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6-7 March there was a 2-days seminar “Security of information on the activities of human rights organizations” in Kazan’, organized on the initiative of the Interregional group “Human Rights Network” belonging to the Russian Research Center for Human Rights. Today the problem of personal data  security in the human rights community is extremely important in connection with the preparation of a new bill “On information, informational technologies and protection of information” and because of  increasing number of hackers attacks and attempts of authorities to control human rights web-sites. (25-MAR-06)
 

From the 22 February to the 2 of April an exhibition “Political ‘Justice’ and Political Prisoners in Contemporary Russia” takes place in the museum and Public Center of Andrey Sakharov.  The personages of the exhibition are people, who have fallen a prey to the politically motivated state despotism. The organizers of the exhibition believe that the existence of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in the country is a menacing sign of present civil disaster. (20-MAR-06)
 

The 6 March a bill against sexual discrimination was discussed in Duma.By tradition there is a tolerant attitude toward violation of equality of men’s and women’s rights in the Russian Federation. It’s one of the reasons of unequal representation of women in the ruling clique and in the highest ranks, of violation of women’s labour rights and spreading of sexual violence. Contrary to the Constitution, state and private undertakings  practice discrimination against women. (09-MAR-06)
 

27-28 February the meeting of Human Rights Houses contact persons took place in Moscow. Participants discussed main principles of development of the web-site, which presents a reflection of current work, strengthening relations and most important problems in the sphere of international human rights movement. (04-MAR-06)

The government has celebrated Defenders of the Fatherland Day, 23 February, with ceremonial actions and opposition parties and human rights organizations have held protest actions and have carried out requiem for the deceased in Russian army during military service. According to Levada-Center sociologists, 53% of Russian people would try to evade military service by any possible means if they were called up now. (25-FEB-06)
 

According to the annual report of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, in 2005 total xenophobic rate in country was staying stable high and about 60% of population upholds anti-Semitic and xenophobic slogans to some extent. There are more than 100 newspapers publishing anti-Semitic and xenophobic slogans and hundreds of web-sites advocating national hatred. Obvious appeals to violence are heard and some political circles aspire to make them legitimate. (18-FEB-06)
 

3 February the trial was held of Stanislav Dmitrievski, which human rights activists identify as the obvious politically motivated case. The Soviet Court of Nijny Novgorod sentenced Dmitrievsky to the two-year suspended sentence and four years of “testing period” (with prohibition of changing place of residence and obligation to register oneself periodically in a police office). Stanislav Dmitrievski doesn’t agree with the ruling of the court and he is going to appeal against it. (07-FEB-06)
 

On 29 January, 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow to show their anger after a group of drunken servicemen was torturing a 19-year-old soldier for several hours. The proceedings have been instituted against Major General Aleksey Sidorov, the head of the Chelyabinsk Tank Training College. (02-FEB-06).
 

Representatives of Russian human rights organizations are calling on all NGOs and concerned individuals to express their support. Please add your signatures – as individuals or organizations – and send this appeal on for others to sign. (01-FEB-06)