Annual Report 2020

Not even an intensified crack-down from the Putin regime and a pandemic can stop the brave activists and peoples of Russia in their revitalized pursuit of rights and dignity.  

– The NHC is standing shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours in Russia also during times of crisis, says Lene Wetteland, head of the Russia Section. We adapt to the conditions, make use of online possibilities, and continue defending human rights for all.

The annual Anna Politkovskaya seminar was one of the events that took place online this year. NHC’s Aage Borchgrevink talked with the investigative journalists Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov only a few weeks after the poisoning of opposition politician Alexey Navalny and a hacker attack from Russia against the Norwegian Parliament. Discussing Russian intelligence operations against dissidents and outright assassinations is as relevant today as when Anna Politkovskaya was murdered for her work in 2006.

The government’s random Covid-19 restrictions led a range of Russian activists, journalists, and professionals like medical doctors to criticise the government’s policies. Many paid a high prize. The direct threats against award-winning journalist Elena Milashina was one of the cases where the NHC joined forces with a range of international organisations to garner support. The NHC plays a unique role in these international networks of activists that step up in solidarity with colleagues in Russia who are subject to a steadily rising level of restrictions.

The general population also reacts to the injustice they increasingly see and experience. The summer 2020 constitutional amendments that allow President Putin to stay in office until 2036 provoked many. Ordinary people joined forces with civil society organisations and made use of the internet, the streets, and existing forums to voice their concerns and to protest. On local and regional level, elections have increasingly become genuine avenues for people to choosing their representatives. Regime manipulations of these elections have become difficult due to cooperative efforts by political opposition and civil society organisations.

The NHC is following the situation closely and ensures that the Norwegian and international community are updated on the evolving human rights situation in Russia.

– We are pleased to see that civil society and society in general is more active, says Inna Sangadzhiyeva, Senior Adviser. – The regime is trying to isolate democratic forces, but the atmosphere has changed and there may be exciting times ahead.