Human Rights House Foundation statement
HRC60 – Item 4 – Interactive Dialogue – Russia Special Rapporteur
22 September 2025
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Thank you, Vice-President.
Legislation in Russia continues to destroy what exists of civil society. Since April, “foreign agent” status now applies to anyone cooperating with international institutions including the International Criminal Court. The “undesirable organisations” law has facilitated the closure of the independent election monitor, Golos, after its co-chair was sentenced to five years. Lawyers, including Maria Bontsler, face years in prison simply for their professional work and Alexei Gorinov has now spent more than two months in a punitive isolation cell in torture-like conditions.
Even more concerning, prosecutions for crimes relating to terrorism and extremism against civil society have accelerated. Sentences of more than ten years have become routine, including for symbolic acts such as a small donation to humanitarian causes in Ukraine or anti-war posts on social media.
Memorial now recognises over 1,000 political prisoners in Russia, many subjected to denial of medical care, fabricated disciplinary measures, and prolonged solitary confinement.
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur, therefore, remains indispensable, and we strongly support its renewal.
Vice-President,
We ask the Special Rapporteur, given Russia’s repeated refusal to implement international human-rights decisions, including those that hold a legal obligation, what combination of legal and diplomatic levers are most likely to increase compliance?
Thank you.
