Цитаты
Спасение человечества заключено в сердце человека, в способности человека к самопознанию, в человеческой кротости и в человеческой ответственности. Вацлав Гавел |
|
|
|
|
Statement about results of 2011
|
|
|
|
 2011 would undoubtedly become a memorable year for many Russians. We think the main event of the year fell on its final months connected with election to the State Duma and election of the President forthcoming in March 2012. The Russian citizens, especially in big cities and mostly representing the growing middle class that gained a relative material well-being demand to have a real right to elect the authority. Meetings of protest in Moscow at Bolotnaya square and Sakharov square assembled dozens thousand people that demanded from the authority to treat their rights with respect.
There were no mass protests similar by their scale since 1991, and they brought the feedback mechanism “society-authority” into play and led to real steps that were voiced in the message to the Federal Assembly: simplification and facilitation of registration of parties participating in election, return to a mixed electoral system, to election of governors by direct voting of population, and creation of the Public TV.
Thousands people who came into the streets demanded not salary increase and not improvement of social conditions that would be quite habitual – they demanded respect to themselves as to personalities, citizens. This fact is gratifying and it is the evidence of existence of civil consciousness of the people, of democratic potential necessary for further development of Russia.
During the whole year reports were coming about outrage of policemen, beatings of citizens, about drunk running-down accidents of policemen with pedestrians. Outrage still happens in places of imprisonment. People are taken to investigatory isolation wards on suspicion of economic crimes, and they die there – tragic stories with S. Magnitsky and A. Kudoyarov are memorable for everybody. Corruption penetrates the law-enforcement bodies, and not so much changed in this concern during the past year.
Corruption is the principal scourge of Russia; it struck literally the whole social-economic sphere. According to estimates of experts, amount of shadow economy is almost 30% of gross domestic product. Dozens billion dollars flow abroad, and Western investors have to resort to enormous “kickbacks” for investing funds into production in Russia. According to report of the Public chamber of RF on counteraction to corruption in 2011, many anti-corruption measures were taken but their effect proved to be small. For overcoming of corruption, confrontation to criminality, either economic or criminal one, really independent judicial system is necessary. And meanwhile the “pocket justice” often acts serving interests of local elites or being as corrupt as the whole society. Courts pass lenient and suspended sentences for dangerous crimes and punish mercilessly the people guilty and even just suspected of economic crimes despite state of their health and other mitigating circumstances. Appeal of the Presidential council on human rights with recommendations to revise M. Khodorkovsky’s case in which numerous judicial absurdities were found, was significant for the past year: the fact that was obvious for public for many years got a public assessment of a high official structure – and this causes some hope.
Overcoming of corruption, real assessment of what happens in the country requires unbiased and exact information that may be provided only by independent and developed mass media. According to estimates of international experts, Russia occupies one of the last places in the world regarding freedom of press; murders and beatings of journalists take place regularly (the recent famous case – murder of founder of Daghestani opposition weekly “Rough copy” H. Kamalov). Journalists apprehend to write about “sharp” subjects being governed by censorship limitations or self-censorship.
At the same time many publications appear in press that provoke extremist moods in the society and incite mean chauvinist and racist instincts. Cases of dozens Nazi gangs are examined in courts. Though such crimes are punished more strictly now, the society and authorities respond insufficiently to them. The justice is often lenient towards young extremists, books of most vicious contents that propagate racism, anti-Semitism, Caucasian-phobia, migrant-phobia are sold in shops and public places freely and with impunity. Chauvinist rhetoric is often heard from officials invested with power and broadly used by political figures – it also took place during recent election to the State Duma. But despite appeals of human rights organizations and statements of the Central election committee, there was no response to radical nationalistic rhetoric.
Interethnic relations especially became aggravated in connection with inflow of numerous labor migrants into Russia (and they are necessary for the country experiencing a sharp demographic crisis and shortage at labor market). Imperfection of labor legislation, corruption extortion from migrants and their employers, nationalistic propaganda and lack of proper measures for adaptation and integration of migrants lead to aggravation of situation when any incident motivated by everyday matters may grow into confrontation. Sometimes the authority uses migrants as small change for political purposes like this was with Tajik migrants in connection with the case of a Russian pilot. Such situation is inadmissible as it may lead to direct interethnic confrontation. Connivance of law-enforcers to criminals from among migrants is also fraught with new conflicts.
The situation is still most complicated in social-economic sphere, and this is caused by both consequences of economic crisis and corruption, imperfection of laws and low moral level of society. Level of unemployment is high, especially in rural districts and mono-cities. Tariffs in housing and communal services sphere still grow groundlessly, hundreds crooked people sitting upon financial flows of payments make a profit on pensioners, veterans and people with small income. Anthropogenic, transport catastrophes remind permanently about exhaustion of the Soviet resource and about improper control.
Gangsters and local authorities that are in common corrupt liaison with each other often suppress economic initiatives of the citizens misappropriating their labor and property, terrorizing the population – judicial trial over Tsapko’s gang the monstrous crime of which struck the whole Russia showed this brightly.
Reports come about terrible state of children in children’s homes. Teachers and tutors often beat children, appropriate pensions of disabled children. The situation is as bad with old people in many homes for the aged – lack of proper sanitary conditions, of fire safety measures, and devil-may-care attitude of personnel lead to fires causing many victims.
Improvement of political and economic situation in Russia requires not just creation of really competitive political environment but also availability of competent opposition that would be able to oppose the ruling elite without resorting to extremist actions and revolutionary appeals. Unfortunately universal disunity and aspiration to acquire leadership reigns in the opposition, both system and non-system one. Unions appear between the left-wing and the right-wing, liberals and extreme nationalists that are essentially doubtful.
Upbringing of new leaders, new democratic, liberal consciousness requires efforts of all the strata of society including laborious work of educational, cultural institutions that are still financed according to the leftover principle.
There is a great number of problems in our country that are very difficult but necessary to overcome. This does not mean that we have no social and economic achievements. Some branches (in particular, nuclear industry) are developing successfully. We hear about successes of Russian scientists – and not just in capital cities. New theatres, stadiums, hospitals and kindergartens are built.
Director of Moscow bureau for human rights Alexander Brod: “Self-consciousness of people grow: we see how charity develops being a bright indicator of civilized state of society, how most different people voluntarily unite for aid to the down-and-out, children and old people. And the human potential – this is the most precious thing. It is available in Russia, as well as many talented people. If the whole society, all its institutions perceive necessity of changes, making of important decisions, if everyone on his place does everything possible for prosperity of the country – then revival of Russia may be expected”.
Let 2012 signify the real beginning of this way. Let’s recall the words by A. Voznesensky:
Mankind laughs
When parting with old stuff.
Something wants to change in us?
We come like time.
Happy New Year! We wish you health, happiness and persistence in achieving of good objectives! |
|
