Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by the Russian Federation Alternative Report February 2013 Anti- Discrimination Centre MEMORIAL The NGO, Anti-Discrimination Centre MEMORIAL, was registered in 2007 and continued work on a number of human rights and anti- discrimination projects previously coordinated by the Charitable Educational Human Rights NGO “MEMORIAL” of St. Petersburg. ADC Memorial‟s mission is to defend the rights of individuals subject to or at risk of discrimination by providing a proactive response to human rights violations, including legal assistance, human rights education, research, and publications. ADC Memorial‟s strategic goals are the total eradication of discrimination at state level; the adoption of anti-discrimination legislation in Russia; overcoming all forms of racism and nationalism; Human Rights education; and building tolerance among the Russian people. ADC Memorial‟s vision is the recognition of non- discrimination as a precondition for the realisation of all the rights of each person. Tel: +7 (812) 317-89-30 E-mail: [email protected] SOVA Center for Information and Analysis SOVA Center for Information and Analysis is a Moscow-based Russian non-profit organization founded in October 2002. SOVA Center conducts research and informational work on nationalism and racism, relations between the churches and secular society, and political radicalism. It also focuses on human rights issues, especially government misuse of counter-extremism measures. Tel: +7 (495) 517-9230 E-mail: [email protected] 1 CONTRIBUTORS Prepared by: Stephania Kulaeva, Olga Abramenko, Alexander Verkhovsky and Simon Papuashvili; SOVA Centre for Information and Analysis and Anti-discrimination Center Memorial would like to thank Glenn Payot from Geneva Office of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch (HRW) for giving useful input; Natalia Cochin for proofreading and editing the report, and Ksenia Orlova of ADC Memorial for allowing us to use the picture on the cover. Anti-Discrimination Center Memorial and SOVA Center would like to thank Open Society Foundations for its support for international advocacy project thanks to which this publication was made possible. 2 This report was prepared with the support and participation of International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). International Partnership for Human FIDH takes action for the protection of Rights is a Brussels-based non- victims of human rights violations, for governmental organisation committed to the prevention of violations and to bring promoting human rights worldwide. It perpetrators to justice. aims at empowering local civil society A broad mandate groups and assisting them in making their FIDH works for the respect of all the concerns heard at the international level. rights set out in the Universal IPHR contributes to the international Declaration of Human Rights: civil and advocacy work of ADC Memorial and political rights, as well as economic, SOVA Center for Information and Analysis social and cultural rights. for the purpose of increasing international A universal movement attention on racism, xenophobia and FIDH was established in 1922, and intolerance in Russia and to garner support today unites 164 member organisations from inter-governmental organisations for in more than 100 countries around the actions to counter such trends. world. FIDH coordinates and supports Website : http://www.iphronline.org/ their activities and provides them with a voice at the international level. An independent organisation Like its member organisations, FIDH is not linked to any party or religion and is independent of all governments. Website: www.fidh.org 3 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 7 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................. 11 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE FROM THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD ........................................................................................ 16 RECOMMENDATION 9 – DEFINITION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN RUSSIAN LAW ................................................................................................................... 16 RECOMMENDATION 10 – COLLECTION OF COMPARATIVE STATISTICAL DATA ON THE ENJOYMENT BY ETHNIC MINORITIES OF THE RIGHTS PROTECTED UNDER THE CONVENTION ............................................................................................ 16 RECOMMENDATION 11 - LACK OF ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION ...... 17 RECOMMENDATION 12 - FREQUENT IDENTITY CHECKS, ARRESTS, DETENTIONS AND HARASSMENT OF ETHNIC MINORITIES BY THE POLICE AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ........................................................... 18 Training of Law Enforcement Officials to Prevent Ethnic Profiling ........................... 26 RECOMMENDATION 13 - REPRESSIVE MEASURES AGAINST GEORGIAN NATIONALS AND ETHNIC GEORGIANS IN 2006 ........................................................ 26 RECOMMENDATION 14 - ABSENCE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION OF ROMA ... 29 RECOMMENDATION 15 – ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SMALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ........................................................................................ 30 RECOMMENDATION 16 - INCREASE IN NUMBER OF RACIST AND XENOPHOBIC STATEMENTS IN THE MEDIA ........................................................................................ 31 RECOMMENDATION 17 – BROAD SCOPE AND APPLICATION OF THE LAW ON COMBATING EXTREMIST ACTIVITIES ........................................................................ 33 RECOMMENDATION 18 – INCREASE AND SEVERITY OF RACIALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE ................................................................................................. 35 Statistics of Racist and Neo-Nazi Violent Attacks in Russia in 2004 – 2012 (with categorization of victims)* ............................................................................................ 37 Statistics of convictions for violent crimes with a recognized hate motive and ** hate propaganda , 2004 – 2012 ................................................................................. 37 4 RECOMMENDATION 19 – ABSENCE OF STATISTICAL DATA ON THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATION FOR REFUGEE STATUS .......... 39 RECOMMENDATION 20 - REPRESENTATION OF THE SMALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE STATE DUMA OF THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY .............................. 39 Suspension of activities of the Association of Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Russian Far East .................................................................................... 40 Regressive changes in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District .................................. 40 RECOMMENDATION 21 – THE PROBLEM OF FORCED RETURN OF IDPs FROM CHECHNYA ....................................................................................................................... 41 RECOMMENDATION 22 – PROBLEMS RELATED TO REGISTRATION ................... 43 RECOMMENDATION 23 - DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING CITIZENSHIP BY FORMER SOVIET CITIZENS ............................................................................................ 45 RECOMMENDATION 24 – FREE AND NON-COMPETITIVE ACCESS TO LAND, FAUNA AND BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ....................... 46 RECOMMENDATION 25 -DISCRIMINATION AT WORK AND EXPLOITATION OF NON-CITIZENS AND ETHNIC MINORITY WORKERS ............................................... 47 Discrimination and exploitation of foreign migrant workers ...................................... 48 Discrimination against ethnic minorities in employment ........................................... 55 RECOMMENDATION 26 -DESTRUCTION OF ROMA SETTLEMENTS ..................... 56 Legalization of existing settlements ............................................................................... 57 Provision of adequate alternative housing when forced evictions take place............. 58 RECOMMENDATION 27 - SEGREGATION OF CHILDREN BELONGING TO ETHNIC MINORITIES, IN PARTICULAR ROMA CHILDREN ..................................... 58 Taking effective measures to ensure that minority children, including Roma, are fully integrated into the general education system ...................................................... 58 Ensuring that local school authorities enroll all children, irrespective of ethnicity and registration status of their parents .......................................................................... 60 RECOMMENDATION 28 – ABSENCE OF INFORMATION ON COMPLAINTS OR COURT DECISIONS IN CIVIL OR ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS CONCERNING ACTS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ................................................. 62 RECOMMENDATION 29 – INCREASE OF RACIST AND XENOPHOBIC ATTITUDES AMONG YOUNG RUSSIANS ............................................................................................ 62 5 ADDITIONAL ISSUES ........................................................................................................... 66 CONSEQUENCES OF THE ARMED CONFLICT OF AUGUTS 2008 BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND GEORGIA ....................................................................... 66 UNSUCCESSFUL EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION – COSSACK PATROLS ...........................................................................................................................