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Amnesty International has called on President Vladimir Putin to condemn the murder of Anna Politkovskaya and show that there can be no impunity for such crimes. This would demonstrate his support for human rights defenders and independent journalists and the vital and legitimate role they play in Russian society. (13-OCT-06) 
 

The European Court of Human Rights today held the Russian Federation responsible for the summary execution of five members of the Estamirov family in the Chechen Republic in February 2000, Stichting Russian Justice Initiative said. At least eleven other incidents of summary executions committed on the same day in the same region of the Chechen Republic are pending before the Court. (12-OCT-06)
 

On October, 7th, on the 54-th anniversary of Vladimir Putin, internationally known Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was killed in Moscow. Anna Politkovskya was rather more the human rights activist than a journalist – it wasn’t enough for her just to write about people’s problems, she helped to solve these problems.  (12-OCT-06)
 

Employees of the State Department of Internal Affairs in Voronezhsky region enforce their fight against so-called youth extremism. Human rights activists believe that police actions are aimed at suppression of opposition. Authorities authorize nationalist actions and overlook anti-Semitic slogans and xenophobic statements.  Nationalist parties plan to organize a Right March in Moscow. (11-OCT-06)
 

Against the background of the Russian-Georgian conflict the Russian authorities organized the widespread campaign against migrants from Georgia. Human rights activists have been raising alarm. They consider unceasing check-ups as ethnic crackdowns and authorities’ actions – as racial discrimination. (11-OCT-06)
 

Manfred Nowak, right, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment issued the following statement today: As the Special Rapporteur announced on 6 July 2006 and reiterated in his statement to the Human Rights Council on 20 September 2006, he was invited by the Government of the Russian Federation to carry out a fact-finding visit from 9 to 20 October 2006, with a particular focus on the North Caucasus Republics of the Chechen Republic, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. (04-OCT-06)
 

This week two foreigners were attacked in St. Petersburg. On September, 24th a student from India was killed and a Republic of the Sudan citizen was wounded.  Foreign students held a rally, demanding justice. In the same days strangers attacked two synagogues – in Astrakhan and Khabarovsk. (30-SEP-06)
 

By law in the Russian Federation the Church is separated from the State. It is not supposed to meddle into affairs of the State and vice versa. But in practice it is not so. (25-SEP-06)
 

Receantly the leaders of three Russian parties – Motherland, the Party of Life and the Party of Pensioners – have announced merger plans and their aim to become an opposition force. They agreed in principle that one of the main goals of the new party would be a political fight against United Russia’s Party monopoly on power. However, human rights activists believe that the merger is nothing more than Kremlin´s pet project. They believe that it is the President’s Administration that creates the new united party, which will present no opposition to the present regime. (16-SEP-06)