Russian diplomat sent death threat to human rights advocate

2016

NGOs from around the world appeal to Russia’s Foreign minister after a Russian diplomat sent death threats to Florian Irminger, Head of Advocacy of the Human Rights House Foundation, at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Here is the text of the letter sent to Sergey Lavrov (pictured):

Your Excellency,

We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations from various countries, members of the Human Rights House Network, members of the Civic Solidarity Platform, and other NGOs, would like to express our strongest concern over increasing intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders working with international organizations.

In particular, we are outraged and extremely worried by a recent incident, when our colleague Florian Irminger, Head of Advocacy at the Human Rights House Foundation, the Secretariat of the Human Rights House Network, received a death threat during the 31^st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. On Thursday 24 March 2016, during the adoption of the Council’s resolution on human rights defenders, a twitter account sent a tweet directly to F. Irminger. The tweet contained a disturbing graphic and was accompanied by a written threat on his life.

The account of the individual making this threat, which is now closed, included a succession of tweets and a photo that show the individual was closely monitoring the debate and vote in the Council on the Russia-led amendments to the human rights defenders resolution. Evidence strongly suggests that the account belongs to a diplomat working at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office in Geneva and attending the Human Rights Council. The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva recognized that the threat originated from one of the accredited diplomats of the Russian Federation to the United Nations and that the employee had been reprimanded. Still, at the opening of the 32^nd session of the Council, the Russian diplomat was attending, continuing his work on human rights.

We see this unprecedented threat in the context of a particularly repressive environment in Russia for human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers, which includes restrictive legislation, legal persecution, smear campaigns, and physical attacks. Moreover, Russia voted against the resolutions on human rights defenders in the UN General Assembly in autumn 2015 and in the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016. The tweet with a death threat, coming from an official representative of a State, which systematically suppresses civil society, should be taken with outmost seriousness. Instead, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation was quoted as considering this incident “basically a joke”.

According to Article 2.1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, States have the responsibility and duty to protect, promote and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms, inter alia, by adopting such steps as may be necessary to create all conditions necessary in the social, economic, political and other fields, as well as the legal guarantees required to ensure that all persons under its jurisdiction, individually and in association with others, are able to enjoy all those rights and freedoms in practice. Like any other state, the Russian Federation has the responsibility to protect and promote human rights, particularly to create a safe environment for the work of civil society in the country and abroad.

Given the serious nature of this threat, we call upon you to immediately suspend the concerned diplomat from working at the UN Human Rights Council and take appropriate disciplinary measures. We are outraged by the fact that the concerned diplomat was present at the opening of the 32^nd session of the Human Rights Council and is allowed to continue his work normally at the United Nations. We further call upon you to undertake necessary measures to prevent a similar situation in the future and to report to the Human Rights Council publicly during the dedicated agenda items on such steps.

Signatories:

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland

Supported by NGOs members of the Human Rights House Network:

Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House in exile, Vilnius (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Belarusian PEN Centre
Belarusian Association of Journalists
Belarusian Helsinki Committee
City Public Association “Centar Supolnasc”
Human Rights Centre “Viasna”

Law Initiative

Human Rights House Belgrade (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights YUCOM

Human Rights House Bergen (on behalf of the following NGO):

Rafto Foundation

Education Human Rights House Chernihiv (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Chernihiv Public Committee of Human Rights Protection
Civic Education Center “Almenda”
М’АRТ
Ukrainian Helsinki HR Union

Human Rights House Oslo (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Health and Human Rights Info
Human Rights House Foundation

Human Rights House Tbilisi (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Article 42 of the Constitution
Caucasian Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Studies (CAUCASIA)
Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims
Human Rights Centre
Media Centre
Union Sapari – Family without Violence

Human Rights House Yerevan (on behalf of the following NGOs):

Democracy Today
Helsinki Association for Human Rights
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor
Insuring Equal Rights
Journalists’ Club “Asparez”
Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK Armenia)
Real World, Real People
Socioscope Societal Research & Consultancy Center
The Rule of Law Human Rights
Women’s Resource Center

Human Rights House Zagreb (on behalf of the following NGOs):

APEO/UPIM Association for Promotion of Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities
B.a.B.e.
CMS – Centre for Peace Studies
Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past
GOLJP – Civic Committee for Human Rights
Svitanje – Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health

Other HRHN members and partner organisations:

Association of Ukrainian Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement

Center for Civil Liberties

Human Rights Information Center

Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan

Index on Censorship, United Kingdom

Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group

Legal Education Society (LES)

Women’s Association for Rational Development (WARD)

NGOs members of the Civic Solidarity Platform:

Analytical Center for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations

Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan Human Rights Movement