Russia

It only took a couple of minutes for the Russian Parliament to approve the controversial high treason bill, in its third and final reading, on 23 October 2012. The bill presents a fundamental threat t...

In Russia the recently introduced regional laws on the so-called “promotion of homosexuality among minors” have been condemned by the human rights community. According to a report by Civil Rights Defe...

The human rights lawyer Sapiyat Magomedova has been awarded the Swedish Government’s Per Anger Prize. In the violent Dagestan, she defends victims of grave human rights violations. Sapiyat Magomedova ...

Last week, the Russian parliament voted for amendments to existing legislation that widens the legal definition of treason, equating it to espionage, and adds international organisations to the list o...

The international Queer culture festival (Queerfest), held in St Petersburg 20-29 September, is like the light at the end of the tunnel for the Russian LGBT-community after a year when homophobic laws...

A very disturbing trend is going on at this moment in Russia. Just before the summer holidays, the Russian State Duma has adopted a number of bills, at a furious pace, restricting freedom of expressio...

Civil Rights Defenders is greatly concerned by the proposed amendments to the law on NGOs in Russia, which would designate human rights organisations as “foreign agents” for receiving funds from abroa...

Natalia Estemirova was one of the leading human rights defenders in the North Caucasus. Working for Civil Rights Defenders’ partner, Human Rights Centre Memorial, she investigated cases of grave human...

A new bill that “forbids propaganda for sodomi, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism and sexual abuse of minors” was accepted at a first reading in the regional parliament of Saint Petersburg on No...

In the North Caucasus impunity for grave human rights violations, committed by law enforcement agents on the pretext of combating terrorism, is widespread and requires prompt and independent investiga...