Sochi Olympics: From spies to strays

This week, the problems with human rights in Russia came into the focus of the sub-committee of the European Parliament chaired by Barbara Lochbihler (Greens, Germany). The exchange of views between invited Russian human-rights defenders and MEPs tackled a range of issues concerning basic constitutional freedoms and recent Russian legislation on NGOs and the problems related to the approaching Olympic Games in Sochi.

“Any NGO activity can be regarded as political in the prism of a new legislation on foreign agents,” said lawyer Kirill Koroteev. He warned against the oppressive nature of the ‘foreign agent’ saying that within the Russian cultural context it is translated without ambiguity into ‘spy’.

“Activists can face charges just for taking decisions to organize an event,” he added.

Another dangerous angle is the obscurity of the ‘malicious incompliance’ formula, which opens a broad variety of interpretations of how to punish for disobedience.

In spite of this oppressive legislation, NGO activists have won a few cases against the state in Yekaterinburg and Ryazan. Lamenting the new legislation that aims to restrict NGOs, Koroteev pointed towards the considerable financial resources, time and energy diverted from human-rights defending to self-protection.

A warning to avoid the Kremlin’s public-relations concerning the Sochi Olympics came from Tatiana Lokshina of Human Rights Watch. She highlighted two parallel processes: promoting the image of the Russian state and the unprecedented crack-down on civil society launched during the third presidency of Vladimir Putin.

“There is a concern about the aftermath of the Olympics, when Russia will no longer be in the spotlight of the international community,“ Lokshina told EU Reporter. “Some signs are already pointing in that direction: as Khodorkovsky was released, ecologist Eugeny Vitishko from Krasnodar Yabloko was sentenced to three years in prison.”

The name of Russian ecologist protecting the UNESCO natural resort in Sochi became emblematic for those who stand for democratic change in Russia. Breaching the legislation the politically motivated case was postponed not to cast the shadow on the Olympic ceremonies.

“Should we travel to Sochi or not? Should we participate?” asked MEP Werner Schulz (Germany, Greens). “We don’t see any real change towards the democratization of life. The law on foreign agents is reminiscent of the times of the GULAG.”

'GULAG times' became a reference mpoint while discussing the situation in the city of Sochi, where the administration is breaking its own promises – instead of constructing a dog shelter, the city has launched an operation of shooting strays.

“We are aware of the difficult situation concerning the animal right defenders in Sochi,” Lokshina added. “They are being continuously harassed.”

MEP Kristiina Ojuland (ALDE) expressed her concern over the fate of Vitishko and questioned the freedom of expression of Krasnodar and Sochi YABLOKO activists. “In ALDE, we are in contact with Russian liberals and the crack-down of the ecologists protecting the UNESCO site in Sochi is very alarming.”

Ojuland raised the issue of Sochi citizens’ safety, with dogs being shot in public places such as railway stations: “There are shootings and poisoning of strays in the streets, which is awful in its own right, but they are even more traumatic for the inhabitants of Sochi, at they not only take the joy of the festivities away, but they traumatize people, including children, leaving memories to haunt them though their adult life – ‘souvenirs’ of the Sochi Olympics’.”

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Konstantin Dolgov responded to the criticisms with a note of optimism, as he sees some positive signs of improvement. In the context of Sochi, he said that the Kremlin had been asked not to politicize the Olympics: “It is about the sports, it is not G8.” One of the achievements of Russian authorities cited by Doglov was the state financing of human rights NGOs. “They are receiving grants from the Russian government. Now human rights defender Ludmila Alexeyeva is also receiving Russian funding,” Dolgov added, pointing out that there are around 200,000 NGOs in Russia and the government spends some 3.4 billion rubles supporting their activities.

Concluding the hearing, Lokshina asked MEPs to look beyond 7 February, the opening ceremony of the Olympics: “The Kremlin is making the Olympics a showcase of the country, but the fireworks of the ceremonies should not blind you to the grim realities of Russian political life.”

Anna van Densky

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