Announcement of the establishment of an International Expert Commission to Evaluate of the Events on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow on May 6, 2012
Alexis Prokopiev
Announcement of the establishment of an International Expert Commission to Evaluate of the Events on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow on May 6, 2012
A number of leading international human rights NGO’s, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, ARTICLE 19, FIDH, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, International Civil Initiative for OSCE (ICI OSCE), the international platform “Civic Solidarity” and the International Protection Center announced the establishment of and International expert commission to provide and independent assessment of the circumstances leading to the violence related to the mass demonstrations in Moscow on Bolotnaya Square, which took place almost a year ago on 6 May 2012..
The commission was initiated in response to an appeal for such an assessment by several Russian journalists and public commentators, which they sent to a number of Russian and international NGOs in 2012. The commission will complement already existing initiatives in Russia, which work on the so called “Bolotnaya Square cases”.
The mass demonstration on Bolotnaya Square on 6 May 2012 was a continuation of mass protests that started in Russia after the Parliamentary and Presidential elections in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The day itself was also the day of Putin’s second inauguration, and people came out on to the streets to demonstrate their disagreement with his return, the result of both elections and the government policies, in particular in the social sphere. None of the demonstrators or organisers of the protest expected any difficulties, however it was violently dispersed, and clashes with police followed. The demonstration as such is now considered as an orchestrated mass riot, and 28 people have been charged with either organizing or participating in violent mass disorder.
The Commission will assess the circumstances leading to the violence on 6 May on Bolotnaya Square in line with current human rights standards and practices which, Russia, as a member state of the United Nations, Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe is obliged to. The commission consists of leading international experts in th sphere of peaceful assembly, including on police practices. They will for example assess the degree of proportionality, the need and legality of the use of violence by the police and anti-riot squads, and also assess the level of responsibility for the violence and destruction of public property by the organizers, as well as the protesters themselves. The composition of the commission will allow an independent expert view on different aspects related to demonstrations and protests, and will allow for an in-depth and objective analysis of the events that took place on Bolotnaya square on 6 May 2012, and whether these should qualify as mass riots.
Members of the commission will use their extensive experience in assessing similar circumstances during mass public events and of their involvement in public investigations of such events. Examples of similar protests that were investigated by the commission's experts are violent mass riots in Northern Ireland; protests in Moldova in 2009 following elections, protest in Belarus after the presidential elections in 2010, the dispersal of “Occupy Wall-street” in the USA in 2011.
The work of the commission will be based on a step by step analysis of evidence, as presented by the authorities and statements by government officials, as well as information collected through other public investigations and monitoring, photos and videos of the day. The work of the commission is supported by a number of leading human rights groups in Russia.
The founding organizations established the Commission to increase the attention by inter-governmental institutions, foreign media and state actors to the situation in Russia during and after the events of 6 May 2012., They consider this day as a turning point in the approach by the Russian authorities to human rights, showing the Russian state chose to further and further restrict fundamental freedoms and space for civil society to act.
The commission will produce two publications, including an interim and final report with a chronology of chronology of events on 6 of May, which became the basis for “Bolotnaya Square”. The experts will include an analysis of the the trials against those who have been accused of organizing ‘mass riots’ on 6 May and will develop a list of recommendation for the Russian authorities on how to change the current legal framework and and law-enforcement practices to ensure the right to peaceful assembly is adhered to in accordance with international human rights standards.
All the questions about the commission work can be addressed to:
Dmitri Makarov, +7-916-537-13-67
Nathalie Losekoot, +44-796-985-60-69
www.6maycommission.org
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Alexis Prokopiev
06 13 49 53 84
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