There have been nearly 450 people detained in Moscow after protests erupted over what is believed to be an ethnicly-charged murder. Russian was stabbed to death by a man said to be from the Caucasus, and “people’s assemblies” are marching on the area. Over the summer there were similar incidents in Pugachev, and ethnic tensions […]
The pro-Kremlin “Kommersant” publishes this assessment of the latest stalemate in the World Trade Organization, which suggests that the WTO is in a stalemate and is at risk of falling apart because of the policies of the European Union and the United States. This is in direct contrast with the assessment of Business News Europe which blames […]
The business newspaper Vedomosti, a jointly owned outfit between private Russian and American financial news ventures, posts this editorial on the detention of the Greenpeace activists. – Ed. The events surrounding the Greenpeace protest in the Pechora Sea have more than just a legal dimension: it is something like a clash of civilizations. Greenpeace activists […]
Russia has had several high-profile human rights cases in recent weeks, highlighted this week by the decision to sentence a protester to a mandatory term in a psychiatric hospital, despite the fact that many high profile mental-health professionals say that he was misdiagnosed for political expediency. Even before that court decision was announced, the news […]
A Russian court has sentenced a protester to mandatory psychiatric treatment in a case that has been widely criticized by human rights watchdogs. Mikhail Kosenko, who has been voluntarily seeking mental-health treatment for much of his life and is a productive member of society, was accused of assaulting a police officer during the Bolotnaya riots […]
In Kyrgyzstan, at least 23 protesters have been arrested after riots broke out on Monday. At the height of the violence, the province’s governor, Emil Kaptagaev, was held captive for several hours before he was released. The protests started when a Canadian-owned mining operation signed an agreement with the Kyrgyzstan government. Some have suggested that the protests […]
Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has gone on hunger strike to protest the conditions that she and other Russian prisoners face. While her lawyer has highlighted the fact that Nadya is being unfairly targeted because she is challenging the system, it is also evident that she has a larger profile, and so a louder voice, […]
Russia has evacuated its diplomatic staff in Libya after armed men attacked one of their embassies last week, in response to the apparent killing of a Libyan Air Force officer by a Russia citizen. Below is a translation from the pro-Kremlin agency Izvestia. – Ed. Russian diplomats, urgently evacuated from Lybia because of the attack […]
A bill has been submitted to the State Duma that proposes to provide education to children of migrant workers only if their parents submit a certificate from the tax authorities that they are residents for tax purposes and have paid taxes in Russia for at least one year prior to their child enrollment in a […]
In September Russia supported a UN initiative “promoting human rights through sport and the Olympic ideal.” The measure granted no new rights, but was simply pledging to initiative a “review” of current policies. Below, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations praises the efforts, but the initiative was received with skepticism immediately upon its release. Human […]
