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News of the Week
highlighting the security dimension in the region
ACPC Events
The Committee organizes public events with high-profile dissidents, government officials, journalists and regional experts at forums, conferences and universities across North America, this way giving a voice to the communities of the North Caucasus. If you or your organization would like to host or co-sponsor a speaker, please contact us in Washington, DC.
Below you will find listings of our past events as well as more detailed information on the participants, topics discussed and other related documents.
Venue
In the Eye of the Storm: "Chechnya and the Mounting Violence in the North Caucasus"
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 10:00 - 12:30
The U.S. Helsinki Commission
cordially invites you to a briefing:
In the Eye of the Storm:
“Chechnya and the Mounting Violence in the North Caucasus" and screening of a film by Human Rights Center “Memorial”:
“Victims Take the Floor”
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
10:00AM-12:30 PM
Location: 340 Cannon House Office Building
A year after the murder of Natalia Estemirova, a leading researcher at the Grozny office of Human Rights Center “Memorial”, the perpetrators still have not been brought to justice. Natalia’s death severed for many in Chechnya a lifeline to the outside world. Since her death, it has become increasingly dangerous for human rights defenders to carry out their work and for victims of human rights abuses to report these crimes. Behind a façade of calm and order portrayed by Chechen authorities, a climate of fear and lawlessness continues to prevail, as disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial executions go on unpunished.
The briefing will be followed by the screening of “Victims Take the Floor.” The film features testimonies by family members of victims of human rights abuses in Chechnya and neighboring North Caucasus republics.
Please join the U.S. Helsinki Commission for a briefing on the current human rights and security situation in Chechnya. Panelists will include:
· Igor Kalyapin, Chair, Committee Against Torture
· Elena Milashina, Investigative Reporter, Novaya Gazeta
· Raisa Turlueva, victim from Chechnya
Venue
Brutal Censorship: Targeting Journalists in the North Caucasus
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 12:00 - 14:00
Although freedom of speech is guaranteed in Russia’s constitution, at least nineteen Russian journalists have been murdered on account of their work since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s tenure in 1999. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Russia is now a more dangerous place for journalists than it was during the Cold War. It is the third most deadly country in the world for the press and the ninth worst in solving murders of journalists—despite its otherwise strong record in criminal prosecution. While journalists are targeted for reporting on a variety of subjects, those covering events in the North Caucasus are particularly vulnerable. Fatima Tlisova, an award-winning journalist with over ten years of experience in the North Caucasus, will discuss press persecution in Russia and profile the experiences of eight exiled journalists. She will analyze what can be learned about Russia’s approach to a free press through the techniques it employs to censor independent media and silence individuals. Her presentation will be followed by comments by Jon Sawyer.
Featuring: Fatima Tlisova, Pulitzer Center journalist and Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow. With comments by: Jon Sawyer, executive cirector of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
This event will take place on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 from 12:00 noon–2:00 p.m. (Lunch served 12:00–12:30 pm). Located at 1025 F. Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. For more information call: 202-378-9675.
Venue
<p>Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives</p>
Rayburn House Office Building, Room B318
Washington DC
map
Rayburn House Office Building, Room B318
Washington DC
map
Overview of Human Rights in Russia
Thu, 05/06/2010 - 10:00 - 12:00
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC)
Hearing:
Human Rights in Russia: An Overview
Thursday, May 6
10 – 11:30 a.m.
2255 Rayburn HOB
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the human rights situation in Russia, including the precarious situation of journalists and human rights and political activists working in the country, and the tensions in the North Caucasus. The hearing is open to the media and the public.
The 2009 U.S. State Department human rights report on Russia emphasized that the situation in the North Caucasus “remained an area of particular concern,” and “local government and insurgent forces reportedly engaged in killing, torture, abuse, violence, politically motivated abductions and other brutal or humiliating treatment, often with impunity.”
Freedom of the press also continues to erode. The Glasnost Defense Foundation documented 59 journalists who were attacked, eight of whom were killed in 2009. Reporters Without Borders assessment for 2009 stated that: “Media freedom [in Russia] has not significantly improved over the past decade. Radio and TV news diversity is still lacking, independent media outlets are harassed by police and courts and those who kill journalists are not punished.” According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a vaguely worded new press law currently under consideration further expands the reach of security agents to censor the press to ostensibly combat extremism.
Many high profile killings remain unresolved, including the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya and the 2009 killing of Natalya Estemirova.
To discuss these issues we welcome the following witnesses:
· Karinna Moskalenko, founder and director, International Protection Center
· William Browder, chief executive director, Hermitage Capital Management Ltd.
· Tanya Lokshina, deputy director, Human Rights Watch – Moscow
· Sam Patten, senior program officer, Freedom House
· Paul Goble, director of research and publications, Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
· Nina Ognianova, program coordinator for Europe & Central Asia, Committee to Protect Journalists