Russia Is among Five "Champions" on Human Rights Abuse

International human rights organization Freedom House published report "Democracy Blasting: Authoritative Countries of XXI century" in which among such countries China, Pakistan, Venezuela, Iran and Russia were enumerated. These states, is said in the report, "actively undermine democracy both inside the borders and out of their bounds", at that their actions on prosecution of organizations supporting observance of human rights are "organized, refined and well provided".

In particular in relation to Russia it's stated in the report that alongside with Iran and Venezuela it "uses big oil means for creation of alliances abroad as well as for subsidising of foreign clients". Besides, Russia is being accused in that it and its allies in CIS "put pressure upon OSCE so that its observers could not supervise elections, did not raise democratic standards, did not look after observance of human rights and instead paid attention to problems of environment, economy and safety".

In place of the comment: Press-conference "WHY JOURNALIST E.MAGLEVANNAYA ASKED FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM IN FINLAND" took place in Independent Press-Service on June, 3th.

Elena Maglevannaya's advocate, lawyer Michael Trepashkin declared: "First of all it is necessary to notice that in 2008 Russia took the third place in the world on a number of people abroad from it. One of its reasons is absence of effective system of judicial protection of interests of citizens. I will result only few examples. Alexander Litvinenko's case. In 1998 he told at press conference that special division specializing on extrajudicial punishments was created in FSB. It would seem that if such things were sounded, one should make investigation, check up those facts. Instead of it a couple of criminal cased were brought against Litvinenko. Later those cases were dismissed (then the court was not such controllable as now), brought once again, as a result Litvinenko was compelled to run away from the country because he understood that sooner or later he would be imprisoned on the ground of far-fetched bases. Boris Kuznetsov's case (the lawyer who received political asylum in the USA). Boris was charged with divulgence of State secret, at that there was no corpus delicti. In conformity with the law on state secret data containing information on human rights abuse or crimes of officials cannot be secret. I can recollect own experience. When there were legal proceedings on my case, the words of the one who was sent by FSB as expert, literally made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. Why? Very simply. I ask him: "On the basis of what statutory act the data (which divulgence was incriminated to Michael Trepashkin) is recognized as containing state secret? He says: "I have no special education, I do not know. But there's for sure some state secret". After such answer another question appeared: "Whether FSB really is being completed now with morons?" So, I was condemned on the basis of such "expert" conclusions. I can recollect Zhurilov's case. Employees of FPS (warders) tortured him so that traces on his neck remained for the rest of his life. However Office of Public Prosecutor did not recognize that his rights were infringed. There a re a plenty of such cases".

Michael Trepashkin said the following about E.Maglevannaya's case: "If to speak about my client, he held an active public position. He wrote a lot. In particular about tortures and mockeries in colonies. It created certain discomfort for employees of FPS. They organized persecution of Elena Maglevannaya. The employees of FBU LIU-15 of the City Department of FPS who brought the case against Elena Maglevannaya before a court asserted that prisoner Zubajr Zubajraev whom, in particular, Elena mentioned in her articles was never exposed to beatings and tortures, that he injured himself when he "beat head against the wall". Naturally, to establish the truth it was necessary to summon to appear Zubajraev before court and examine him, however the court did not do it. The judge agreed that, beating against the wall is possible to get cuts on the face, hands and feet, holes from screws in patellae and holes from nails in footsteps, it sentenced Maglevannaya to the penalty at the rate of 200 thousand roubles. Further, according to all indications, they were going to fabricate criminal case against Elena as a result of which consideration in court (already proved its involvement) E.Maglevannaya should go (as it was promised to her by phone by jailers) into the prison or to a mental hospital. Elena Maglevannaya was compelled to leave the country to have possibility to continue journalistic activity!"- Michael Trepashkin declared.

А. Zimbovsky

Send by mail

Print