Karinna Moskalenko on Russia’s Human Rights Situation
In an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, human rights lawyer Karinna Moskalenko asks why there was no discussion of Russia's dismal human rights record during President Medvedev's recent visit to Finland, adding that "relations between countries cannot be built without speaking about human rights. If there is a problem, it should not be kept in silence."
On Medvedev's recent attempts to address the issue, Moskalenko notes, "He has spoken about the legal nihilism that prevails in our country. A situation has developed, in which it has been possible to murder civic activists and journalists, and the guilty are not brought to justice. But it is not only about what the president says - it's also about what he does."
Moskalenko has previously represented Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the family of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya. According to her, the Khodorkovsky case is about persecution, noting that "his opponents have launched a new case, because otherwise he might have been released on parole."