Simon and Sergei Rights in Russia

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin talk with Dmitry Makarov (pictured left), co-chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group and co-chair of the coordinating committee of the International Youth Human Rights Movement. The Moscow Helsinki Group is one of Russia's oldest and leading human rights organisations. It was originally set up in 1976 to monitor Soviet compliance with the Helsinki Accords and Soviet human rights abuses. Forced out of existence in the early 1980s, the Moscow Helsinki Group was revived in 1989 and continues to operate in Russia today. A summary of some of the week's 

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin talk with Galina Arapova (pictured left), director of the Mass Media Defence Centre, based in the city of Voronezh. The Mass Media Defence Centre is one of the leading NGOs and think tanks working on media law and the rights of journalists, bloggers and media outlets in Russia. For more information about the Mass Media Defence Centre, visit its website here. A summary of some of the week's events in Russia relevant to human rights can be found on our website here. This podcast is in the Russian language.If this podcast does not play immediately on the podcast.com website, please download by clicking on the three dots to the right. You can also hear these podcasts on Spotify and iTunes.

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin talk with Natalia Taubina, director of the Moscow-based Public Verdict Foundation (pictured left). Public Verdict is one of the leading human rights organisations in Russia. Its work focuses on abuses by public officials, not least torture and other violations by the police and prison authorities, including those at public events and demonstrations. For more information about Public Verdict, visit its website here. A summary of some of the week's events in Russia relevant to human rights can be found on our website here. This podcast is in the Russian language.If this podcast does not play immediately on the podcast.com website, please download by clicking on the three dots to the right. You can also hear these podcasts on Spotify and iTunes.

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin talk with Tatyana and Nikolai Shchur. Tatyana and Nikolai are human rights activists from the city of Snezhinsk in Chelyabinsk region. Tatyana and Nikolai began their careers as human rights defenders working on environmental issues but since the mid-1990s have focused largely on conditions of detention. For many years they have been leading members of the region's Public Oversight Commission. They also work to improve conditions of life for children without parents. A summary of the week's events in the sphere of human rights can be found on our website here. This podcast is in the Russian language.

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin are joined by Nadia Kutepova, a human rights activist from the closed city of Ozersk in Chelyabinsk region. Nadia was director of the human rights organisation Planet of Hopes in Ozersk, specialising in the protection of the rights of those who suffered from the radiation pollution from the Mayak atomic plant based in the city. Planet of Hopes was one of the first NGOs in Russia to be branded as a 'foreign agent' organisation. In 2015 Nadia was forced to leave Russia and now lives in France where she has received political asylum. A summary of the week's events in the sphere of human rights can be found on our website here. This podcast is in the Russian language.

This week Simon Cosgrove and Sergei Nikitin are joined by Yury Dzhibladze, director of the Centre for Development of Democracy and Human Rights, based in Moscow. Yury has worked on human rights, democracy, and international organisations since the late 1980s. He is an active participant in international advocacy and has great knowledge and experience with regard to such bodies as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international organisations. He works closely with the Civic Solidarity Platform. He is also currently coordinator of the Advocacy Group at the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum. A summary of the week's events, some of which are referred to in the discussion, can be found on our website here. This podcast is in the Russian language.