23 May 2013 – Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide has recommended bringing the issue of Magnitsky sanctions to the UN Security Council. Responding to a group of Norwegian parliamentarians, Minister Eide pointed out that the decisions of the UN Council are binding on all UN member states and would be a proper forum to consider the issue of sanctions and asset freezes in relation to Russian officials in the Magnitsky case, as opposed to an individual action by Norway.

In his letter to a group of Norwegian lawmakers (available at:http://nhc.no/filestore/Dokumenter/Land/Russland/2013/ResponsefromNorwayFM8May2013.pdf), Foreign Affairs Minister Eide said that Magnitsky case has now become symbolic of the negative trend in human rights in Russia, and “raises the question of the Russian legal system independence.”

“I also agree that Magnitsky case has become of symbolic significance as an expression of the negative trend we are now seeing of an increased pressure on human rights, civil society and political opposition in Russia,” said Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister.

Minister Eide shared the concern expressed by Norwegian members of parliament over the posthumous trial of Sergei Magnitsky carried out by Russian authorities in spite of it being three years after his death in police custody.

“I share their [Norwegian members of parliament] concern about how Russian authorities have handled the supervision of Sergei Magnitsky death in custody. The posthumous trial of Magnitsky is just as disturbing,” said Minister Eide.

Responding to the matter of introducing visa sanctions and asset freezes on Russian officials in the Magnitsky case in Norway, Minister Eide suggested that the best forum to consider it would be the UN Security Council, rather than a unilateral action by Norway, who is not an EU member.

“When it comes to the issue of sanctions and the freezing of funds, I underline that the basis for the Norwegian sanctions policy is that sanctions should be based on binding decisions of the UN Security Council, such decisions are also legally binding for all UN member states. Norway has no tradition of unilateral action against individual countries or persons, and in our opinion it is not necessarily legitimate and have the legal effect to be effective,” said Minister Eide.

Minister Eide stressed that Norway will continue to use its membership in international organizations, such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe, to individually and jointly with other like-minded people raise the human rights agenda in Russia, including through the strengthening of the monitoring mechanism at the Council of Europe, of which Russia is a member.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

Print PDF

22 May 2013 – German authorities have refused to grant William Browder, the leader of the global campaign for justice for Sergei Magnitsky, safe passage to Germany from a politically motivated Russian arrest warrant, resulting in the cancellation of the European Magnitsky Law event, scheduled in Berlin on 27 May 2013.

In the latest development concerning the Magnitsky sanctions, the German government has informed the event organisers that Germany is not able to guarantee the safe passage of Mr Browder to Berlin, in light of the recent actions from the Russian government who are seeking assistance from police worldwide to “locate” Mr Browder in retaliation for his campaigning for sanctions on Russian officials.

William Browder was a keynote speaker at the ‘Time for European Magnitsky Law’ event, on the invitation of European Parliament deputy Kristiina Ojuland, and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.  The event was to be held in Germany next week within the framework of the Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy & Human Rights 2013 (www.bhrc.de), which has freedom of expression on the agenda.

“It is remarkable that the German authorities, who have refused calls to sanction Russian officials responsible for torturing and killing 37-year old Sergei Magnitsky, are now effectively sanctioning the person fighting for justice for Mr Magnitsky. By doing so, the German authorities are, for all intents and purposes, becoming an accessory to the Russian cover-up of Magnitsky’s killers in Europe,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

The actions of the German authorities are in contrast to actions from the UK, Belgian and Norwegian governments, who undertook not to act on political and abusive requests from the Russian government in relation to Mr Browder.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

Print PDF

MOSCOW, Russia – On Monday, two car bombs, which occurred in Russia’s North Caucasus region, killed eight people and left 20 injured. Officials believe the incident was aimed towards law enforcement officers because the explosion occurred outside a local marshal’s building.

Two successive car bombs kill eight and leaves 20 wounded. (Photo Courtesy of CNN).

Although security officials found one bomb and were in the process of defusing the first car explosive, another bomb in a separate vehicle was detonated soon thereafter.

A spokesman for Daghestan’s Interior Ministry, Vyacheslav Gasanov, stated that no one was hurt after the first explosion occurred outside the headquarters of the court’s bailiffs’ directorate. However, several individuals were killed after the second blast ensued.

Investigators stated that both explosions were set off by remote control.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, Islamist insurgents launch near daily attacks on police and federal officials in the North Caucasus region.

Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, is one of the most violent province in the North Caucasus area. Insurgents claim they are battling to create an Islamic state out of southern Russia. As a result tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Car bombs, suicide bombings, and firefights are common in Dagestan. In the past, rebels sought to increase casualties by setting off a blast to attract law enforcement officers and then detonate a second bomb.

In 1999, Putin launched the second war in Chechnya when he was acting as prime minister. In addition, he likes to take credit for preventing the region from splitting from Russia.

Simultaneously, on Monday, Russian militants and security forces announced that they prevented a terror attack planned for Moscow.

The National Anti-Terror Committee expressed that security forces killed two militants and detained another. All three were described as Russian citizens trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The operation took place in the Orekhovo-Zuevo region of the Moscow suburbs.

A spokesman stated, “They were planning a terror attack in Moscow.” No civilians were injured. However, one Federal Security Service officer was wounded.

For further information, please see:

Aljazeera – Car Bombings Hit Russia’s Dagestan – 20 May 2013

CNN – 8 Dead, 20 Hurt in Dagestan Bombing, Security Officials Say – 20 May 2013

NBC News – Car Bombs Kill At Least Two in Russia’s Dagestan – 20 May 2013

RFE/RL – Deaths Reported in Dagestan Bombing – 20 May 2013

Print PDF

MOSCOW, Russia – May 17^th is International Day Against Homophobia.  LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) communities around the world plan to mark this day with events such as gatherings and rallies.  However, in Eastern European countries in particular, signs of discrimination against LGBT peoples remain prevalent.

Moldovan gay-right’s activist Artiom Zavadovsky stands by a banner with the promise, “Everything will change for the better.” (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Last week, a man, age 23, in the southern Russian city of Volgograd was tortured and murdered by several of his companions when he admitted to them he was gay over a few beers, according to investigators.  Close friends and family of the victim deny the allegation he was gay.

At least two men, ages 22 and 27, were arrested in connection with the murder, and are belied to have allegedly beat the victim, sodomized him with a beer bottle, smashed in his skull with a stone, and then dumped his naked body.  A third has been questioned.  Activists in Russia say that it is rare for police to specify homophobia as the motive for a crime.

Local laws banning dissemination of “homosexual propaganda” to anyone under 18 have cropped up across the country, and a bill for a national ban on “homosexual propaganda” will receive a second reading in parliament later this month.

Authorities in Moscow rejected requests by the Russian LGBT community to hold a gay pride march later this month to celebrate 20 years since homosexuality was taken off the books as a criminal offense, despite the flexibility of the request to accept several alternative days for the march.  They claimed the venue the activists wanted was booked.

In St. Petersburg, one of the first cities to ban “homosexual propaganda,” authorities accepted an application for a rally to mark International Day Against Homophobia.  Despite the ban, portions of St. Petersburg and other cities, usually green-spaces, were designated, under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, as “free-speech zones” where citizens can hold events by simply notifying authorities in advance, without going through the often difficult process of receiving official permission which typically results in denied applications.  Activists took advantage of this procedure in St. Petersburg in order to hold their rally, despite several cries from anti-gay politicians to ban the event.

In Moldova, activists have been met with some success recently in combating intolerance and this week launched their 12th annual weeklong “Rainbow Over The Dniester” festival to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia in the conservative and predominantly Orthodox Christian country.  Festival organizer Anastasia Danilova believes that access to information has greatly helped people become more tolerant.

Despite the increasingly tolerant attitudes towards homosexuality in Moldova, Festival organizers decided to move the venue of a march scheduled for May 19^th from downtown Chisinau to another part of the city due to pressure from authorities over concerns of clashes and social tensions.  The Orthodox Church has criticized the march and called for a counterdemonstration the same day.

In Ukraine, the parliament is considering two bills that if passed would infringe on the free-speech rights of the LGBT community.  The bills, similar to Russia’s “homosexual propaganda” laws, define propaganda as any public activity that spreads positive information about homosexuality, such as rallies, parades, demonstrations about LGBT rights, discussions, or special courses.  Violators of the laws could be sentenced to several years in prison.

Meanwhile, legislators have postponed discussion on a bill to prevent discrimination  against sexual minorities after about 300 protesters gathered in front of parliament May 14, carrying signs with slogans such as, “We are the majority, and we are against homosexuals!” and, “No to Homosexuals, Yes to Family, Save Ukraine!”  Presently, sexual orientation and gender identity are not prohibited grounds for discrimination.

A report released by the E.U.’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) on Friday, based on a survey of 93,000 LGBT people throughout the E.U. and Croatia, confirmed that East European states had the highest records of  homophobic behavior, while over 1 in 4 respondents reported being attacked or threatened with violence in the last 5 years due to their LGBT identities.  Of those attacked, more than half reported that they did not report the incident to authorities because they believed no action would be taken.

However, despite the findings of the survey, Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos, head of FRA’s equality and citizens’ rights department, said there appeared to be a “pattern across Europe whereby things seem to be improving for the younger generation.”

The FRA survey of 93,000 LGBT persons shows high discrimination in Eastern Europe. (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)

For further information, please see:

BBC News – EU LGBT Survey: Poll on Homophobia Sparks Concern – 17 May 2013

Amnesty International – Ukraine: Discrimination and Violent Attacks in Pervasive Climate of Homophobia – 16 May 2013

HRW – Ukraine: Reject Discriminatory LGBT Laws – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – Moldovan LGBT March Location Changed – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – St. Petersburg LGBT Activists To Test ‘Propaganda Law’ With Tolerance Event – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – Moldova’s LGBT Festival Seeks To Build On Recent Successes – 15 May 2013

RFE/RL – Ukraine MPs Postpone Antidiscrimination Debate After Protests – 14 May 2013

BBC News – Arrests Over ‘Anti-Gay’ Murder in Volgograd Russia – 13 May 2013

REF/RL – Russian Officials Say Volgograd Killing Was Homophobic Attack – 12 May 2013

Print PDF

MUNICH, Germany – On Monday, the surviving member of a neo-Nazi unit went on trial for numerous racist murders. Beate Zschäpe, 38, is accused of her association with National Socialist Underground (NSU) who killed 10 people, most of them of Turkish origin.

Demonstrators displayed photos of victims in front of the Regional Court in Munich. (Photo Courtesy of National Post)

Four male defendants, who face lesser charges of aiding the NSU, are also on trial with Zschäpe. Zschäpe could face life in prison if convicted. However, she denies the charges.

Sebastian Scharmer, one of the lawyers, said, “The idea that the N.S.U. only consisted of three very dangerous far-right extremists is very difficult to imagine.”

Prosecutors claim the three members assembled “to realize their racist ideals, influenced by the Nazis for a preservation of the German nation through carrying out murders and explosive attacks to bring about change in the government and society.”

Prosecutors also state that the NSU was behind two bombings in Cologne, Germany. Both bombing were intended to kill “as many people as possible only because of their non-German origin.” Although no one was killed, twenty-three people were wounded in the attacks.

Although Zschäpe is not accused of her direct involvement in the murders, the group’s decisions were made jointly.

Zschäpe’s lawyer said she will not testify at her trial.

Outside the courthouse, German-Turkish community groups and anti-racism demonstrators gathered to display banners. One read, “Hitler child Zschaepe, you will pay for your crimes”.

Osman Can, a leader of Turkey’s governing party, believes the trial is a “question of humanity.” He continued, “The violent methods that are seen in this case are not only aimed at Turks. They are against Jews or Roma, or any viewed as ‘others’ in German society.”

In addition to the demonstrators, around 500 police officers provided security and members of the public and media lined up for a chance to attend.

After the trial began, the judge subsequently adjourned the trial until May 14 after the defense team accused the judge of bias. Zschaepe’s lawyers filed a motion, which complained about a search for possible weapons or other objects while the prosecutors and police were not present.

This NSU case originally caused controversy when the police wrongfully accused the Turkish mafia for the murders. As a result, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service was forced to resign.

Lawyers for the family of the first victim, Enver Simsek, stated, “With its historical, social and political dimensions, the NSU trial is one of the most significant of post-war German history.”

Mehmet Daimagüler, another lawyer who represents several of the victims’ survivors, compared this trial to the Allies’ prosecution of Nazis in 1945 and 1946 in Nuremberg.

For further information, please see:

BBC – Neo-Nazi Murders: Beate Zschaepe Goes On Trial In Germany – 6 May 2013

National Post – High-Profile Neo-Nazi Murder Trial Begins in Germany Amid Tight Security – 6 May 2013

NBC News – “Hitler Child” Goes on Trial in Germany for 10 Racist Murders – 6 May 2013

The New York Times – Neo-Nazi Trial Begins in Germany – 6 May 2013

Print PDF

ATHENS, Greece – Police were called in on Thursday morning to break-up a food distribution event catering exclusively to Greeks and run by ultra-nationalist party, Golden Dawn, in Syntagma Square, across from Parliament.

Members of Golden Dawn hand out food outside Athens party headquarters after Mayor Kaminis forced them to move their Greek-only food distribution from Syntagma Square. (Photo Courtesy of Kathimerini)

About 200 members of the fascist political party, Golden Dawn, dressed in black tee-shirts, arrived earlier than announced and began distributing bags of food for the Greek Orthodox Easter Holiday to only people who had identity cards proving their status as Greek nationals.  This policy ensured that no non-Greek immigrants or migrants could receive the handouts.

The Greek-only food distribution in the social and cultural heart of Athens violated a municipal ban, and riot police were called in to close down the food pantry.  The police prevented Golden Dawn’s truck from unloading and in the resulting scuffle between police and party members, the police used riot shields and pepper spray to repel party members who fought back with thick wooden poles still attached to rolled up Greek flags.

Eventually, the Golden Dawn members moved their distribution site to party headquarters in a different Athens neighborhood.  Traditional Easter foods including potatoes, lamb, eggs, and sweets were distributed.

Last year, Golden Dawn also operated the Easter soup kitchen in Syntagma Square.  However, this year, after the party announced Wednesday that there would again be a food distribution this year, Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis publicly vowed to stop the “hate-filled” event.  Kaminis further explained that the event, in addition to being “arbitrary, racist and illegal” was not permitted because Golden Dawn had failed to seek permission from the City of Athens.

Concerning shutting down the food pantry, Kaminis later stated, “What happened today is a victory for the democratic state.” He continued, “Thuggery will not prevail in this city as long as I am mayor.”

Kaminis also said that the municipality of Athens feeds about 9,000 people a day at its own soup kitchens.  He further asserted the authority of the city: “Syntagma Square will never be used again by anyone to hand out goods. This square belongs to the city’s residents. Only the municipality can decide how it is used.”

Later in the day, Kaminis was at a municipal charity distribution center when a Golden Dawn deputy and MP, Giorgos Germenis, attempted to punch Kaminis and to draw a handgun, according to Kaminis.  Germenis’ punch landed on a 12-year-old girl, who suffered some bruising, and Germenis was apprehended by security before he could harm anyone else.

Of the incident, Kaminis commented, “The only thing these people know is the language of violence.”

Golden Dawn has seen a surge in popularity in the past year as Greece has faced increased unemployment and harsh austerity measures.  Blaming immigrants for Greece’s financial woes, the party has pledged to rid the country of foreigners—a promise some Greeks find increasingly appealing as jobs become harder to find.

One pensioner explained why he accepted the Golden Dawn handouts: “I couldn’t afford to have Easter this year, so I came here to get some food so I could sort of celebrate it.  I don’t know if people can be satisfied with this, but I know I’m not happy about it.  We used to be able to enjoy the Easter holiday, but now we don’t.”

Golden Dawn has avowed that its food distribution was completely legal on Wednesday, and cited how agricultural producers often hold similar events in the capital.  The party went on to claim that Kaminis was elected “with the votes of migrants.”

Head of the Golden Dawn parliamentary group, MP Christos Pappas, asserted the legitimacy of the food handout: “We organized a completely legal food handout here in the center of Athens to hand out food and help struggling people during the holidays.  The Mayor of Athens disagreed.  He thinks Syntagma Square is for immigrants, junkies, and anarchists, but we tell him no, the center of Athens, Syntagma Square, belongs to Greeks.”

Meanwhile, controversy over Golden Dawn continues.  While some Greeks praise the party for cleaning up neighborhoods, others condemn them as thugs.  Nevertheless, this once-marginal group, which bears a swastika-like emblem, but rejects the neo-Nazi label, is now Greece’s third-most popular party, having won 18 out of 300 seats in Parliament last year.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Police Shut Down Greek-Only Soup Kitchen – 2 May 2013

Guardian – Athens: Golden Dawn’s ‘Greek-Only’ Food Handout Shut Down – Video – 2 May 2013

Kathimerini – Athens Mayor Attacked After Police Stops Golden Dawn Handout – 2 May 2013

Kathimerini – Athens Mayor Hails Efforts to Stop Golden Dawn Handing out Food as Victory for ‘Democratic State’ – 2 May 2013

Kathimerini – Police uses Tear Gas to Prevent Golden Dawn Handing out Food in Central Athens – 2 May 2013

Telegraph – Golden Dawn’s ‘Greeks Only’ Soup Kitchen Ends in Chaos – 2 May 2013

Print PDF

30 April 2013 – Representatives of four out of seven the majorNorwegian political parties in the Norwegian parliament wrote to theMinister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, urging him to consider sanctions on Russian officials in the Magnitsky case. They specifically asked the Minister to replicate actions taken by the US government to cancel visa and freeze assets of those officials in Russia who were complicit in Sergei Magnitsky’s unlawful killing.

“We ask the Foreign Ministry to consider whether Norway can also freeze any assets in Norway and deny access to the country those who were complicit in the imprisonment, torture and murder of Sergei Magnitsky,” said representatives of four political parties of Norway, including the Progress Party, the Conservative Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals (http://petergitmark.no/index.php/menneskerettigheter/demokrati/803-magnitsky-letter).

“This case [the Magnitsky case] has become a symbol of the significant shortcomings in Russian democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said the Norwegian politicians in their letter.

The politicians also stressed the importance of protecting the rights of those accused of complicity in the Magnitsky case, and the need to give an opportunity to appeal and come forward with information that “sheds light on the matter seen from the accused side”.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

Print PDF

PARIS, France – Last week, the National Assembly of France approved the same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 331-225. This bill, which also allows couples adoption rights, made France the 14th nation in the world and ninth in Europe to pass such a law.

French lawmakers respond to protestors who tried to disrupt the final vote. (Photo Courtesy of TIME)

The French Parliament passed the “Marriage for All” bill, which affords homosexual couples identical rights to marriage and adoption that were previously limited to heterosexual unions.

Christiane Taubira, Socialist Justice Minister and author of the bill, stated, “It’s a generous law, and a law of equality. We believe the first weddings will be beautiful and that they’ll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families.”

However, opponents to same-sex marriage blamed the legislation for distorting “time-honored definitions of marriage and endangering children by permitting gay and lesbian couples to adopt”.

Many high-profile groups promised to continue legal challenges to block the law’s application.

Frigide Barjot, a comedian who uses her stage name, told her supporters, “We are going to show them that this is not over. I solemnly ask the president to hold a referendum on the subject.”

Claire Baron, a mother of two, stated she “will oppose the bill until the end.” She continued, “I’ll keep going to the protests, I don’t give in. The bill is not effective yet, the president of the Republic must listen to our voices. We are here to defend family values. Children need a mom and a dad.”

Just hours before votes were casted, thousands of police gathered outside the National Assembly building to prepare for the protestors on the streets who started forming days leading up to the vote. In addition, thousands of police who were armed with water cannon were organized near parliament to deal with any repeat of the violence seen in previous demonstrations.

Inside the National Assembly chamber, two opponents tried to hold up a protesting banner, however, they were shortly ejected.

Socialist President, Francois Hollande, made this same-sex bill his top social reform goal. He is expected to sign the bill once it clears constitutional challenges. Although opponents of the measure will try to argue that marriage is a constitutional matter, the council is unlikely to block the new law.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Same-Sex Marriage: French Parliament Approves New Law – 23 April 2013

The Huffington Post – France Legalizes Gay Marriage After Harsh Debate, Violent Protests – 23 April 2013

International Business Times – France Legalizes Gay Marriage, Becomes 14^th Nation to Do So – 23 April 2013

Time World – France Legalizes Gay Marriage Despite Vocal and Angry Opposition – 23 April 2013

Print PDF

MOSCOW, Russia – An election watchdog has been fined under a new Russian law that requires Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to register as “foreign agents.”

Lawyers for NGO Golos attend a hearing in Moscow in April 25 with court officials, who ultimately fined the NGO for failing to register as a “foreign agent” while receiving funding from abroad. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Golos (Voice) is the first NGO to be fined under the law that went into effect last November.  A Moscow court ruled that the Watchdog had filed to register as a “foreign agent” after receiving funds from abroad in December, and therefore fined Golos 300,000 roubles (£6,200; $9,500; €6,300). Additionally, its director, Lilia Shibanova, was fined 100,000 rubles (£2,100; $3,200; £2,100).

Under the law, NGOs which receive foreign funding and supposedly engage in “political activities” must register as “foreign agents,” a term which has its roots in the Stalin Era, when it was used to discredit enemies of the state.

Golos defended itself explaining that the finds in question were a sum of €7,728.4 ($10,000) awarded by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee as part of its Andrei Sakharov Freedom prize.  The funds were transferred into Golos’ account in December before Golos was able to immediately return the prize money unused.

Although Golos received funding in the past from USAID, Golos asserts that since November, “The Golos association receives no foreign funding and is funded solely by Russian resources.”  Furthermore, Golos insists that the law should not even be applied to the organization as Golas is not involved in “political activity.” It says it will appeal against the verdict.

The 13-year-old Watchdog group played a key role in exposing fraud during the 2011 parliamentary election, charting abuses across Russia, most notably with an online “map of violations.”  It also reported on widespread violations during the 2012 presidential vote, which resulted in Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term.  Its exposure of violations and falsifications during these elections helped spark mass protests against Putin’s rule, which is why Golos believes it is now being targeted by authorities.

Golos is also mindful of the precedent its fate will set for other NGOs.  “We are convinced of our innocence,” Golos said before the verdict. “This is the first court hearing bringing to responsibility an organi[z]ation that is purportedly a foreign agent. The fate of many other NGOs will depend on the decision.”

While the fining of Golos is the first enforcement of the foreign agents law, more than 200 NGOs in 50 regions of Russia have been raided by inspectors in the past months.  Tax auditors have poured over the financials of many NGOs, while health & safety and fire inspectors have arrived unannounced at NGO offices to scrutinize code compliance.  The continuing raids on Russian NGOs have sparked international outrage, and the U.S. State Department has called them “a witch hunt.”

“The government claims the inspections are routine, but they clearly are not,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.  “The campaign is unprecedented in its scope and scale, and seems clearly aimed at intimidating and marginalizing civil society groups. This inspection campaign can potentially be used to force some groups to end advocacy work, or to close them down.”

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused NGOs in Russia of receiving $1 billion in foreign funding since the beginning of the year.  In response, 56 organizations signed an open letter demanding an explanation for what they describe as a grossly inflated figure.  Many NGOs have also said they will not comply with registering as “foreign agents.”

The goal of the raids and foreign agents law appears to be to intimidate NGOs, including advocacy groups whose criticism has long bothered the Kremlin, to close their doors, a move which would cripple civil society in Russia.  The organizations searched include not only those critical of the government, but also NGOS concerned with medical assistance, battling pollution, distributing clothes and food to the needy, and, generally, improving the quality of life for ordinary Russians.  Their closure would affect thousands of families who rely on NGOs for the services that the Russians authorities have been unable, or unwilling, to provide.

According to veteran human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseyeva, the Kremlin’s strategy is to bring even civil society under its domain.  “After bringing the business world, the judicial and the legislative power under its control, after mastering the technologies to arrange election results, the authorities are determined to tackle Russia’s last bastion of independence — civil society,” she said. “Civil society is increasingly active, and this frightens them.”

For further information, please see:

Moscow Times – U.S. Voices Concern Over Fine of Golos – 26 April 2013

BBC News – Russia NGO Law: Election Watchdog Golos Fined – 25 April 2013

RFE/RL – Golos Election Monitoring NGO Fined Under New Law – 25 April 2013

HRW – Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era – 24 April 2013

RFE/RL – Raids On NGOs Could Threaten Ordinary Russians – 21 April 2013

Print PDF

BRUSSELS, Belgium – After lengthy negotiations and the apparent breakdown of talks, Serbia and Kosovo approved a normalization agreement earlier this week, which many hope will help ease tensions along their shared boarder.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (center), Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (left), and Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, hammered out an agreement under which Serbia has normalized its relations with Kosovo. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Last Friday, April 19, Serbia and Kosovo signed the European Union- brokered, 15 point First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, under which ethnic Serbs in the northern region of Kosovo will elect a regional police commander and ensure that a majority of court judges are Serbs, but, the police and courts will be integrated into the Kosovo police and justice system.  In exchange for managerial control of the Northern region of Kosovo, the ethnic Serbs living there will recognize the authority of the Kosovo government.  The agreement also prevents both Serbia and Kosovo from obstructing one another as they seek eventual membership in the E.U.

Kosovo’s parliament, in Pristina, approved the tentative deal with Serbia in a vote on Sunday.  Serbia followed with a unanimous decision from its parliament, in Belgrade, also approving the deal on Monday, along with orders for Serbian ministries to begin implementation.

Although almost 100 countries, including the United States and 22 of the 27 members of the E.U., have recognized Kosovo, Serbia has not.  Kosovo, whose citizens are primarily ethnically Albanian, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, following nine years of U.N. administration backed by a NATO-led peacekeeping force, after Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999.  However, sporadic violence persisted in Kosovo, particularly in regions of high ethnic tensions.  Serbia has vowed never to recognize Kosovo, and insists the E.U.-brokered deal approved this week is not a formal recognition of Kosovar statehood.

Following Serbia’s parliament’s approval of the agreement, protests against the deal erupted in Belgrade.  Several thousand flag-waving Serbs, chanting “Treason, Treason”, gathered in Belgrade shortly after the approval.  As many as ten-thousand more pro-Serbia protesters appeared on the streets of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo, unsatisfied with the deal.

Coming to terms with Kosovo (12% of Serbia’s former size) as a separate entity from Serbia is culturally difficult for many Serbians.  The province Kosovo, in the middle ages, was the center of the former Serbian Empire, and many Serbs consider it the birthplace of their nation.

However, normalization with Kosovo, in addition to easing tensions in the region, will have an additional benefit for Serbia with respect to its relationship with the E.U.  Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic earlier said that “if the government accepts the agreement, I expect Serbia to get a date to start membership talks with the European Union”.

Before the deal was even been finalized, the E.U. began recommending opening membership talks with Serbia  Furthermore, the E.U. also signaled the go-ahead for Kosovo to begin association agreement talks.

Of Serbia, a European Commission report [pdf] stated that Belgrade “has taken very significant steps and [made a] sustainable improvement in relations with Kosovo.”  Therefore, the Commission “recommends that negotiations for accession to the European Union should be opened with Serbia.”

Of Kosovo, the Commission also stated in a separate report [pdf] that Pristina had met all its “short-term priorities,” and recommended member states authorize “the open[ing] of negotiations on a stabilization and association agreement” with the E.U. The Commission also proposed allowing Kosovo to participate in 22 EU programs.

E.U. Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele described the agreement and move towards E.U. membership as a significant shift for the entire region. “[It is] a historic day,” he told reporters. “It is also a game changer, it is a game changer for Serbia and Kosovo. It is a game changer for the whole region of the Western Balkans.”

The E.U.’s foreign policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton, who mediated the talks, described her hoped for full implementation.  “I am very hopeful that with the determination we have seen, they will move to implement all of the elements of this agreement. I will support them in any way that I can and I have already offered to help and to participate in not only implementation, but if they continue their dialogue I am at their disposal. It has been a real privilege to help them.”

In an attempt to extend another olive branch, Serbia president Tomislav Nikolic also formally apologized earlier today, April 25, for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.  However, he stopped short of recognizing the massacre as genocide, as it has been declared by two international courts.  “I kneel and ask for forgiveness for Serbia for the crime committed in Srebrenica,” Nikolic declared during an interview to be aired on Bosnian national television.  ”I apologi[z]e for the crimes committed by any individual in the name of our state and our people.”

Normalization between Serbia and Kosovo represent a huge step in healing the wounds left by the conflicts in the 1990s, however both countries will have to make a continuing effort to advance human rights.  “The normalization agreement between Belgrade and Pristina is a positive step toward peace and reconciliation in the region,” said Lydia Gall, Eastern Europe and Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch. “With commitment from both governments and support from their EU partners, it could help improve human rights for everyone in Kosovo and Serbia.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Serbia President ‘Apologises’ for Massacre – 25 April 2013

HRW – Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights – 23 April 2013

Al Jazeera – Serbians Protest Kosovo Deal – 22 April 2013

BBC News – EU Commission: ‘Start Serbia Membership Talks’ – 22 April 2013

The Independent – Serbia Deal Ends Conflict with Kosovo – 22 April 2013

RFE/RL – European Commission Recommends Opening Accession Talks With Serbia – 22 April 2013

Print PDF

MOSCOW, Russia – The Russian government assigned the Anti-Terrorist Department of the Russian Interior Ministry to search for Hermitage CEO, William Browder. Browder is charged with illegally obtaining $70 million of stock in the energy company, Gazprom.

Russian government commences a search for Hermitage CEO, William Browder. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

General Major Sergei Borodulin of the Russian Interior Ministry commenced the latest sanctions against Mr. Browder. He is the same Russian official who authorized the opening of a posthumous criminal case against Sergei Magnitsky.

Despite the fact that this particular case has no legal foundation because the Gazprom shares were in fact purchased in open market transactions, a Moscow court issued an arrest warrant in absentia for the former Browder. The court accepted the arguments that Browder may influence witnesses or obstruct the criminal inquiry. As a result, Browder should be arrested to prevent such actions.

The court also supported the assertion Browder is actually currently hiding from Russian law enforcement agencies.

This will be the first case in Russian history where a foreign investor is “retroactively and arbitrarily” charged for conducting legal transactions.

Lt. Colonel A.K. Gubanov of the Anti-Terrorist Department visited the second secretary of the British embassy in Moscow “searching” for Browder. Gubanov’s search disregarded diplomatic protocol and legal procedures for police searches and mutual legal assistance requests.

Gubanov and another Russian police officer, Major P.I. Tambovtsev, requested that the British diplomat sign a Russian Interior Ministry procedure. However, the British diplomat declined to do so.

G.R. Sungurov, head of the 4th section of the Russian Interior Ministry’s Investigation Department, who is in charge of fighting organized crime and corruption, coordinated the latest search efforts for Browder.

A Hermitage Capital representative stated, “The misuse of the anti terrorist police in pursuing a political vendetta in relation to the Magnitsky Act shows how desperate the Russian authorities have become to try to protect their bank accounts and travel privileges. By the Russian government diverting their most important anti terrorist personnel at this sensitive time for private corrupt purposes is a clear sign of a complete breakdown in the law enforcement system in Russia.”

The warrant will have a very insignificant effect on Browder and his business relationships. Hermitage Capital’s interactions in Russia were minimized after Browder was barred from entering Russia in 2006.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order In Russia – Russian Government Employs Anti-Terrorist Unit to Search for Hermitage CEO in Retaliation for the US Magnitsky Act – 22 April 2013

RFE/RL – Moscow Seeks Arrest of Late Magnitsky’s Boss – 22 April 2013

Russia Beyond the Headlines – Moscow Court Orders Arrest of Magnitsky Boss Browder – 22 April 2013

The Voice of Russia – Russia Seeks Arrest of Late Magnitsky’s US-Born Boss – 22 April 2013

Print PDF

KIROV, Russia – The embezzlement trial of prominent opposition leader and anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny, 36, began last Wednesday for forty minutes, only to be adjourned for a week to give the defense more time to review the twenty-nine-volume case file.  The trial, taking place in Kirov, a twelve hour train ride northeast from Moscow where Navalny and others interested reside, is the first against such a high-level opposition figure since Soviet times.  Navalny established himself as the most eloquent of the protest leaders with a huge Internet following with sharply-written blogs [eng] and corruption exposes.

Posters advertising a protest in support of Navalny prior to the beginning of his trial in Kirov on Wednesday. (Photo Courtesy of the Moscow Times)

Accusing President Vladimir Putin of orchestrating the trial, Navalny claims the best outcome he can probably expect is a suspended sentence, which would still render him ineligible for public office; he had expressed an interest earlier this month in one day running for the presidency.  Before heading to Kirov Navalny said, “I think it’s clear to any objective observer that I’m not guilty.”  However, he continued, “I am absolutely certain that it will end in a conviction for me.”

Chief among the accusations against Navalny is the theft of 16 million rubles ($510,000) from a timber firm in Kirov, when he was working for Kirov’s governor.  If convicted, the crime carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  Regional Investigators twice looked into the alleged theft and closed the cased in Navalny’s favor for lack of evidence, only for the case to be reopened by Moscow.

Furthermore, Navalny has also been accused of stealing 100 million rubles ($3.2 million) from the now-defunct Union of the Right Cause Party, unlawfully privatizing a distillery in the Kirov region, and, along with his brother Oleg, defrauding a local branch of cosmetics maker Yves Rocher.

The images painted by the charges contrast strongly with the man who first came to prominence by exposing corruption in state-controlled companies on his blog and with published articles.  Navalny went on to publicize the undeclared properties and bank accounts of government officials.  Officials no fear the idea of being exposed in his blog.

Additionally, a fifth investigation was opened on Thursday, after the adjournment, as Navalny was traveling back to Moscow by the twelve-hour train.  The new investigation alleges Navalny and his convinced the Multi-Industry Processing Company (MPK) into signing a disadvantageous contract with them, and then pocketing the money.

According to Political analyst Pavel Salin, investigators had been ordered to assemble an ”ironclad” case. “Four charges weren’t enough, so they created a fifth,” he said; suggesting the government pressured MPK into filing the complaint.

Navalny has dismissed the charges as ”ridiculous” and, believing the public to be the fairer judge, posted all the case materials online.  He explained that “There are bank documents, and we show those documents to everybody: to the investigation, to the public, to everyone. And everybody, apart from the investigation… said, ‘oh God this has been totally fabricated.’ But the investigation is not interested in this.”

Should Navalny be convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.  Even if he receives a suspended sentence, he would still lose his law license, from which he derives most of his income, and would be ineligible to ever run for public office, as dictated by a sweeping elections reform bill recently granted preliminary approval.

Navalny is certain that the charges against him are politically motivated, designed to silence him over his criticism of Putin.  Earlier this month, a spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee admitted in an interview that normally local authorities would have handled “banal embezzlement” investigations, but Navalny’s  case became federal because of Navalny’s fierce antigovernment activities.  Vladimir Markin said when someone “teases the authorities,” it attracts the Investigative Committee’s attention and the case is expedited.

Although Konstantin Zaitsev, the senior official at the court, denies governmental pressure for a guilty verdict—”If there is no proof, he will be acquitted”— Navalny’s prospects for acquittal do not look good.  More than 99 percent of Russian trials end with a guilty verdict, and the presiding judge, Sergei Blinov, has issued 130 guilty verdicts and no acquittals in the last two years.  Furthermore, Judge Blinov has refused to hold any preliminary hearings, which Navalny’s lawyers say is illegal.

However, Judge Blinov did grant the defense a week adjournment to better prepare, although the defense had requested a month.  The trial will resume on April 24.

Russian media has portrayed Navalny’s popularity bleakly, pointing out that many people outside urban areas are unfamiliar with him.  However, his core among the middle class and urban youth is strong.  Nevertheless, his recognition is growing, and this trial will not only increase Navalny’s name, but send a message the Moscow is afraid of a blogger with a cult following who made himself first known attacking corruption online.

“About thirty per cent of people here have heard of him, and of those, only a few know the details of the case,” says Nikolai Lyaskin, one of Mr Navalny’s associates, explaining the political climate in the Kirov region as the trial began. “It’s not a case of being pro-Putin or anti-Putin, people have just been put into a state where they simply don’t care about politics and assume that everyone is cynical and corrupt. We are trying to tell them that here they have a chance to look at things for themselves and make up their own minds.”

Even so, as Navalny’s trial began, he received much support from opposition leaders and government critics.

“Everyone who came here today knows that Navalny is innocent of the charges that the state has filed against him. But we also know that despite his innocence, he will be convicted,” human rights leader and former dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva, 85, told the crowd in Kirov.

Opposition lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov, who was also in Kirov, condemned the trial.  “I came here to support Aleksei because I think this case is political and the investigation is biased. The case is being fabricated in front of our own eyes,” Gudkov said.

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was also present in the courtroom.  “There was no transgression [in Navalny's actions], period,” he said. “It is all an order from above, it is all about politics; it is all about revenge. They just want to jail him to scare the others and, of course, to neutralize Navalny himself.”

Finally, Navalny told reporters: ”We will definitely win this case. No matter what the ruling is, I am absolutely confident that we will prove our innocence and it will be clear to everybody that this is a political trial.”

For further information, please see:

Moscow Times – New Charge Makes Five Against Navalny – 19 April 2013

RFE/RL – Russian Opposition Leader’s Trial Adjourned In Kirov – 18 April 2013

The Independent – ‘This Case is Nonsense’: Defiant Anti-Corruption Blogger Alexei Navalny Goes on Trial as Vladimir Putin Brings his Biggest Critic to the Dock – in Russia’s Dissident Heartland – 17 April 2013

Moscow Times – Ahead of Trial, Navalny Has Jail Bag Packed – 17 April 2013

RFE/RL – The Trial Of The Decade – 16 April 2013

RFE/RL – Russia Admits Politics Played Role In Navalny Case – 12 April 2013

Print PDF

MOSCOW, Russia – The Russian Interior Ministry recently announced their intent to seek an arrest warrant for Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. The arrest warrant regards charges of “stealing” energy company, Gazprom, shares a decade ago and “interfering” in Gazprom’s policies.

An arrest warrant issued for Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. (Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph)

However, this case has no legal basis because there were never any crim­i­nal sanc­tions for own­ing Gazprom shares.

Browder, who once led the biggest foreign investment fund in Russia, quarrels with the Russian government amidst his campaign to blacklist Russian officials involved in the death of Hermitage lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky.

Jamison Firestone, Magnitsky’s former boss and a close associate of Browder in lobbying for the blacklists, stated, “This is a pure vendetta and everyone knows it. If it was really illegal to buy Gazprom, every Western hedge fund manager in Moscow would already be on the way to the airport.”

Another Hermitage Capital representative said, “The retroactive and arbitrary application to one market participant of a criminal standard in relation to a practice that is considered lawful for all other market participants is the hallmark of a politically-directed abuse of justice in this case.”

Furthermore, “President Putin treats the law and the truth like a child in a sand­box. There are no rules. There is no law, and he thinks he can do whatever he wants. This may be true in Russia, but it is not true elsewhere in the world.”

The Interior Ministry affirmed that if Browder’s arrest is endorsed, he will subsequently be placed on the international wanted list.

The Interior Ministry continued, “As the accused Browder is evading arriving for investigative procedures, even though he has been notified about this necessity using various methods, the investigation has filed a request with a court on considering his arrest in absentia as a pretrial restrictive measure. If a court grants this request, the mechanism of declaring Browder internationally wanted will be launched.”

Hermitage Capital Management stated that the warrant “follows a coordinated Russian state propaganda campaign in the last three months, where all Kremlin-controlled TV channels, including NTV, Rossiya, and 1TV ran slanderous programs accusing Mr. Browder of murders, stealing IMF money in 1998, causing the Russian default, stealing Gazprom shares, and being a UK spy.”

Nevertheless, the Moscow court refused to issue the warrant because Mr. Browder was not given enough warning about the proceeding. The Russian Criminal Procedure Code states that arrests cannot be ordered for a person before he or she is declared internationally wanted.

The court will review the request again in a week.

This will be the second known case of an ‘in absentia arrest warrant’ concerning a Westerner in Russia.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order In Russia – Russia Interior Ministry Seeks Arrest Warrant for Bill Browder in Putin-directed Retaliation Against Magnitsky List – 17 April 2013

The Moscow Times – Browder Placed on International Wanted List – 17 April 2013

Russia Beyond the Headlines – Russia Seeks Arrest in Absentia for Magnitsky Boss Browder – 17 April 2013

The Telegraph – Russia Puts Hermitage Boss Bill Browder on Wanted List – 17 April 2013

Print PDF

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – In May, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will mark its 20^th anniversary.  During two decades, the tribunal issued indictments against 161 persons for crimes committed against tens of thousands of victims in the former Yugoslavia.  However, as this benchmark approaches, activists and diplomats alike reflect on the achievements and limitations of the ICTY.

The ICTY left a lasting impression on international law, and thanks to its legacy, the question is no longer if leaders should be held accountable, but rather when. (Photo Courtesy of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation)

Created by UN Security Council resolution in May 1993, the ICTY was the first international court since the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials at the end of World War II.

Since then, the court has now begun to wind down, with only three cases left on its docket, and no new indictments since 2004.  Its most recent high profile indictee, Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, died in 2006 in custody before a verdict was reached.

A look back at the ICTY has been sparked by a controversial debate on the ICTY held by the U.N. General Assembly earlier this month after former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, currently president of the General Assembly, called for the debate.  The discussions, characterized as one-sided, prompted a walkout by the U.S. delegation, while senior Serbian officials used the debate to bring allegations that the court was essentially an “inquisition” directed against Serbia.

Jeremic said in opening the session, “The paramount question is how international criminal justice can help reconcile former adversaries in post-conflict, transitioning societies”

However, Judge Theodor Meron, president of the ICTY, had previously criticized the planed debate, saying it “pose[d] questions in terms of fundamental respect for the rule of law,” and that “It is not a [debate] in which my participation would make any significant contribution to the norms which I hold dear.”

The ICTY was also criticized in November, when it acquitted on appeal Croatian ex-Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač, who had been sentenced to jail for significantly contributing to a Joint Criminal Enterprise through their roles in a 1995 offensive to drive Serbian rebels out of the Krajina region with unlawful artillery attacks on four towns.  However, the appeals chamber found the evidence insufficient to show the artillery attacks were unlawful and therefore overturned the convictions and ordered the men’s release, prompting angry reactions.

Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, explains the desirability of reviewing the ICTY to set the record straight: “There’s a need for a review because we are approaching the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the tribunal,” he says.  “It’s essential and responsible to do a careful, thoughtful, critical review. Everyone who is committed to bringing justice for these crimes — to seeing victims get redress — wants the system to work better.”

One of the main criticisms of the court has been the slow proceedings.  Dicker suggests future war crimes trials should look into issues of expediency while still respecting the rights of the accused to a fair trial.  Phillippe Sands, a professor of law at University College London and a lawyer involved in the international courts, says the ICTY’s early delays reflected that the court was in “new, untried, untested waters.”  “There is a broad recognition that in some of the cases, the initial charges — both in terms of investigation and actual prosecution — were probably too great, too large, which meant that the trials ran on. The judges reacted, and I think they sent certainly signals to the prosecutor’s office to be more narrowly focused,” Sands explains.

Another criticism has been the handling of evidence and lengthy testimony by the court.  For example, in the Milosevic case, the defense was permitted to call an enormous number of witnesses, dragging the trial out for years prior to Milosevic’s death.

The ICTY also needed to merge criminal doctrine from divergent legal systems.  “For example, the treatment of evidence is very different in the civil-law countries like France, or Italy, or Germany on the one hand, than it is in a common-law country like the United Kingdom, or the United States, or South Africa, or India. So you’ve got a sort of coming together that inevitably slows things down,” Sands said.

It also took time for the ICTY to truly appreciate the needs of justice and reconciliation of the victims and diverse peoples of the Balkans.  Dicker explained that, “The tribunal did not have an outreach program until close to the year 2000. That effort to explain what it was doing was never funded out of the UN budget, but in fact, was funded by voluntary contributions from states and private individuals.”  And although there were high hopes that the court would foster reconciliation, Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltener, the advocacy director in the International Justice Program of Human Rights Watch concedes that “Reconciliation is a very tall order for a court of justice.”  Unfortunately, rulings by the ICTY may have created more fractioning between the Serbs, Bosnians, Croatians, and Kosovar Albanians than reconciliation.

Interestingly, an area in which the ICTY showed success was in overcoming the language barrier— often one of international law’s greatest difficulties.  Translation in the ICTY remains faster than in the newer International Criminal Court, whose language must change with each case, because the ICTY mostly works in three languages: French and English—the two working languages of the United Nations—and “BCS”— Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian.  (Note, when addressing crimes committed in Kosovo and Macedonia, the court temporarily will also work in Albanian and Macedonian.).  Although the internal politics of the “BCS” language are complex, its institution has allowed for high-quality, quick translations, at close to the speed of monolingual dialogue.

Prosecutors before the war crimes court also met the challenge of prosecuting a crime without the ability to investigate the crime scene.  Senior Trial Attorney Peter McCloskey described how his office received assistance in this area from NATO and “crazy journalists” who had discovered mass graves on their own.  Prosecutors also experienced difficulty during the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Kosovo with a lack of available records.  Nevertheless, in two decades, the court has managed to accumulate millions of pages of documents and thousands of witness statements and dossiers.

Despite the shortcomings that present themselves alongside the ICTY’s achievements, the tribunal has marked a significant milestone for international criminal law.  As  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed earlier this month in front of the U.N. General Assembly, “Impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and other serious international crimes is no longer acceptable, nor is it tolerated.  Where once [victims] might have gone unheard, left to suffer in silence, today they have a platform.”  He further emphasized the sanctity of the Court’s rule of law: “It means implementing their decisions. And it means safeguarding them from those who seek to undermine them for reasons that may have more to do with politics than justice.”

For further information, please see:

RFE/RL – Justice Activists Call For ‘Serious’ Review Of UN War Crimes Court – 16 April 2013

UN News Centre – Assembly Stresses Role of International Criminal Courts in Fostering Reconciliation – 10 April 2013

RFE/RL – ICTY President Criticizes Serbian-Organized UN Debate – 4 April 2013

The Economist – Laws in Translation – 25 March 2013

Friedrich Naumann Foundation – Bringing War Criminals to Justice and Justice to Victims: FNF Visits the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) – 19 March 2013

Print PDF

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – This past week, gay rights groups gathered in Amsterdam to greet Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Rainbow flags flew at half-staff, floats crowded the canals, and thousands of protesters waved signs.

During a protest in Amsterdam, a demonstrator holds up a picture of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with rainbow circles on his face. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Putin visited Amsterdam to encourage the growing economic ties between Germany and the Netherlands. The Netherlands is Russia’s leading trade partner in Europe.

Amsterdam deputy mayor, Andrée van Es, claims the city appreciates trade and welcomed Putin’s visit. However, the city also supports the rainbow flag protests.

Van Es stated, “We see Russia as an important trading partner, but Amsterdam has an identity of what I call hyper-diversity… and we very much want to be able to express that, even to our important trading partners.”

She continued, “A lot of people are worried about human rights in Russia in general, but focus is very much on gay rights because of that bill.”

Recently, Putin claimed there was no discrimination against homosexuals in Russia. However, the Russian parliament passed a bill in January banning the dissemination of “gay propaganda” to minors, which includes parades, protests, and the use of the rainbow flag. The law could potentially fine offenders up to $16,000.

Although the evening started as a protest, the night quickly turned into a party. Thousands assembled across from the museum where Putin was dining. Dressed in rainbow colors, the crowd waved signs that said, “Putin go homo” and “I’m a person, not a propaganda”.

However, as many protested and partied, the city took steps to prevent overwhelming behavior. One sign said, “No gay rights propaganda beyond this point.” Another stated, “Do not frighten President Putin: keep this area human rights free.”

As a response, activists used fake police tape, which read “critical journalists not allowed”, to block off access to the museum.

One of Amsterdam’s deputy mayors stated, “We have a large gay community in Amsterdam and we want to make sure that in our city that everybody can live the way they want and be whoever they are and we want to make sure that everybody in the world knows that.”

Putin was also recently met in Germany with topless demonstrators. Women, from the Ukrainian feminist group, Femen, displayed slogans on their bare chests and backs. Furthermore, the females chanted, “dictator”.

After shrugging off the German protests, Putin stated, “I liked it. You should be grateful to the girls, they are helping you make the fair more popular.”

For further information, please see:

RFE/RL – Amsterdam Welcomes Putin With Rainbows – 15 April 2013

EuroNews – Thousands Protest Putin’s Amsterdam Visit – 9 April 2013

FoxNews – Gay Rights Groups to Protest Russia’s Putin in Amsterdam – 8 April 2013

The Washington Post – Gay Rights Supporters Gear Up to Protest Putin Visit to Amsterdam – 8 April 2013

Print PDF