OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representatives on tolerance make first joint country visit to Russian Federation

MOSCOW, 17 October 2014 – In their first joint country visit to the Russian Federation, the OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representatives on combatting discrimination and promoting tolerance met representatives of the government and civil society in Moscow from 15 to 16 October 2014 to discuss good practices and gaps in policy, activities and legislation, as well as areas where the OSCE can provide further support.

During the visit, the representatives held meetings with officials from the Ministries of Education and Science, Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as the Federal Migration and Penitentiary Services.

Meetings were also organized with representatives from civil society, including from groups representing the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities in Russia.

“The openness and sincerity of exchange of opinions were impressive. A large number of issues have been clarified”, said Alexey Avtonomov, Personal Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions. “Meanwhile, the potential for improvements in legislation and application of the law was highlighted. For example, the vague and overly broad legal definition of ‘extremism’ and the enforcement of anti-extremist legislation are matters of concern for many non-governmental organizations.”

“Jewish leaders describe a situation where Jewish life continues to flourish with very few incidents of anti-Semitism,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism. “However, they also raised concerns about undertones of anti-semitism in the media.”

Talip Küçükcan, Personal Representative on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims, said: “We were able to hold meetings with representatives of civil society organizations, who shared their concerns and expectations with us. The Russian officials were also helpful and responsive to our questions, so the meetings were very useful and fruitful”.

The Personal Representatives will present to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office a report on this visit, which will include recommendations for action and identify areas of possible support by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).