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06 August 2009
GPPi fellow discusses Russian activist situation on Deutsche Welle
GPPi Fellow Sergey Lagodinsky, a regular studio guest on German TV station Deutsche Welle’s international talk show Quadriga, spoke on 24 July 2009 about the current security situation in Russia for civil and human rights activists. He was joined by leading journalist and former Moscow correspondent of the German Süddeutsche Zeitung Daniel Brössler and American journalist Andrew Dennison.
Lagodinsky rejected oversimplified portrayals of the situation concerning human rights acitivists in Russia. He stressed that it will always be impossible to prove that the Russian government or any other state institutions commissioned crimes against journalists and political activists. Nonetheless, he opined that talking about the personal liability of those in power in Russia is beside the point. More important is the political responsibility they bear through deliberate and systematic marginalization of these people through political means and via the media.
Lagodinsky also argued that, contrary to a widely held notion, civil rights activists in Russia find themselves opposed not only by the government. They are also confronted with a general lack of understanding by the population. Educational and political efforts and clear commitments to human rights on behalf of the Russian government are needed to improve the view of constitutional rights and deference to the fundamental institutions of the rule of law.
The program (in English) can be viewed here
The program (in German) can be viewed here
For more information. please contact Sergey Lagodinsky