Contents tagged with human rights
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Human rights organizations call on President of Azerbaijan to release all political prisoners
Human rights organization issued a joint statement calling for the release of the remaining political prisoners in Azerbaijan who were not included in President Ilham Aliyev’s pardon on March 17th, Ekho Kavkaza reported.
The joint statement issued by the 21 organizations welcomes Aliyev’s pardon, though it calls for the additional release of the political prisoners still being held in Azerbaijani prisons.
“We are incredibly relieved for those released yesterday, including Rasul Jafarov, who …
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: The situation in Crimea remains critical
During a UN Security Council meeting regarding compliance with human rights in the Crimea, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussein mentioned that the situation in the Crimea remains critical and requires constant monitoring by the international community, as stated by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
The restriction of civil and political rights of Crimean residents, the lack of freedom of expression, and the atmosphere of intolerance are of particular concern …
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Chechen ombudsman demands criminal case be brought against Russian journalist
Chechen ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiyev addressed the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (SKR) with an appeal to open a criminal case against Elena Milashina, a correspondent with Novaya Gazeta. From the ombudsman’s official website he accused Milashina of spreading false information about Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament. Nukhazhiyev alleged that Milashina’s aim was to discredit the speaker’s honor and dignity.
The issue is based on Milashina’s article published in …
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Russia to close UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Moscow
Russian authorities intend to close the Moscow Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This was stated by the UN Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, speaking at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, the BBC reported.
"I am concerned about the signals received from the government that indicate an intention to close our office in Moscow" Al Hussein said. According to him, it's necessary to intensify communication with the Russian authorities, including discussion of …
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Amnesty International: Russia fails to protect those who defend human rights
Amnesty International released a statement on Friday in which it criticized the Russian government for failing to protect those who promote human rights.
According to Amnesty International, the violent attack on human rights defenders and journalists in the Russian territory of Ingeshetia “is further evidence of the authorities’ abject failure to protect those who work to safeguard human rights.”
The statement comes after members of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture as well as …
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Journalists and human rights activists attacked on road from Ingushetia to Chechnya
Photo: RIA Novosti
Members of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture as well as Russian and foreign journalists were attacked while travelling on a road from Ingushetia to Chechnya, as reported by Dozhd.
According to a member of the human rights organization, Dmitry Utukina, a van was attacked that was carrying human rights activities and journalists from Russia, Norway, and Sweden.
Utukina told a Dozhd reporter that two employees of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture were …
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Russian citizen faces prison time for posting atheistic comments online
Viktor Krasnov, a Russian citizen, may face imprisonment for a discussion on the internet in which he denied the existence of God, Golos Ameriki reports
The 38-year-old appeared in a closed hearing in a Stavropol court on Wednesday. If the court finds him guilty of violating the 2013 law on insulting the feelings of believers, he may face a prison term of up to one year.
This controversial law was passed after an incident with punk band, Pussy Riot, in the main cathedral of Moscow. Members …
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Ukraine to hold discussion on human rights on March 22nd
The Head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Pavlo Klimkin, said there will be a discussion on human rights in Ukraine on the 22nd of March. He invited foreign delegations to join the conversation.
"I invite all interested delegations to participate in the interactive dialogue to discuss challenges in the field of human rights in my country which will be held on the 22nd of March, 2016," Pavlo Klimkin said during his speech at the 1st session of the UN Council on Human Rights in Geneva.
The …
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Pavlo Klimkin: Russia carries out large-scale human rights violations against Crimean Tatars
According to Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin, Russia is violating the rights of the Crimean Tatars.
This was stated by Klimkin during his speech on Tuesday, March 1st at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, as reported by Evropeiskaya Pravda.
According to him, Russia, as an occupying power, carries out large-scale human rights violations on the Peninsula, especially in regards to the indigenous population- the Crimean Tatars.
“They carry out a …
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Amnesty International: Freedom of press in Russia is 'severely restricted'
The freedom of the Russian media “was severely restricted” in 2015, according to an Amnesty International human rights report entitled “Human Rights in the Contemporary World”. The Russian presentation of the report was held in Moscow in the Rosbalt Media Center.
According to Sergey Nikitin, the Director of the organization in Russia, the number of independent media sources in Russia “can probably be counted on one hand”.
“With regard to the freedom of the media, it is no secret that it has …