Weekly Update

Read our summary of the week’s news: Week-ending 31 January 2020

Listen to our fourth podcast [in Russian], with our guest Jens Siegert: Simon & Sergei: Human rights in Russia week-ending 31 January 2020 – You can also find these podcasts on iTunes and Spotify

‘I сontend that the Der Spiegel articles distort the conclusion of our report and mix up evidence concerning his death that was collected at different periods of time in order to present the reader with an unreliable and erroneous picture of the conclusions we arrived at within the framework of our investigation.’   – Human rights defender Valery Borshchev takes issue with an article published in Der Spiegel about the Magnitsky case. Translated by Marian Schwartz 

‘We, citizens of the Russian Federation, declare that today a constitutional coup is taking place in our country before our very eyes. We are convinced that the aim of this coup is to ensure that Vladimir Putin and his corrupt regime hold on to power during his lifetime.’   – A number of public figures, intellectuals and civil society activists have signed a Manifesto opposing proposed changes to the Russian Constitution. Translated by Mary McAuley and Simon Cosgrove

‘After the initial address to the Federal Assembly, we assumed that the amendments would be potentially damaging and would contradict the 1st and 2nd chapters of the Constitution. However, no one could have imagined that the proposed bill would also clash with aspects of federal law …’   – The lawyer Elena Lukyanova looks at the proposed amendments to the Constitution. An extract translated by  James Lofthouse and Anna Bowles

‘Law enforcement officers in the Republic of Chechnya have arrested 25 people in connection with a meme showing Ramzan Kadyrov in a Russian Orthodox cassock. The people involved were taken into detention and beaten. ‘  – OVD-Info’s Weekly Bulletin includes more reports of human rights violations in Chechnya. Translated by Judith Fagelson

‘This week, the bill on domestic violence is being discussed online again. Its final version was actually published late last November, but the draft law still has yet to be introduced in the State Duma.’   – Team 29 in their weekly review look at the controversy surrounding the draft bill on domestic violence that is expected to be introduced to the State Duma in the near future. Translated by Lindsay Munford