UNHRC’s monitoring mechanism on Russia a ‘long overdue breakthrough’

Responding to the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) decision to establish an independent monitoring mechanism on the human rights situation in Russia, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

“Amnesty International welcomes the decision by the Human Rights Council to finally bring Russia’s human rights record under scrutiny. Under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, the country has seen its political opposition crushed, grassroots NGOs and activists outlawed, independent media shuttered, and civil society as a whole scorched to the ground. Russia’s unlawful aggression in Ukraine could not be a clearer demonstration of Vladimir Putin’s longstanding disregard for life and human rights.”

“The establishment of this important mechanism will be a long overdue lifeline to civil society in Russia, independent media and many others standing up to repression. We call on all states to support the swift establishment of this monitoring and reporting mandate, and to fully support victims of human rights and humanitarian law violations committed by the national authorities. We call on the Russian authorities to heed the clear message that the Human Rights Council sends with the establishment of this mechanism, and to fundamentally change course to cease its violations at home and abroad.

“The successful vote today does not draw the sting from yesterday’s failure of the Human Rights Council to schedule a debate on the situation in Xinjiang China, but it does show that the Council has the capability to address grave situations based on their merits. We will continue to hold the Human Rights Council and its member states to this standard.”