Photo : Reuters
30 December 2021, Thursday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #85
IN FOCUS
By Harini Madhusudan
Russia: Supreme Court Orders the closure of the International Memorial Human Rights Group
On 28 December, the Russian Supreme Court ordered for the closure of Memorial International, which stood as a chronicle of the Stalin-era purges and symbolized the post-Soviet democratization. Following the ruling to close the rights group and its regional branches, supporters of these organizations were seen shouting “Disgrace! Disgrace!” in the court. The prosecutors have accused the organization of not marking their publications with the “foreign agent” label. This is in the context of the Russian foreign agents’ law which mandates the groups and organizations to be labelled as “foreign agents,” when they receive funds from overseas.
During the hearing on 28 December, the prosecutors claimed that the Memorial International organization had denigrated the memory of the Soviet Union and its victories while rehabilitating the “Nazi Criminals,” the prosecutor said, the Memorial “creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state and denigrates the memory of World War II.” As a response, the Memorial made a statement on the same evening saying they would appeal and find legal ways to continue their activities. The statement said: “Memorial is not an organisation, it is not even a social movement. It is a need of the citizens of Russia to know the truth about its tragic past.”
The Memorial International founded in the late 1980s is an amalgamation of locally registered organizations, that maintain a network, extensive archives in Moscow, and coordinate its work. The group have spent decades cataloguing the atrocities committed in the Soviet Union, specifically in the network of prison camps, the Gulag. The Memorial’s founders have denied the accusations of serious violations and revealed that only an insignificant number of documents may have missed the “foreign agent” tag. The decision would close the “Memorial International Historical, Educational, Charitable, and Human Rights Society, its regional branches and other structural units.”
Supporters believe that the move by the supreme court signals an end to the Russian post-Soviet democratization process that began in the same month, thirty years ago. In a separate statement, Navalny’s team said the authorities had detained the heads of their dismantled offices in the Siberian regions of Tomsk and Irkutsk. Anton Orekh, a political analyst said, the closure of the Memorial was akin to the “public justification of Stalin purge.” The Auschwitz Memorial released their views on Twitter and said: “A power that is afraid of memory will never be able to achieve democratic maturity.”
Prior to the ruling, the Memorial’s leadership had hoped to receive broad public support that would stop it from its closure. They submitted more than 127,000 signatures in support of their cause. Parallelly, on 27 December, a court increased the 13-year prison sentence for the head of the Memorial Yuri Dmitriyev by two years. This purge against the independent organizations and the opposition in Russia is set to bring a lot of instability within the relations in Europe. It is believed that the Memorial would approach the European Human Rights system for its appeal.
References:
Andrew Roth, “Russian court orders closure of country’s oldest human rights group,” The Guardian, 28 December 2021.
“Russia’s Supreme Court orders closure of top human rights group Memorial,” France24, 28 December 2021.
“Russian court orders closure of leading rights group Memorial,” Al Jazeera, 28 December 2021.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews, Padmashree Anandhan and Ashwin Dhanabalan
NORTH MACEDONIA
Socialists’ head Dimitar Kovacevski becomes prime minister-designate
On 28 December, the new leader of the ruling Socialists (SDSM) Dimitar Kovacevski announced that the party had approved him as North Macedonia’s prime minister-designate. The announcement came post ex-Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s resignation in the week prior to 28 December. Kovacevski stated: “As the SDSM president and new prime minister-designate, I will be led exclusively by principles of unity, responsibility, dedication and efficiency.” Kovacevski is set to lead a government which will have to deal with issues ranging from the pandemic to the energy crisis. On 29 December, President Stevo Pendarovski will formally appoint Kovacevski to the position. The new leader is expected to form a new cabinet within 20 days. Reuters cited local media reporting that Parliamentary Speaker Talat Xhaferi stated the vote for the same was predicted for 15 or 16 January 2022. (“New leader of North Macedonia's Socialists becomes PM-designate,” Reuters, 28 December 2021)
UKRAINE
The US financing projects in Ukraine, says border service
On 28 December, Ukrainian border service stated that the US would be financing surveillance and monitoring equipment in attempts to strengthen the country’s borders against Russia and Belarus. Reuters cited the border service to have stated: “... the projects worth USD 20 million involved the purchase of video recording systems and drones, as well as personal protective equipment for border guards.” Ukraine has received military support from the US since 2018. This fact has only let the Kremlin increasingly criticize Kyiv. (“US helps Ukraine to strengthen its border with Russia, Belarus,” Reuters, 28 December 2021)
REGIONAL
Turkish Defense Minister Akar comments on the Bosnian crisis
On 28 December, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: "If desired, Turkey can work as a mediator in Bosnia and Herzegovina." He further mentioned to the CNN Turk broadcaster: "We view Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole. We have done all we can for its unity and stability, and we will continue to do so." Turkey has maintained close ties with Bosnia and has often praised Bosnia's wartime leader Alija Izetbegovic; Ankara has also maintained close relations with Bosnia's tripartite inter-ethnic presidency. As reported by Reuters, the recent tensions arose after "Serb lawmakers earlier this month voted to start pulling their autonomous Serb Republic out of Bosnia's armed forces, tax system, and judiciary". Turkey stated that the vote was "wrong, dangerous" as it could threaten the region's stability and called on the EU to intervene in the situation. ("Turkey offers to mediate in Bosnian crisis 'to ensure stability'," Reuters, 29 December 2021)
COVID-19
Germany: Court rules to protect disabled people for fair COVID-19 treatment
On 28 December, the highest court of Germany declared that disabled people would be protected under the legally binding guidelines, if hospitals were forced to prioritize patients based on the severity of illness. The purpose of the law is to prevent unfair treatments as the cases increase due to the Omicron variant. The constitutional court ordered legislators to create a framework to protect disabled people. It also urged states to list down the criteria which doctors need to refer before choosing the patient for lifesaving treatment. According to the ruling: “no person shall be disregarded because of disability.” This issue did not emerge from COVID-19 alone, but has been a debate in Germany for years. The pandemic only helped fast track the ruling. Meanwhile, the Director of the German Institute for Human Rights has rejected the rule stating: “Vaccine status should not be allowed to play any role as to who should receive intensive medical treatment or not.” (Kate Connolly, “German court rules disabled people must be protected in Covid triage cases,” The Guardian, 28 December 2021)
ENERGY
Russia: Deputy Prime Minister hopes for Nord Stream 2 to be activated soon
On 29 December, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak while speaking to RBC media stated that he believed the Nord Stream 2 would soon receive required certification and begin transits. The construction of the second pipeline was completed in September 2021; however, it awaits ratification from Berlin and Brussels. When questioned on the existence of backup plans if the pipeline failed to be certified, Novak answered: “We don't consider such options and we believe it will be launched in line with the timings, set for certification.” (“Russia says failure to certify Nord Stream 2 is not an option -RBC,” Reuters, 29 December 2021)
ENVIRONMENT
Poland: Morawiecki’s hopes for progress on the Turow mine issue
On 28 December, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki mentioned how Warsaw was hopeful of the new Czech Republic government in renegotiating the Turow mine issue. As reported by Reuters: "The European Union's top court told Poland to halt operations at the Turow mine on the border with the Czech Republic after Prague complained of environmental damage in Czech villages, which would also mean closing a nearby power plant." However, Poland did not halt operations even after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered its closure. Morawiecki said the mine was crucial as it provided heat and electricity to the people of Poland. He was hopeful as the Czech Environment Ministry in November stated: "a new proposal from Poland on the settlement of a dispute was unacceptable, adding it would have to be discussed with the incoming government formed earlier this month following October's election." The mine was ordered to close as it caused environmental damage to the Czech villages close to Poland's border. (“Poland hopes for progress in talks with Czechs over Turow mine,” Reuters, 28 December 2021)
INTERNATIONAL
Biden and Putin to conduct telephonic conversation to discuss Ukrainian issue
On 30 December, the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US President Joe Biden are set to hold a telephonic conversation at Putin’s request. Given the concerns raised by both the US and the Ukrainian governments, the two leaders will discuss the military build-up by Russia at the Ukrainian border. According to a senior US administrative official, Biden is expected to state that the US seeks diplomatic path over conflict. He said: “Biden is also expected to emphasize that talks with Russia ought to occur in "a context of de-escalation rather than escalation.” The call will be the second one between the leaders in December, since the previous call failed to provide clear conclusions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “We believe that only through talks is it possible to solve all the immediate problems that we have in abundance between us.” (“Ukraine-Russia tensions: Biden and Putin to hold new call,” Deutsche Welle, 30 December 2021)