Joint Mobile Group
On 05 May the 2011 Front Line Defenders Award was presented by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, to the Joint Mobile Group of the Russian Federation for their outstanding work investigating torture, killings and disappearances in Chechnya.
Presenting the Award Mrs Robinson said “The work of the Joint Mobile Group is an inspirational example of how committed individuals, despite all the pressures that are brought to bear on them, can hold the line in defence of justice, truth and the rule of law. It is the denial of access to justice that enables tyrants to prevail. This is why the work of human rights defenders like the Joint Mobile Group is so important”.
In October 2013 the Joint Mobile Group received the Martin Ennals Award for their courageous work documenting human rights abuses in Chechnya. Micheline Calmy-Rey, Chair, Martin Ennals Foundation, said: “The choice of the Jury has again shown that human rights defenders are the most crucial actors and can make a difference on the ground”
The Joint Mobile Group consists of legal and communications experts from different parts of the Russian Federation who travel to Chechnya whenever there is an incident of human rights abuse. They travel with video cameras which enable them to collect evidence and interview survivors and witnesses for use in subsequent prosecutions.
In the climate of total impunity currently prevailing in Chechnya the Joint Mobile Group plays a crucial role in collecting evidence before it is either contaminated or destroyed by the local police and security forces who have in the past tried to block investigations by either destroying or forging evidence. For many of the family members who have lost loved ones the Joint Mobile Group is their last hope of achieving justice.
Human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Russian Federation have been subjected to acts of harassment, surveillance, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, violent attacks, raids and searches on their offices and homes, slander and smear campaigns, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. Among the HRDs who are particularly at risk are those involved on issues such as the situation in the North Caucasus (particularly Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan).
