December 2011
1 post
Statement of Solidarity with the Russian People
Union of Councils expresses solidarity with democratic forces in Russia who strongly protest against the falsification of parliamentary election results. Today, big rallies in Moscow, Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, and many other cities and towns across Russia showed that Russian civil society not only exists, but is fighting for democratization and political-economic reforms.
We...
November 2011
11 posts
Violence in Lviv
LVIV, UKRAINE - Several young men have beaten up a student from Moroссo in a central city street. The attack happened suddenly. The victim and witness suggest that the attack was motivated by racial hatred. The police refused to accept the statement, because nobody in the nearest police station understood English. Policemen refused the translation of the bystander, because it is forbidden...
Attacks on Foreigners in Ternopil City
TERNOPIL, UKRAINE - Between November 15-20 more than eight international students have been attacked and beaten just from from the dormitory for students of Ternopil medical University. Police were notified. The students were from Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Cameroon, and Ghana.
UCSJ Condemns Sentence of Ales Belyatsky
Join us in protest against the unfair and politically motivited sentence of leading Belarussian activist Ales Belyatsky.
Ales Belyatsky, president of NGO Viasna (Spring) is a well-known, honest patriot and champion of democratic reform in Belarus.
The money he received from donors was spent soley to promote human rights and help political prisoners and their families. He is accused in...
David Waksberg on Jewish Personhood
When I was 13 years old, a group of people tried to steal an airplane in a desperate attempt to escape the USSR and call international attention to the plight of Soviet Jews.
They failed in their first objective and succeeded in their 2nd one. Until the Leningrad trials, the only thing I knew about Jews from Eastern Europe were the faces in the family photos on my grandparents’ apartment wall,...
Verdicts in Russian Racial Crime Cases
Anti-Caucasian rallies continued. The public campaign “Stop feeding the Caucasus” culminated in a Moscow rally on October 22nd that featured anti-corruption and xenophobic slogans. Nevertheless, it failed to mobilize significant support with only 500 attendees. Meanwhile, the well-known blogger and anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny was one of the key speakers along with the leader of the...
Russia satirists use YouTube to challenge Kremlin
By Stephen Ennis BBC Monitoring
Cult cartoon character Mr Freeman is part of a digital onslaught on the political establishment
Media control has been one of the key factors that have allowed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to dominate Russia’s political landscape since he was first elected president in 2000.
As the country prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections, though,...
Russia: Prohibition of Religious Groups
Alexandria, VA - November 1, 2011 - On 6 October 2011, the Russian Ministry of Justice published a draft of amendments to the 1997 Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” (“Religion Law).
Public comment regarding these proposed amendments was closed on 10 October 2011. To date, they have not been introduced in the Duma.
THE INSTITUTE on Religion and...
Belarus human rights activist Ales Belyatski on... →
fyeaheasterneurope:
One of Belarus’ most prominent human rights activists has gone on trial in Minsk.
Ales Belyatski runs an organisation called Vyasna (Spring) which monitors the government’s activities against opposition figures.
He was arrested in August and charged with tax evasion after the authorities discovered that he held bank accounts in Poland and Lithuania.
Human rights groups say...
October 2011
11 posts
1 tag
U.S. Must Redouble Human Rights Efforts in Russia
U.S. assistant secretary of state for the bureau of democracy, human rights and labor in the Moscow region said the United States needs to “redouble” its efforts to press Russia on protecting human rights.
Full article: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/why-some-russians-need-the-wests-help/445999.html
More Racist Football Violence
Doesn’t look like things are going to be getting much better at football games. The Moscow Times reports that 3 Uzbeks have been taken into custody for beating an ethnic Russia to death. Unfortunately,
“The Investigative Committee and the city government have denied that the flight resulted from ethnic tension.”
No one seems to be buying it, and politicians are likely to stoke...
Georgia Raids Tycoon's Bank
Looks like more evidence that weak rule of law is bad for business.21 October 2011
TBILISI — Georgian police seized $2 million and 1 million euros ($1.4 million) from billionaire opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Cartu Bank on suspicion of money laundering, Interpressnews reported.
“This had nothing to do with money laundering,” Cartu president Nodar Javakhishvili...
Bulletin # 51 of the Kazakhstan Bureau on Human...
We began to to investigate the draft law regarding religious activity and religious organizations. It was introduced to Parliament last month. We officially asked to invite lawyers to parliamentary committees, but officials did not allow experts to take part in discussions. The draft of this law is repressive in character, but it was adopted quickly manner on September 21, 2011, and was sent to...
Recent Events in Russia by Daniil Mescheryakov
In September, anti-Caucasian attitudes provoked by an August 2011 murder spread. The issue of so-called “ethic crimes” has come to the forefront of public debates, and with the start of the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) campaign season, members of the center-right bloc began using nationalistic slogans. Experts expect it to the a theme in coming months. In a sign of growing...
Four Tried In Azerbaijan Over Assault On Foreign...
(Radio Free Europe) BAKU — Four men have gone on trial in Baku accused of assaulting a U.S. journalist and a British rights activist in the Azerbaijani capital four months ago, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.
U.S. journalist Amanda Erickson and British human rights activist Celia Davies say they were attacked on June 15 near the National Drama Theater in Baku as they were...
Anti-Semitic incidents reported at two German high...
(JTA) — Reports of threatening anti-Semitic incidents involving high school pupils in two former East German towns are being investigated.
The Jewish Museum Berlin canceled the visit of its touring exhibit about Jewish life in Germany by schools in the towns of Werder and Havel last week, on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, after some students barraged museum staff with anti-Semitic...
