An unprecedented number of laws have been adopted in Russia over the past two years which dramatically restrict the activities of all independent non-governmental organisations, and particularly those working for civil and political rights. The new laws, such as the "foreign agents" law, threaten not only the organisations but also endanger their staff, members and supporters. The law on treason can lead to ten or more years of imprisonment for the vaguest of reasons, such as simply sharing information with non-Russian organisations and outsiders.

Our panel of human rights advocates and experts will provide a first-hand insight into the difficulties of working under such conditions, and propose what can be done to stop the further erosion of human rights in Russia. 

Dmitri Makarov is co-chair of the Coordinating Council of the International Youth Human Rights Movement.

Mary McAuley is an independent expert on human rights in Russia.

Roman Udot is from Golos, the association of organisations for the protection of the rights of Russian voters and development of civic society. 

Margo Picken is a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE.

The Centre for the Study of Human Rights at LSE (@LSEHumanRights) is a trans-disciplinary centre of excellence for international academic research, teaching and critical scholarship on human rights.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSERussia

Slides

A copy of Roman Udot's powerpoint presentation is available to download. Defending Human Rights in Russia - Roman Udot (pdf)

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from Defending Human Rights in Russia

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.