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seat at the table

Russia Returns to UN Human Rights Council After 4-year Absence

“We are back and ready for constructive cooperative work,” the Russian mission to the UN announced.

Call for change

Russian Activists Demand End to Intimidation at Funeral of Journalist Who Set Herself on Fire

Irina Slavina’s last social media post told her followers to “blame the Russian Federation” for her death.

opinion Rachel Denber

A Delicate Legal Case, But Echoes of a Smear Campaign

The nature and timings of the child sexual abuse charges against Yuri Dmitriyev indicate that the case was spurious and politically motivated.

Prominent Gulag Historian's 3.5-Year Prison Sentence Lengthened to 13 Years

Human rights advocates have condemned the move by Karelia’s Supreme Court.

Veteran Russian Human Rights Leader Yury Orlov Dies at 96

Orlov founded the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest human rights organization, with other Soviet dissidents in 1976.

'new greatness' case

Court Jails Young Russians for 'Plotting to Overthrow Putin'

The activists' case has sparked protests and allegations of police overreach.

'brave new world'

Russia to Keep Mass Surveillance After Coronavirus, Activists Say

“The authorities don’t even need to declare an emergency” to limit citizens' rights with surveillance, the Agora human rights group said.

Russia Seeks Hefty Jail Terms For Activists in 'New Greatness' Case

Investigators say the group were plotting to overthrow the Russian government. Critics say the prosecution is politically motivated.

A Timeline of Russia’s Crackdown Since the Constitutional Reform Vote

High-profile arrests and sentences for activists, journalists and government officials.

TREASON CHARGES

Russia Detains Ex-Defense Reporter for Treason

Ivan Safronov’s detention comes two months after he started to work as Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin's aide.

silenced dissent

Anti-Putin Shaman Recognized as Political Prisoner

Alexander Gabyshev was placed in a mental asylum following his attempts to trek across the country to “banish” Putin.

POLITICAL PRISONER

Concerns Raised for Detained Gulag Historian Yury Dmitriyev

U.K. calls for early release after court rejects lawyers’ argument Dmitriyev is at risk of the coronavirus in Karelian detention center.

DESPERATE TIMES

60% of Russians Willing to Give Up Their Rights to Fight Coronavirus — Poll

The country’s prime minister has told authorities to develop a system that uses mobile phones to track people.

Paying the toll

Russia Ordered to Pay $1M to Police Brutality Victims

The latest European rights court rulings award 29 Russian citizens nearly 1 million euros on claims of torture.

Russia’s Share of European Human Rights Cases Hits 7-Year High

Russia remains the runaway leader in the number of pending cases among the European Court of Human Rights' 47 member states.

Russia ‘Escalating’ Jehovah’s Witnesses Crackdown – HRW

More than half of law enforcement raids against Jehovah's Witnesses have taken place in the past 12 months, the group says.

Russia's Leading Human Rights Group Fined 21 Times for 'Foreign Agent' Violations

The organization's most recent fine stems from a project about members of a predecessor to the KGB and their engagement in Stalin-era repressions.

‘It Starts With a Cup, Ends With a Shooting’: 3 Putin Quotes on Human Rights

Moscow protesters were rightly jailed for throwing plastic cups at police this summer, Putin said.

Russia Is Removing Critical Voices Ahead of Arctic Council Chairmanship, Indigenous Expert Claims

Russia points to the Arctic as territory of dialogue, but the shutdown of an indigenous rights group is drawing criticism.

opinion Leonid Bershidsky

I Just Translated ‘1984’ Into Russian. I’m Gasping for Air

Reading “1984” closely is both sickening and cathartic because so much is instantly recognizable.

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