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12 Oct 2024
The state of civil society in Russia: speech by a lawyer from the Memorial Centre at the OSCE conference
On December 5-6, a meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers was held in Malta. One of the speakers was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He said that Western countries worry about anything related to human rights, but did not comment on the situation in Russia.
Instead, in Malta Violetta Fitzner, a lawyer at the Memorial Centre, spoke about numerous human rights violations. She participated in the Parallel Civil Society Conference, which the Civic Solidarity Platform held on the eve of the OSCE meeting, on December 4.
Violetta told what is really happening to civil society in Russia, the conditions under which human rights defenders keep working, and how repressions affect NGOs.
The lawyer explained that Russian authorities apply laws on “foreign agents”, “undesirable organizations” and anti-extremist legislation to human rights initiatives. This forces NGOs to stop working and puts their members at risk of criminal prosecution.
In addition to legislative restrictions, the work of civil society in Russia is hampered by repressions for anti-war positions and blocking of independent sources of information, Fitzner emphasized.
Violetta Fitzner
Lawyer of the Memorial Centre
“Many people are forced to leave Russia to continue their work and publicly criticize the Russian government.
At the same time, Russian NGOs and human rights activists continue to work on the ground. They monitor the situation and provide legal assistance to victims, including political prisoners since some lawyers still remain in Russia.
Therefore, the support of the international community is critical as it helps to continue the fight for human rights.”
At the same time, Russian NGOs and human rights activists continue to work on the ground. They monitor the situation and provide legal assistance to victims, including political prisoners since some lawyers still remain in Russia.
Therefore, the support of the international community is critical as it helps to continue the fight for human rights.”
