<< PREVIOUS
RUSSIA: Stanislav Dmitriyevsky Faces Ban on Book Detailing Human Rights Abuses
PEN International WiPC | RAN 77/12 14 Dec2012
Russian writer, editor and human rights activist Stanislav Dmitriyevsky is once again in court, this time over a 1,200-page book on human rights abuses committed during the years of armed conflict in the Chechen Republic. At the first hearing of the trial on 6 December 2012, the Nizhny Novgorod Prosecutor’s Office delivered its petition to ban the book on grounds that its content is “extremist” in nature. PEN considers the case to be an example of the growing misuse of anti-extremism legislation in Russia to stifle legitimate expression, and part of a long-standing campaign to intimidate Stanislav Dmitriyevsky through a campaign of judicial harassment.
Dmitriyevsky’s co-authors Oksana Chelysheva and Bogdan Guareli were also named as responsible parties at the 6 December hearing against the trio’s 2009 book, International Tribunal for Chechnya: Prospects of Bringing to Justice Individuals Suspected of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity During the Armed Conflict in the Chechen Republic.Internationally acclaimed Russian human rights lawyer, Karinna Moskalenko, said of the book in a July 2009 review: “it [presents] unique fundamental research at the junction of contemporary history, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law”, while Hugh Williamson of Human Rights Watch says that it is “based on meticulous desk research and is an important source of information on the Chechen conflict.”
For a number of years, PEN has been closely following developments with Dmitriyevsky, who has faced numerous legal challenges, threats and attacks as a consequence of his writings and work as an activist. In January 2005, the Federal Security Bureau initiated a criminal investigation into his human rights organisation, the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), and charged Dmitriyevsky with “inciting hatred between national groups by use of the mass media”. Simultaneously, a process of fiscal harassment was started against the RCFS by the Tax Department and the Ministry of Justice, as well an anonymous smear campaign against Dmitriyevsky and RCFS members (particularly Oksana Chelysheva), giving their home addresses and dubbing them Chechen-funded traitors. In response to the situation PEN took on Dmitriyevski as a main case, and following an extensive campaign, he was able to escape imprisonment with a two-year suspended sentence and four years of probation.
Shortly after the end of this trial, RCFS was shut down by the Russian authorities as a consequence of Dmitriyevski’s conviction. Since then, Dmitriyevski has been subjected to intermittent harassment by police officers (when his offices were raided in March 2007 and 2008) and unknown assailants (in August 2008 a brick was thrown through his apartment window and his building was covered with abusive graffiti; between March and November 2012 his offices and home were subjected to attacks of arson, vandalism and attempted forced entry on no less than three occasions). PEN is deeply worried that Dmitriyevsky is facing a campaign of harassment as a means of penalising him for his legitimate research and commentary, and fears that the cases being pursued against him end up singling him out as a target for violent groups politically opposed to his work as a human rights activist.
For More Information:
- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/12/03/russia-stop-efforts-ban-human-rights-book
- Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-stanislav-dmitriyevsky-extremism/24789191.html
- 2-part online PDF of the book (Russian): http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2009/079/21.html
Please Send Appeals:
- Expressing concern that another case has been opened against Dmitriyevsky on charges that infringe upon his right to free expression.
- Urging that the charges against Dmitriyevsky are dismissed.
Appeals to:
President Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
23, Ilyinka Street,
Moscow, 103132
Russia
You can send messages to President Putin on the Kremlin website http://eng.letters.kremlin.ru
You may find that the Russian ambassador in your own country is more likely to respond to your appeals, so we recommend that you either write to him or her directly or send a copy of your appeal. You can find the Russian embassy in your country here.
**Please contact the PEN WiPC office in London if sending appeals after 31 December 2012**
For further information please contact Sara Whyatt at PEN International Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER; Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338; + 44 (0) 20 7405 0338; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339; Email: sara.whatt@pen-international.org
Sara Whyatt | Deputy Director | Sous-Directeur | Sub-Directora | PEN International t. +44 (0)20 7405 0338 | m. +44 (0)7824640527 | Twitter | Facebook | www.pen-international.org
Celebrating 90 years of promoting literature and defending freedom of expression
International PEN is trading as PEN International. International PEN is a company registered in England and Waleswith registration number 05683997. International PEN is a registered charity in England and Wales with registration number 1117088. International PEN’s registered office is Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6ER, UK.
