The International Committee held a round table on the theme: “Improving the strategy of legal protection of Russian citizens abroad.” Representatives of all relevant departments – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, the RF IC, the Public Chamber, the Council of the Federation, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, human rights activists, authoritative lawyers and political scientists, as well as relatives and friends of the victims far from their homeland and wrongfully participated in it. convicts in other countries, Russians – the father of Maria Butina, the mother of Bogdana Osipova, the wife of Cyril Vyshinsky.
During the discussion, specific proposals were made to strengthen the protection of our citizens, on the basis of which the recommendations of the round table were approved.
In particular, the participants agreed that the creation of a base of foreign lawyers who are ready to defend citizens of the Russian Federation abroad will be an effective step in operational assistance. “More and more Russians are in trouble abroad. What happens next makes us think about the lack of a clearly built system of protecting the interests of those who are far from their homeland in a very, very difficult position – in conclusion, often unfairly convicted. I am convinced that our great country should have a system of protection, ”said the head of the Committee, Leonid Slutsky.
R E C O M E N D A T I O N S
“Round table”
“Improving the strategy of legal protection of Russian citizens abroad”
Moscow, June 21, 2019
In recent years, the number of violations of the rights of Russian citizens outside the Russian Federation, including those traveling abroad for recreation, as well as permanently or temporarily living in foreign countries, has significantly increased. In this regard, the urgency of finding effective ways to improve the strategy of legal protection of the legitimate rights and interests of Russian citizens abroad, identified as a priority topic in the context of strengthening international humanitarian cooperation and respect for human rights in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation (approved by the President of the Russian Federation B. V.Putin November 30, 2016).
Violations of the rights of Russian citizens abroad concern a wide range of problems, including illegal detentions and arrests, the creation of obstacles to the work of diplomats, journalists, human rights defenders, experts, interference with privacy, threats, slander, provocation, unjustified deprivation of parental rights, under the pretext of being expelled limits of host countries. Without the resolution of this problem, genuine equality and mutually beneficial cooperation of states in international relations is impossible, as well as the return of these relations to the legal arena. In particular, there is a widespread practice of extradition to the US of citizens of the Russian Federation who have been detained or arrested in third countries. Cases of the expulsion of Russian diplomats are turning into a frank campaigning aimed at discrediting Russia, creating a negative image of our country and its citizens.
The initiators of anti-Russian political and information campaigns are not fundamentally interested in the existence of an alternative point of view, where Russia is represented only in a negative light. As a result, we see unprecedented pressure on journalists, experts, speaking on various political and socio-economic issues. In a number of foreign countries, the reduction of access to the Russian information and cultural space, the denial of the status of the Russian language, and the restriction of educational opportunities in Russian continue.
A policy aimed at a gross distortion of historical truth, bringing history to a single standard reflecting only the point of view of the West, also represents a serious challenge to building a just and equitable world order. Increasingly, actions to dismantle, transfer or demolish monuments and memorials held in the post-Soviet space and in several countries of Eastern Europe are accompanied by violence against those for whom these symbols are valuable. And even if there is no direct violence in this or that case, actions to destroy the memory of the past are part of broad campaigns directed against Russia and its citizens. Information wars unleashed against our state, the widespread use of hate speech in social networks are all blatant signs of Russophobia, anti-Russian hysteria, which, despite the countermeasures being taken by the Russian state and civil society, continue to be a serious challenge and most negatively affect including interpersonal, including youth, family ties and contacts of Russians with the outside world.
We cannot tolerate the glorification of Nazism, the rehabilitation of Nazi criminals, the moral, political, administrative and criminal persecution of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the anti-Hitler coalition and other practices that contribute to the escalation of modern forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The reaction to the mentioned actions by the Russian state and its international partners in strategic and tactical perspectives should be systemic.
In the framework of improving the strategy of legal support for Russian citizens abroad, the participants of the round table, convened at the initiative of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, recommend:
The Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation will continue to work to improve the legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of developing mechanisms for the protection of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens abroad, based on the standards recognized by the international community in the field of ensuring and protecting human rights.
Profile committees of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, legislative (representative) state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to interact more actively with the Council under the President of the Russian Federation on the development of civil society and human rights and the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, and interested NGOs in activities to support the rights and legitimate interests of Russian citizens and compatriots for rubles pulp.
Consider establishing an Expert Council under the State Duma Committee on International Affairs to monitor violations of the rights of Russian citizens and compatriots abroad and develop proposals and recommendations for state authorities and civil society institutions of the Russian Federation and international partners to adequately respond to such violations of rights freedoms and legal interests of Russian citizens and (or) compatriots in the territory of foreign states within applicable national and international law. In this context, note the need to more actively activate the mechanism of response measures in relation to foreign politicians and officials who participate by their actions or inaction in violating the legitimate rights and interests of Russian citizens abroad.
If there are serious grounds for the investigative committee of the Russian Federation to additionally consider the possibility of using part 3 of Article 12 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“The criminal law against persons who have committed a crime outside the Russian Federation”).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for the Rights of the Child, the Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs, more actively use the materials of annual reports and other messages on the observance of the rights of Russian citizens to inform Russian the public.
Interested Russian structures, in cooperation with foreign partners and civil society, contribute to political, organizational and financial support for Russian NGOs, which provide legal and other support to Russian citizens and compatriots abroad. Contribute to the development of international activities of such NGOs, in particular, their participation in various international platforms – the UN, the Council of Europe, OSCE, IPA CIS, UNESCO, including funding for such visits, preparation and publication of reference and analytical materials for presentations at these sites.
To support the creation of civil society structures in Russia and abroad engaged in international human rights activities, through an additional increase in the financial content of the Presidential Grants Fund and other state and non-state funds.
Provide additional support to print and electronic media in order to more promptly inform about violations of the rights of Russians abroad.
To train civilian activists in the field of international human rights and expert activities based on the RUDN University, MGIMO, RSUH, Moscow State Law Academy named after O.E. Kutafin and other specialized universities, including the necessary refresher courses for lawyers and human rights activists to promote the legitimate interests of Russians and compatriots, in t.ch. in the European Court of Human Rights and in other international judicial bodies. To this end, provide special funding for such training programs.
Civil society institutions:
– create an Internet portal where the facts of violations of the rights of Russians abroad, the reaction of human rights activists and international institutions to these violations will be recorded;
– improve interaction with foreign government and non-governmental organizations on human rights issues and legal support of Russians and compatriots abroad, including by national human rights councils, foreign media, scientists, cultural figures, civil society activists and the legal community;
– to initiate the creation of an international human rights organization, including human rights defenders from different countries for the effective coordination of activities for the protection of Russians abroad;
– use the full potential of legal entities of the Russian Federation and foreign countries, replenish the register of lawyers providing legal assistance to Russians abroad, including representatives of the International Association of Russian-speaking lawyers, the Association of Lawyers of Russia, etc.