In Russia, thousands of protesters protesting against the Ukraine war have been arrested. Project manager Evgeniya Khoroltseva at the Human Rights Academy tells Dagbladet that the demonstrators risk being treated brutally.
– The protesters risk first and foremost fines, but they can also be sentenced to prison, Khoroltseva says and continues:
– People who have been arrested during demonstrations in Russia have, for example, been dragged into vans and had their teeth knocked out. One can be treated brutally. Protesters who end up in custody may be denied a lawyer, medicine, water and a mattress, in addition to being fired by their employer.
Khoroltseva says that information about how protesters are treated is spread among the population so that people know what the consequences may be of participating in demonstrations against the Ukraine war.
The Russian embassy in Norway has not yet responded to Dagbladet’s inquiries. Dagbladet has sent repeated inquiries by e-mail, as well as been in contact with the embassy by telephone.
PROJECT LEADER: Evgeniya Khoroltseva at the Human Rights Academy. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet view more
– Unacceptable and illegal
Khoroltseva also says that you can risk being prosecuted even if you are not arrested during the demonstration itself.
– In Moscow and St. Petersburg, for example, there is a surveillance camera with face recognition at metro stations, so there is also a risk that the Russian authorities will come to the door even if you are not caught in the demonstration itself, she says.
– What do you think about how dissidents are treated in Russia?
– I think it is unacceptable and illegal. Russia knows that it is subject to the European Convention on Human Rights, which establishes fundamental political rights, such as freedom of expression, assembly and information. Yet they choose to be so brutal and rude to people who just want to have their say. When they attack peaceful protesters, they know full well that it violates human rights.
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Media control
NUPI researcher Kristian Lundby Gjerde tells Dagbladet that Russian authorities portray the Ukraine war as a “military special operation” that is actually defensive, and intends to defend the people of eastern Ukraine against a genocide committed by a Nazi Ukrainian government. The message is closest to that the Ukrainians will be liberated, according to Gjerde.
The researcher says that it is difficult to justify the war in Ukraine to the Russian population, and that the Russian authorities have therefore tightened their grip on the remaining independent media in Russia.
This weekend, about ten Russian radio channels and online newspapers received a warning from the Russian Media Authority that they did not follow the order to pass on information from the government. During this week, several of them have been blocked, says Gjerde to Dagbladet and continues:
– In addition, new legislation seems to be on the way, including with severe penalties for sharing unwanted information about the war.
Gjerde adds that according to Russian conditions there is a lot of open opposition to the war, which is different from before.
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Opponents of opinion
Khoroltseva of the Academy of Human Rights says that the Russian authorities are gagging their opponents to a great extent. She also says that in Russia there are relatively strict laws that make it possible to label dissidents as foreign agents, which means that one is accused of acting or speaking out on behalf of a foreign city.
– People who are declared a foreign agent by the Russian authorities lose control of their own bank account and may lose their jobs. Media and journalists are required to state that they have been declared a foreign agent when they are to speak in public.
Khoroltseva says that in Russia there is a department under the police called the anti-extremist unit that prosecutes the authorities’ opponents. The department pays special attention to young people’s activity on social media, according to Khoroltseva.
– Anti-extremist unit concentrates on persecuting dissidents and is apparently concerned with intimidating young people. They are often in civilian clothes, and do not wear police uniforms, she says and continues:
– When they arrive at the door, you can be asked to come to their office to answer questions. One can be accused of disturbing political stability and order, and of having insulted the political power.
