What once was referred to as the human rights movement in Russia can be characterized today as a human rights community. As opposed to the loosely organized actions of political dissent by intellectuals that dominated the 1960s and 1970s, today's human rights activity in Russia takes a much more organized form. This is the result not only of legal changes over the past two decades which allow for official recognition of associations and groups outside of the state, but also of the more mature nature of the activists and organizations themselves. The result is a community of human rights groups, each focusing on individual rights issues within a broader context of universal human rights advocacy.

Human rights groups in Russia today range a great deal in size, shape and scope of their work. More and more, regional human rights centers are appearing in cities across Russia, providing central coordination for human rights activity at the regional level. Although groups located in major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg are generally more highly developed both organizationally and financially, groups outside of urban centers are beginning to develop and gain more experience. Much of this development in the regions is the direct result of outreach and training programs administered by a number of Russian and international NGOs. Information channels between the regional groups and central (Moscow and/or St. Petersburg) groups are providing new opportunities for activity and cooperation among groups.

What follows below are organizational profiles of major human rights groups in Russia today. These groups provide a good overview of the scope and nature of human rights activity today in Russia. Since these are some of the largest groups, most are located in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Many, however, have active chapters throughout Russia.

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per., kom. 1-6, 11, 19

Tel: 095-206-09-23

Tel: 095-206-05-82 (Information Network Project)

Tel: 095-206-80-64 (Public Reception Center)

Fax: 095-206-88-53

E-mail: hrcenter@glas.apc.org (general)

hrmoscow@glas.apc.org (Information Network Project)

Director: Aleksei Smirnov

Chair of Board: Boris Altshuler

Public Relations Director: Vladimir Raskin

Financial Director: Elena Vititinova

Secretary: Natalya Taubina

Press Secretary: Irina Linnikova

Information Network Project Coordinator: Andrei Pribylov

Technical Coordinator: Sergei Smirnov

Public Reception Center Coordinator: Sergei Strelnikov

Advisory Board: E. Ametistov, V. Bakhmin, E. Bonner, V. Borschov, B. Zolotikhin, S. Kovalev, A. Lavut, A. Pristavkin

Bank account information: US$ - Tokobank, Moscow No. 890-0055-588 with Bank of New York, NY in favor of MRCHR. ECU - Tokobank, Moscow No. 291-1122234-41/461 with Generale Bank, Brussels, in favor of MRCHR.

Member groups:

Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia; "Mother’s Right" Foundation; Movement Without Frontiers; Moscow Helsinki Group; The Moscow Center for Prison Reform; Independent Psychiatric Association; Society for the Guardianship of Penitentiary Institutions; "Right to Life and Human Dignity Society; Society for the Defense of Convicted Businessmen and Economic Freedoms; Association for the Protection of the Disabled (Moscow Branch).

Other group working at the Center:

Civic Forum Association; Moscow Antifascist Center; Omega Society; Nonviolence International - NIS; Liberty Road Association; The Society for the Defense of Human Rights in Central Asia.

The Moscow Research Center for Human Rights, a union of independent non-governmental organizations whose work covers a wide range of human rights issues, provides central coordination for and development of the human rights movement in Russia.

The idea for the MRCHR grew out of a desire to collectively organize the human rights-related movements emerging from the loosely-structured community of informal social organizations which flowered during the last part of the Soviet period. A group of human rights activists, dissidents and former political prisoners acquired office space in which to work. The group soon found financial and moral support from the West, including the National Endowment for Democracy, Phare/Tacis, and various private foundations. After receiving a series of small grants, the Center gradually emerged as a focal point for human rights work in 1993.

The Center works to develop a professional infrastructure for the human rights movement in Russia through enhancing communications networks among groups, helping groups to identify and apply for funding from international donor organizations, assisting groups with publishing projects, and serving as a central locus for information regarding human rights work in Russia. Over 15 human rights groups share office space in the Center's Moscow location.

The Information Network Project was designed to enhance the infrastructure of the human rights movement in Russia through expanding telecommunications capacity of regional human rights groups and developing a central database of information about human rights groups and their activities in the regions of Russia. The Project produces a monthly newsletter on human rights activities in the regions (see publications).

The Information Network Project provides a central locus for information regarding human rights activity across Russia by maintaining contacts with regional groups, making periodic visits to the regions for research purposes, and providing groups with access to the Internet. With the assistance of partner groups at the Center, the Information Network Project maintains a database of the activities of and contact information for regional groups across Russia. The Project currently runs training programs for human rights activists on using the Internet for human rights work. Through small grants program, in part funded by America's Development Foundation, the Project supplies groups with computers and modems so that they can take part in the network.

The Center holds receiving hours during which citizens may receive free consultation (social, legal, medical) on cases of individual human rights violations by specialists from the Center's member groups. This section of the Center also deals with the mail received at the Center.

The creation of this publishing organization (which remains officially independent from the Center itself) resulted from numerous small grants and practical assistance from the Know How Small Projects Scheme, the British Embassy in Moscow, UN Center for Human Rights, Council of Europe, and the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, Human Rights Publishers works together with Russian and international NGOs dealing with human rights to provide an outlet for publication of human rights-related materials. The first major publication produced focused on recent legal documents addressing human rights issues in the Russian Federation (see publications below).

The Center plays an integral role in assisting international donor organizations with administration of small grants programs, providing local program oversight and recommendations on specific grant proposals. Currently, the Center assists with administration of small grants from the European Union Phare/Tacis Program, the National Endowment for Democracy, America’s Development Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and others. The Center solicits grant applications from regional human rights groups and assists in the preliminary stages of the selection process. The Center acts as the go-between for grant recipients and donor organizations through the duration of the grant project.

MRCHR Monthly Information Newsletter

A monthly newsletter in Russian, published since 1994, which includes reports on recent activities of member-groups, individual human rights case profiles, a digest of human rights press coverage, news and announcements. The newsletter runs approximately 10 pages in length and is published in both Russian and English. It is distributed the last week of each month by mail or by courier. Subscribers and recipients include non-governmental organizations (both Russian and international) in Moscow, human rights groups and activists in the regions of Russia and a select number of partners and supporters abroad.

A monthly newsletter in Russian, published since June 1994, which documents human rights activity in the regions of Russia, collected as part of the Information Network Project. The bulletin, approximately 35-40 pages in length, includes profiles of human rights activities, practical advice on issues of organizational development, detailed instructions on using telecommunications and Internet resources for human rights work, and commentary on issues facing the human rights community. Circulation (as of October 1995) was greater than 500 copies per month. Periodically special issues are produced on thematic issues of special interest to the human rights community.

(1995, Moscow) In Russian. 350 pages. The first book produced under the auspices of the Human Rights Publishers, this compendium contains the texts of federal and international legal documents, protocols and reports on human rights protection in Russia, 1993-1995.

101000 Moscow

8/7 B. Zlatoustninskii per., kom. 68 and 73

Tel: 095-206-84-97

Tel: 095-206-86-84

Fax: 095-206-87-69

E-mail: mcprinf@glas.apc.org

Director: Valery Abramkin

Coordinator of Information Center and Network: Valery Sergeev

Coordinator of "Oblaka" Radio Program: Sergei Sayapin

The Center defines its main goal "to build in Russia an effective system of criminal justice, establishing principles of social justice, crime prevention, the personal safety of citizens, and a humane manner of imprisonment."

First organized in 1988 under the name "Imprisonment and Liberty", the name was changed in 1991 to "The Social Center for Humanizing the Penitentiary System". Finally, in August of 1993 the organization was officially registered as a non-profit, non-partisan group under the name "The Social Center for Assistance in Reforming Criminal Justice" (more often translated into English as the Moscow Center for Prison Reform).

The group maintains working relations with various governmental bodies, including the Presidential Commission on Human Rights, the Presidential Commission on Judicial Reform, the State Legal Administration and the Presidential Administration. Activities in the past have included presentation of a report to Parliament in 1992 entitled "On Carrying Out Changes and Additions to the Corrective Labor Code, the Criminal Code and the Criminal Justice Code of the RSFSR". In 1994, the Center presented a list of proposed federal actions in the sphere of human rights before Parliament.

The Center works together with local and federal criminal justice agencies in Russia on structural and legislative reform of the criminal justice system. One main goal is to create a mechanism that allows for a degree of citizen oversight of law enforcement bodies and penitentiary institutions. The organization also advocates the rights of the imprisoned, both collectively and on a case-by-case basis. Center volunteers provide legal and spiritual counseling for prisoners, making regular visits to prisons and camps. The Center also directs sociological research on criminal justice issues.

This weekly hour-long radio program is aimed primarily at the prison population, providing information on prison reforms, legal issues effecting prison conditions and treatment of prisoners, stories from prisons and labor camps around Russia, general information on human rights work and human rights groups in Russia, and other material with both practical and entertainment value. Research surveys estimate that nearly 8% of the population of Russia listens to the program (this is not counting the prison population). On average, the Center receives 300-500 letters each month from radio listeners.

With financial assistance from the European Union Phare/Tacis Program, the Center has begun to develop an in-office library of materials relating to comparative criminal justice and issues facing the Russian penitentiary system. In this endeavor, the Center participates with the Moscow Research Center for Human Rights Information Network Project. In 1996, the Center plans to publish a manual, How to Help the Imprisoned, for human rights activists and people concerned with prisoners' rights. To improve on this ongoing project, the Center seeks to expand their use of information and communications technology (including e-mail and the Internet), enhancing their research in the field of criminal justice around the regions of Russia and increasing the number of their regional and international contacts.

(1992, Krasnoyarsk) In Russian. 192 pages. This book covers practical issues of personal safety and health maintenance for the prison population. It also includes a social and historical description of the Soviet system of incarceration. Over 30,000 copies of this book have been distributed to prisoners and their families at no cost.

(1992, Moscow) In Russian. 36 pages. A collection of letters from prisoners describing life and conditions in prisons and camps across Russia.

(1992, Moscow) In Russian and English. 14 pages.

(1993, Moscow) In Russian and English. Approximately 80 pages each.

(1994, Moscow) In Russian and English. 80 pages.

A 10-volume series. In Russian.

* Volume 1: The Prison World Through the Eyes of a Political Prisoner

(1993, Moscow) 287 pages.

* Volume 2: Letters From the Zones (End of the 1980s)

(1993, Moscow) 300 pages.

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per., kom. 19

Tel: 095-206-86-39

Fax: 095-206-88-53

E-mail: c/o hrcenter@glas.apc.org

President: Yuri Savenko

Executive Director: Liubov Vinogradova

As an independent professional association, the Independent Psychiatric Association assists in reforming psychiatry in Russia -- clinically, legally and socially -- through education, advocacy and professional support. IPA focuses specifically on creating a legal infrastructure and applying modern educational and clinical techniques in psychiatry.

Founded in 1989 and officially registered in 1992, IPA grew out of an informal association of doctors and human rights activists concerned with the state of psychiatry in Russia. During the Soviet period psychiatric hospitalization became a widely-used technique for repressing political dissent. Although progress had been made in bringing this practice to an end, IPA members felt that reforms in Russian psychiatry were severely lagging behind the rest of the political, economic and social changes taking place. IPA works to reform psychiatry not only clinically, but also conceptually -- challenging traditional and often outdated conceptions held by both state and society. When it was formed, the IPA was the only independent humanitarian psychiatric organization in the former Soviet Union. The Association is a full member of the World Psychiatric Association.

Initially IPA's main concern was securing the release of those put into psychiatric hospitals solely for political reasons. To this end, IPA regularly conducted investigations into cases where political reasons were believed to be the main cause for mandatory hospitalization. To prevent further abuses of psychiatry in the future, IPA began to play an active role in advocating serious reform of Russian psychiatry and demanded conformity with international standards in the field. The Association regularly consults with legislative, professional and state bodies on legal reforms affecting psychiatry. In 1992, IPA began conducting public and professional education in modern psychiatric methodology.

IPA, together with the World Psychiatric Association and the World Association for Medical Law, and in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Health and the Moscow Mental Hospital No. 1, co-sponsored this five-day seminar for legal and psychiatric professionals, held September 25-29, 1995, in Moscow. Lead by a host of international panel members and presenters, the seminar addressed comparative legal aspects of psychiatric care and human rights factors in the field.

Each year, professionals from around Russia gather to discuss the state of psychiatry and the work of the organization, reviewing progress made and setting the upcoming year's agenda.

Since 1989, this body has overseen the moral implications of psychiatric care and researched cases of potential rights abuses. Individuals can request that their case be looked into by the Commission. They then review the medical history of the patient, conducts their own exam, and renders a decision which is then made available to both the patient and their regular doctor. The practice of giving the patient access to their own file breaks with the traditional practice in Russia of withholding this information from patients. With the decision of the commission, patients who still had grievances with their case can pursue legal action, using the commission's report as evidence -- in a sense the 'second opinion' that was otherwise unavailable to Russian psychiatric patients. The Commission meets with patients two days per week to conduct case research.

When IPA began its work, there was only one institution where all psychiatrists were schooled in the Soviet Union. The course of study and the methodological approaches had not changed in over ten years. IPA has begun a long-term project aimed at updating and diversifying the options for schooling in the field of psychiatry. In the course of its educational outreach program, IPA hopes to involve not only doctors of psychiatry, but also nurses, teachers, lawyers, those who work in the court system, and others who are effected by or play a role in psychiatric care. In this sense, IPA aims not only to enhance the educational base of practitioners, but also to create an understanding community of service providers in the medical and legal fields. Currently, individual training programs are being held for psychiatrists, nurses, lawyers, and legal professionals.

Quarterly scientific/academic journal for professionals in the field, published since 1991 in Russian and distributed across Russia and the CIS.

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per., kom. 6

Tel: 095-928-25-06

Tel: 095-924-64-18

Tel: 095-928-25-06 (Hotline for information on Chechen conflict)

Fax: 095-924-64-18

E-mail: c/o hrcenter@glas.apc.org

Chairwoman: Maria Kirbasova

Member of the Planning Board: Tatyana Znachkova

Press Secretary: Valentina Melnikova

The Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers works to protect the rights of Russian servicemen and their families. This includes providing information on the rights of servicemen, advocating legislation aimed at improving the conditions of military service, researching cases of abuse in the military and advocating the creation of a true alternative service option for conscientious objectors.

The Committee of Soldiers' Mothers was founded in April, 1989 by Maria Kirbasova and a handful of other concerned family members of servicemen in order to protect the rights of those serving in the Russian military and to improve the living conditions in the military. Since 1989, over 70 regional groups and committees of soldiers' mothers and family members have been formed. On January 16, 1995, CSM was awarded the Sean McBride Peace Prize by the International Peace Bureau. February 11, 1995, the second All-Russian Conference of Soldiers' Mothers was held in Tula. A working conference of Soldiers' Mothers convened in Moscow 25-26 March, 1995, to address concerns surrounding the Chechen conflict. Most recently, CSM has been nominated for the 1996 Nobel Prize for Peace.

CSM provides a number of services for soldiers and their families. Some of these include researching the cases of missing servicemen (both deserters and those missing in action), providing information about servicemen to their families (such as the location of one’s duty and their condition of health), making casualty lists publicly available, and leading letter-writing campaigns on behalf of individual cases of human rights abuses.

In their efforts to expand the legal rights of servicemen, CSM has regularly consulted with state bodies on the structural reorganization of the military and have contributed to the creation of new draft legislation governing the terms and conditions of military service. Their concerns include the range of medical services available to servicemen during their tour of duty, the need for more sanitary living conditions and the guarantee of adequate nutrition. Since its founding, CSM has advocated the right of students to postpone military service in order to pursue their academic studies uninterrupted. Other topics in their ongoing dialogue with state bodies include standardizing the method of appeals for service deferment and/or exemption and reducing the military to a smaller professional army.

The various local branches of CSM across Russia are active in staging public events such as rallies and marches to draw public attention to the conditions of military service. CSM has been extremely involved in raising public awareness of the conditions of service in conflict areas and has publicly called into question the legality of various military actions taken by the Russian Armed Forces. Recently, their efforts in these areas have focused on the conflict in Chechnya. A CSM research team has collected evidence of human rights abuses for presentation to the World Court on war crimes allegedly committed in Chechnya. CSM wants to see Russia charged on two counts -- death of civilians and cruelty to their own soldiers.

This protest march -- from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow to the Chechen capital of Grozny -- was organized by CSM with support from various international women's and human rights groups, including East-West Relations Committee and Quaker Peace Services. The march aimed to draw attention to the atrocities occurring in Chechnya, to provide humanitarian aid to the region, to research and report on casualties in the region and to search for those missing in action or disappeared. The march included over 300 participants as well as a host of international media reporters.

Marchers were initially refused the right to march by federal forces in the region, despite the fact that CSM had secured permission for the march with federal officials in Moscow. Local authorities were concerned about the safety of participants, citing the fact that the planned route of the march proceeded directly down the line of military engagement in Chechnya. 150 marchers were detained for five hours before being forcibly returned to Narzan, outside of Chechnya. Four Japanese Buddhist monks participating in the march were told by local officials that they could not legally participate because they were foreigners.

In addition to the march, CSM planned dozens of unsanctioned actions across Russia to protest the military actions in Chechnya. These actions included picketing the State Duma and leading an ongoing letter-writing campaign. During the first two months of the Chechen conflict alone, more than 110 appeals from Soldiers' Mothers groups had been received by the Presidential Administration. In response, the presidential staff prepared an overview of the concerns for the President, entitled "On Appeals from Soldiers' Mothers". The report is said to have noted that Soldiers' Mothers Committees carry great influence and prove very effective in controlling the public opinion about the Chechen conflict. Over 135 statements of parents of conscripts who have deserted their posts in Chechnya had also been received by the President.

On October 16, 1995, CSM opened this telephone hotline to enable family members to access the most up-to-date information on military casualties in Chechnya. According to Press Secretary Valentina Melnikova, the creation of such a line became necessary because of the "continual refusal of government organs to disclose or publish casualties lists of Russian soldiers and officers in Chechnya."

CSM, together with representatives from the Defense Department, have established barracks for soldiers who fled their service -- most for reasons of health or personal safety. Physical rehabilitation, legal counseling and employment services are provided at the barracks. Research is also conducted into the reasons for such high rates of desertion in the Russian military. The barrack address is: Moscow, E-250, Krasnokursatsky pr., 1/5. Tel: 095-261-55-43.

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per.

Tel: 095-206-05-81

Fax: 095-206-88-53

E-mail: c/o hrcenter@glas.apc.org

Chairwoman: Veronika Marchenko

"Mother's Right" Foundation seeks to protect and advocate the rights of parents whose sons were killed during peacetime military service in Russia and the CIS. It was founded in 1990 by a group of relatives of those who have died in the military during peacetime. The similarity of many cases (cause of death given, problems in ascertaining information surrounding the deaths, difficulty in acquiring entitlements due the surviving family) suggested that a collective effort in exposing these circumstances might improve the conditions of service and provide moral and practical support for surviving families.

The work of "Mother's Right" focuses on both practical assistance to families and research into military-related deaths. The group renders free legal services to the parents and families of deceased servicemen. In many cases, the organization helps to provide material assistance to families who have been denied such benefits. Concerns regarding the legal rights of families following military deaths are regularly addressed to state bodies. Members have also consulted on the creation of legislation effecting military service. To support their case, "Mother's Right" has conducted extensive sociological research on the causes of deaths in the military and the treatment of families following the deaths. The majority of the research comes from the organization's contact with families and all information is made available to the public.

Since 1993, the group has published three editions of the Memory Book, containing the names and personal stories of those killed during peacetime military service. This is an ongoing series of publications aimed at paying respect to the families of the deceased and educating the public on the circumstances surrounding many peacetime military deaths.

The organization produces a yearly report of its work, including a sociological breakdown of causes given for deaths in the army, violations of parents' rights during and after investigations into the deaths, a statistical profile of those killed, an analysis of legislation effecting servicemen and their families, and proposals for action. In the past, this report has been made available to the public and presented to relevant state and presidential commissions.

The Memory Book: 100 of the 15,000 (editions 1-3)

(1993, 1994 Moscow) In Russian. Approximately 224 pages each edition. A series of memorial books containing the names, photos and personal stories of soldiers who died in peacetime military service. Appendices include information about the work of various human rights groups advocating the rights of servicemen and their families and legal statues governing the rights of servicemen.

121019 Moscow

G-19

PO Box 212

Tel: 095-291-29-04

Fax: 095-291-29-04

E-mail: amintglasnet@glas.apc.org

Contact: Boris Suvorov

Contact: Asya Lashizeva

In St. Petersburg:

Tel: 812-247-40-46

Contact: Anatoly Chezlov

Moscow Information Office

121019 Moscow

PO Box 212

Tel: 095-291-2904

Fax: 095-291-2904

E-mail: aimoscow@glas.apc.org

Coordinator: Eric Klazerstein

Amnesty International is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works for: the release of prisoners of conscience -- men, women and children imprisoned for their race, color, sex, ethnic origin, sexual preference, or the non-violent expression of their beliefs; abolition of the death penalty and the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment; securing fair and prompt trials for political prisoners.

The first attempts to set up Amnesty International groups in Russia and the NIS in 1978 were unsuccessful. In 1992, AI opened an information office in Moscow, out of which research is conducted on human rights issues in the region. Currently there are an estimated 30-40 local and regional AI groups across Russia and the NIS. There are four local groups in Moscow alone. The groups are loosely connected, mainly through their contact with AI's International Secretariat in London. At this point, the national coordination of AI groups across Russia remains limited. Most groups range in size between 5-15 members and usually meet once per month. The organizational structure and activities of AI groups in Russia closely resemble the group model reproduced by AI around the world.

AI's main technique in human rights advocacy is intensive international letter-writing campaigns and petition drives on behalf of prisoners of conscience. In these campaigns, individual members and groups write letters only for those human rights cases outside of their country of residence (with the one exception of death penalty cases) in order to protect the non-partisan nature of Amnesty's work. Groups are also involved in various forms of public education on human rights issues, ranging from public protests to candlelight vigils to fundraising events such as benefit concerts and art shows.

Monthly bulletin of information on recent human rights issues and the activities of AI groups around the world. This bulletin, prepared by the International Secretariat in London, is translated into Russian in Moscow and distributed to groups across Russia.

location:

103715 Moscow

4 Slavyanskaya plotted , str. 1

mail:

107078 Moscow

PO Box 118

Tel: 095-924-47-01

Tel: 095-220-00-54

Fax: 095-924-47-01

Director: Boris Miller

Office: 2 regular staff members

The International Society for Human Rights advocates human rights and international adherence to the principles embodied in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, focusing on issues of freedoms of opinion and expression, movement, religion, information and association.

ISHR was founded in West Germany in 1972 as a non-profit, non-governmental organization. In 1982, ISHR began to open national sections in a number of countries around the world. The Russian section opened in 1992. In each national section, the group organizes local support programs as well as programs focusing on human rights issues abroad.

ISHR provides direct support and assistance to victims of human rights abuses and their families through social assistance programs. This comes in various forms, from legal services to donations of food, clothing and medical supplies. ISHR also participates in legislative reform and development through offering consultation to state bodies on ways to improve protection of human rights. Under the auspices of their international office, ISHR conducts investigations into individual cases of human rights violations and undertakes more general research into critical situations where human rights are believed to be in danger.

This program is a joint effort on the part of the German and Russian sections of ISHR. The program matches donor families in Germany with Russian families in need of social assistance. The recipient families in Russia are identified by the Russian section and undergo thorough investigation prior to acceptance into the program. Most of the participating Russian families are large families with many children. Given the difficult financial constraints on many large families in Russia, the program assists with food, clothing and textbooks for children. German donor families are each matched with a Russian family and provide a monthly donation ranging from $20-50. The funds are transferred and made available to Russian families through ISHR's regional affiliates. Periodic visits are made to recipient families to ensure the funds are being used properly. Currently, the program consists of approximately forty family partnerships.

Representatives of the Moscow ISHR office make periodic visits to prisons and camps around Russia to investigate prison conditions, consult with prisoners about potential human rights violations, and provide medical consultation and assistance for sick prisoners. Reports of these visits are made available to the appropriate criminal justice administrators and state representatives.

(1994, Frankfurt, Germany) In Russian. 270 pages. This book provides an overview and critical analysis of the progress made in the field of human rights in Russia, primarily since the political changes in 1991.

101000 Moscow

B. Zlatoustinskii per. 8/7, kom. 93

Tel: 095-206-81-71

Tel: 095-206-85-07

Fax: 095-921-12-09

E-mail: hrn@glas.apc.org

President: Kronid Lubarskii

Director: Mikhail B. Alekseev

Regional Coordinators: Andrei Tsyurupa, Anatoly Mordkovich, Mikhail Kukobaka, Evgeny Diky

Technical Expert: Andrei Tsyurupa

Secretary: Marina Kugnia

Board of Directors: V. Abramkin; L. Alekseeva; M. Alekseev; B. Altshuler; E. Ametistov; V. Bakhmin; L. Bogoraz; V. Borshchev; K. Getterud; I. Dyadkin; V. Zakharov; I. Zakharova; B. Zolotukhin; D. Kaminskaya; S. Kovalev; L. Kolevatov; N. Monakhov; N. Meiman; A. Neifakh; B. Pinsker; G. Reznik; A. Smirnov; G. Starovoitova; L. Ternovskii; L. Timofeev; G. Edelshtein; N. Eksler; G. Yakunin.

The Moscow Helsinki Group is the oldest human rights organization in Russia, dating back to 1976. Originally formed as a loosely connected network of human rights monitors across the Soviet Union, the numerous Helsinki groups and associations advocate human rights according to the provisions of "Basket Three" of the Helsinki Accords, signed in 1975. In the first three years of the group’s work, nearly all of its members were arrested and/or sentences to psychiatric hospitalization as a way to repress their activities. Today the Moscow Helsinki Group, together with related Helsinki groups and associations across the NIS, play an important leadership role in uniting human rights activists in the regions. The Board of Directors for the Moscow Helsinki Group is an impressive collection of the most famous dissidents and activists in Russia. Their names carry significant influence in Russian politics and society, as well as in the international human rights community.

The group’s work recently focuses on building human rights infrastructure through legal education and enhanced communications networks among groups. Technical specialist Andrei Tsyurupa observed:

Our organization has many partners and branches across the region -- the Far East, Western Siberia, Transcaucasia, Ukraine, almost all the regions. The groups throughout the regions, however, are poorly connected to one another. If we have contact with them, it's perhaps once or maybe twice a year. That's contact with us here in Moscow. Contact between the regional groups themselves is even more infrequent.

The networking project aims to address this issue, as well as provide regional groups with information on the practical experiences of other groups so that they might benefit from these experiences.

One of the main products of this project has been the creation of a human rights database, containing contact information on groups as well as a description of their activities. It also includes relevant NGOs and political commissions and personalities that might be of interest or use to human rights groups in the regions. Tsyurupa notes, "The database is not just a simple documentation of who and where these groups are, but it also contains information about the type of work that these groups are doing. We are trying to create the database so that it can be used effectively by the groups in the regions."

This is an ongoing series of seminars which began in 1991. The seminars are held in Moscow for human rights activists and leaders, lawyers, and relevant state representatives. The topics for the seminars cover the range of individual human rights issues. Proceedings from each of these conferences have been published (see Publications).

In conjunction with the Moscow Research Center for Human Rights Information Network Project, this program aims to create one singular source of information on human rights groups and human rights activity in the regions of the former Soviet Union. MHG’s role in this project focuses on maintaining a database of over 200 human rights groups and contacts throughout the NIS.

The goal of this program is to educate human rights leaders in the regions on how to work within the social and legal culture and how human rights fit into this framework. This program not only focuses on the juridical or legal aspects of organization, but also concrete, practical issues facing human rights groups.

The following publications were produced from the materials collected from the seminar series "Legal Culture" conducted by the Moscow Helsinki Group. Future books resulting from this ongoing series of seminars are planned for release in 1996.

(1992, Moscow) In Russian.

(1993, Moscow) In Russian. 256 pages.

(1993, Moscow) In Russian. 112 pages.

(1993, Moscow) In Russian. 176 pages.

(1993, Moscow) In Russian. 240 pages.

(1994, Moscow) In Russian. 224 pages.

(1994, Moscow) In Russian. 210 pages.

198005 St. Petersburg

8 Izmailovskii pr., kom. 18

Tel: 812-259-49-68

E-mail: root@asm.spb.su

Director: Ella M. Polyakova

Assistant Director: Mikhail Yereev

Office: 10-15 regular volunteers, mostly family members of servicemen and university students.

The Organization "Soldiers’ Mothers" of St. Petersburg, founded in 1991, provides practical assistance to conscripts and their families. The group assists people through the process of appealing for exemption from and/or deferment of military service for reasons of health, extreme family hardship, or conscientious objection. The group helps to provide medical and legal consultation as well as moral support and education on legal rights and how to exercise them.

The Organization "Soldiers’ Mothers" receives funding from a variety of international organizations including the European Union Phare/Tacis Program and the Russian-German Exchange located in St. Petersburg. The group has received dozens of letters of support from human rights and women’s organizations worldwide. In 1995, members of the Organization presented evidence of human rights abuses committed by Russian troops in Chechnya before the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva.

Three times per week, the organization hold receiving hours during which conscripts and their families can meet with volunteers experienced in the appeals process as well as lawyers and doctors willing to provide professional support for these appeals. Volunteers advise visitors how to fill out appeals forms properly and how to document their appeals efforts by making multiple copies of all documents and recording all meetings. In 1995, the Soros Foundation donated two photocopiers to OSM in order to facilitate this documentation process. The group maintains files of all those people to whom they provide assistance, including copies of all appeals and complaints they helped people to file. The group provides access to the proper appeal forms and applications, often difficult to locate at official military or administrative offices.

The group also maintains an up-to-date library of all legal texts pertaining to the rights of servicemen. This library of information includes the actual texts of laws, as well as commentary and simple-language explanation of the laws. OSM also cooperates with a number of regional soldiers’ mothers organizations in collective actions, information exchange and participation in national conferences and actions.

(1995, St. Petersburg) In Russian. 20 pages. This booklet, produced with financial assistance from the European Union Phare/Tacis Program, describes the legal rights of conscripts in practical terms. Example forms and appeals for service deferment and alternative service are provided with detailed descriptions of how to file such appeals. Also included are lists of lawyers and doctors who specialize in providing support to conscripts seeking to avoid service.

(1995, St. Petersburg) In Russian. 124 pages. This collection of photocopied newspaper articles addressing various issues of military service and the work of soldiers’ mothers committees across Russia was produced with financial assistance from the European Union Phare/Tacis Democracy Program. The articles are arranged into five sections: the activities of organizations supporting servicemen; material on the draft; letters and articles on health issues effecting draftees; the harassment of draftees and their families; and alternative service.

191194 St. Petersburg

ul. Chaikovskogo 28, kom. 31

Tel: 812-272-49-61

Tel: 812-553-86-53

Chairman: Yuri Markovich Schmidt

Founded in 1991, the Russian Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights was formed by a group of Russian lawyers with the intent of moving the Russian legal system closer to the international standard with regard to the protection of human rights. (This group is not related to or connected with the US organization "Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights", although they have had contact with each other.) The activities of the Committee are based on the European model of human rights protection and the guidelines established by the European Court on Human Rights.

The Committee currently works on individual cases of human rights violations, providing inexpensive (or in some cases pro bono) legal services to individuals and other human rights-related NGOs. The Committee regularly consults with state and judicial bodies on the creation and modification of Russian laws governing human rights issues. In recent years, the Committee has provided detailed analysis and commentary on new legislation at both the federal and local levels, stressing the need to meet international standards of legal protection of rights. The group has also arranged for professional training programs for lawyers and human rights activists as well as public education on legal aspects of human rights protection. The Committee holds several seminars and lectures in Moscow and St. Petersburg throughout the year.

This October 1993 conference brought together Russian lawyers and journalists in St. Petersburg to examine European human rights standards and the legal mechanisms to protect these rights. The conference was co-sponsored by the Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe.

119021 Moscow

4 Zubovskii bulvar, kom. 432

Tel: 095-201-32-42

Tel: 095-201-44-20

Fax: 095-201-49-47

E-mail: simonov@fond91.msk.ru

President: Aleksei Simonov

Director: Oleg V. Ponfilov

Bank account information: Rubles - r/s 700012, IKB "Mass Media Bank" Moscow, account 2161539 (GRKTs); US$/DM - 0700400036, IKB "Mass Media Bank" Moscow, account 0010731607.

The Glasnost Defense Fund was founded in 1991 to defend the rights of journalists and to advocate freedom of the press throughout the territory of the former Soviet Union. The scope of their work includes large-scale projects and research as well as individual casework on violations of journalists’ rights.

GDF provides journalists with legal assistance and material support. They also conduct research into broad abuses of freedom of the press and mass media, especially in so-called hot spots across the region. The group plays the role of an information clearinghouse on the topic of Russian mass media and the legislation effecting journalistic work in Russia and abroad. More generally, GDF provides central organization for the independent mass media.

The Glasnost Defense Fund maintains contacts with Russian and foreign human rights organizations and professional associations of the international mass media. The group cooperates regularly with the following groups: UNESCO; Helsinki Watch; Committee for the Defense of Free Speech; Union of Journalists of Russia; Memorial; Article 19; Freedom Forum; Reporters sans Frontiers; and the Carter Commission on Radio and TV Policy. GDF regularly receives funding from: Ford Foundation; Eurasia Foundation; Soros Foundation; and Moscow-based embassies and other foundations. In 1994, GDF was awarded the Moscow International Press Club Prize for the defense of mass media rights in Russia.

(1995, Moscow) In Russian. 114 pages. This pocket-size handbook provides journalists with quick reference material including useful contact information for officials and organizations in so-called hot spots across Russia. Areas covered by the booklet include: Abkhazia, Moldova’s Dneistr region, Ossetia-Ingusheta, Chechnya, Tadjikistan, Nagorno-Karabak, Crimea, and Moscow.

(1994, Moscow) In Russian (170 pages) and abridged in English (75 pages). The idea for this project came in 1992 and not until 1994 was the research made possible by funding from USAID through the Eurasia Foundation. Heading the research was V. Vilchek, prominent sociologist, Y. Dzyaloshinsky, mass media expert and analyst, and A. Simonov, Board Chair of the Glasnost Defense Fund. This research covers eight provinces: Arkhangelsk, Voronezh, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Novisibirsk. The survey provides information on the character of journalistic work and the mass media in the provinces as well as the opinions and concerns of the local readership.

(1995, Moscow) In Russian. 375 pages. This book collects articles by leading professionals in the field of mass media and communications on the need to create a code of ethics in reporting. Contributors include journalists from the Russian press as well as other specialists in the nonprofit and non-governmental sector. The book was produced with the assistance of the Glasnost Defense Fund and the Russian Federal Committee of Publishers.

(1995, Moscow) In Russian. 172 pages. This is the second yearly report of the Glasnost Defense Fund which profiles all of the cases of human rights abuses committed against journalists and documents instances where freedom of the press was denied. The first report, published in 1994, documented abuses committed in 1993. Pending funding, this will continue to be a yearly publication.

191104 St. Petersburg

59 Liteyny pr., kv. 1

Tel: 812-272-38-76

Fax: 812-272-38-76

President: Boris Pavlovich Pustintsev

Citizen Control was founded in 1992 in order to raise Russia’s legal standards and address critical issues of information control by the state in Russia. Boris Pustintsev, President of the group and founding member recalls, "The organization was formed by a group of people who were concerned about the absence of any system of control -- parliamentary or public -- over the security services, armed forces and criminal police." The 12 founders consisted of two deputies of the Russian Parliament and other well-known people, including publicists, writers, reporters, scientists, human rights activists.

Initially, local authorities were dismayed by the proclaimed goals of the group and delayed the group’s official registration for four months. Initially, the group was wholly self-funded from donations of its founders. Cooperative programs and seminars held in St. Petersburg have been organized with help from the Russian-German Exchange. In 1995, the group received a grant from the European Union Phare/Tacis Program to fund an extensive program of seminars, two campaigns to lobby the Parliament for changes and improvements in the laws governing security services, and an extensive publishing program on human rights education. As for the group’s future, Pustintsev said, "The next thing we want to do is to lobby for a freedom of information act in the Russian Parliament. No Russian law, good or bad, will be observed by the Russian government until we break the government’s monopoly on information."

Two international seminars held in March and September, 1993. ACLU, Center for National Security Status, and People for the American Way took part in these hearings.

Two seminars held in May, 1994, which addressed gross violations of human rights in Chechnya. Testimonies were made by witnesses of human rights violations committed by the federal troops. Evidence and testimonies from the seminars was forwarded to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations before they made their 1995 report on human rights in Russia.

June 10-11, 1995. A seminar on the state of security services and their regulation around the former USSR, including extensive reports on the situations in Azerbaijan and Kazakstan.

June, 1995. A seminar which examined the treatment of teenage delinquents by authorities with respect to Russian and international legal standards. Following the seminar, local government officials sent Citizen Control a letter stating their support for the seminar’s research and said that a report on the seminar findings had been circulated to six ministries about this problem and requests were made for explanations of what local authorities planned to do in this respect. Follow-up seminars on this topic are being planned.

103051 Moscow

Maly Karetnii per. 12

Tel: 095-299-11-80

Tel: 095-200-65-06 (Human Rights Center)

Tel: 095-209-78-83 (Scientific-information Center)

Tel: 095-209-56-54 (Library)

Fax: 095-973-20-94

E-mail: memorial@glas.apc.org

Human Rights Section: Oleg Orlov, Tatyana Kasatkina, Aleksei Korotaev

In St. Petersburg:

198005 St. Petersburg

8 Izmailovskii pr., kom. 70

Tel: 812-259-91-45

Tel: 812-251-17-32

Fax: 812-251-17-32

Human Rights Section: Vladimir E. Shnitke, Sergei D. Khakhaev, Elena P. Galaktionova.

Founded in 1987, Memorial originally focused on creating monuments and other memorial sites to remember the victims of political repression under Stalin. One of the most notable memorials established by the Society is the Solovetskii Memorial Stone standing in Lubyanka Square, just across from the building that for years housed the KGB and where thousands of political prisoners are suspected to have been murdered. Every year on October 30th, Memorial holds vigil at the site of the memorial stone in commemoration of the official "Day of Political Prisoners".

Soon after it began its work commemorating the victims of political repression, the group expanded its work to include related historical and cultural research, human rights monitoring and providing humanitarian assistance to certain groups of the population (mainly pensioners). Within only a few years of its founding, regional branches of Memorial popped up all across the former Soviet Union. The current number of Memorial groups is estimated to be near one-hundred, although actual coordinator between regional groups and the central office in Moscow remains limited.

The human rights aspect of Memorial’s work today includes some individual casework, but mainly focuses on sending professional fact-finding missions to areas of armed conflict and ethnic strife in the former Soviet Union. Recently, research trips have been made to Chechnya, Transcaucasia and Moldova. Memorial has also begun work to develop human rights education programs with assistance from Amnesty International and other international organizations.

Moscow. Approximately 50,000 documents related to political repression and dissident activities covering the 1960s through the 1980s, including over 5,000 photographs from Gulags and camps across Russia.

Moscow. Over 8,000 titles covering Russian history of the 20th century, memoirs and literature collections. The library houses a large collection of samizdat material and political materials from the perestroika period. One thematic collection developed with the assistance of the human rights branch of Memorial covers "Nationalism and National Activities in the Territories of the Former USSR".

A traveling exhibit of over 1,000 pieces of art, mostly produced by former political prisoners, reflecting on political repression and life in the Gulags and camps.

This group of human rights experts conduct research into incidents of massive rights violations often associated with so-called ‘hot spots’ in the former Soviet Union. In the past, the group has researched and produced reports on conditions in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The group has also investigated the events in Moscow September and October, 1993. Most recently, the group has conducted extensive research into events in Chechnya and have produced several reports and books based on their findings (see publications).

The St. Petersburg branch of Memorial put on this year-long seminar series of twelve 2-day seminars. Each month’s seminar was led by a different international visitor. Approximately 30 people participated in each seminar, most from the pedagogical faculties of local universities and institutes.

This is only a small portion of the publications produced by Memorial. Many other books and publications exist, especially related to the history of the GULAG and Soviet prison camps. For a complete list of publications, contact the Moscow Memorial Office noted above.

Moscow branch monthly newsletter.

Ryzan branch monthly newsletter.

Memorial Journal

St. Petersburg Branch monthly newsletter.

(1995, Moscow) In Russian. 120 pages. This book resulted from an independent research mission to the Chechen village of Samashkin following a massive attack on the civilian population by federal troops in April 1995. The report documents individual abuses, the mass destruction of private property, and includes numerous photos and excerpts from personal interviews with witnesses and survivors.

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per.

Tel: 095-206-88-36

Tel: 095-206-88-52

Fax: 095-206-88-53

E-mail: c/o hrcenter@glas.apc.org

Chairman: Boris Altshuler

Volunteer staff: Oksana Glazman, Emma Ogarysheva, Inna Singal

Public Council on Secrecy Refusniks: Leonid Paperno Raya Kharitonova, Aleksandr Kaganov

Founded in 1992, Movement Without Frontiers works to secure the right to freedom of movement for those wishing to immigrate from the former Soviet Union. They also provide assistance to internal refugees fleeing ‘hot spots’ around Russia. The majority of their cases deal with secrecy refusniks -- those refused permission to immigrate because they know state secrets.

In 1993, Russia created a special commission to hear the cases of secrecy refusniks. Commission included prominent human rights activists such as Vyacheslav Bakhmin and Sergei Kovalev. In two and a half years, the commission has heard about 600 cases, of which 95% have been granted permission to leave. Valery Abramkin, President of the organization noted:

In 1993, according to the new laws, any citizen can appeal to UVIR for a foreign passport without invitation. Now the military industry of Russia was about 70% of all industry, so you can imagine how many people were involved. The military complex is smaller now, but it is still perhaps the greatest threat to Russian democracy right now. They don’t want reform. They want a big budget like before. All the people who used to work there now are applying for foreign passports.

The official number of secrecy refusniks is estimated to be about 6,000 (the number provided by chief of UVIR). Movement Without Frontiers currently deals with 87 cases, seven of which are secrecy refusniks.

The organization’s work with internal refugees has dramatically increased in the past few years. The group assists with filing asylum applications and locating temporary housing and support. Abramkin observed:

We deal with Armenians here in Moscow who are victims of horrible pogroms. Most of them have already left now, but there are still about 20,000 who are still here. Russia cannot take them. We have too many people and too many problems right now. The attitude of Russians toward these refugees is terrible. Even their attitude toward Russian refugees is terrible.

In 1994, the office had 1,394 visitors. Of these visitors, over 200 refusniks were given assistance in preparing documents, making contacts and developing legal cases. The organization has received funding and support from a number of international groups, including the Norwegian Committee for Jews in the USSR (now CIS), the American Committee for Jews, and the Union of Councils.

Report presented to the CSCE.

Report presented to the CSCE.

Report presented to the CSCE, 1994.

111399 Moscow

PO Box 5

Tel: 095-264-48-30

Fax: 095-264-57-42

E-mail: chronicle@glas.apc.org

WWW: http://koi.www.online.ru/mlists/expchronicle/chronicle-weekly/

Executive Director: Aleksandr Podrabinek

Agency Director: Vitaly Bogdanov

This human rights news service was started in 1978 by former political prisoner Aleksandr Podrabinek. Express Chronicle began as one of the premiere underground samizdat publications. With a network of activists and dissidents contributing stories from all across the Soviet Union, Express Chronicle became one of the only regular sources for information on human rights issues around the country. Because of its underground nature, it was often difficult to find.

Under the auspices of glasnost and perestroika, Express Chronicle was able to emerge as a sanctioned publication in 1988, even though regular and relatively open publication had existed for a number of years. Primary funding for Express Chronicle comes from international organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy, the MacArthur Foundation, and the European Union Phare/Tacis Program. In 1995, Express Chronicle was forced to temporarily suspend publication for two months because of financial difficulties. Publication resumed with new grant money from the West.

In addition to the weekly newspaper, the agency also produces a daily news wire and weekly news summaries. Special issues are also published on various human rights topics such as fascism in Russia and human rights in the military. A year-in-review issue is also published electronically.

Weekly newspaper, focusing on human rights and related political and social issues, has been published regularly since 1978 (in Russian). Currently, the paper is 4 pages in length and has a circulation of approximately 15,000.

This daily news wire of human rights and related news material is sent out twice daily (morning and evening editions, with one daily edition on weekends) via fax and e-mail internationally. The wire has been available in Russian since 1994, in English since November 1995, and Ukrainian since January 1996.

These weekly news summaries are complied from the daily wires throughout the week and sent out via fax and e-mail on Fridays. The summaries are available in Russian and English.

191186 St. Petersburg

PO Box 108

Tel: 812-312-31-80

President: Professor Aleksandr Kykharskii

The Association began to work on behalf of gays and lesbians in the summer of 1990. It took nearly a year to gain official recognition for the organization. On October 9, 1991, after a year of court battles, it became the first officially registered homosexual group in the Soviet Union.

After the announcement of the group’s official registration in the Russian newspaper Argumenti i Fakti, they received approximately ten thousand letters of support from international homosexual groups and requests for help from gays and lesbians across Russia. All the letters received by the organization are archived by the region of the correspondent. This facilitates developing contacts between homosexuals in regions where no apparent homosexual community exists and same-sex relationships are more difficult to develop. A number of threats were made against the members of the groups initially, but no serious attacks were ever made.

The activities of the group include not only human rights casework, but also designing social support programs and organizing cultural events for the homosexual community. Since the repeal of the anti-sodomy law in 1994, the main focus of the group’s work has turned toward eradicating the extreme and often violent problem of homophobia in Russia. The group has received a significant amount of press coverage in newspapers and on radio and television. The group sees public education on the nature of homosexuality as a key element in their work, especially given the lack of exposure most of the population has had to the homosexual community.

191187 St. Petersburg

Fontanka 4-311

Tel: 812-311-09-37

Tel: 812-395-02-96 (English speakers)

Fax: 812-251-08-53

Social Club:

190063 St. Petersburg

ul. Myasnogo 9, kom. 32

Director: Yuri Yereev

The Tchaikovsky Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1990 to defend the rights of sexual minorities. The group seeks to create a more tolerant and understanding relationship between people of different sexual orientations through cultural activities and education. The group also plays an active part in AIDS education and outreach. Charitable assistance (medical, legal, material) is provided for AIDS victims as well.

The Foundation was established by gay and lesbian activists on June 30, 1990. Official registration, however, took 17 months of deliberations with authorities. The group was finally officially registered with the Legal Department of the St. Petersburg Mayor’s Office on November 5, 1991. Initial work of the group focused on social and psychological support for the gay and lesbian community and addressing issues of discrimination and physical attacks on homosexuals. The group has developed strong ties with international gay and lesbian rights groups, especially the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Association. The group has participated in international events such as the International AIDS Conference and the Annual Christopher Street Days Festival. The group also took part in founding the Russian Association of Gay and Lesbian Organizations "Triangle" (August 12-14, 1993).

In 1993 alone, the Foundation was filmed by six international companies and interviewed by twenty journalists. One million rubles of humanitarian aid was distributed and material and psychological support was provided for about 400 people. Most of the group’s funding comes through international donations and support from other gay and lesbian organizations, as well as a small amount of local financial and material donations.

Opened February 16, 1993.

This conference, held at the St. Petersburg Human Rights Center on March 27, 1993, brought activists and medical specialists together to examine the rights issues involved in the AIDS crisis.

August 6, 1993. An art exhibit featuring the works of Boris Englegardt and Constantine Ilyashevsky. All profits were donated to the Anti-AIDS Program.

August 17-20, 1993. Cultural event run with cooperation of American gay and lesbian groups.

September 24-26, 1993. Over 70 Americans and Russians participated in this workshop on homosexual empowerment and cultural adaptation.

December 1, 1993. Conference held at local Institute of Medical Professional Training.

January 20- February 20, 1994. Held at the St. Petersburg Human Rights Center.

Begun March 20, 1994.

May 15-23, 1994. Held in various St. Petersburg theaters.

Safe Sex Brochure (June, 1994)

103982 Moscow

4 Louchnikov per., kom. 19

Tel: 095-206-85-89

Fax: 095-963-99-29

President: Viktor Kogan-Yasni

Director: Oleg K. Chirikov

Bank account information: Rubles - "Resource Bank" Moscow, account No. 0703303; US$- Dresdner Bank, Frankfurt, Germany account No. 0812636700/400.

This society was founded in 1990 in order to oppose the use of capital punishment in the former USSR and other gross violations of the right to life. The group uses as its guiding principle Articles 3 and 5 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the right to life and from cruel, inhumane or degrading punishment).

The Society provides legal assistance to those facing the death penalty. The group also participates in various humanitarian projects in prisons. Direct charitable aid is provided on a case-by-case basis to socially unprotected categories of the population through donations of basic goods (food, clothing, etc.). The Society also monitors human rights, especially in the legal process of capital cases. The members of the group regularly publish editorials and commentary pieces in local newspapers.

Practical legal assistance to people facing the death penalty in the territory of the former Soviet Union.

Research and publication of information related to the use of torture, brutal or humiliating treatment of prisoners by authorities.

In cooperation with the Memorial Society, this project examines the abuses and murders committed in Moscow during the October 1993 events. Research aims to document the abuses that occurred and to suggest ways in which to prevent such events from happening again.

Collection and dissemination of information and charitable assistance to those who have suffered unusual hardships, especially through the fault of the State (including orphans, invalids, the elderly and the homeless).

(1992, Moscow) In Russian. 48 pages. A collection of four essays by specialists in the human rights field which examine the state of the death penalty in Russia. Funding and assistance for the publication was provided by Amnesty International, the Cultural Initiative Fund and the New York Project Group on Human Rights.

(1994, Moscow) In English. 16 pages. English translations of four articles written by the Director of "Right to Life and Human Dignity" Society which appeared in Russian newspapers. Funding for this publication was provided by the European Human Rights Foundation.

(1994, Moscow) In Russian and English. 16 pages. This booklet contains the results of a sociological research project examining the public attitude towards the death penalty in Russia. The research was conducted by Yankolevich Partners International and funded by the European Human Rights Foundation.

Monthly newsletter published since 1994. Usually runs eight pages and includes information on group activities and commentary on human rights issues and current events.

197371 St. Petersburg

Komandantskii pr. 27-2-8

Tel: 812-306-80-90

Fax: 812-306-80-90

Affiliate Institution:

St. Petersburg Institute of Theology and Philosophy

Obvodnii kanal 7, kom. 32

Tel: 812-274-26-41

Fax: 812-259-91-45

Director: Vladimir Poresh

Institute Headmaster: Sergei Levin

Human Rights House was founded in 1992 by a group of professors who saw a need to enhance the theoretical understanding of human rights in Russia. The main goal of the group is to develop a community of social and cultural leaders with a strong basis in universal human rights theory.

Currently the main thrust of the organization’s work is preparing a select group of Russian college students to study human rights theory in American universities. The group has established informal ties with a number of US universities (the primary university being Columbia University) and organizations. Funding to support students studying in the US, however, still proves to be a major problem. The group believes that only through educating Russian students in Western universities will Russia be able to develop scholars capable of teaching human rights in Russian institutions. They see their work as a long-term infrastructure building project.

In addition to assisting students, the group works periodically with academics in St. Petersburg to discuss the ways in which human rights issues might be worked into the current coursework in Russian institutions. The organization also collects books on international human rights theory and practice for the future creation of a human rights library.

location:

198005 St. Petersburg

8 Izmailovskii pr., kom. 80

mail:

192242 St. Petersburg

PO Box 74

Tel: 812-259-51-60

Tel: 812-174-93-90

Director: Vladimir V. Alekseev

Members: Mariana A. Khanukova, Leonid B. Lemberik, Georgii A. Pankov, Galina G. Kostyuk, Ekaterina I. Vargina, Azgar Ishkildin.

Founded in 1993, the St. Petersburg Independent Group for Human Rights has worked against political repression, psychiatric abuse, abuses in the military and other ‘fabricated’ cases by authorities. The group uses as its theoretical foundation the body of international human rights documents, primarily the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The group consists of seven regular members. The group locates cases of human rights abuses mainly through personal contacts. The group does not have any specific projects or ongoing programs. The majority of their work consists of generating public support for victims of abuses through letter-writing and encouraging public officials to investigate cases of suspected abuses.