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The Non-Diplomatic Verdict
The U.S. Department of State released yesterday the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007. A sizeable portion of the document is traditionally dedicated to Russia but the extent of the critical statements is the record high in this report. The Department of State explicitly blames on Russia the use of administrative resource for the victory of pro-Kremlin United Russia at the State Duma elections past December.
The critical statements begin in the first paragraph. “The Russian Federation has a strong presidency with a weak multiparty political system,” the report says, making clear the general tone of the edition. “The dominant pro-presidential United Russia party received a constitutional majority (more than two thirds of the seats) in December 2007 State Duma elections, which, according to international observers, were not fair and failed to meet many Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Council of Europe standards for democratic elections.”
The following statements are at least equally lambasting and recall big numbers of government and social human rights problems and abuses, as well as the engagement of security forces in killing torture, abuse and violence. “Hazing in the armed forces resulted in severe injuries and deaths. Prison conditions were harsh and frequently life threatening; law enforcement was often corrupt; and the executive branch allegedly exerted influence over judicial decisions in some high profile cases,” the report says.
The situation in Chechnya is one of the predictable highlights. “The government's human rights record remained poor in the North Caucasus, where the government in Chechnya forcibly reined in the Islamist insurgency that replaced the separatist insurgency in Chechnya as the main source of conflict. Government security forces were allegedly involved in unlawful killings, politically motivated abductions, and disappearances in Chechnya, Ingushetia and elsewhere in the North Caucasus.”
Russia held presidential election this March, so the report doesn't cover the campaign. But judging by the tune of the current document, Russia will be subjected to harsh criticism in the next edition.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 12, 2008
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