Press Release

22 May 2013 – German authorities have refused to grant William Browder, the leader of the global campaign for justice for Sergei Magnitsky, safe passage to Germany from a politically motivated Russian arrest warrant, resulting in the cancellation of the European Magnitsky Law event, scheduled in Berlin on 27 May 2013.

In the latest development concerning the Magnitsky sanctions, the German government has informed the event organisers that Germany is not able to guarantee the safe passage of Mr Browder to Berlin, in light of the recent actions from the Russian government who are seeking assistance from police worldwide to “locate” Mr Browder in retaliation for his campaigning for sanctions on Russian officials.

William Browder was a keynote speaker at the ‘Time for European Magnitsky Law’ event, on the invitation of European Parliament deputy Kristiina Ojuland, and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.  The event was to be held in Germany next week within the framework of the Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy & Human Rights 2013 (www.bhrc.de), which has freedom of expression on the agenda.

“It is remarkable that the German authorities, who have refused calls to sanction Russian officials responsible for torturing and killing 37-year old Sergei Magnitsky, are now effectively sanctioning the person fighting for justice for Mr Magnitsky. By doing so, the German authorities are, for all intents and purposes, becoming an accessory to the Russian cover-up of Magnitsky’s killers in Europe,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

The actions of the German authorities are in contrast to actions from the UK, Belgian and Norwegian governments, who undertook not to act on political and abusive requests from the Russian government in relation to Mr Browder.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – On Monday, two car bombs, which occurred in Russia’s North Caucasus region, killed eight people and left 20 injured. Officials believe the incident was aimed towards law enforcement officers because the explosion occurred outside a local marshal’s building.

Although security officials found one bomb and were in the process of defusing the first car explosive, another bomb in a separate vehicle was detonated soon thereafter.

A spokesman for Daghestan’s Interior Ministry, Vyacheslav Gasanov, stated that no one was hurt after the first explosion occurred outside the headquarters of the court’s bailiffs’ directorate. However, several individuals were killed after the second blast ensued.

Investigators stated that both explosions were set off by remote control.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, Islamist insurgents launch near daily attacks on police and federal officials in the North Caucasus region.

Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, is one of the most violent province in the North Caucasus area. Insurgents claim they are battling to create an Islamic state out of southern Russia. As a result tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Car bombs, suicide bombings, and firefights are common in Dagestan. In the past, rebels sought to increase casualties by setting off a blast to attract law enforcement officers and then detonate a second bomb.

In 1999, Putin launched the second war in Chechnya when he was acting as prime minister. In addition, he likes to take credit for preventing the region from splitting from Russia.

Simultaneously, on Monday, Russian militants and security forces announced that they prevented a terror attack planned for Moscow.

The National Anti-Terror Committee expressed that security forces killed two militants and detained another. All three were described as Russian citizens trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The operation took place in the Orekhovo-Zuevo region of the Moscow suburbs.

A spokesman stated, “They were planning a terror attack in Moscow.” No civilians were injured. However, one Federal Security Service officer was wounded.

For further information, please see:

Aljazeera – Car Bombings Hit Russia’s Dagestan – 20 May 2013

CNN – 8 Dead, 20 Hurt in Dagestan Bombing, Security Officials Say – 20 May 2013

NBC News – Car Bombs Kill At Least Two in Russia’s Dagestan – 20 May 2013

RFE/RL – Deaths Reported in Dagestan Bombing – 20 May 2013

By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – May 17^th is International Day Against Homophobia.  LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) communities around the world plan to mark this day with events such as gatherings and rallies.  However, in Eastern European countries in particular, signs of discrimination against LGBT peoples remain prevalent.

Last week, a man, age 23, in the southern Russian city of Volgograd was tortured and murdered by several of his companions when he admitted to them he was gay over a few beers, according to investigators.  Close friends and family of the victim deny the allegation he was gay.

At least two men, ages 22 and 27, were arrested in connection with the murder, and are belied to have allegedly beat the victim, sodomized him with a beer bottle, smashed in his skull with a stone, and then dumped his naked body.  A third has been questioned.  Activists in Russia say that it is rare for police to specify homophobia as the motive for a crime.

Local laws banning dissemination of “homosexual propaganda” to anyone under 18 have cropped up across the country, and a bill for a national ban on “homosexual propaganda” will receive a second reading in parliament later this month.

Authorities in Moscow rejected requests by the Russian LGBT community to hold a gay pride march later this month to celebrate 20 years since homosexuality was taken off the books as a criminal offense, despite the flexibility of the request to accept several alternative days for the march.  They claimed the venue the activists wanted was booked.

In St. Petersburg, one of the first cities to ban “homosexual propaganda,” authorities accepted an application for a rally to mark International Day Against Homophobia.  Despite the ban, portions of St. Petersburg and other cities, usually green-spaces, were designated, under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, as “free-speech zones” where citizens can hold events by simply notifying authorities in advance, without going through the often difficult process of receiving official permission which typically results in denied applications.  Activists took advantage of this procedure in St. Petersburg in order to hold their rally, despite several cries from anti-gay politicians to ban the event.

In Moldova, activists have been met with some success recently in combating intolerance and this week launched their 12th annual weeklong “Rainbow Over The Dniester” festival to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia in the conservative and predominantly Orthodox Christian country.  Festival organizer Anastasia Danilova believes that access to information has greatly helped people become more tolerant.

Despite the increasingly tolerant attitudes towards homosexuality in Moldova, Festival organizers decided to move the venue of a march scheduled for May 19^th from downtown Chisinau to another part of the city due to pressure from authorities over concerns of clashes and social tensions.  The Orthodox Church has criticized the march and called for a counterdemonstration the same day.

In Ukraine, the parliament is considering two bills that if passed would infringe on the free-speech rights of the LGBT community.  The bills, similar to Russia’s “homosexual propaganda” laws, define propaganda as any public activity that spreads positive information about homosexuality, such as rallies, parades, demonstrations about LGBT rights, discussions, or special courses.  Violators of the laws could be sentenced to several years in prison.

Meanwhile, legislators have postponed discussion on a bill to prevent discrimination  against sexual minorities after about 300 protesters gathered in front of parliament May 14, carrying signs with slogans such as, “We are the majority, and we are against homosexuals!” and, “No to Homosexuals, Yes to Family, Save Ukraine!”  Presently, sexual orientation and gender identity are not prohibited grounds for discrimination.

A report released by the E.U.’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) on Friday, based on a survey of 93,000 LGBT people throughout the E.U. and Croatia, confirmed that East European states had the highest records of  homophobic behavior, while over 1 in 4 respondents reported being attacked or threatened with violence in the last 5 years due to their LGBT identities.  Of those attacked, more than half reported that they did not report the incident to authorities because they believed no action would be taken.

However, despite the findings of the survey, Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos, head of FRA’s equality and citizens’ rights department, said there appeared to be a “pattern across Europe whereby things seem to be improving for the younger generation.”

For further information, please see:

BBC News – EU LGBT Survey: Poll on Homophobia Sparks Concern – 17 May 2013

Amnesty International – Ukraine: Discrimination and Violent Attacks in Pervasive Climate of Homophobia – 16 May 2013

HRW – Ukraine: Reject Discriminatory LGBT Laws – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – Moldovan LGBT March Location Changed – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – St. Petersburg LGBT Activists To Test ‘Propaganda Law’ With Tolerance Event – 16 May 2013

RFE/RL – Moldova’s LGBT Festival Seeks To Build On Recent Successes – 15 May 2013

RFE/RL – Ukraine MPs Postpone Antidiscrimination Debate After Protests – 14 May 2013

BBC News – Arrests Over ‘Anti-Gay’ Murder in Volgograd Russia – 13 May 2013

REF/RL – Russian Officials Say Volgograd Killing Was Homophobic Attack – 12 May 2013