Over the last several years, the Russian authorities have engaged in a systematic campaign of repression of human rights and closing civic space. They have adopted pernicious legislation aimed at eviscerating civil society, sought to isolate Russia from information critical of the government, and rampantly persecuted peaceful critics through bogus administrative and criminal cases. In the lead-up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and in its aftermath, Russia introduced a series of draconian laws that criminalized criticism and independent reporting of the war and that expanded the definitions of ‘foreign agents’ and ‘undesirable organizations’ in order to obliterate civil society and free expression.
In October 2022, the Human Rights Council responded by adopting a resolution creating a mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Russia, citing grave concern over “systematic crackdowns on civil society organizations”, “reported mass arbitrary arrests… , the deterioration of the rule of law,” and “mass forced shutdowns of civil society organizations and independent media outlets.” The authorities’ campaign of repression has accelerated in the year since the establishment of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, in many cases prompting statements of concern from the UN High Commissioner and Special Procedures mechanisms.
Human Rights Situation in Russia – a Worsening Crisis
Crushing of any political opposition
- Russian authorities have long since eliminated any semblance of genuine political competition and used a range of measures to harass and persecute political opposition. They used vague and ambiguous anti-extremism laws to ban organizations and even symbols associated with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and penalized involvement with these organizations or display of their symbols. They mandated stigmatizing labelling of electoral campaigns by candidates listed as foreign agents or even loosely “affiliated” with foreign agents.
- Two of Russia’s top opposition figures are now serving sentences of 25 years and more on bogus charges, including high treason and extremism – merely for their peaceful opposition to the Kremlin and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Courts have sentenced many other opposition supporters to long prison terms for anti-war speech and peaceful protests.
Repression of anti-war expression
- Thousands of people have faced administrative charges and hundreds have been criminally prosecuted on bogus charges of “false information” or “discreditation” of Russian armed Forces.
- Human rights and anti-war activists in Russia face arrest, criminal and administrative sentences, torture and other mistreatment in detention, intimidation, and brutal violence.
- The authorities have criminalized cooperation with international bodies such as the International Criminal Court, as well as calling for sanctions against Russia.
Continued decimation of civil society
- Authorities have banned Russian groups from cooperating with independent groups based abroad, and liquidated top human rights groups, including Sova, the Sakharov Center, and the Moscow Helsinki Group, after liquidating Memorial in 2021 and de-registering (i.e. effectively banning from working in the country) many foreign groups, including the local offices of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International
- Under Russia’s draconian “undesirables” law, 106 media, civil society and human rights groups and their entities have been added to the “‘Undesirables” register, 40 of which were added after October 2022. Authorities have blocked the websites of many of them, including Transparency International, The Andrei Sakarov Foundation, TV Rain, Meduza, IStories, The Insider, The Project, Novaya Gazeta Europe, Greenpeace, and the World Wildlife Fund. Several civic activists were convicted on criminal charges for involvement with “undesirable” organizations, three of them received active prison sentences.
- Since August 2022, 239 individuals or legal entities have been designated as “foreign agents,” of which two were subsequently removed from the registry, bringing the total number to 471. (An additional 178 individuals and entities have been removed from the registry since its creation in 2014).
- Russian authorities continued to persecute activists who fled the country, using bilateral and multi-lateral international legal cooperation agreements to forcibly return them to Russia, where they face criminal prosecution for peaceful opposition to the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine.
Persecution of LGBT+ persons
- In December 2022, Russia’s State Duma extended the scope of Russia’s “anti-gay propaganda” law to cover all public information or activities.
- In July 2023, President Putin signed a new law banning gender-affirming care for transgender people. Activists protesting this law were detained and prosecuted by Russian police, and LGBT+ people in Chechnya are under threat of fabricated criminal cases, being kidnapping in other parts of Russia and returned to Chechnya, enforced disappearances, torture, and other violence.
Right to privacy – Expanding the Surveillance State
The role of the Special Rapporteur on Russia is still desperately needed
Renewing the Special Rapporteur on Russia’s mandate would continue to expose and address the deepening human rights crisis in Russia in a holistic manner, engaging with Russian authorities and the UN system as well as with human rights defenders, activists, and civil society organizations.
The Special Rapporteur mandate would retain an important point of contact for Russian human rights defenders, activists, and civil society organizations within the UN Human Rights architecture. Civil society in Russia is becoming increasingly isolated from the international community, and since Russia’s exit from the Council of Europe, Russians are losing important avenues for support and justice.
The mandate provides an expert and authoritative voice at the international level who can expose the situation of those in Russia facing intimidation, harassment, and harsh punishment for their human rights work, who are isolated and vulnerable in the face of an ever-tightening autocracy.
Renewal of the mandate by the HRC would signal to the Russian authorities that the international community remains engaged and vigilant not only on Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, but also on the ongoing human rights crisis inside Russia.
For these critical functions to be fulfilled properly, renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur should be coupled with an increase in its resources to ensure the needed staffing and security of its operations.
It is critical that human rights defenders, journalists, and activists – whether in Russia or in exile – have an avenue for attention and support in their courageous stand against Russia’s war in Ukraine and abuses at home. The UN Human Rights council must send a strong message to civil society in Russia that their calls for international scrutiny on human rights are still being heard.
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