Russian Federation

Major Sporting Events and Human Rights: Host nations and cities, sports organising bodies and companies must move faster, aim higher, and show stronger resolve

Published in Thursday February 6th, 2014 In Social movement news

As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games get underway this weekend in Sochi, debates continue to intensify around the responsibilities of host nations, sports governing bodies and corporate sponsors all involved in planning and implementing major sporting events.

Tags ,

Sochi Olympics documentary casts harsh light on Putin, preparations

Published in Monday December 9th, 2013 In In the media

The film profiles Sochi’s residents, many of whom have been inconvenienced by Olympic construction as others have been displaced from their own homes by force.

Tags , ,

FIFA : Make the World Cup a Fair Game for Workers

Published in Wednesday July 17th, 2013 In Social movement news

Workers employed on construction projects to prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, most of whom are migrant workers, face numerous human rights violations, according to FIDH. In a letter sent today to the President of FIFA, Mr. Joseph Sepp Blatter, FIDH recalled the sports organisation’s responsibility to investigate and remedy reports that workers are being subject to unfair payment practices, excessive work hours, racist violence, and work conditions that can amount to forced labour.

Tags ,

Special Rapporteur sends 19 communications during the second semester of 2012

Published in Tuesday April 30th, 2013 In Dialogue with countries

Check the communications sent by the Special Rapporteurs, as well as the answers received from the Member States, referring to the second half of 2012.

Bulldozers clear the way in Russia’s Olympics showcase

Published in Tuesday November 6th, 2012 In In the media

November 05, 2012 The workers arrived at Sergei Khlystov’s gate on a Friday evening to bulldoze his home and clear a path for sewage pipes to the Olympic village being built in the Russian city of Sochi. Khlystov and his 33-year-old son-in-law, Maxim Samokhval, at first tried to block the bulldozers but then stood aside and […]

Tags ,

Construction and Forced Evictions Mark Olympic Showcase in Russia

Published in Monday November 5th, 2012 In In the media

Hotels, sports facilities and general improvements are under construction in the city, and work is going on in the mountains above Sochi where other events will be held. This means upheaval for some residents. The cost of resettling 1,500 families in the path of the bulldozers has been borne by the government of the relatively wealthy Krasnodar region in which Sochi lies.

Tags ,

Russia: Halt Forced Eviction for Olympics Road

Published in Wednesday October 24th, 2012 In Social movement news

Human Rights Watch adresses the Russian authorities to stop the impending forced eviction of a Sochi family to make way for road construction ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said today. They also claim that International Olympic Committee (IOC) should urgently review the case and insist that the Russian authorities provide the family with fair compensation.

Tags , ,

Forced Eviction Tramples Olympic Ideals in Russia

Published in Thursday September 20th, 2012 In Social movement news

September 19, 2012 The illegal eviction of a family in Sochi casts a dark shadow over preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said today. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should intervene immediately to ensure that the Russian authorities provide the family with compensation, Human Rights Watch said. “The home demolition and […]

Tags ,

Russia: Halt House Demolition for Olympics

Published in Monday September 17th, 2012 In Social movement news

September 14, 2012 The Russian authorities’ illegal bulldozing on a property in Sochi is a stain on the 2014 Winter Olympic Games preparations, Human Rights Watch said today.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should urgently intervene with the Russian government to respect the rights of the family, including by providing reasonable compensation, such as relocation to […]

Tags , ,

Special Rapporteur concludes mission to Rwanda and presents her preliminary findings – Newsletter # 23

Published in Tuesday July 17th, 2012


On July 13, the Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik concluded her official mission to Rwanda, in Africa. She visited the country at the invitation of Rwanda Government and, at the occasion, met with members of the government and parliament, NGOs and scholars, and visited cities and villages in the rural area. At the end of her nine days visiting the country, the Rapporteur presented her preliminary findings at a press conference. Before the mission, from June 30 to July 1st, she made use of a stop in Saint Petersburg to meet with representatives of the Russian civil society to discuss the housing situation in the city.