Russia

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of an attack on the home of human rights defender Stanislav Dmitrievsky. Stanislav Dmitrievsky is a consultant with the Nizhny Novgorod Foundation to Support Tolerance, and was previously Chairperson of its predecessor, the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), before it was closed in Russia by authorities. Stanislav Dmitrievsky was also the subject of a Front Line urgent action on 15 April 2008 and has received threats regularly since 2005.  

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports that three family members of human rights defender, Ilyas Timishev, have been detained, questioned and ill-treated in Chechnya since 15 July 2008. Ilyas Timishev is a human rights lawyer who has brought a number of cases before the European Court for Human Rights and is currently working to defend the rights of members of the Chechen police force who have not been paid.  

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports that charges of extremism have been brought against Yury Samodurov, director of the Sakharov Centre in Moscow. The Sakharov Centre is an art museum which is also used for human rights events such as press conferences and seminars, and has extensive literature on human rights in its library.  

Front Line is deeply concerned following the arrest of two human rights defenders and 10 journalists in Nazran, Ingushetia, on 26 January 2008. Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya and Timur Akiyev, both staff members of Memorial Human Rights Centre, were detained while attending a demonstration to protest against repression and corruption in Ingushetia. Said-Khussein Tsarnaev, a photo-journalist for RIA-Novosti; Mustafa Kurskiev, a correspondent for Moscow-based printing houses; Roman Plyusov and Vladimir Varfolomeev, journalists with Echo Moscow radio station; Danila Galperovich of Radio Liberty; Olga Bobrova of Novaya Gazeta; two correspondents of St. Petersburg Channel Five TV; two correspondents of Russian State TV were also detained.