Human rights in Russia

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Russia has consistently been criticized by international organizations and independent domestic media outlets for human rights violations.[1][2][3] Some of the most commonly cited violations include deaths in custody, the systemic and widespread use of torture by security forces and prison guards,[4][5][6][7][8][9] the existence of hazing rituals within the Russian Army—referred to as dedovshchina ('reign of grandfathers')—as well as prevalent breaches of children's rights, instances of violence and prejudice against ethnic minorities,[10][11] and the targeted killings of journalists.[12][13]

As the successor state to the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation is beholden to the same human rights agreements that were signed and ratified by its predecessor, such as the international covenants on civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and cultural rights.[14] In the late 1990s, Russia also ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (with reservations), and from 1998 onwards the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg became a last court of appeal for Russian citizens from their national system of justice. According to Chapter 1, Article 15 of the 1993 Constitution, these embodiments of international law take precedence over national federal legislation.[note 1][15][16]

As a former member of the Council of Europe and a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, Russia carried international obligations related to the issue of human rights.[17] In the introduction to the 2004 report on the situation in Russia, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe noted the "sweeping changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union undeniable".[18]

However, starting from Vladimir Putin's second presidential term (2004–2008), there were increasing reports of human rights violations. Following the 2011 State Duma elections and Putin's subsequent return to the presidency in spring 2012, there has been a legislative onslaught on many international and constitutional rights, e.g. Article 20 (Freedom of Assembly and Association) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is embodied in Articles 30 and 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (1993). In December 2015, a law was enacted that empowers the Constitutional Court of Russia to determine the enforceability or disregard of resolutions from intergovernmental bodies, such as the European Court of Human Rights.[19] As of 16 March 2022, Russia is no longer a member state of the Council of Europe.

  1. ^ Rough Justice: The law and human rights in the Russian Federation (PDF). Amnesty International. 2003. ISBN 0-86210-338-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  2. ^ Amnesty International Report 2020/21. Amnesty International. 2021. pp. 302–307. ISBN 9780862105013. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Russia: Events of 2019". Human Rights Watch. 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Torture by police in Russia is an everyday occurrence—and it isn't going to stop". Newsweek.com. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Russia: Peaceful Protester Alleges Torture". Hrw.org. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Torture and ill-treatment". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 4 November 2002. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  7. ^ "Chechnya: Research Shows Widespread and Systematic Use of Torture: UN Committee against Torture Must Get Commitments From Russia to Stop Torture". Human Rights Watch. 12 November 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  8. ^ "There is torture at penal colony number 7: Prisoners and their relatives talk about the situation in the Segezha prison". Meduza.io. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Russian prisons are essentially torture chambers". Dw.com. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  10. ^ "Ethnic minorities under attack". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 4 November 2002. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  11. ^ 'Dokumenty!': Discrimination on grounds of race in the Russian Federation (PDF). Amnesty International. 2003. ISBN 0-86210-322-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  12. ^ "Journalists killed: Statistics and Background". Committee to Protect Journalists. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009. (As of 9 July 2009).
  13. ^ "Partial Justice: An Enquiry into Deaths of Journalists in Russia 1993 - 2009". Ifj.org. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  14. ^ Ratified, respectively, in 1973 and 1975 by the USSR. Although a Soviet lawyer helped to draft the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (198), the Communist bloc abstained as a whole from that voluntary affirmation, see A Chronicle of Current Events, "International Agreements".
  15. ^ The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Washington, D.C.: Embassy of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  16. ^ "The Constitution of the Russian Federation". www.russianembassy.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2004. Retrieved 24 June 2019. Article 15. 4. The commonly recognized principles and norms of the international law and the international treaties of the Russian Federation shall be a component part of its legal system. If an international treaty of the Russian Federation stipulates other rules than those stipulated by the law, the rules of the international treaty shall apply.
  17. ^ Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. CoE.int. Retrieved on 25 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Report by Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles on his Visits to the Russian Federation". Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  19. ^ "Russian law on the priority of the RF Constitution over resolutions of intergovernmental human rights bodies". 2 February 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2018.


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