Deputies of the Moscow City Duma asked a candidate
to the post of Ombudsman to show his passport.
Yesterday’s meeting of the Moscow City Duma Commission
on Staff Issues adopted a decision to develop and submit
to the Moscow Duma in accordance with the Moscow law “On
the Ombudsman in Moscow” two candidacies for the post of
Moscow Ombudsman: city Mayor Yuri Luzhkov proposed ex-Prefect
of the Central District of Moscow and ex-minister of the
Moscow government for information and public affairs Alexander
Muzikantsky, and the YABLOKO faction of the Moscow City
Duma proposed member of the Bureau of the YABLOKO party,
Chairman of the Board of the Social Partnership Foundation
and renown human rights activist Valery Borschyov.
The commission did not question Muzikantsky’s documents,
however, it asked Borschyov to show them his passport. It
turned out that there was a stamp in Borschyov’s passport
made on his crossing of the Russian-Ukrainian border which
[according to the Commission] made the document void. Borschyov
made a promise to change his passport, however, he also
told to the meeting that according to the Russian law any
notes made in the passport [by the authorized bodies] without
permission of the passport owner can not be regarded as
grounds for refusal in registration. The incident with the
passport put an end to the formalities and the commission
listened to the candidates and their representatives on
the essence of the matter. Alexander Muzikantsky told that
he had continuously resolved the problems connected with
human rights at his former posts of Prefect of the Central
District of Moscow and a regional minister.
Valery Borschyov’s representative deputy of the Moscow
City Duma Eugeni Bunimovich called their candidate “one
of the most renowned human rights activists. And an ombudsman
for successful work requires an experience in protection
of human rights “. On the other hand, Eugeni Bunimovich
also praised Alexander Muzikantsky. “When Alexander Muzikantsky
was Prefect of the Central District of Moscow YABLOKO did
not face any problems in picketing or conducting actions
in the centre of Moscow,” he said.
Valery Borschyov noted that in his view Moscow had a strong
human rights movement being the only city in Russia where
human rights activists managed to come to an understanding
with the interior bodies. Therefore, ombudsman’s work in
the city can be very productive.
After the meeting Alexander Muzikantsky told to the correspondent
of Gazeta, that a proposal to become a regional ombudsman
made to him by the head of the city [Yuri Luzhkov] in August,
was unexpected for him. However if he were elected, he would
use the experience accumulated by the institute of ombudsmen
for children’s rights in Moscow, as well as the experience
of human rights organisations functioning in Moscow.
Answering the question about the most acute problems of
human rights in the region Alexander Muzikantsky was brief,
“We have much bureaucracy”.
Valery Borschyov told to the Gazeta correspondent that if
he were elected he would first of all support the institutions
of the civil society functioning in the region and would
influence the authorities so that to change the situation
with human rights for the better.
The institute of regional ombudsman was established in
Moscow when Moscow law “On the Ombudsman in Moscow” on April
15, 2009. The law came into force on August 1, 2009. However,
simultaneously Moscow abolished the post of ombudsman for
children’s rights.
See also:
the
original
Human
Rights
