Russia 'systematically clamped down on' its people: Slovak ambassador to OSCE

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – Russia "systematically clamped down on" its people over the past 20 years, the Slovak ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said.

"The report under the Moscow Mechanism that our countries initiated concluded that the Russian Federation has systematically clamped down on its own people over the last two decades," Peter Misik said on Thursday in Vienna, where he delivered a joint statement for 39 states that invoked the Moscow Mechanism on July 28.

Russia, with its restrictions and controls on human rights and fundamental freedoms, also "has helped prepare the ground for its war of aggression against Ukraine," he added.

Misik underscored that "repressive legislation and administrative practices are being used to restrict the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms of people in Russia, most notably through the so-called 'foreign agents' and 'undesirable organizations' laws."

The report under the Moscow Mechanism found that "Russian legislation in this area is clearly incompatible with the rule of law," he added.

The report described the foreign agents' law as "one of the major tools for curbing civil society activities both of associations and individuals and for bringing them under control of the authorities," he said.

Russia, he said, has further toughened the foreign agents law through a legislative amendment put into effect on Dec. 1 and it, under the new legislation, it even constitutes criminal behavior to "receive support and/or otherwise be under foreign influence."

"The law thereby expands the definition of a so-called “foreign agent” to a point where almost any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, could be designated as such," he stated. "This makes it even easier for Russian Federation authorities to threaten critics, impose harsh restrictions on legitimate public activities and even ban them."

The two OSCE Moscow Mechanism reports issued on April 13 and July 14 documented violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Misik said and added: "Therefore, the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Russia needs to remain under close international scrutiny."

He also welcomed the UN Human Rights Council's decision to implement the recommendation of the Moscow Mechanism report to appoint a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia.