GENEVA – Join representatives from Russian human rights organisations Memorial International, Memorial Human Rights Center and OVD-Info, along with Russian environmentalist Vladimir Slivyak and UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor for a discussion on Russia’s Foreign Agents Law on March 3. In light of the recent developments, the event will also aim to share reflections on the connection between silencing dissenting voices at home and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The online discussion will take place as a side event of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Time: 16:00-17:00 CET, Thursday, March 3, 2022
Panellists:
Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders
Anna Dobrovolskaya, Executive Director of Memorial Human Rights Center
Vladimir Slivyak, Co-chairman of Ecodefense, 2021 Right Livelihood Laureate
Daniel Beilinson, Co-founder of OVD-Info
Moderator: Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of Right Livelihood
Featuring a video message by: Elena Zhemkova, Executive Director of Memorial International, 2004 Right Livelihood Laureate
The side event will be followed by a press conference with Dobrovolskaya, Slivyak and Beilinson at 17:00 CET. Register for the press conference here.
The event, organised by Right Livelihood, will focus on Russia’s so-called “Foreign Agents Law” which requires all non-governmental organisations receiving foreign funding and carrying out “political activities” to register as “foreign agents” with the government. The label comes with increased scrutiny and administrative hurdles, damage to organisations’ finances and reputation, and even the risk of liquidation.
Since its adoption, the law has been used by the authorities to target dissenting voices. Last December, Russia’s Supreme Court liquidated Memoria International, Russia’s most preeminent human rights organisation and a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, due to non-compliance with the law. The day later, the member organisation Memorial Human Rights Center was also shut down by Moscow’s City Court.
The decision, which was condemned internationally, has been seen as a warning for other organisations included on the foreign agent list.
Among those are Ecodefense, one of Russia’s leading environmental organisations, co-chaired by 2021 Right Livelihood Laureate Vladimir Slivyak and OVD-Info, an independent human rights project. OVD-Info, which monitors civil and political rights and provides legal assistance to victims, has seen its website being blocked and was also required to delete its social media accounts in Russia.
“Being an activist in Russia today is very hard: there is an extremely high risk of imprisonment, there is a lack of resources and unfortunately, there’s a lack of support from society,” said Vladimir Slivyak. “At the same time, a lot of very important changes in society happened only because activists have been there and did their very hard work. Activism is what truly changes the world, but activism also needs to be protected and supported.”
