Weekly Update No. 42

Rights in Russia

Week-ending Friday 13 November 2015

Zarina Yunusova        Death in custody

                                            On 12/11 St. Petersburg City Court ruled that Zarina Yunusova, the mother of a 5-month-old Tajik boy old                                             Umarali Nazarov who died while in police custody, should be deported to Tajikistan for violating                                                             Russia's laws of migration. (RFE/RL, 13/11)

Magomed                         Activists Mutsolgov                       On 6/11 the home and office of Ingush human rights activist Magomed Mutsolgov were searched by law                                                 enforcement agents. Mutsolgov was told he faces charges of “anti-Russian and subversive activities"                                                      based on a ruling of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ingushetia of 20/10. (HRO.org, 7/11)

Petr Pavlensky              On 11/11 a Moscow district court ordered performance artist Petr Pavlensky to be jailed until 8/12                                                            pending trial on vandalism charges after he set the doors of the Federal Security Service (FSB)                                                                   headquarters on fire on 9/11 in a political protest. (RFE/RL, 11/11)

Memorial Human        Right of association Rights Centre                On 9/11 the Memorial human rights organization received a letter from the Justice Ministry accusing it of                                             seeking to overthrow the Russian government. The letter accused Memorial of “undermining the                                                               constitutional order of the Russian Federation, calling for the overthrow of the current government and                                               changing the country's political regime." (The Moscow Times, 10/11)

Suayaryi Zavarkin     Freedom of expression On 6/11 a court in Petrozavodsk banned a video recording of a statement by Suayarvi Zavarkin, a city                                                   councilman in Suojarvi, where he spoke at a protest on 20/5 about the need to hold a referendum to                                                         separate the Republic of Karelia from the RF. The court ruled that video of the speech is extremist.                                                             (Meduza, 6/11)

Rutracker blocked      On 9/11 Moscow City Court ordered the permanent shutdown of Rutracker.org, the world's largest                                                           Russian-language torrents website. The website will be blocked after the court's decision comes into force                                             in 30 days, spokeswoman Ulyana Solopova told RIA Novosti. (The Moscow Times, 9/11)

Twitter warned            On 11/11, Internet regulator Roskomnadzor warned Twitter that it must store Russian users' data in                                                       Russia under a new law that took effect in September. (RFE/RL, 12/11)

New restrictions on     On 13/11 Kommersant reported that following the “unintentional” leak of a secret military project by         journalists                       state TV on 10/11, the Kremlin instituted new guidelines for military meetings: reporters will have to                                                      leave cell phones with security guards outside meetings, photographers cannot take photos before Putin                                              enters the room, and TV cameras must be pointed at the wall until the meeting starts.

                                             (The Moscow Times, 13/11)