On Tuesday, the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights is set to convene for an annual meeting with President Putin. In an interview with RIA Novosti, the council's head Mikhail Fedotov spoke about the main issues on the agenda for the upcoming meeting, his hope for a return to peaceful life in Ukraine, the Ebola threat, the recent decisions of Nobel Committee and the spread of deleterious “spice” smoking mixtures in Russia.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich, could you please tell me about what the council has been doing recently and what is planned for your agenda?
Mikhail Fedotov: We are preparing for the meeting with the president; we are putting together different documentation and reports which will be given to the president. But, at the same time, we can’t ignore everyday issues, such as, for example the murder in the city of Mineralnye Vody in Russia’s South, which led to mass disorders, or the wanton murders of drivers and mushroom pickers in the Moscow Region, we have to deal with them as well.
What are you going to speak about at the meeting with the president?
Mikhail Fedotov: So, In summer we had a meeting on how we could help the Ukrainian refugees who fled to Russia and during the upcoming talk with the president we will present our recommendations for possible ways of implementation. We will also talk about corruption and the program of rehabilitation of victims of political repression. The Council has been working on the program since February, 2011 and had to overcome a lot of different hurdles.
Will the issue of the recently adopted law setting restrictions on foreign participation in the media be brought up by human rights groups seeing how it has been criticized by the Council?
Mikhail Fedotov: We have already sent our expert conclusion to the president. So, even if there is talk about this law, it will be only cited as example of a negligent and poorly thought-out legal act, which could bring more harm than any possible good.
Some time ago there were reports that the Council is making some amendments into the Law on Non-Commercial Organizations. What are the main points of those amendments?
Mikhail Fedotov: The Council is sure the Law should be changed as the whole, as it now contradicts the major amendments recently made to the Civil Code. The Law should be reviewed and with special attention being paid not to the “foreign agents”, but to the socially oriented non-commercial organizations; those, who provide real genuine help to people, such as caring for the disabled, children, homeless, elderly, national minorities, and inclusive education.
Recently the Civic Chamber suggested drawing a division between social and political Non-Commercial Organizations as to more strictly regulate their activities. Do you agree with such an approach?
Mikhail Fedotov: Such a division has already been stipulated in our legislation. The law “On public associations” already defines a “public association pursuing political purposes”. If there is such a need, the definition should be included into the “Law on Non-Commercial Organizations” as well. But one should take into account that there are some state corporations and budgetary institutions which do not pursue any political aims and, conversely, there are commercial organizations which do pursue political goals. For example, these organizations finance electoral campaigns to defend their own interests through the financed candidates or parties. And the above law covers them as well, but does not stop this practicw.
Does the Council have more work due to the latest developments in Ukraine?
Mikhail Fedotov: Surely, yes. We had to put together a special group to monitor human rights in Ukraine, headed by Andrei Yurov and Maksim Shevchenko. We believed it was very important that these people should have ties to both sides of the conflict. This enables them to communicate with human rights groups in Kiev, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Odessa. For example, it allows them to work through certain issues such as the release of journalists or the evacuation of children.
Recently, the world watched in horror as mass graves were discovered near near eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. What has the Council done about this?
Mikhail Fedotov: The members of the Council are taking an active part in the investigation of this tragedy and they have repeatedly visited the site. The inquiry into the matter will require the assistance of forensic medical and other experts. It is extremely important for this investigation to be conducted at an international level under public control - so that no one would have any doubts considering the accuracy and objectivity of the probe's results.
Could the upcoming Rada elections stabilize the situation in Ukraine and will the Council monitor the electoral campaign?
Mikhail Fedotov: The Council is dealing exclusively with human rights issues and the development of civil society, there is no interference into either Russian politics or the politics of any other country. During the elections we only monitor people's voting rights, not the distribution of mandates among the competing parties. We are more concerned with the status of public observers during the elections. We think there should be public observers set up together with the mass media at elections.
The OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Press, Dunja Mijatovich, is planning to visit Russia in November. Do you have any plans to meet her in person?
Mikhail Fedotov: I hope that during her visit Mrs. Mijatovic will find the time to meet me. As far as I know, her visit will be confined primarily to the annual meeting of the heads of all of the journalist unions in Europe.
One of the biggest concerns for Russian's today is the spread of a new dangerous smoking mixture called “spice”. Over 700 people have been poisoned for less than half a month, 25 of whom have died. What can be done to fight agaist the spread of this widely used mixture?
Mikhail Fedotov: We should really use this chance to look at our culture, education and upbringing. You can’t protect a person from all the dangers he will encounter throughout his life. But you can create a defensive mechanism within a person himself – immunity to drugs, alcohol and tobacco. We should instill our youth a conscious attitude towards life and towards the value of one's personal health. We can’t solve a problem like this with any kinds of bans. Children must be appropriately raised by their parents and this will determine if they will try some of this “Spice” later in life.
So, talking about health, let me ask you a question about another growing epidemic, the Ebola virus. How do you feel about the complaint that the international reaction to the spread of the deadly virus was slow.
Mikhail Fedotov: This is more of a public issue than a state issue. If we observe our hygienic rules, Ebola virus won’t have a chance , as with any other virus. We must maintain internal discipline, a responsible attitude towards personal health is more important than anything else.
