Just like in a previous post, here is some selected topics from the Human Rights Report published by the US Department of State.

Academic freedom issues

According to the report published by the U.S. Department of State the government did not restrict academic freedom; however, human rights and academic organizations questioned whether the convictions of some individuals inhibited academic freedom and contact with foreigners on subjects that the authorities might deem sensitive.

Other than a well known case with the European University in Saint Petersburg there aren’t many cases with academic freedom issues. Even in the case of EU, the student body as well as administration tends to deny any political background in connection with the closure of EU.

General human rights issues:

Overall, the Russian Federation has a strong presidency which many categorize as “dictatorship”. The state has a firm grip on most social, economic and political issues. The report stresses numerous cases of government and societal human rights problems and abuses during the year. They include excessive use of force by security forces, unlawful killings, politically motivated abductions, and disappearances in Chechnya, Ingushetiya and elsewhere in the North Caucasus.

Government pressure continued to weaken freedom of expression and media independence, particularly of the major television networks. Unresolved killings of journalists remained a problem. At the same time government restrictions on religious groups is a problem in some regions and racial hate crimes increased significantly.

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