Nicholas Neighbors
1:21 pm
10/30/09
A new UN Human Rights Committee report on Russia called for a series of sweeping legal reforms, stating that the country is still struggling to guarantee basic rights such as a fair trail, freedom of speech, and freedom of press. "It is marginalizing the human rights movement," Lev Ponomaryov, director of the group for Human Rights, said. The report as states that Russia still fails to protect journalist, activist, prison inmates, and others from a wide range of abuses, including torture and murder. The panel cited reports of torture, forced disappearance, arbitrary arrest, and extrajudicial killing, allegedly committed by the military and security services. A reporter, Natayla Estemirova, was kidnapped in front of her apartment building by four men, and her body was later found with in a field. She was the 18th journalist murdered in Russia. The panel was also concerned about violence against gay, lesbian, and bisexuals, which was decriminalized in the 1990's in Russia, but many Russians are opposed to the expansion of gay rights.
Russia does not seem to be support their human rights and it seems there is a lot of crime in Russia, even more so towards those with opinions who speak out against something. The fact that they do not have freedoms that we do in America is upsetting because I couldn't imagine not having those same rights. If I were to ever speak out against something and got killed for it, I am sure someone would take notice, but for these people, it doesn't seem like much is happening to protect them. It said in the article that police were even attacking civilians who protested or marched and it doesn't seem right. The police are there to uphold the law but a small protest or freedom of speech would not give me any feelings of hostile to hurt someone else. The gay rights hate just shows that it will take some time for people to get used to the idea of change.
http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=11413102
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