15 August 2012, 21:21 Politics

Nationalists want to push human rights “elders”

In addition to human rights activists, nationalists are also vying for membership in the Presidential Council for Human Rights

Dmitry Demushkin is going to defend the rights of Russians at the Human Rights Council

ITAR-TASS Applications for membership in the Presidential Council for Human Rights close at midnight. As Gazeta.Ru found out, nationalists Dmitry Demushkin, Alexander Bosykh and Nikolai Kuryanovich submitted their applications for participation in this body, along with human rights activists Valery Borshchev and Igor Kalyapin. They criticize the work of the current council for not protecting the rights of Russian people. The new composition of the HRC members will be approved by President Vladimir Putin after online voting for candidates.

On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the procedure for submitting application forms for participation in the Presidential Human Rights Council is completed. In addition to the current council members, at least 150 more people are applying for cooperation with the HRC. mentioned this figure in a conversation with the Interfax agency on Wednesday morning Council Chairman Mikhail Fedotov . By lunchtime, 16 more applications had been received on the HRC website and another 19 were expected to arrive, Fedotov told Gazeta.Ru.

The list of HRC members may include human rights defenders who have collaborated with the council in recent years, as well as new candidates proposed over the past two weeks. The Presidential Commissioner for Human Rights, regional ombudsmen, current council members and non-profit organizations could nominate their candidates. “These are mainly public organizations, non-profit foundations, and there are two large structures - state corporations. Including in the field of science,” Fedotov explained to Gazeta.Ru, answering the question of who sent their proposals for future members of the HRC. Fedotov refused to name the names of specific candidates who may be included in the updated composition of the council, as well as any other details.

As Gazeta.Ru found out, among others, human rights activists Valery Borshchev, Igor Kalyapin, Natalya Taubina, Viktor Travin, lawyer Leonid Olshansky , public figure Evgeny Roizman , as well as nationalists Dmitry Demushkin , Nikolai Kuryanovich, Natalya Kholmogorova and Alexander Bosykh.

Valery Borshchev was nominated by Lyudmila Alekseeva , taking advantage of her status as a current member of the council. “I recommended Valery Vasilyevich Borshchev, chairman of the Moscow Public Monitoring Committee, in the nomination “Assistance to Public Monitoring Commissions.” He has been working in this area for a long time, a very decent person, I would say, an enthusiast, a very knowledgeable person, he has been dealing with this problem - the penitentiary system - for many years,” the human rights activist explained her choice.

The updated council may also include the head of the Committee against Torture, Igor Kalyapin, who has a long history of cooperation with the HRC on the topic of human rights in Chechnya. In a conversation with Gazeta.Ru, Kalyapin emphasized that he considers demonstrative non-participation in the Presidential Human Rights Council under pressure on civil society to be “posturing.” The question of the effectiveness of the structure under President Putin, according to the human rights activist, remains open and depends on the personality of the HRC chairman. “In the end, the council itself works for the leader. This leader is an adviser to the president, and it depends on the leader whether he will be able to implement what the council has developed or not. Will he, on the one hand, be uncompromising enough, and on the other, diplomatic enough,” explained Kalyapin.

The human rights activist added that inclusion in the HRC promises him problems rather than privileges: “Many of my friends and acquaintances, whose opinions I value, will probably stop greeting me. This is unpopular. This is not a step that can bring any socio-political dividends - recognition, popularity, etc.”

The application for membership in the HRC “Gazeta.Ru” was also confirmed by the director of the “Public Verdict” Foundation Natalya Taubina, who was nominated by one of the current members of the council. The human rights activist said that in the council she would like to work on criminal justice reform. “This topic is the specialization of our organization, we have expertise here, and if this topic is not the focus of the council’s attention, I don’t see my place in it,” Taubina explained, noting that this was one of the conditions when nominating her candidacies.

At the instigation of one of the members of the current council, the head of the City Without Drugs Foundation, Evgeniy Roizman, is also running for a seat in the next convocation of the HRC, Gazeta.Ru was told by those surrounded by the public figure. Roizman himself was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

Another nominee was Moskovsky Komsomolets journalist , President of the College of Legal Protection of Motorists Viktor Travin. His candidacy was nominated by the chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, Kirill Kabanov . According to Travin, the automobile “topic is not closed” in the work of the current HRC, and he would like the next council to pay attention to the rights of Russians on the roads and traffic safety. Travin emphasizes that it does not matter to him whether he or someone else deals with this topic. Among the candidates for council members there are also other well-known defenders of motorists' rights: Travin names lawyer Leonid Olshansky. True, in his opinion, Olshansky will deal with legal issues in the field of real estate in the council.

Under the guise of human rights activists, several representatives of nationalist forces are trying to infiltrate the next composition of the presidential council. At the Human Rights Council they expect to somewhat change the human rights agenda imposed, from their point of view, which does not correspond to the real interests of the Russian people.

For example, the leader of the “Russians” movement, Dmitry Demushkin, put forward his candidacy, as he himself told Gazeta.Ru: “I nominated myself and Nikolai Kuryanovich (ex-deputy from the LDPR . - Gazeta.Ru ) ... We submitted applications according to the form they posted, with recommendations and everything. The Union of Journalists of St. Petersburg signed a recommendation for me. And we submitted the documents." According to him, the nationalists have accumulated a lot of experience, which can be useful when working in the Human Rights Council, and they “have something to say, unlike the elders who sit there.”

“They do some kind of infighting there, all these public and presidential councils on human rights. And the same people gather who, in principle, do not have any problems in life,” a candidate member of the council expressed skepticism about the work of the council.

Demushkin recalled that he had previously had to engage in human rights advocacy, for example, he represented nationalist Vyacheslav Datsik, nicknamed Red Tarzan, in court: “We visited prisons, assistance programs went through us, I provided legal support, we had eight lawyers working for us.”

Another nationalist was nominated by the Congress of Russian Communities. The organization's nominee was the head of the youth work council of the KRO, Alexander Bosykh, who became famous after an attack on a Pussy Riot supporter during a picket in support of the punk group. “Why Alexander Bosykh? Because, despite his young age, he has extensive experience in public work,” KRO press secretary Fyodor Biryukov explained to Gazeta.Ru. — This is an active public figure who can find language with both opponents and supporters, with anyone. This is a person who has clear views on life and a specific program of action.”

Biryukov noted that from the point of view of the KRO, “ the human rights council is an on-duty structure that often serves as a screen for officials.” Nationalists are generally not satisfied with the way human rights are interpreted in Russia: this topic arises only in the context of the struggle for the rights of minorities or the struggle of the opposition against the authorities, Biryukov explained. In reality, we need to pay attention to “the right of a Russian person to be Russian,” as well as deal with the rights of nationalities that want to survive “in the conditions of enforced multiculturalism.” In addition, the rights of people “who are dissatisfied with the media policies of the liberal mainstream” need protection.

The Russian Social Movement also nominated its candidate for membership in the presidential council. In a conversation with Gazeta. Ru,” nationalist Vladimir Tor said that he wrote a recommendation to Natalya Kholmogorova: “Actually, in Russia the civil majority coincides with the national majority. Moreover, the right to national dignity is inalienable for a person. Therefore, nationalists cannot stand aside from this process.”

The names of all candidates nominated for membership in the human rights council will be published for “public consultation” on the website www.president-sovet.ru on September 1. Internet users will be able to express their attitude towards the proposed candidates during the voting, which will last two weeks. After this, the final composition of the HRC will be approved by Vladimir Putin.

Further cooperation with the council of several current members of the HRC depends on who will join the new convocation. and Lyudmila Alekseeva announced this position to Gazeta.Ru On Wednesday , Valentin Gefter .

“When I find out who is on the final list, which the chairman of the council Fedotov will present to the president . Now, if I see that these people are decent and efficient, that the council can work, then I will stay,” Alekseeva said.