The SEU TIMES, Socio-ecological Union Newsletter, January 26, 2001
Rights Defenders Meet in Moscow, gravely concerned
"There was not such a meeting before in Russia - and, most possible - we shall not witness such an event again. Either because the rights defenders concerns would come true and then the regime would not let them gather again, at least openly. Or - as a miracle - the attack on human right will stop, and then there will be no need together again. Unfortunately, life has taught us that miracles occur rarely" - wrote the chair of executive committee of "Refugees organizations forum" Lyudmila Grafova for Literaturnaya Gazeta.
On Jan 20 -21 all-Russian meeting for human rights defense gathered more than thousand people from 64 regions of the country.
Yelena Bonner (Andrey Sakharov widow) said on the opening that thirty years ago, when rights defense movement just emerged, there was enough room in one apartment for underground gathering. Then it was impossible to imagine this thousand people gathering for the discussion of the threats for today's civic society.
Today Russia is turning into police state, and if society does not want to be run over by it should act together to resist this attack. This goal is vital and unrealistic at the same time - because all the facts of human rights violations are seen and heard, but people under the burden of the problems of their own do not react to it. They even do not thing about changes that will change the Constitution. The first step will be the new law that is drafted now - about the Constitutional Assembly. According to it, the Assembly members will not be elected any more, but appointed, though indirectly, by the President.
Another legal surprise for the Russian citizens will be new Felony Code. In its existing draft it abolishes the innocence presumption - now not the guilt, but the innocence should be proved.
Many speakers noted that the number of political repressions will be growing, and environmentalists, as the most active and obstacle-creating movement, will receive special attention from "relevant entities", as used to be said in Russia.
"The worst thing that today's policy and propaganda are working - people are already getting annoyed by the freedom of information and expression" - said Alexey Simonov, Glasnost Foundation Chair. It is perceived by the Government that the speech freedom is and obstacle for the "dictatorship of the law" - official label for today's Governmental policy.
There was a lot spoken about the media - both about the censorship and about the media work in the past that allowed such situation to occur. The Address to the media says: "It's been wasted too much time. And now we have to hurry to protect human rights. In deprived of civil rights society there will be a little need for journalists - as the freedom of speech will be swallowed by the fear.
We understand that the market economy has forced media to undercover the civil rights problem as non-commercial. But the time has come when media will or already have need to be protected."
Shortly before that OBSCE has revealed information about the situation in Russia. "It is clear that working in Russia is dangerous for journalists" - said OBSCE representative.
"Such policy is nothing but preparations to political repressions. The history gives multiple evidences when totalitarism and fascism had attempts to silence media in their foreground, law and order observation were claimed as a goal. But without free media no human rights may be protected" - said one of the meetings resolutions.
"Today we have fake speech of freedom, fake independence of legal system, fake elections and fake diversity of parties" - said Grigory Yavlinsky.
The meeting was appealing to the society - because the society, not the government should do everything to prevent the threat. Meeting participant have set constant working groups and then parted to their regions - to continue they work - until it brings results or is forcefully terminated.
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