Today juridical analytic scientists of Interregional Legal Advocacy Association “AGORA” summarized results of the year 2006 on the problems of pursuit of civil activists in Russia. In the previous year Association registered 118 messages of such facts in 35 regions of the country.
In 2006 1 civil activist was killed, 2 - were missing, presumably, kidnapped, 18 - beaten, 15 - were subjected to criminal prosecution, 270 – were arrested for organization and participation in public actions. The loudest facts which caused big public resonance became mass arrests by militiamen of participants of two oppositional forums (conference "Different Russia” and the Russian social forum) in summer; sentence of Nizhniy Novgorod legal expert Stanislav Dmitrievsky in February; arrest of the leader of major legal rights organizations in Moscow near the building of FSB of Russia in the same month.
Summing up on a problem of prosecution of civil activists in Russia, Association would like to cancel picketeers of Roman Dobrokhotov ("We", Moscow), Roman Yushkov (the ecological organization "Green Oecumene", Perm) and Alexander Bragin ("Incorporated Civil Front", Ulyanovsk) who, defending their civic position in public actions, in 2006 repeatedly faced a problem of prosecution. Also analysts of Association distinguish legal expert Stanislav Dmitrievsky who was accused guilty in setting out of national discord by his article in the newspaper (Organization of the Russian-Chechen Friendship, Nizhny Novgorod).
Association "AGORA" is ready to render legal help free of charge to all civil activists exposed to pressure from the state bodies. The lawyers of Association rendered civil activists legal protection on 20 facts in 2006. Five organizations defended in court their right to existence contrary to illegal claims of Rosregistration. Among them are Russian Research Center of Human Rights (Moscow), Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia (Moscow) and Fund “International Standard” (Bashkortostan). One more organization proved in court illegality exposed to it by militiaman charges in slander. Five militiamen are brought to disciplinary responsibility for illegal actions in relation to civil activists, one of them is condemned. Chairman of Human Rights Centre "Memorial" (Moscow) using the help of lawyers of Association proved illegality of his bringing to the administrative responsibility for participation in picket near the building of FSB. In relation to another activist criminal prosecution has been stopped.
The civil activist in this monitoring is a person regularly engaged in public work directed on protection of human rights and interests of a person from illegal actions of representatives of authority, acting in structure of organization or individually. Journalists and lawyers colliding prosecution in connection with carrying out of their professional work in can’t be referred to civil activists, as well as members of political parties and representatives of the state authorized by the Russian Legislation to protect rights of a man. Under civil organization is understood a unity of such people.
