Call on President Putin to End the Attack on Russian Civil Society!

On March 4, 2012 Vladimir Putin won the presidential election to return to office as President of the Russian federation. Under his leadership, basic rights to freedom of expression, assembly & association have been severely curtailed.

From December 2011 to December 2012 at least 5,100 protestors were arrested in more than 220 public demonstrations. Prosecutorial inspections have swept through nearly one hundred NGOs. LGBTI individuals and defenders face crippling new restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.

The worst might be yet to come - a broad new legal definition of “treason” could criminalize human rights and political activism. Take a stand for Russian Civil Society, and call on President Putin to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Russia.

(See sample message below)

YOUR MESSAGE

Message Recipients:

Vladimir Putin - President of the Russian Federation

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Dear (recipient name),

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* Sample Message:

Dear President Putin:

Over the past year, Russian authorities have passed a series of laws that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. These laws obstruct the legitimate role of civil society in Russia and suppress initiative, creativity and development of non-governmental organizations.

The legislative provisions in question include:

-Re-criminalisation of libel punishable by even heftier fines, which is likely to inhibit criticism of public officials and policies by the media and NGOs.

-Introduction of restrictive rules on public protests, with exorbitantly high penalties for their violation. These rules have had a chilling effect on the right to peaceful assembly.

-Introduction of a broad new legal definition of “treason,” which could potentially criminalize human rights activism.

-Introduction of new regulations for non-profit and non-governmental organizations obliging those who receive funding from foreign sources and are engaged in a vaguely described “political activities” (including advocacy and influencing public opinion) to register and publicly identify themselves as “foreign agents.” Not only does the law impose burdensome reporting obligations on foreign-funded NGOs, it puts them at risk of closure and persecution.

-A bill introducing hefty fines for “propaganda of homosexuality among minors”. If passed, this bill will outlaw public events organized by LGBTI communities and curtail activities by LGBTI organizations.

We believe that these laws are inconsistent with Russia’s international obligations and the Russian Federation’s own Constitution and must be repealed. Such restrictive legislation puts Russian civil society at risk of being sucked into isolation – not behind an iron curtain, but a legal one.

We call on you to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Russia.

Sincerely,

[Your Name & Address]

THE ACTIVIST TO DO LIST

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Call on President Putin to End the Attack on Russian Civil Society!

YOUR MESSAGE

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