Human rights defenders call on UN to support Andrei Pivovarov

The United Nations should influence the Russian authorities to secure the release of Andrei Pivovarov, who was arrested in Kuban on the charge of collaborating with an undesirable organization, international human rights organizations state.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on June 2, in Krasnodar, a court placed Andrei Pivovarov, the former executive director of the Open Russia*, under arrest on the charges of carrying out the activities of an undesirable organization. Andrei Pivovarov himself associated the criminal proceedings against him with the upcoming elections.

An open letter addressed to the permanent missions to the UN is posted on the website of the human rights organization “Amnesty International” (AI) and signed by four organizations, including AI, Fédération Internationale pour les Droits Humains (FIDH), Human Rights House Foundation, and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“We are seriously concerned about the state and development of the human rights situation in Russia. The politically motivated prosecution and arbitrary imprisonment of Alexei Navalny, his colleagues, associates and supporters, as well as outlawed organizations associated with him, have shed light on a wide range of human rights violations committed by the authorities,” states the letter posted on July 7.

The authors of the appeal requested the UN to make an appropriate statement to the Russian authorities and, in particular, to call for the immediate release of Andrei Pivovarov.

* The activities of two organizations registered in Great Britain and containing the words “Open Russia” in their names have been recognized by the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 8, 2021 at 03:51 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.