General Kalinin against human rights activists

On February 16, 2005, RIA Novosti published a report on a press conference by Yury Kalinin, director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), who stated that thieves in law use human rights organizations for their own purposes.

"The so-called 'thieves in law' today are changing tactics and turning to human rights activists to destabilize the situation in prisons ," Kalinin said. According to him, the latest incidents in Yekaterinburg, Adygeya and Ryazan were created to undermine order among the prisoners. "We have information that various supposedly 'human rights actions' were carried out with 'general money' ," Kalinin said.

On February 17, 2005, the All-Russian public movement "For Human Rights" issued a statement "On the insulting statements of the "chief jailer" of Russia", in which Yu. Kalinin's statements are given a sharply negative assessment.

"We are not aware of any example of underworld control over the human rights community or sponsorship of human rights defenders by criminals ," write members of the Movement for Human Rights. The document draws attention to the fact that the director of the Federal Penitentiary Service unsubstantiatedly accused human rights defenders of complicity in the activities of a criminal organization in order to disrupt places of detention (Articles 33, 35, 321 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), and also tried to present work in a legal organization of persons who had previously convicted, or legally residing foreigners in the country, as a sign of the inferiority of such an organization. "In fact, this is a violation of the principle of equality of citizens before the law (Articles 6, 13, 19, 21 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation)" , the statement says.

Currently, the court is considering a lawsuit by the executive director of the OOD "For Human Rights" Lev Ponomarev for the protection of honor and dignity against several news agencies Interfax and RIA Novosti and against the first deputy head of the GUIN of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation Valery Kraev, who, according to these media reports, during a briefing on May 7, 2004, he made a statement that "For Human Rights" is financed by organized criminal groups and is involved in riots in the colonies.

Sources

• Jailer uses conjecture // Civil control. 2005. February 17.
• General attacks human rights defenders // Civil control. 2005. February 16.
• Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia against human rights activists - second round // IA REGNUM. 2005. February 16.