Press Release, 23.102019

On the evening of 22 October, security officials (presumably employees of the Investigative Committee), accompanied by cameras of the NTV television  channel, came to the Moscow office of the human rights organisation Committee “For Civil Rights”, headed by Andrei Babushkin, member of the federal Bureau of the Yabloko party.

According to preliminary information, their visit was related to an attempt of an unidentified person to hand money to one of the Committee’s employees that he allegedly extorted from a prisoner for helping him. The bag of money turned out to be a fake. Apparently, this was a provocation.

“Against the backdrop of the latest news: on actual ruining of the Presidential Human Rights Council, of which Andrei Babushkin is a member, the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice on the liquidation of the “For Human Rights” movement, a 250,000 fine for the Perm branch of the Memorial human rights centre, – a visit of security officials to the Committee “For Civil Rights”, one of the country’s most respected human rights organisations, is perceived unambiguously – there is no trust in the state,” said Alexander Gnezdilov, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko.

According to him, the party will control the development of the situation around the Committee “For Civil Rights”. “We express full confidence and support to our colleague Andrei Babushkin,” Alexander Gnezdilov emphasised.

The Interregional Public Charitable Organisation “Committee For Civil Rights” was established in 1997. One of the key areas of its activities is provision of legal assistance to people in places of detention, as well as those released from prisons. The permanent leader of the Committee is Andrei Babushkin, member of the federal Bureau of the Yabloko party and member of the Presidential Human Rights Council.