thursday
Human rights in Russia have ‘significantly deteriorated’: UN expert
Credit: AP
The report cited OVD-Info data from last month, which showed that more than 20,000 people were jailed for participating in anti-war protests between February and June last year. According to the report, more than 600 criminal complaints were filed against “anti-war activities.”
According to the report, more than half of the protesters jailed for “peaceful anti-war activism” were women.
Katzarova stated that she had received “credible reports” of a series of human rights abuses, including accusations of torture, rape and sexual violence, and threats of sexual abuse by law enforcement officers against men and women. She claimed that neither situation had been properly investigated.
According to the study, the Russian Justice Ministry’s list of “foreign agents” numbered 649 organizations and individuals at the end of July, an increase of more than 25% in six months.
At the end of July, more than 100 organizations were listed as “undesirable,” meaning they could be banned.
The UN General Assembly suspended Russia’s membership on April 22
Credit: AP
Last April, just six weeks after Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly suspended Russia’s membership in the 47-member Geneva-based human rights council.
Katzarova’s mandate, who is Bulgarian, was established a year ago and she started working in May.
Russian authorities have refused to help, saying his team’s submissions will be “automatically ignored,” according to the report.
The analysis states that rights in Russia have experienced a “steady decline” over the past two decades.
Still, Katzarova found that the situation has “deteriorated significantly since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.”
The study was developed through meetings with more than 60 Russian and international human rights organizations and individuals, as well as approximately 100 written contributions, including those from rights defenders and eyewitnesses of human rights violations.
The meeting will take place on Thursday
Credit: AFP
The Human Rights Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday to address the issue.
Since the start of the conflict, the Kremlin has claimed that the vast majority of Russians support its “special military operation” in Ukraine, while stating that those who disagree are free to do so.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that those who wish to criticize the government must do so in accordance with the law.
Putin has stated that he “does not judge” people who “have not behaved as patriots.” Last week he also stated that one “can disagree” with the Russian authorities “and live here, talk about it; no one forbids it.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn