Russian rights body urges Putin to improve authorities’ relations with NGOs

(Interfax – Moscow, July 1, 2013) The presidential council for human rights (CHR), having examined the situation with the eviction of members of the movement For Human Rights from their office, has urged the head of state to take measures to protect non-commercial organizations (NGOs) in cases of this kind.

“Considering this conflict in the general context of current tasks in the development of civil society, the Council deems it necessary to appeal to President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin to take urgent systemic measures to ensure a drastic improvement in relations between the authorities and human rights organization and other NGOs,” says a statement by the CHR posted on its official website.

The statement says the CHR also deems it necessary to ask the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “to preclude the possibility of using the police in extrajudicial settlements of disputes between economic entities” and “to improve the legal competence of police personnel”, after policemen refused to let ombudsman Vladimir Lukin into the office.

The CHR press service says the statement was issued following a special meeting on 26 June to look into the case of the movement For Human Rights. Representatives of the prosecutor’s office and the Interior Ministry were among those who spoke at the meeting.

On the night of 21-22 June, the Moscow city authorities, the police and private security company staff used force to evict activists of the movement For Human Rights from the office in Malyy Kislovskiy Pereulok (street). The authorities said the lease had expired. Human rights activists described what had happened as an “assault” in which seven people were injured, including 72-year-old (movement leader) Lev Ponomarev and Moscow mayoral candidate and Yabloko leader Sergey Mitrokhin, who later sought medical help. (Passage omitted)