Human rights activists demand EU take Russia to task

(BERLIN) - Human rights activists urged the German presidency of the European Union Thursday to put pressure on Russia to respect individual freedoms, a week before an EU-Russia meeting on the issue.

The leaders of three Russian non-governmental organisations pressed the EU to address what they called the deteriorating rights situation in Russia under President Vladimir Putin. They were gathered in Berlin at the invitation of New York-based Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The head of the Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Yuri Dzhibladze, said Germany had turned a blind eye to rights violations in Russia so as not to jeopardise its economic ties, in particular in the energy sector.

"We believe that Germany is under performing in its role of leader in Europe in working with Russia," Dzhibladze told reporters, ahead of EU-Russia human rights consultations on May 3 in Berlin, before the May 18 EU-Russia summit.

The chairwoman of DEMOS Centre for Information and Research, Tanya Lokshina, cited a bloody police crackdown against opposition activists and a sharp rise in racist attacks as symptomatic of a harsher climate for dissent.

"All the European countries ought to stand up for Russian civil society, but Germany should be leading the way," Lokshina said.

"With the Putin government trying to suppress all dissent, we need you now more than ever."

Oleg Orlov, the head of Memorial, one of Russia's oldest human rights groups, said Europe had the power to help turn the tide in Russia.

"Speaking out on human rights in Russia won't threaten Europe's energy supply but it would really help to curb the government's crackdown," Orlov said. "Russian civil society is under attack and we need Germany to speak up."

The activists also criticised the planning of next week's meeting in Berlin, saying that no Russian human rights groups had been invited.