I. Moscow Human Rights Advocates Debate Question of Creating a Human Rights Commission

The draft statute on a commission, which was initiated by the Moscow Helsinki Group, was supported by many human rights organizations and the Moscow mayor's office. The statute provides that the Human Rights Commission is a "social-governmental organization," whose purpose is "the strengthening of guarantees of human rights and freedoms in Moscow." The very idea of creating such a social-governmental commission produces bitter arguments among the capital's human rights advocates. On January 30, discussions took place on the theme: "Is The Commission To Be or Not To Be."

Aleksei Simonov, the chairman of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, says that there are three positions on this question--left, right, and moderate. Each of them has numerous supporters from among well-known activists of the human rights movement. (Mr. Simonov himself spoke out against "division into factions.")

Those on the "left" believe that there can be no sort of cooperation with the state and that the creation and operation of [such] a commission would produce a schism in the ranks of human rights activists. The leader of the foundation "Glasnost," Sergei Grigor�iants, came out categorically against the commission. He considers the commission to be a kind of bribery of the defenders of human rights: "The authorities want to create 'tame' human rights defenders, since it is easier to control them." Viktor Orekhov agreed with him. To Orekhov the idea of "hiring out" human rights activists to the mayor's office is absurd. Viktor Bulgakov told the gathering that "cooperation with the authorities" means the same thing as "cooperation with the KGB." He believes the schism among human rights advocates has already occurred.

Those on the "right" see the matter differently. They believe that the commission creates the possibility of carrying on a dialogue with the authorities. Ludmila Alekseeva (Moscow Helsinki Group) and Lev Ponomarev (Interregional Human Rights Center) say that dozens of such commissions have already been created in various regions and that many of them are working successfully. Andrei Babushkin (New Home) also came out in favor of the commission and gave "several reasons why it must be created:" The first is the possibility of lobbying governmental agencies. The second is a door that can be loudly slammed shut. The third is many powerful new channels of information. The fourth is using expertise in drafting laws. Rustem Maksudov (Criminal Law Reform Center) and Evgenii Proshechkin (Moscow Anti-Fascist Center) supported Mr. Babushkin, albeit with the reservation that "the work of the commission must be under strict social control."

The largest group at the meeting turned out to be the "moderates," for whom a human rights commission is "a fist in the face of the authorities" (Karina Moskalenko of the International Defense Center [Tsentr sodeistviia mezhdunarodnoi zashchiti] and Iurii Orlov of the International Helsinki Federation, and others). They are convinced that the commission should exist on the condition that the majority [of its seats] belong to representatives of human rights organizations chosen by society and not by the mayor. In the view of Aleksei Smirnov (Human Rights Center) "the most important issue in this argument is the determination of the distance between the authorities and the defenders of human rights. By the way, many activists (Veronika Marchenko of "Mother's Right" [Pravo materi], representatives of the Soldiers' Mothers Committee, and others) are already prepared to work on the commission."

Since the meeting was unable to reach a final decision, the discussions will continue.

II. Financing for the Russian Red Cross' Project for Homeless Children has Ended. Now What?

ASI's correspondent at the central committee of the Russian Red Cross reports that according to incomplete data, today in Moscow there are more than 70,000 homeless children. Around one million orphans are registered nationwide. They are primarily victims of military conflicts and children from socially disadvantaged families.

One of the first attempts at creating a shelter for homeless children was made by the Russian Red Cross. The Red Cross Center for homeless children in the Zapadnyi district of Moscow was opened with financial support from the Red Cross of the Netherlands in the facilities of an former kindergarten, which the administration of the district made available to the Red Cross free of charge. The administration also excused the center from paying rent and paying for utilities. The financing from the Dutch ended in 1996. There is a proposal to provide financing from the city budget beginning in 1997, but this remains an open question.

Between September and December, 1996, 27 children passed through the center. The parents of four of them were located, and the children were returned to their families. 23 of the children were turned over to state orphanages and children's homes. The experience of the center's staff has shown that the four month period originally envisioned for the social rehabilitation of homeless children is clearly not enough for the completion of documents, searching for the children's parents, and placing the children in orphanages and children's homes.

In view of the demands of sanitary supervision, the center's staff decided, with the support of the prefecture and internal affairs agencies, to provide food to homeless children at the places where they gather the most. A food station for homeless children was set up in the square in front of the Kiev Railway Station.

The coordinator of children's programs for the Russian Red Cross Svetlana Petrovna Amiridze says that by late 1996 Red Cross patrols had completed 65 missions through which homeless children around the Kiev Railway Station were given medical and humanitarian aid. Meals, clothes, and personal hygiene items were distributed. In all, 1,700 hot meals were served and 49 warm jackets, 83 pairs of winter boots, and 84 sets of sports clothing were handed out. Around the New Year's and Christmas holidays the homeless kids around the Kiev Railway Station received gifts of toys, colored pencils, albums, and children's books.

III. The Agency for Social Information is Beginning to Publish a New Informational Bulletin "Society and the State"

In February, 1997, the Agency for Social Information will begin to publish a new periodical, a monthly bulletin titled "Society and the State [Obshchestvennost' i vlast']." The bulletin will contain information on the cooperation of state and social entities. It will be distributed in the prefectures of Moscow, to the committees and departments of the mayor's office, and the Moscow City Duma. The project is being supported by the committee on social and interregional relations of the Moscow city government.

Collection of material for the first "pilot" edition [was] going on [at the time this notice was written]. If your organization has cooperated with the city mayor's office, a prefecture, the State or City Dumas, and ministries or any other organs of state, please report this to the Agency. They are especially interested in events that took place in January (mutual conferences, holiday celebrations, charitable or other undertakings, financial support for your organization's work, etc.)

The last day for sending information for the first issue [was] February 7.

You can send your communication by fax: 249-8515, or by E-mail to [email protected].

Return to Index for ASI Bulletin English Translation excerpts
Visit the Index for ASI Bulletin Russian-language (Includes complete table of contents for each issue)

Available from the CCSI Home Page at: http://www.friends-partners.org/~ccsi/