 The EU-Russia Civil Society Forum quotes Irina Protasov as saying that the Italian human rights activists were held in a police station in Nizhny Novgorod for about six hours: "During this time, the migration service representatives completed five reports on administrative offence. Each of the Antigone members that visited Nizhny Novgorod was fined 2,000 RUB (about 35 euros). After leaving the police department, the Italian activists went back to Yoshkar-Ola." Antigone is an NGO based in Rome that specializes in improving prison conditions. Arcigay is a LGBT rights organization with headquarters in Bologna. A Buon Diritto is a civil liberties association based in Rome. Photo of police questioning Italian activists at the offices of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture: Antigone The Committee for the Prevention of Torture is a high profile Russian human rights NGO based in Nizhny Novgorod. The organization also has offices in the Republic of Mari El, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenburg region, and Moscow and Moscow region. Since 2009 it has been a leading participant in the Joint Mobile Group of human rights defenders that works in Chechnya. The Committee for the Prevention of Torture, set up in 2015, continues the work of the Committee Against Torture, which was founded in 2000 and closed down in 2015 after it was designated as a 'foreign agent' NGO. Rights in Russia has regularly reported on the outstanding work of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, for example see here. Sources: 'Italian Activists Arrested in Nizhny Novgorod Fined,' EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, 28 June 2017'La nostra missione interrotta: un avvertimento di Putin alle Ong dei diritti umani,' Antigone, 30 June 2017 'Fermati e rilasciati in Russia attivisti di Antigone, A Buon Diritto e Arcigay. Si sta lavorando al rilascio con le autorità italiane,' Antigone, 30 June 2017 A Buon Diritto, website Antigone, website Arcigay, website Committee for the Prevention of Torture, website Individual and the Law [Chelovek i zakon], website EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, website We are delighted you have been reading Rights in Russia. As a non-for-profit organization that does not carry advertising, we rely on our readers and well-wishers to support our work. If you share our belief in the importance of our mission, in the need to publicize the human rights situation in Russia, please consider making a donation to help keep Rights in Russia alive. To donate, see HERE |
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