Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the human rights situation within Russia itself has deteriorated significantly. Mariana Katzarova, the first UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert on human rights in Russia, spoke about the worsening conditions in her report presented to the UN General Assembly last month in New York.In a recent interview conducted with UN News, she emphasised the significance of her report and its purpose, holding to account one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
“It is unique that for the first time” one of the ‘P5’ permanent members of the Security Council has been subject to monitoring by another major UN body, the Human Rights Council, having just created the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights the previous year, she said.
Civil society ‘completely destroyed’
The report describes in detail how the human rights situation in Russia began to deteriorate 20 years ago. It highlighted Russia’s persecution of anti-war demonstrators, torture of detained activists and opposition figures, and the targeting of lawyers who defend these groups.
The human rights situation has “gradually deteriorated” over the past 20 years, from the two Chechen wars, and then, after the full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in February last year, the human rights situation has “deteriorated dramatically,” said Ms. Katzarova.
The main “tragic finding is that civic space in the Russian Federation has been destroyed completely” she told UN News.
Refusal to cooperate
Ms. Katzarova’s access to the country has been restricted by the Russian Government, although this has not stopped her from collecting information from almost 200 sources both inside and outside Russia, including human rights activists, political activists, opposition voices and journalists.
Ms. Katzarova expressed hope that Russian authorities will allow her to visit the country soon. She also expressed a desire to communicate not only with representatives of civil society, but also with Government officials and officials working in the justice system.
She said she hoped the Russian authorities will change their minds and begin to communicate “with my mandate”, because “I’ve been appointed to help the authorities, as any other special rapporteur of the United Nations, we are there to assist”.
She said she had also contacted the Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Moskalkova as her role exists separately from the Government.
She was keen to have her input for her report as the human rights ombudsman, since the Russian people can turn to her with their complaints. “Unfortunately, she did not answer”, said the UN independent expert.
Russians abroad
According to the expert, part of her job is to serve the Russian people, to give them the opportunity to be heard, amidst the current climate of general isolation.
She recalled that many Russians left the country to avoid mobilisation or persecution for ideological and political reasons. The governments of the countries in which these Russians settled should provide them with support, she emphasised.
As Russians now find it difficult to travel abroad, she said she had told representatives of other States, the European Union and Western governments to review the bans, as it “only isolates the people and serves the propaganda of the government…saying to the Russian people, well, the collective West does not like you because you’re Russian citizens.”
Fear of speaking out
The expert also emphasised that, given the numerous cases of persecution of media workers, human rights activists and lawyers, an atmosphere of fear has formed in the country.
Citizens are now afraid to express their opinions, in particular regarding the war.
“I don’t believe that all Russian people are supporting any war, and particularly this war on Ukraine. Mind you, a lot of Russians actually relate to a lot of Ukrainians. I mean, there are mixed marriages”, Ms. Katzarova recalled.
Russians are 100% to blame. They allowed the dwarf to return russia to the time of Stalin, instead of kicking the bastard out.
They are to be blamed. They allow their brains to be soaked full with cheap vodka becoming indifferent and idiotic. The West never defeated the USSR, they eversince were corrupt pussies. The Soviets (ruSSians) ruined themselves on their own. Putin is doing the same with RuSSia now.
Baloney!
The ruskies are fully responsible and must be collectively blamed for their desire to wage war and to eliminate their neighbor.
Human rights expert, my arse!
Agreed. Vladolf’s poll ratings go up every time he invades somewhere. No wonder he does it. ruzzkis go through a period of peace and calm and they just can’t stop their bloodlust and have to start killing again.
Many of the cockroach wives even encourage their cockroach husbands to rape and kill.
and Navalny, Ponomarev and Karamurza?
let’s be modest. all aging populations in the West are now prone to doing stupid things… extremes are rising everywhere, everywhere is becoming radicalized, no one is safe…
having your freedom confiscated or learning to manage and preserve it cannot be done in 5 minutes…. everything has been bogus since Yeltsin. It’s not even easy to say that democracy really existed for 3 years in Russia.
Putin’s accession to power was controlled and insincere, and afterwards the imposter seemed to be more protective than the scavengers under Yeltsin. To be fooled by an illusionist, you can only half blame yourself.
the weakness of the Russians in my opinion is to have been colonists of the imperialists in their History, so they have always benefited from the theft of the mistreatment of others, of other peoples – compared to the Ukrainians who suffered their arrogance and their mistreatment too, which has made the Ukrainians more alert, more combative less “unconsciously corrupt”… they have the qualities of the little brother…
an example Navalny at the start of the war was still for Crimea to be Russian. not anymore he has come a long way…
the problem is that this path is very painful and even deadly now, and anyone who has to fight a fight measures their chances of winning, their potential, what they have to lose… that’s why everything that can break/weaken the FSB, and other alienation services is good to take for everyone….
we easily essentialize, it’s like acting as a flock of sheep, as a school of fish, the contrary of brainstorming, like whitecheesestorming, or brains flying bubble 🙂