On January 11th, an annual meeting of the RF President with members of the RF President Council for Development of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights was held. President Putin didn’t argue with human rights activists and agreed with all their proposals. (29-JAN-07)
Text: HRH/Moscow, by Yanina Savenko. Sources: strana.ru, gazeta.ru, dni.ru, demos-center.ru . Photos: strana.ru, gazeta.ru
The President was communicating with human rights and public activists for four hours. Questions concerning consequences of the NGO’s law introduction, development of the democracy in the country, judicial and penitentiary system reforms, health problems of conscripts, protection of children rights, and also future results of Russia’s WTO accession and coming elections – were discussed at the meeting. “I’m completely satisfied with the results of the meeting. We’ve raised really global questions”, said Council’s Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova.
President was nodding with approval
Theme of public control was prevalent at the meeting. The President called questions of development of civil 
society institutions in the Russian Federation as the most important tasks which had been always in the centre of authorities’ attention. According to Putin, the new NGO’s Law doesn’t infringe all at the rights of public organizations. Special consideration was given to discussion of the necessity of public control over penitentiary institutions (The relevant report was presented by Valery Abramkin and Valery Borshchev (Russian Research Center for Human Rights). According to the head of state, an improvement of custody conditions for persons under investigation and convicts was an achievement of human rights activists. Putin called the State Duma to focus its attention to the bill on control over penitentiary system work, which has been under consideration in the lower house of the Russian Parliament for three years. “The tighter is the control over prison system the better”, said the President. Besides, Putin supported an idea of establishing a chain of medical centers for young men of call-up age, put forward by the Union of Soldiers Mothers Committees of the Russian Federation.
President is not pleased with journalists’ work 
Putin favored a Council’s idea about elaboration of state program “Civil education of RF population”. He added that realization of that project would promote society consolidation, creation of tolerance and respect for human rights and freedoms”. Ella Pampilova drew President’s attention to situation with journalists and asked the President to take them under his wing. “We have very many problems with free press”, “honest, respectable and independent journalists are facing increasing difficulties”, “serious press has been ousted by yellow press” and “state structures don’t give information to journalists”, said Pamfilova. Putin believes that journalists have been loosing prestige. “Certain norms of behaviour must be developed in journalistic community, which wouldn’t discredit them and wouldn’t include them in commercial business”, said the President.
Are Russian courts independent?
Retired judge of the Constitutional Court Tamara Morshchakova stated that Russian judicial system didn’t guarantee independent justice. Morshchakova has placed a responsibility for the situation on Russian authorities. She believes that nowadays “decision on every verdict could be dictated by the executive authorities”. Putin tried to defend Russian courts. He claimed that recently a number of people filing suits in the court had significantly risen and it proves increase of confidence in court’s ruling. But he agreed that “it’s necessary to think about judicial system improvement”.
Just another nice decoration
Annual meetings of members of the RF President Council for Development of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights with the President have become a good tradition. However, they exert very little influence on public life in the country. “The President always attentively listens and agrees, but it has practically no continuation. The President Council has been transformed into just another decoration of democratic society structure”, said Liubov Vinogradova, Director of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights.
