About Crimea and patriotism – true and imaginary

In May 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the law “On measures impact on the persons involved in violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.” It is about creating a list of undesirable foreign or international organizations that pose a threat to the fundamentals of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, the country’s defense or national security. Inclusion in the list of organizations is prohibited to work in the territory of Russia.

And recently, the Federation Council has made its list of “undesirable organizations” and sent it to the Prosecutor General. In this “patriotic stop list” along with the Soros Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation, Freedom House and the World Congress of Ukrainians and Crimean have field mission.

About Crimea and patriotism – true and imaginary – the head of the Crimean field mission, a Russian human rights activist and member of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation Andrey Yurov . Interviewed by Elena Masuk .

– What, do you think the Russian senators saw antipatriotism Crimean field mission (CPM)?

– From my point of view, the Crimean field mission performs deep patriotic task. I say without irony, because human rights monitoring in the Crimea, which is now challenging territory for Russia, is very important.

For example, now there is a lot of questions related to the registration of ownership of people, because all the decrees apply only to citizens of Ukraine and Russia, and in Crimea quite a few of the Crimean Tatars, who are citizens of Uzbekistan. ( In 1944, most of the Crimean Tatars were deported to the Uzbek SSR. – EM )

In addition, there are important issues relating to the decree on the rehabilitation of the deported people. ( In April 2014, the President signed a decree Way “On measures for the rehabilitation of the Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Crimean Tatar and German peoples and the state support their revitalization and development” -. EM ) Decree performed very poorly. For these people, virtually nothing has been done. And, of course, it is necessary to monitor actual compliance trilingualism.

– What is the three languages ​​must be respected? For example, last year, under the Crimean prosecutor camera Natalia Poklonskaya read out in Russian warning about the inadmissibility of extremist activity to one of the Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov and Chubarov just demanded that Poklonskaya read out this warning is also in the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages . But Poklonskaya not do that.

– It really is a delicate matter. Does human rights education only at one of its own language, or may select a second language Ukrainian? Can he use only their native language, and whether he should, if necessary, arrange for an interpreter? It matters not to the law-and to legislators. Because people do not understand how it should act in three languages.

Still have questions related to the so-called Crimean self-defense, which is a long time to act outside the law, and then a strange regulations. And self-defense seems to be a kind of division became associated with the Interior Ministry. We still do not understand the legal basis of this structure.

– And how KPM cooperates with the authorities of the Crimea?

– Until the “stop-list” we had a good contact with the Crimean Ombudsman Mrs. Lubin, at least, we exchanged information. Now, I think, this contact will be difficult to turn on the very fact of our “stop list”. I think we will be more difficult to find the information, it will be less credible and less proven than it was before. Our task was to work openly, legally, honestly, in full contact with any structures that would like to interact with us, whether Russian Ombudsman or his staff, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian or Ukrainian Ombudsman.

– Andrew, what do you think, why the Federation Council has placed you in the “stop-list”?

– I have a feeling that it is an initiative of the Crimean local authorities. They perceived the Crimean field mission as a kind of monitoring is not always the correct actions, and therefore we have for many officials threat to their well-being. I must say that most of the international organizations (I mean intergovernmental, which includes Russia, – the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe) in their data about Crimea refer to the information PCF. Because we are the only ones who kept sufficiently systematic work.

– A certificate for the Federation Council, said that “the Crimean field mission on Human Rights is actively involved in the problems of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis of the Crimean supports.” Maybe this is the reason for the current persecution on you?

– May be. We’re monitoring the situation with the Crimean Tatars. For example, the latest situation with ATR was wild, and the end of the story for Russia is very bad ( ATR -.. The first Crimean Tatar TV Channel started its work in 2005. In 2015, the channel did not renew the broadcast license. – EM ). I can explain what is bad. Prior to that channel was a little frondiruyuschy, but it is loyal, he allowed a single criticism of local officials, but does not touch the federal government.

ATR was much less untethered and liberal than the “Echo of Moscow”. At least, he was under the full control of the Crimean government and Russian federal authorities. And now ATR broadcast from Kiev, and nothing prevents him to look on the internet. It turned out that the Crimean Tatars will now look completely uncontrollable Russian channel. Here’s what they have accomplished. It’s just nonsense.

After all, the strength of ATR was the fact that the channel worked not only Crimean Tatars. The channel was largely Trilingualism and almost half of all-language ( 60% broadcasting ATR conducted in Russian, 35% – Crimean-Tatar, 5% – in Ukrainian -. E. M . ). Just channel gave an alternative view to the one offered to the official channels.

“The competition is an endless patriotic”

– The “Parliamentary newspaper” adopted by the Council of Federation of the “stop-list” is written as follows: “The senators emphasize that getting into the list is not a sentence, but a signal – we see and know what you are doing, and who and what you are funding.” Who finances the Crimean field mission?

– Crimean field mission – a total of five people. KPM officially earned March 5, 2014, and unofficially functioned from 27 February as part of the two or three people. Again, people are working on a voluntary basis. That is, I as the head of the Crimean field mission any money from anyone not getting.

– But the site has a CPM account to which you can transfer money. Surely you transfer money?

– The fact that we may be counting only the partner organizations. We are not an organization at all! We have no account of any legal entity that we did not registered in one country (or in Russia or in Ukraine, or in a third country). We are not a legal entity, we’re just a group of people, a group of enthusiasts who are concerned about the human rights situation on the peninsula.

Yes, there are a few companies (Russian and Ukrainian), who support us. And it is to support the PCF and the coalition has been created to work in the system a year ago, the Crimea – Initiative for Human Rights group in the Crimea. Now it includes about 30 organizations: Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian. Here this coalition we have different support. For example, buy a domain, or some expert, not even us, pay a visit, or a round table.

– A Federal Security Service, the tax police were not interested in you?

– No, what the tax police, where it may come? We do not have any office! We live in different cities and countries. We are legitimate human rights activists, and our only weapon – is openness and transparency.

– And now, when you are actually identified in the list of enemies, you will continue to work just as openly?

– As long as it is possible, we will work openly. Because the work is closed – this is another genre. We are engaged in monitoring fundamental rights, which was signed by our States – and Russia, and Ukraine. We are engaged in an absolutely legal and, in my view, respected, honorable thing. I would place the Federation Council members have just said, “Uh-oh, we made a mistake” – and would have apologized publicly. This I would have done.

– You wish, I would have said so.

– I understand. But I think that the damage from what did the Federation Council, will be for Russia, I emphasize – to Russia, huge. I can explain why. All the time on all international major forums – UN, obeeseshnyh, sovetoevropeyskih – we asked the question: “Tell me, please, that you describe the situation in the Crimea as a complex: and the rights of journalists and freedom of speech, and religious and ethnic oppression, and here you personally interfere with my work? You obstruct “I said:” I have to say quite honestly that I personally and the volunteers mission never not directly interfere. There were early clashes with self-defense, but they were a long time and can not say that it was by official law enforcement forces. ” All nodded their heads and said: “Yes, of course, the situation with Crimea terrible, but you see,

And now all these international structures of Russia will say: “Guys, there was a legal organization, consisting mainly of Russians, you declared an enemy of her people, she is now unable to work normally.” And that response, the Russian FM Officials when they say: ‘Guys, you said that you have everything perfectly in the Crimea. As the fine? “And the Crimean field mission really will not work properly because no one official would not talk to us, or self-defense will meet at the airport. Clearly, this poses a threat to the safety of our volunteers.

We (KPM) always gave a very informed, very accurate estimates. For example, someone gives information about the 50 kidnapped and 30, and the Crimean field mission provides data – 9. And it is on our data cited by international organizations. Now that the Federation Council will respond?

Now the most terrible rumors about what happens in Crimea, it will be impossible to deny who they will refute the pro-government NGOs? But it’s funny, they will not believe nobody.

– You spoke about the kidnapping. In Crimea, continue to kidnap people?

– Not now, at least, I have no such data. The situation became more relaxed.

– And when it stopped?

– According to our data, about a New Year.

– And those who have been kidnapped, found?

– Virtually no one found. In fact, people disappear very much. According to official statistics, more than a thousand people have disappeared. But we capture only those cases where there is a suspicion that it was a forced disappearance. Such cases are from 9 to 12. In the three cases should be checked. We did not investigators. We just monitors, we have students, volunteers work mostly. We can only use open data and the testimony of those witnesses who are willing to speak publicly. We are not lawyers, we have no status, and we can not protect a person if he gave us something tells.

– Andrew, I want you to read the statement by the head of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev: “The scale of the pressure on Russia through the structure of the” civil society “<of a stop-list>, which are often at the direct content of the foreign states, comparable to those that our country has experienced in the late 80’s – early 90-ies. Their main task – to intervene in the political processes in our country and ultimately ensure the arrival of the new government or violent change of power, which will be more loyal to foreign countries. <…> We understand that this kind of shocks <in Armenia “, if you do not take preventive preventive measures in our country, too, can happen, and it would be extremely dangerous, undesirable and illegal because it violates the sovereignty of the Russian Federation. That’s why,

– These words to the Crimean field missions have nothing to do and can not have. We are so far from any policy that I totally understand how you can lead to a violent change of power … human rights defenders, on the contrary, give the government a chance to improve the situation and not to bring it up to what happened and is happening in other countries.

The authorities do not understand that if you remove any feedback and leave only the feedback from the officials who only say what they want to hear the head of the country will simply fall apart.

And just as journalists need free and independent in the broad sense, it does not matter – working for the independent media or freelancers. They perform the same important function – they inform the public and the authorities about the problems that you can correct them in time, rather than exacerbate, and not to go to illegal actions.

Therefore, eliminating the human rights defenders in general (I’m not only about the Crimean field mission) and interfering with the work of independent media, the government is leading us (in this case the Federation Council and State Duma) in time for this gap.

– But the Kremlin political analyst Vyacheslav Nikonov believes that the creation in Russia of “patriotic stop list” – an initiative extremely relevant, though too soft.

– With such rhetoric will soon threaten Russia will be declared anyone who just in the hearts of looking at the TV, it is unclear to whom cursed because his foot that ever fell. Of course, we can reach 1937 times …

If the case is it goes on, it will be found that the politicians themselves were not patriotic. Then will all contest the endless patriotic …

“What are they suckers, or what?”

– A list of undesirable organizations under the law defines the Prosecutor General. What do you think, why the Federation Council decided to help prosecutors with the preparation of the “stop-list”?

— Это просто дополнительный политический пиар. Кстати, если аккуратно почитать закон о нежелательных организациях, то становится ясно, что сам он носит характер патриотической агитки, как и этот «стоп-лист». Например, в законе есть ссылка на некие государства, которые совершили недружественные акты в отношении России, а именно: запрет на въезд и арест имущества. У меня возникает вопрос: а есть ли список этих государств? Как гражданин как я могу это узнать? Может быть, МИД тогда опубликует этот список? Наверное, мы можем догадаться, что это США. А вот Канада подпадает или нет? Я не знаю. Арестовано там имущество каких-то российских олигархов или нет? Что я буду сейчас следить, мониторить, где, какое имущество, каких олигархов арестовано? Вы принимаете закон, где написано — «государства, которые совершили…», ну так приведите список этих государств, мы хоть знать будем, какие государства нам недружественные.

In that sense, the Federation Council makes a political act, knowing full well that makes the work of these structures (from) either completely impossible or nearly impossible. In fact, it’s just shameful lists. All 12 organizations, regardless of the decision of the Prosecutor General, to be included in this list, and everyone will know – yeah, here they are, the main villains!

– What consequences can wait Crimean field mission, if it will be included in the General Prosecutor’s Office a list of undesirable organizations?

– I still think that this will not happen, because the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutor’s office sit professionals, and I think that the level of expertise there is higher than in the Federation Council.

Still, our senators have taken a decision on the findings of the court of political scientists. And the level of the court of political scientists is quite low, they are quite incompetent.

– By the way, for the “stop-list” all the senators voted unanimously. Hence, the representatives of the Crimea, too, voted “for”?

– Of course, it’s obvious. Senators were told that there is a hostile organization – Crimean field mission, well, they have voted, why they fuckers, what? Some of the Soros Foundation, probably, everyone knows, but the fact that we all know that we are so popular is, of course, must be nice …

Crimea ours, not our

– The site of the Crimean field mission says that the “mission brings together those who are willing to engage in human rights protection, regardless of the relationship to the political situation in Ukraine and the position on the annexation of the Crimea.” That is, there are those who believe in the Crimean field mission that “Crimea is our”?

– We do not require a subscription volunteers about what they hold a political position on the Crimea. For us it is very important to any volunteer or simply expert was competent in the field of human rights, the rule of law, for him to human rights were more important than the question of formal ownership of the Crimea to anyone else.

But in any case, it’s really a delicate matter, and he occasionally gets up, but we took a decision in principle that we do not talk about it. Otherwise, it will immediately political split in the ranks of human rights, will make us a politicized organization.

– But in dealing volunteers with each other and with people “Crimea is our” and “not ours” appears, can not be shown.

– Yes, it is shown. But I do not really want to be on the basis of my words, people have now started to cause for questioning. I do not think about their safety and the safety of others, and above all the young volunteers. Anyone with the right competence in the field understands that many of the events of more than a year ago were, shall we say, not very close to the norms of modern international law. But we specifically stated that we are politically neutral, otherwise we can not work. Similarly, human rights activists, who worked in Chechnya at the time of the first and second wars, had to be completely politically neutral. As a person can have his own opinion, but as a human rights activist I must defend human rights, regardless of how these people lived, for whom they vote, what they did in the period of transition of the Crimea. I have to protect them, and if I’m politically biased, I’m somebody will defend better and someone worse. Then I cease to be a human rights defender.

Disappointment

– In your feeling, in the Crimean population no regret, that the Crimea is now Russia?

– I often come across people who have begun to engage in human rights activities.

This is quite a loyal Russian people, who actively supported all processes in March 2014, but now they are disappointed not so much so that it came to Russia, and that Russia was not quite the same as thinking about it. They believe that in Russia, all brilliant, but in the Crimea captured all local officials and Russia strongly distorted.

In short, the imperial power is fine, but the local boyars terrible. But with this opinion I have come across quite often.

– As the Crimean population perceives a de facto ban on rallies? After all, we love to hold a meeting for any reason in the Crimea.

– This is a very narrow circle of people. There are several thousand people who are used to hold a meeting on a different occasion. Now these few thousand remaining several hundred. Many have left. The general population, which is mainly lived either by state power, either due to business related to tourism, they did not really rallied. A layer of those who were ready to protest, in comparison with the rest of Ukraine here has always been very narrow.

– Among the protesters were always a lot of Crimean Tatars in Crimea. What is the current situation?

– quite difficult. On the one hand, there are the Crimean Tatars, who is very loyal to the new government. On the other – the leaders of the Crimean Tatar people is now in exile, but they focused more active part of the Crimean Tatar community. But the vast majority of people are more or less neutral and ready to survive. The most important thing – the Crimea, the homeland. But a number of actions taken by the new authorities, is very large grumbling and discontent. For example, two years in a row can not be properly honor the Day of Remembrance of the victims of deportation.

– We are talking about May 18th. But, as I told the inhabitants of the Crimea, the feast day of the procession turned into an aggressive crowd of the city center. Movement completely overlap. People in the procession were brought from all over the peninsula, and the residents of Simferopol was extremely unhappy, they tried that day just did not go out.

– I agree that in the previous period there were some inappropriate things. But I think that you would find appropriate ways to address this issue – and for the Crimean Tatars, and other repressed peoples, and for the population of the Crimea as a whole.

As for the other problems associated with the Crimean Tatars, the first thing is a huge problem with the houses that are built on obscure grounds.

– This is the land squatting …

– Yes, it is absolutely hellish sphere, which is not present in any other regions of Ukraine or Russia. This is a unique phenomenon, which requires no special legal approaches.

If we talk about fundamental rights (freedom of speech, assembly, association), that is, civil liberties, the Crimean Tatars have special problems because the current Crimean government they are not very fond of. All these problems need to be addressed properly in the spirit of human rights and international law respectively. If it will be decided by the rules, then definitely it will exacerbate social tensions.

– A mass action of protest of the Crimean Tatars in Crimea, now there?

– Now there is no mass protests, including due to the fact that the Crimean Tatars still do not want to move to a confrontation. I understand that such a policy: acting in the framework of the laws that now exist in the Crimea. We recognize them, do not recognize, but act in the framework of these laws, we are not prepared to break them. That is, until it is rather a strong dissatisfaction, but not about the opposition or resistance.

Behind bars

– In recent years, there were numerous reports that the prisoners in the Crimea does not actually receiving medical treatment, including TB patients, due to lack of medicines and because of the fact that many detainees – citizens of Ukraine, and they do not have medical insurance policy .

– Access to the penitentiary institutions of the Crimea for independent human rights defenders is almost impossible, at least legally. There is no POC ( Public Oversight Commission, supervising the observance of human rights in places of detention. – EM ).

– And why?

– And how can it be there, PMC, if necessary, to organizations that recommend candidates for members of the PMC, they have worked at least three years. After all, this is new territory! It’s really a unique situation because it does not fall under any regulations of ordinary life. And it is impossible to understand from someone create the PMC, there is almost no human rights.

– A few days ago it was reported that Kiev asks the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia Ella Pamfilova help in moving prisoners from the Crimea. These are the two colonies and detention facilities in the Crimea, which contains more than three thousand men, and of these, 400 persons under Ukrainian law fall under the amnesty.

– We can only welcome the Ombudsman if the two finally agree and settle the question. Better yet, if they have established a joint working group involving representatives of the UN, the OSCE or the Council of Europe.

Not to Crimea

– Many problems now appeared a new Ukrainian laws on entry and nevezde in Crimea. ( Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on June 4, 2015 “On the order of entry in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and exit from it” -. EM ) The new rules do not make life difficult for the tourists, namely, human rights activists and all people who try to operate legally there .

There are two problems. First. Considered legal entry to the Crimea only through the territory of Ukraine. It’s complicated, long, expensive. And if we are talking about an immediate response, such as human rights defenders, it becomes almost impossible. It is impossible for several hours in Crimean be, for example, Peter through Kiev.

And the second thing: a strange list of grounds on which foreigners can visit Crimea. Advocacy does not spelled out there. And it is very complicated procedure for obtaining permission.

In fact, it turns out that if we want to respect human rights activists Ukrainian laws, we have to get very hard way for many, many days, and it is unclear even as some strange resolution, single or multiple, for unknown reasons. This adverse decision.

Politicians are baked after all not about the citizens, not the people, and the so-called national security, which is often contrary to the personal security of citizens. For them, there is a nation, a state power, territory, economic interests. They rarely think that maybe certain people is so bad, it is simply intolerable. Well, they do not think about it, they are not up to it! Therefore, human rights activists need to suggest: “Guys, here you screwed up, here you just have forgotten that there are also people with disabilities, there are drug addicts on methadone …”

– By the way, about methadone. In the Crimea, as well as throughout Ukraine, it was therapy program for heroin addicts with methadone. In Crimea, such aid received over 800 people. In May last year a free methadone stopped, because in Russia there is no such Substitution Therapy. According to the data at the beginning of the year brought the special envoy of UN Secretary General for HIV / AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Michel Kazatchkine, more than 100 of the previously treated with methadone were already dead – they died, or as a result of an overdose, or committed suicide.

– Yes, someone died, someone went … It would be very nice if organizations engaged in drug addicts in Russia and Ukraine, together would make an analysis of what happened in the peninsula and a half years. They are professionals, let them go and analyze. Here we have one and a half year appeal to Amnesty International. Let us together – Ukrainian organization, the Russian organization, international office – make a joint study on corruption. In Crimea, a very strong corruption.

– And what is responsible , Amnesty International,?

– “Yes, we understand, thank you, but it is not up to it.” And so on all topics.

I understand that now human rights activists and the Ukraine, and we have a hard time without the Crimea and in Russia there is a heavy war, civil society is not in the best condition … not to the Crimea, yes. But I’ve been to the Crimea! And I am very sorry and sad that a huge area with a large population actually left without protection, but still in a legal gray zone.

Still, such an area, except maybe Chechnya under Russian jurisdiction in our probation no more.

Without civilian control

– Although the formal transition period in Crimea ended December 31, he was not finished in real life. For the tourist it is imperceptible, but for many locals is very noticeable. Low civil activity is not associated with those people out in the streets, or do not go, and with how citizens are able to exercise civilian control over what is happening. But civilian control in the Crimea and in fact there is now.

There is no civil control of the police, there is no civil control over prisons. And where there is no civilian oversight, there is always arbitrary – in any country.

In our field of vision gets 20, well, maybe 10 percent of the problems. We can not cover this area, where there is practically no old human rights activists and independent journalists, too, almost all left or lost their jobs.

( Many Crimean media have not been able to pass this year, re-registration and had to be eliminated -. EM ) Our main appeal to absolutely everyone – you need to ensure maximum presence in the Crimea independent journalists, preferably at local and Russian, Ukrainian, international, public anything, they simply there must be many, many and ever, not once, in all the anniversary events.

– In what situation do you or your team may decide to close the Crimean field mission?

– The most important thing for us – is the safety of the volunteers of the Crimean field mission, including those who are constantly in the Crimea, and the people with whom we come in contact. If it becomes clear that the mere fact of our existence bears the threat to people, of course we will state if not to close, but at least the suspension of the activities of the Crimean field mission.

Sourse, 21/07/2015