Man and the Law
Man and the Law is a regional human rights organisation based in Yoshkar-Ola in the Republic of Mari El. The organisation is involved in monitoring places of detention and in conducting investigations into human rights violations committed by government authorities, including law enforcement agencies. Man and the Law also provides legal and psychological assistance to victims of torture. Mr Sergey Poduzov is the Co-chairman of Man and the Law. Sergey Poduzov provides legal education for the public and strives to promote respect for human rights among government authorities throughout different outreach and legal education activities.
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.
The entry into force of the so-called 'Foreign Agent' law, in December 2012, marked the start of the most severe crackdown against HRDs since the end of Soviet era. The law required organisations receiving foreign funding and carrying out “political activities” to register as foreign agents. However, the definition of “political activities” is extremely broad and has been interpreted as encompassing groups carrying out human rights advocacy or defending of voters' rights.
