The IOLR idea was picked up by the Russian human rights defenders

As informed RBK daily it held a meeting in Lithuania where human rights defenders decided to work out a definition of “political prisoners”. They divided persecuted for the public activity and committed crimes with political motives.

“There is not common accepted concept of “political prisoner”. Currently it is determined on an abstract level”, – said a member of the Council of “Memorial” Sergey Davidis. He told RBK daily that the human rights activists from various countries have met in Lithuania in order to discuss this issue. According to Davidis, they are going to work out the criteria for definition of this phenomenon by April, after that the concept will be presented to the human rights organizations and governmental institutions.

Human rights activists from Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, and Azerbaijan have taken part in this meeting. Russia was presented by Sergey Davidis and former member of presidential council on human rights Valentin Gefter. Members of Kharkov Helsinki group, Belorussian Human Rights House and others and also an observer of Freedom House took part in the meeting. Representative of Amnesty International contacted with the participants through Skype. As it could Azerbaijan was presented by Eldar Zeynalov.

As it could find, they want to divide political repressions on three categories: the cases against persons committed nothing illegal; the cases which difficult to understand whether accused persons used violence, destroying property or called to this. Third category, it is the cases in which accused persons regardless of done, persecuted by the state with violations, selectively or disproportionately strictly on political motives.

In the first case, human rights defenders will demand release of the political prisoners, and in other one they will require a fair investigation and court.

Representative of antifascists in the Coordination Council (the CC) of the Russian opposition, Alexey Gaskarov stated that he understood logic of the human rights defenders and concept “political prisoner” needs to be clarified: for example, currently the nationalists ask the CC of opposition consider of Vladimir Kvachkov as political prisoner.

A leader of the National-Democratic Party Constantine Krylov said the RBK daily that this was classical approach recognizing by the most part of human rights defenders regardless of their convictions. He believed that it would be reasonable to demand that political motive would be neither an aggravating circumstance of crime nor mitigating one.

Lawyer Dm. Agranovsky, who is known on the process against the supporters of Eduard Limonov, the participants of disorders on the Manezhnaya Square and the “6 May case”, skeptically takes to initiative of the human rights defenders. On his opinion, it is difficult to make such mark in specific criminal cases, and as to political opponents, everywhere and always the authorities (even in fascist Germany) tried to persecute on criminal articles.

Sure, it is good sign that work is going on, but it is wrong that this work is being done behind closed doors. It is not allowed to this work another human rights defenders.

By the way, before the meeting in Lithuania the similar approach was offered by the IOLR. However, it was done in open manner and accessibly, since it does not accept monopoly in this matter.

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