of activists Activists remanded Media reaction OSCE urges release Navalny supporters beaten LGBT activists detained Hunger strike Petition Isolation Human Rights Council Complaints ‘based in fact’ Ryazan Memorial in ‘foreign agent’ appeal | Greenpeace activists detained over protest On 23/9 more than 50 environmental groups called for the immediate release of the 30 Greenpeace activists held under armed guard on the Arctic Sunrise. (Greenpeace 23/9) On 26/9 Leninsky district court of Murmansk detained 22 Greenpeace activists until 24/11 on the grounds they are suspected of maritime piracy. (RAPSI, 30/9) On 27/9, in protest at the detention of press photographer Denis Sinyakov, a number of Russian media websites placed blank spaces on their main pages, while editors and journalists published an open letter in his support. (HRO.org; Lenta.ru, 27/9) OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović called for the release of photojournalist Denis Sinyakov and freelance videographer Kieron Bryan, both detained for two months pending a piracy investigation. (OSCE, 27/9) Right of assembly On 21/9 supporters of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny said they were detained and beaten up by police as they were distributing newspapers outlining Navalny’s views about the results of the recent election. (The Moscow Times, 23/9) On 25/9 ten LGBT-rights protesters, including Nikolai Alekseev, were detained while attempting to picket the Olympic headquarters in Moscow. (The Moscow Times, 26/9) Pussy Riot On 23/9 Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova went on hunger strike. She released a public letter alleging “intolerable” prison conditions and a death threat when she complained. (Human Rights Watch, 27/9) On 23/9 collection of signatures for a petition in support of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova began. (HRO.org, 23/9) On 24/9 Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was moved to an isolation cell for her own safety, prison authorities said. (BBC, 24/9) The Presidential Human Rights Council said on 24/9 a group of its members travelled to investigate reports of violations in the penal colony holding Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. (HRO.org, 24/9) Member of a visiting group from the Presidential Human Rights Council Ilya Shchablinsky said complaints by Nadezhda Tolokonnikova had a basis in fact. (HRO.org, 26/9) Freedom of association The hearing of an appeal by Ryazan Memorial Society against a warning issued by prosecutors that the NGO was in violation of the law on ‘foreign agents’ began on 25/9 in a district court in Ryazan. (HRO.org, 25/9) |
