On June 23rd, former General Prosecutor Vladimir Ustinov’s who recently was fired from his post was involved in a bizarre shuffle, in which President Putin interchanged Ustinov and Yury Chaika, who had prior been the Minister of Justice. The Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament took kindly to the appointment of Vladimir Ustinov to the new post, while human rights activists were naturally puzzled. (4-JUL-06) Text: HRH/ Moscow, Yanina Savenko. Sources: hro.org, newsru.com, svobodanews.ru In the beginning of June, after a motion introduced by the head of the state, the Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament dismissed Ustinov from the post of General Prosecutor. The head of state explained this development away by personal reasons. However, there weren’t many people who believed in this explanation. Furthermore, on June 23rd, President Putin suddenly gave an order to appoint Ustinov Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation. At the same time, former Minister of Justice Yury Chaika on the same day became General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation. Chaika already fulfilled duties of the General Prosecutor from April to August 1999 and his nomination was approved by the Federal Council. State control over NGOs will become stricter Hopes of collaboration
In contrast to Duma’s enthusiasm, the shuffle produced diverse reactions within the Russian society. Political scientists and public men believe that the Ministry of Justice under Ustinov can 
become part of the executive branch with many punitive functions. At the same time, human rights activists are afraid that after Ustinov’s appointment state control over NGOs would become much stricter. First of all, they worry about the timing of Ustinov’s appointment. According to the new NGO Law it is the Ministry of Justice that is responsible for settling “matters of life and death” of all the NGOs. According to law, the Ministry has plenary powers over non-commercial organizations. Their concerns stems from the role Vladimir Ustinov being General Prosecutor, played in carring out liquidations of Putin’s opponents. Among other things, Ustinov presided over UKOS Company’s practical annihilation. Moreover, under his tenure, torture at the hands of the police became a norm. Representatives of “Public Verdict” Foundation reminded that not only individuals, but the whole towns (events in Bezhetsk and Blagoveshensk) were subjects of beatings. Public Prosecutor’s the Office hasn’t properly investigated these incidents and some documents still haven’t been submitted to courts. 
However, representatives of leading human rights organizations positively took to Chaika’s appointment. The new General Prosecutor announced that there would be no mass purge in the department. “We need an evolution and not a revolution. Defense of human rights must become the main function of the department, because the chief prosecutorial task is the defense of human rights and freedoms protection”, – said Chaika. Said Svetlana Gannushkina, member of Memorial Center’s Council, head of “Civil Assistance” Committee: “You can talk to Yury Chaika. He understands what right is. If he is a head of the Office of Public Prosecutor, collaboration between the Office of Public Prosecutor with civil society will become much better. We already had such an experience when he worked in the Office of Public Prosecutor in the late 90th”.
Articles
Political shaffle
On June 23rd, former General Prosecutor Vladimir Ustinov’s who recently was fired from his post was involved in a bizarre shuffle, in which President Putin interchanged Ustinov and Yury Chaika, who had prior been the Minister of Justice. The Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament took kindly to the appointment of Vladimir Ustinov to the new post, while human rights activists were naturally puzzled. (4-JUL-06)
