Week-ending 14 May 2021
“The Observatory recalls that Ivan Pavlov had already been the target of judicial harassment by the authorities and the FSB because of his work as a human rights attorney and in the context of Ivan Safronov’s defence. In August 2020, in response to a complaint made by the FSB, the Ministry of Justice requested the St. Petersburg Bar Association to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him because of his refusal to sign a non-disclosure statement in Safronov’s case. However, the St. Petersburg Bar Association did not take any further action against him. The Observatory condemns the judicial harassment against Ivan Pavlov as it seems to be only aimed at punishing him for his legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory urges the Russian authorities to immediately drop all charges against Ivan Pavlov, and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against him.”
-‘Russia: Judicial harassment of human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov,’ The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, 12 May 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Source:
FIDH, 12 May 2021: The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in the Russian Federation. Description of the situation: The Observatory has been informed about the arbitrary arrest and subsequent release of Ivan Pavlov, as well as the raids of his residences and office. Mr. Pavlov is a prominent human rights lawyer, director of the association of journalists and lawyers Team 29 and winner of the Moscow Helsinki Group Award for defending human rights in court in 2015 and of the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism in 2018. He also founded the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, which was designated as a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities in 2014 and suspended its activities in 2015. On April 30, 2021, Ivan Pavlov’s hotel room in Moscow, his apartment, his summer house and the Team 29’s office in St. Petersburg were searched by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Investigative Committee. One of his colleagues at Team 29, Igor Dorfman, also had his flat searched for eight hours. Searches at Ivan Pavlov’s apartment and at the Team 29 office lasted 15-18 hours. According to Mr. Pavlov, the law enforcement officials confiscated almost all documents related to the case of his client, journalist Ivan Safronov, including those classified as attorney-client privilege. After the search in the hotel, Mr. Pavlov was detained and taken to the Investigative Committee for an interrogation.
