Recent legislation passed by the Russian Federal Duma poses a serious threat to human rights and the development of civil society within the country. A law labeling NGOs as “foreign agents,” the re-criminalization of libel, censorship of the internet and amendments to the criminal code that expand the definition of treason could severely hamper civil society activities. The National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House have invited prominent Russian civil society experts to share their views on the impact of the legislation and the prospects for civil society moving forward. In addition, a statement of international concern will be released at the event, calling for the Russian government to honor its commitments to international agreements and repeal these restrictive new measures.
Featuring panelists:
Susan Corke, Freedom House
Oleg Kozlovsky, Vision of Tomorrow Foundation
Tanya Lokshina, Human Rights Watch, Moscow
Alexander Verkhovsky, SOVA Center
Moderated by: Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy
RSVP (acceptances only) with name and affiliation by Tuesday, November 13 by email to bryant@ned.org.
A light breakfast will be served
Panelist bios:
Ms. Susan Corke is Director for Eurasia Programs at Freedom House. She has published and contributed to articles, blogs, advocacy campaigns, briefings, and publications on human rights issues in Eurasia. Before joining Freedom House, Ms. Corke spent seven years at the State Department, where she worked as the Deputy Director for European Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Ms. Corke oversaw the editing of the State Department human rights country reports for Europe and supervised human rights programs in Europe, including DRL’s portfolio of Russia programs. Ms. Corke also served at U.S. Embassy Moscow.
Mr. Oleg Kozlovsky is an award-winning Russian democracy activist and researcher. Prior to founding Vision of Tomorrow in 2010, he held various leading positions at pro-democracy NGOs including the Oborona movement, the Other Russia coalition, and the SPS party. He has organized numerous non-violent protests, civil disobedience campaigns, and online projects, and has written for The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, and The Huffington Post. For his activism, Mr. Kozlovsky has been arrested multiple times, drafted into the army, and declared persona non grata in Belarus. He is currently working on his PhD dissertation on influence of Orange Revolution on Russian politics, and is serving as a Fulbright Visiting Researcher at George Washington University.
Ms. Tanya Lokshina is Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Moscow office. Having joined Human Rights Watch in January 2008, Ms. Lokshina authored reports on egregious rights abuses in Chechnya and Ingushetia and co-authored a report on violations of international humanitarian law during the armed conflict in Georgia in the summer of 2008. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Ms. Lokshina headed a prominent Moscow-based human rights think-tank, Demos. Ms. Lokshina writes a column for the Russian current affairs website Polit.Ru. She is a recipient of the 2006 Andrei Sakharov Award for Journalism as Civic Accomplishment. Since 2003, Ms. Lokshina's work has largely focused on Chechnya and the Caucasus. Her books include Chechnya Inside Out and Imposition of a Fake Political Settlement in the Northern Caucasus.
Mr. Alexander Verkhovsky is the founder and director of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, a Moscow-based NGO that monitors and analyzes political extremism, ultranationalism, xenophobia, freedom of religion, and the use and misuse of counter-extremism measures in Russia. He previously worked as vice president of Panorama Information and Research Center and as editor-in-chief of Panorama newspaper. He has authored numerous publications, including Contemporary Discourse Competition Between Russian Nationalists and Federal Authorities (2011). Mr. Verkhovsky is currently on a Reagan-Fascell Fellowship at the NED.
Mr. Carl Gershman is President of the National Endowment for Democracy, a private, congressionally supported grant-making institution with the mission to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. In addition to presiding over the Endowment's grants program in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Latin America, he has overseen the creation of the quarterly Journal of Democracy, International Forum for Democratic Studies, the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program, and the Center for International Media Assistance. He also took the lead in launching in New Delhi in 1999 the World Movement for Democracy, which is a global network of democracy practitioners and scholars. In the current period, Mr. Gershman is overseeing the response of NED and its related institutes to the revolutionary changes in the Middle East and also helping to mobilize support for activists working for greater freedom in authoritarian countries.