Jun 4, 2023
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/02/russia-journalist-maria-ponomarenko-sentenced-to-six-years-in-penal-colony-over-ukraine-bombing-post/
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https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/02/russia-journalist-maria-ponomarenko-sentenced-to-six-years-in-penal-colony-over-ukraine-bombing-post/
[sound on]
The human rights organisation says it made wrong decision in “prisoner of conscience” row.
Justice at last. Amnesty International reverses its weak-minded and incomprehensible decision to revoke Alexei Navalny’s status as a “prisoner of conscience”.
As I previously pointed out, Navalny’s prisoner of conscience status fits Amnesty International’s definition, and it was not until pro-Kremlin journalists brought up Navalny’s past comments (which critics in and out of Russia already knew about) that they changed their decision. I also pointed out that Navalny’s past comments pale in comparison to both comments and crimes committed by the Kremlin.
I also showed evidence of Navalny’s current positions which did not match those positions he held several years ago. For example, Amnesty International could easily have checked Navalny’s own YouTube channel for evidence of his current positions, as well as Navalny’s own website.
If Amnesty International wants to critique Navalny’s past comments (or present comments), or his political views, they can do so. To claim, however, that Navalny wasn’t a prisoner of conscience on the basis of those comments, despite the clear injustice waged against him right now was entirely wrong. Amnesty International even admitted that their decision had been used to further violate Navalny’s rights.
Well, duh. I could have told them this weeks ago.
Now Amnesty International call for his immediate and unconditional release. It would be more helpful if they called for Magnitsky Sanctions against all 35 enablers mentioned on Navalny’s list.
Amnesty said it took the decision after complaints of "hate speech" by the Russian opposition leader.
A clear example of how obsession with political correctness blinds people to real justice.
Now, I have no problem examining Navalny’s past and present statements. No public figure should be beyond criticism. Anyone familiar with Russia’s current political landscape knows that Navalny has his critics on all sides [1]. This is healthy, compared to the sycophants who surround President Putin.
However, there is a fundamental difference between necessary critique of someone’s positions, and equivocating between a flawed person and a wicked person. Navalny’s wrongdoing is not equal to that of President Putin. You can deal with misguided and objectionable statements through criticism [2].
Dealing with a ruthless gangster who has destroyed an entire country demands far more effort.
No matter how popular it is to dredge through Tweets from years ago and denounce people online, civil rights apply to everyone. If not, then civil rights apply to no one. It’s that simple.
Navalny has the right to criticise the government, the right to live freely without stalking and false arrest, and the right to run for the Presidency. If the Russian government continues to suppress these rights, then we must defend Navalny. Period. Hence why Russians who disagree with Navalny still protested on his behalf several times.
As for xenophobia, Russia has ongoing problems with this and other bigotry, no doubt exacerbated by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. I do not excuse this in any way.
The irony is that while Margarita Simonyan praises Katya Kazbek for “exposing” Navalny, she says nothing of Putin’s own record when it comes to xenophobia and extreme nationalism. I guess Simonyan has forgotten about Anna Politkovskaya, who took Putin to task for his treatment of Chechens in several articles.
Even more ironically, Navalny himself played a reel of comments from Simonyan’s husband’s “comedy” show on RT, which include all kinds of vile chauvinist, xenophobic, and racist remarks [3]. He also made similar criticisms of Simonyan’s film, Krimskii Most [4]. So it is disingenuous to act as though Navalny has not changed since the early 2000s.
I guess Ms. Kazbek did not watch 60 Minutes’ interview with Navalny in 2017, where he was questioned about former links with extreme nationalist groups [5]. Leslie Stahl pointed out that he had tried downplaying this since, which he would not do if the subject matter was not embarrassing.
In the BBC’s article, you will see that Amnesty’s Alexander Artemev struggles to explain why Amnesty International would strip Navalny’s “prisoner of conscience” status, because he knows his organisation denounced his arrest back in January.
Furthermore, Artemev knows the responses were orchestrated for political, not moral reasons. Yet he is so committed to his definition of a prisoner of conscience that he undermines the principle of protecting the victim against the aggressor.
Navalny’s conscience calls him to expose corruption in Russia, particularly at the federal level. For this, he has survived a campaign of abuse and attempted murder. The idea that he cannot be a prisoner of conscience based on past videos (whether renounced or not) is a pathetic betrayal of justice-- particularly when Navalny has committed no violence.
Many of these pseudo-righteous objectors (Ms. Kazbek has praised mass murderer Josef Stalin) wish to distract your attention from or downplay Putin’s crimes. This is why I find it suspicious when people want to highlight Navalny’s past when discussing Putin. It’s a false equivalency.
Don’t let offence at Navalny’s statements blind you here. The issue at stake is civil rights. Amnesty International has just beheaded its own mission statement by yielding pro-Kremlin pressure. They should be ashamed.
SOURCES/FURTHER READING:
Russia’s Growing Dissent podcast with Dana Lewis. The second guest, former Prime Minister Kasyanov, explains that Navalny still has to win over other demographics in Russia, who are critical of his views.
Tweet from Mig Greengard, reposted at my Tumblr blog with commentary. Quote: “I’m all for discussing Navalny’s personal politics, and disagree with him on much, but saying the free world shouldn’t stand up for someone jailed and nearly murdered because he’s not Bernie Gandhi Mandela is bullshit. He’s risking his life fighting a mafia dictatorship.”
Паразиты. (Parasites). An investigation into corruption at Russia Today, which begins by mocking Tigran Keosayan’s “comedy” show as being low-class. One of the reasons given is xenophobia. (English subtitles included).
Крымский мост. Украдено с любовью! (Crimean Bridge: Stolen with Love!). Again, the film, coming from Margarita Simonyan and Tigran Keosayan, includes mockery for its crude and bigoted content. (English subtitles included).
60 Minutes’ interview with Navalny in 2017. Leslie Stahl questionably referred to these extreme nationalist groups as “right-wing”, as though they reflected the same mainstream views as Western right-wingers. However, she was right to question Navalny about these affiliations.
Urgent Action: Prisoner of Conscience’s Health At Risk (Iran)
Hamed Gharehoghlani, a 34-year-old prisoner of conscience held in the central prison in Urumieh, West Azerbaijan province, urgently requires specialized medical care for a serious type of epilepsy, which, if left untreated, can lead to dangerous seizures.
Since his arrest on 27 June 2020, prison officials have refused to give him the prescribed medication that his family has regularly purchased and brought to the prison. The authorities have also refused to transfer him to a specialized health facility outside prison for his routine biannual neurological examination, including brain scans.
Medical experts outside prison, consulted by his family, have warned that based on these symptoms, he is at increased risk of dangerous seizures, which can lead to serious and possibly irreversible complications including brain damage.
Hamed Gharehoghlani was sentenced by a Revolutionary Court in Urumieh to 14 years and one month imprisonment in December 2020 following an unfair trial which consisted of one hearing lasting only 10 minutes. The court convicted him in connection with his online posts, which accused Iran’s Supreme Leader of corruption, and his online exchanges with individuals who, according to the authorities, were supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), an opposition group based outside Iran.
Hamed Gharehoghlani is held in a ward with prisoners convicted of violent crimes who have threatened him with physical and sexual assault.
TAKE ACTION:
Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to the government official listed below. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 12.21. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
There is a real risk that he could face human rights violations if extradited to USA
Urgent action: Prisoner of conscience needs urgent treatment
Ethiopian prisoner of conscience Bekele Gerba has been denied access to specialised medical treatment that he urgently needs. He has high blood pressure which is affecting his sight, leaving his left eye operating at 25% capacity. He was sentenced to a year in prison after being held in contempt of court twice. In late January, Bekele Gerba, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and the Deputy Chairman for the Oromo Federalist Congress, was taken for eye treatment at Menelik Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. According to his daughter, the doctors at the government hospital told Bekele and his family that they did not have the necessary equipment to treat his eye ailment. They referred him to a private hospital in Addis Ababa that is equipped to help him, however prison authorities at Menelik Hospital told his family that they would not permit him to be treated anywhere other than in a government hospital.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Please write immediately in English or Amharic urging the authorities to:
Immediately grant Bekele Gerba permission to seek necessary, specialised medical treatment, such that his blood pressure is brought back into a safe range and his eyes are treated;
Release Bekele Gerba immediately and unconditionally, as he is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression; and
Refrain from using ‘contempt of court’ to silence and prevent Bekele Gerba and others from exercising their human rights.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 23 MARCH 2018 TO: