Wednesday 28 May the authoritative human right organization Amnesty International published an annual report about the situation in 150 countries and a separate memorandum for the Russian President. 

The report was timed to the 60th anniversary of adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nicola Duckworth, the Director of Europe and Central Asia division at the Amnesty International, stated at the presentation that the world leaders should apologize for the fact they failed to provide for justice and equality promised in the Declaration. With all the positive dynamics, the today’s world is full of injustice, inequality and impunity.  

According to the report published, the events of the last year cannot fill one with optimism. The data, collected and processed by about 2 million followers of the Amnesty International, say that people are subject to tortures in 81 countries; unjust trials took place in 54 countries; 77 states are featured with restriction regarding freedom of speech. 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. Discriminative legislature towards women is effective in 23 countries. The rights of migrants are infringed on at least in 15 countries, and those of the minorities in 14 states.      

Besides a separate chapter in the 500-paged report the International Amnesty issued a special memorandum intended for Dmitry Medvedev and dedicated to the situation in Russia. The document appeals to Dmitry Medvedev to express again his adherence to the ideas of human rights, as he promised to guard rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.     

Human rights advocates noted that there have been positive changes in our country in recent years. Credited to Russia may be keeping moratorium for capital punishment, carrying out reform of criminal and criminal-procedural legislation, some improvement of prison conditions, and legal persecution of a number of law enforcement workers for use of tortures. However, mentioning of the negative facts prevails in the report and memorandum.    

The Northern Caucasus remains the most problematic Russian region. There are frequent cases of kidnapping, tortures and out-of-court executions (done by Islamic rebels and by the soldiers of federal troops). Besides, Amnesty International condemned the ineffective investigation of the crimes committed on the ethnic hostility and xenophobia grounds; growing intolerance by authorities to dissent, and the wish to accuse those dissenting of lack of patriotism; contempt of the rights of the detained, suspected and accused by the law enforcement workers (the case of Vasily Aleksanyan was mentioned in this respect).   

Reports by Amnesty International always cause a hailstorm of charges with preconception from authoritarian and from democratic governments. This time not only Russia, but also China, the US and the EU states were subject to severe criticism. According to the human rights activists’ information, some cases of kidnapping and extradition of political refugees were registered in some EU countries, and those people were passed to their home countries with further tortures done. As for the US, the authors of the report believe it must close down the base in Guantanamo and secret prisons, must carry trial or release the prisoners, and must give up tortures. Nicola Duckworth condemned the double standards by Europe and the US.   

Traditionally, the home establishment received negatively the criticism of Russia from “outside”. Anatoly Kucherena, the member of Public Chamber and the head of non-government Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, stated that similar reports are made with ideological underlying message. It should be noted that such a statement looks odd being made by a colleague of the Amnesty International working in the non-governmental sector. Stylistically, it would be more appropriate to be done by an official from foreign ministry or some other state structure.