Russia: Whether a supporter of the opposition coalition Other Russia (Drugaya Rossiya) was killed by skinheads on 11 August 2007 in the Moscow subway; whether there are reports in 2007 of members of the political parties that constitute Other Russia being harassed and, if so, the frequency of the harassment; the frequency with which members have been attacked by skinheads or ultra nationalists; whether the parties know if any of their members has been killed or severely injured on account of their political activities in Moscow
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 4 March 2009 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS103038.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Whether a supporter of the opposition coalition Other Russia (Drugaya Rossiya) was killed by skinheads on 11 August 2007 in the Moscow subway; whether there are reports in 2007 of members of the political parties that constitute Other Russia being harassed and, if so, the frequency of the harassment; the frequency with which members have been attacked by skinheads or ultra nationalists; whether the parties know if any of their members has been killed or severely injured on account of their political activities in Moscow, 4 March 2009, RUS103038.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b20f02923.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Other Russia (Drugaya Rossiya) is an umbrella coalition of liberal, socialist and nationalist political groups that was formed in 1996 and is opposed to the president (Le Monde Diplomatique 9 Dec. 2007). The coalition includes the United Civil Front, the People's Democratic Union and the National Bolshevik Party (The St. Petersburg Times 2 Feb. 2007).
In 4 January 2009 correspondence, the Director of the Sova Center for Information and Analysis, a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Moscow that monitors and researches nationalism, hate crime, hate speech and extremism in Russia, stated that the Sova Center has not heard of supporters of Other Russia ever being killed in Moscow because of their political activity. However, the Director mentioned one case where a supporter of Other Russia was allegedly beaten to death by policemen in late 2007 although there was no official investigation to determine the perpetrators of the attack (ibid.). He indicated that supporters of Other Russia are frequently targeted for harassment, which can include severe physical assaults, in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia (ibid.). The Director of the Sova Center was unsure whether there were any attacks on supporters of Other Russia by skinheads in 2007, but he indicated that there were such attacks in previous years (ibid.).
A 13 December 2007 Reuters article states that two buses of Other Russia supporters were briefly detained by the police at a checkpoint near Moscow. The passengers were travelling to the funeral of the Other Russia supporter (mentioned by the Director of the Sova Center) who was a member of the National Bolshevik Party and who was attacked in late 2007 (ibid.). A 7 January 2008 Agence France-Presse (AFP) article quotes an executive committee member of the Other Russia coalition as alleging that a coalition member was "beaten up" outside her Moscow residence, and that the attack may have been a reprisal by the police for her participation in a protest on 24 December 2007.
No additional information on whether a member or supporter of the Other Russia coalition was killed on the Moscow subway on 11 August 2007, on the treatment in 2007 of supporters of Other Russia and on whether the political parties of the Other Russia coalition know whether any of their members have been severely injured or killed while engaging in political activism, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France-Presse (AFP). 7 January 2008. "Female Russian Activist Beaten Up by Police, Say Opposition." (Factiva)
Le Monde Diplomatique [Paris]. 9 December 2007. Olivier Pironet. "Political Actors in a Modern Russian Drama."
Reuters. 13 December 2007. "Russia Police Hold Activists on Way to Funeral." (Factiva)
The SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, Moscow. 4 January 2009. Correspondence from the Director.
The St. Petersburg Times. 2 February 2007. Galina Stolyarova. "Opposition Alliance Brings Protests to City."
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: The Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, the Moscow Helsinki Group, Memorial and Other Russia did not respond to requests for information within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sources, including: Amnesty International (AI), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Center for Interethnic Cooperation, European Centre for Minority Issues, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI.net), European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH), Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Crisis Group, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Internet Centre AntiRacism Europe (ICARE), ITAR-TASS, Memorial, Minority Rights Group, Moscow Helsinki Group, Moscow News, Moscow Times, PRIMANews Agency, Russian News and Information Agency Novosti.
