United Nations: new Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation

Mariana Katzarova, appointed by the Human Rights Council as the first UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, delivered important declarations on the human rights situation in Russia based on her report presented last month.

Since the Ukraine invasion, human rights have undergone dramatic deterioration in Russia, although this is the result of over 20 years of torture and persecution of activists and opposition figures. Mariana Katzarova declares that, as a consequence of this oppression and human rights degradation, civil society in Russia has been completely destroyed. Moreover, due to the widespread persecution of human rights advocates, lawyers and journalists, people live in an atmosphere of fear of speaking out. However, Mariana Katzarova declares: "I don't believe that all Russian people are supporting any war, and particularly this war on Ukraine.”

Her work as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation is also made difficult by the refusal to cooperate by Russia.  UN Special Rapporteurs are impartial experts selected by the UN Human Rights Council to assess conditions in specific countries or address global thematic issues. However, she cannot access the country and in this way, it is harder for her to assist the Russian Federation and help national authorities in improving the human rights situation.

Another important task of her job, as she declares, is to help Russian people to be heard.  Many people left the country for fear of persecution for their ideological and political beliefs and to avoid mobilization. However, they hardly find support in the countries where they settle. In this regard, Mariana Katzarova declared that Russians are not collectively to blame for the Ukraine war, but they also need support.