Quotes of the Week

Week-ending 18 April 2025

Joshua Rozenberg

‘Russia has been asked by the European Court of Human Rights to respond to allegations that it was responsible for 24 political assassinations or attempted assassinations between 2003 and 2020. [see Footnote below] They include the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 and the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018. Other victims named in a claim brought by Ukraine include the opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, both of whom were targeted within Russia. […] There can be no doubt that the human rights court will again find that Russia was responsible for Litvinenko’s death. The same must apply to the attempted assassination of Skripal and no doubt others on Ukraine’s list. One hopes that these findings will bring some comfort to the families of those targeted and some satisfaction to the authorities in Ukraine. But I can think of no way in which a ruling of the human rights court can be enforced against a state that is no longer a party to the human rights convention.’

– Joshua Rozenberg, legal commentator

– Source, Joshua Rozenberg, ‘A Lawyer Writes,’ Substack, 15 April 2025

Footnote: Assassination of Yuri Shchekochikhin in the Russian Federation; assassination of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Qatar; assassination of Anna Politkovskaya in the Russian Federation; assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in the United Kingdom; assassination of Leonid Rozhetskin in Latvia; assassination of Umar Israilov in Austria; assassination of Oleg Zhukovsky in the Russian Federation; assassination of Timur Kuashev in the Russian Federation; assassination of Boris Nemtsov in the Russian Federation; assassination of Ruslan Magomedragimov in the Russian Federation; attempted assassinations of Vladimir Kara-Murza in the Russian Federation; attempted assassination of Emelian Gebrev in Bulgaria; assassination of Ivan Mamchur in Ukraine; attempted assassination of Milo Đukanović in Montenegro; attempted assassination of Anton Gerashchenko in Ukraine; assassination of Denis Voronenkov in Ukraine; assassination of Olexander Kharaberyush in Ukraine; assassination of Maksym Shapoval in Ukraine; attempted assassination of Igor Moseychuk in Ukraine; attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom; assassination of Nikolai Glushkov in the United Kingdom; attempted assassination of Kyrylo Budanov in Ukraine; assassination of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Germany; attempted assassination of Alexei Navalny in the Russian Federation.

Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia

My first report to the General Assembly focused on torture in Russia as a tool of repression at home and aggression abroad. This applies both to Russian anti-war activists and to groups targeted for their identity — such as LGBT people or religious minorities — and also to Ukrainian civilians and POWs held in Russian detention. Thousands of Ukrainian detainees are being held incommunicado, subjected to torture or in conditions amounting to torture. Torture is prohibited under all circumstances by the United Nations Convention against Torture. Russia is a party to that convention. I’ve issued detailed recommendations to the Russian government on how to stop the practice of torture — but nothing is happening. On the contrary, torture is being encouraged. After the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow [in 2024], the Russian authorities, for the first time, allowed torture to be broadcast on national television. One suspect was shown with his ear cut off and one was tortured with electric shocks to his genitals. Then it was even shown on TV how they [the suspects] were brought to court half-dead and the judge did not question why they appeared this way. In any normal court, an investigation would be ordered. The public legitimization of torture on national television is one of the most worrying developments we’ve seen in Russia. Before, it was happening behind closed doors in secret. Now it’s public with some people on TV even saying that was not enough. Where is the presumption of innocence? Where are the principles of the rule of law? Where is court independence? All of this is part of a repressive system. And it is very concerning. You asked whether dialogue is possible — I am ready for it. I welcome dialogue. Dialogue with the courts, with the ombudswoman, with the prosecutor general, with the Interior and Defense Ministries. There’s a lot to talk about in order for the Russian people to have some chance for justice.

– Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia

– Source: Anastasia Tenisheva, ‘Despite Deteriorating Rights in Russia, UN Rapporteur Still Believes in Dialogue,’ The Moscow Times, 15 April 2025

“The collective trial and sentencing of journalists simply for doing their jobs sets a chilling precedent in Russia, where reporting freely is a crime. The Kremlin does not make judgments based on facts — it silences those who expose its repression, report on its invasion of Ukraine or dare to challenge its propaganda. RSF condemns this unjust, Kremlin-orchestrated verdict and demands the journalists’ immediate release.‘

– Antoine Bernard, RSF Director of Advocacy and Assistance

– Source: Russia mocks justice as four journalists sentenced to five and a half years in prison’, RSF, 15 April 2025

Background from RSF: On 15 April, four Russian journalists were sentenced to five years and six months in prison for “extremism” for covering the activities of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a sham trial in Moscow. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this unjust decision, handed down by a judiciary subservient to the Kremlin, and calls for their immediate release.

“The sentencing of four journalists at once to 5 ½ years in prison is blatant testimony to Russian authorities’ profound contempt for press freedom. Russian authorities should immediately release Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Krieger, Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin, drop all charges against them, and stop jailing journalists in retaliation for their work.” 

– CPJ Chief Programs Officer Carlos Martinez de la Serna

– Source: ‘4 Russian journalists sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison,’ CPJ, 15 April 2025

Background from CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to immediately release Russian journalists Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Krieger, Konstantin Gabov, and Sergey Karelin, who were sentenced by a Moscow court on Tuesday to 5 ½ years in prison on extremism charges.

“These convictions are the Kremlin’s latest blatant attempt to silence independent journalism in Russia,”  “We call on the Russian authorities to annul these convictions and immediately release our colleagues, along with other journalists who have been sentenced on similar charges. Russia’s crackdown on journalists and press freedom, which has reached an unprecedented scale since the war in Ukraine, must end.”

– IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger

– Source: ‘Russia: Four journalists sentenced to jail on charges of “extremism”,’ IFJ, 16 April 2025

Background from IFJ: On 15 April, a Russian court sentenced four journalists, Antonina Kravtsova (Favorskaya), Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artem Kriger, to five and a half years in a penal colony. Arrested in 2024, they were found guilty of “participating in an extremist group” for their alleged links to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption group. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the Kremlin’s continued crackdown on independent journalists and urges the Russian authorities to immediately release these four journalists.

Sergei Karelin

‘I am in prison for my professional activity, for my honest and impartial approach to journalism, and for my love of my family and my country. Since I’ve already spoken about my work in the courtroom, I now want to say something else — something personal. I’d like to try to address the most important person in my life — my daughter Mira, whom I haven’t seen in 11 months. And I don’t know when I will. You understand, of course, that if I’m convicted, my whole family will suffer — my 101-year-old grandfather, a war veteran, my elderly parents who are doing their best to hang in there, and most of all — my beautiful daughter. I never imagined my child would become a victim of political repression — just like the children of those persecuted in the 1930s. Can you imagine such a fate for your own children? So yes, I’m now a ‘dad on a business trip,’ like many others today — just like so many were back then. I don’t know when I’ll see her again, let alone hold her in my arms.’

– Sergei Karelin, video journalist with Associated Press

– Source: ‘I Am Being Tried For My Professional Activity’: The Last Words of Journalists Jailed for Alleged Navalny Ties, The Moscow Times, 16 April 2025

Konstantin Gabov

‘[…] As someone with a background in cultural studies, I am fully aware of the country I live in. Throughout its history, Russia has remained the same — there’s nothing new in the current situation. Russia has always had a talent for creating problems not only for its own people, but also for neighboring countries. Independent journalism is now equated with extremism. Such rigidity is a result of a polarized society. […] Even behind bars, I believe that the problems and developments in Russia must be reported on from inside the country. Working under such extreme conditions is hard, but possible. And, most importantly — necessary. […] My work has always been about giving voice to those who cannot be heard, and covering events that are crucial for society. I believe that journalism is not a crime — it is an essential part of a democratic society. We must remember that every voice matters, and only together can we change things for the better. I hope that one day we will live in a country where freedom of speech is not just a right, but an integral part of everyone’s life.’

– Konstantin Gabov, video journalist with Reuters

– Source: ‘I Am Being Tried For My Professional Activity’: The Last Words of Journalists Jailed for Alleged Navalny Ties, The Moscow Times, 16 April 2025