INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Since Mariana Katzarova was appointed the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia in 2023, Russian authorities have consistently
Katzarova led the Amnesty International investigations on human rights in Russia and the Chechen wars for a decade.Between 2014 and 2016,
regional office in eastern Ukraine.The Moscow Times asked Katzarova about the scope of her work and her views on the human rights situation
in Russia.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.The Moscow Times: Can you elaborate on the scope of your responsibilities
Nations mandate is completely unique
The UN is a multifaceted organization: it's a humanitarian agency, it's the member states and it's the machinery of the UN human rights
I follow a resolution that was adopted by the member states, and I operate as an independent expert, uninfluenced by any government or
non-governmental organization
My reports are based on my own observations and on first-hand accounts and evidence from victims, witnesses of human rights violations or
their lawyers.Despite my repeated requests, the Russian authorities have not allowed me to visit the country
Every special rapporteur should be able to visit the state they are monitoring.In July 2023, the [Russian UN representative] in Geneva gave
After that, they sent a letter to all UN special rapporteurs stating that they do not recognize my mandate and that if others sign
governments and criminal justice systems on how to improve and protect the human rights of their own people
I submit mandatory reports: one annually to the Human Rights Council in Geneva and one to the General Assembly in New York
In these reports, I provide updates on legal developments and document human rights violations.MT: What is your view of the current state of
People write to me about their cases
What I observe is a strategy of repression and subjugation, a deliberate effort to eliminate civil society and independent media
This strategy has escalated dramatically since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Any expression of anti-war sentiment is severely punished
Journalists and human rights defenders, of course, but also pensioners, poets, doctors, even children and teenagers
Some minors have been charged with treason or with violating national security laws simply for expressing anti-war views
The entire legal and judicial system is being used as a tool for repression and punishment for any sentiment against the war
This is what I write about in my reports
I also give recommendations to the Russian government to respect its international legal obligations and commitments under UN conventions.I
am in constant communication with victims of human rights violations in Russia: people who have been tortured, imprisoned for anti-war
As you know, dozens of minority and Indigenous organizations have been labeled as terrorist groups.MT: You mentioned that the Russian
authorities refuse to communicate with you
the Security Council.When you have such an important role in this international organization, you have to follow the rules, conventions and
repression at home and aggression abroad
and also to Ukrainian civilians and POWs held in Russian detention.Thousands of Ukrainian detainees are being held incommunicado, subjected
to torture or in conditions amounting to torture
Torture is prohibited under all circumstances by the United Nations Convention against Torture
Russia is a party to that convention
On the contrary, torture is being encouraged.After the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow [in 2024], the Russian authorities,
for the first time, allowed torture to be broadcast on national television
One suspect was shown with his ear cut off and one was tortured with electric shocks to his genitals
Then it was even shown on TV how they [the suspects] were brought to court half-dead and the judge did not question why they appeared this
In any normal court, an investigation would be ordered
Before, it was happening behind closed doors in secret
Now it's public with some people on TV even saying that was not enough.Where is the presumption of innocence? Where are the principles of
the rule of law? Where is court independence? All of this is part of a repressive system
Dialogue with the courts, with the ombudswoman, with the prosecutor general, with the Interior and Defense Ministries
