05/10/2012 Session
Strasbourg, 05.10.2012 – György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the situation of human rights defenders, has expressed serious concern at recent threats to Tanya Lokshina, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Russia.
“I am worried about the worsening situation of human rights defenders in Russia and the hostile climate for their work. The recent threats sent via mobile phone to Ms Lokshina, a highly-regarded human rights defender, are unacceptable. The fact that these threats referred to confidential information concerning her private life raises the suspicion that security services may have been involved. The authorities must now conduct a credible investigation into these threats.”
Tanya Lokshina is the deputy director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch. On several occasions, she has co-operated with the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights as an expert on the human rights situation in the North Caucasus region. At the end of September 2012, she received on her mobile phone numerous texts containing direct and implicit threats referring to her pregnancy and other confidential personal details, according to Human Rights Watch. These messages also falsely linked her to Islamic insurgents, they said.
Mr Frunda is also co-rapporteur on Russia of PACE’s Monitoring Committee. On the basis of this committee’s report, the Assembly adopted a resolution last Tuesday in which it called on the Russian authorities, in particular, “to ensure effective investigation into cases of abuse against and harassment of human rights defenders and prosecute the perpetrators”.