#23 - JRL 2006-278 - JRL Home
Human Rights Situation Worsening In Russia - Memorial Head

MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax) - The Memorial human rights organization believes that the human rights situation has worsened in Russia recently.

"The human rights situation has tended to worsen almost in all areas," memorial head Oleg Orlov told Interfax over the Human Rights Day celebrated on Sunday.

The situation with civil, political and social rights has been worsening, Orlov said.

"There are a lot of examples. They are amendments to the electoral legislation and the law on the monetization of benefits. Human rights situation in the army and the penitentiary system, as well as rights of refugees and human rights in the North Caucasus, is alarming," he said.

"The problem is that society is not active enough in protecting its rights," the human rights activist said.

Meanwhile, director of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau Alexander Brod is more optimistic over the issue.

"The situation is stable, but discouraging. I cannot say that there is any alarming trend that proves a crisis," he told Interfax.

"Human rights violations have been registered in many areas. Security, social and public health issues have been acute. Judicial and law enforcement agencies are far from being efficient, spirituality is in crisis, we have been constantly speaking about ethnically motivated crimes," the human rights activist said.

"In comparison with the situation a decade ago, the authorities have done a lot to solve social problems - national projects have been developing," Brod said.

The International Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10 at the decision of the United Nations' General Assembly to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.