Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MOSCOW11252
2006-10-06 07:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:  

RUSSIA: DAS KRAMER MEETINGS ON NGOS AND HUMAN

Tags:  PHUM PGOV RS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1804
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHMO #1252/01 2790726
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 060726Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3538
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 011252 

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA: DAS KRAMER MEETINGS ON NGOS AND HUMAN
RIGHTS

REF: ST PETERSBURG 00554

Classified By: DCM Daniel Russell: 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 011252

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA: DAS KRAMER MEETINGS ON NGOS AND HUMAN
RIGHTS

REF: ST PETERSBURG 00554

Classified By: DCM Daniel Russell: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: EUR DAS David Kramer reinforced US
concerns over NGO re-registration and encouraged Human Rights
Ombudsman Lukin to finalize details of an "unofficial" human
rights/democracy dialogue. Both Lukin and Public Chamber
member Nikonov acknowledged bureaucratic difficulties and
endorsed the Public Chamber initiative to postpone the
October 18 re-registration deadline. NDI, IRI, and AmCham
representatives provided different perspectives on the
re-registration, but all urged the US not to publicly react
until the final process, including appeals, had run its
course. Lukin blamed ethnic violence in Kondopoga on official
indifference and corruption, exacerbated by an influx of
migrants from the Caucasus. Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted a
reduced, but consistent, pattern of abuses in Chechnya.
Lukin's October 10-12 visit to Washington is another
opportunity to underscore concerns over the NGO law and urge
a postponement of the re-registration deadline. The
Ambassador also raised this in his October 5 meeting with the
Chairwoman of the President's Council on Civil Society and
Human Rights (septel). End Summary.


2. (SBU) During his October 2-4 visit to Moscow, EUR DAS
David Kramer discussed implementation of the re-registration
of foreign NGOs, trendlines in Russia's democratic
development, and progress in establishing an "unofficial"
US-Russia human rights dialogue with a range of officials and
NGO representatives, including Human Rights Ombudsman
Vladimir Lukin, National Democratic Institute Director Mary
O'Hagan, International Republican Institute Director Joe
Johnson, American Chamber of Commerce President Andrew
Somers, Human Rights Watch Allison Gill and Aleksandr Petrov,
and Public Chamber member Vyacheslav Nikonov.

--------------
Democracy/Human Rights Dialogue - Update
--------------


3. (C) Lukin reiterated that FM Lavrov and Presidential
Foreign Policy Advisor Prikhodko endorsed Lukin's
participation in a new "unofficial" dialogue on democracy and
human rights, following agreement between the Ombudsman and
Carnegie Center over the number of officials participating

and their capacity. The goal is to exchange views between
informed US and Russian experts on civil society, democracy,
human rights, and other issues of mutual concern and then to
present conclusions to both governments. If officials were
also serving as participants, Lukin stated, the point of the
process would be undercut. The GOR sought a group of
individuals, blessed by the two Presidents, to carry out a
dialogue with a very limited number of officials serving as
"observers," with Lukin suggesting Ambassadors. Lukin said
that he and Carnegie had not vetted candidates yet. Any
participant should agree to respect the private nature of the
meetings and to limit press to mutually agreed upon
statements.


4. (C) Lukin agreed to meet with DAS Kramer in Washington
during his October 10-12 consultations, in order to discuss
in greater detail the dialogue's modalities and how the
Presidents could launch the endeavor. He welcomed an
opportunity to meet with U/S Burns, if available. DAS Kramer
noted that the US was comfortable with the broad parameters
of the dialogue and encouraged Lukin to finalize the
structure.

--------------
NGO Registration
--------------


5. (C) NDI and IRI representatives described their
organizations as in the "cross-hairs" of the re-registration
process, with NDI having submitted its package last week and
IRI just completing its papers. Both are potentially subject
to a suspension of activities on October 19 if the Federal
Registration Service takes the full 30 days to review the
documents. (Separately, Human Rights Watch noted that FRS
officials indicated its application would be rejected -- on
the grounds that it was not presented in a plastic folder, as
required.) While AmCham's Somers predicted a routine
re-registration of his organization and highlighted the
efforts of the FRS to conduct outreach to the American NGO
community, he acknowledged that increased scrutiny would be
devoted to groups focused on the promotion of human rights.


6. (C) NDI, IRI, and HRW flagged that the re-registration
was the beginning, not the end, of the process, with the
first submission of future programming due on October 30.

MOSCOW 00011252 002 OF 003


HRW stressed that "it was anyone's guess" as to the level of
detail the GOR authorities were seeking. At best, IRI
predicted a need to hire an extra staff member to complete
the paperwork associated with the new process; at worst,
Johnson warned of the beginning of the end of political party
programming, with some of his staff members already searching
out alternate employment. NDI O'Hagan noted more pressure
from local officials directed against participants in NDI
programs, a phenomenon IRI said it was not experiencing, with
O'Hagan adding that NDI would begin to consider holding some
events outside Russia. Kramer briefed on continuing US
efforts to influence the implementation of the law, and urged
the NGOs to remain in close contact with the Embassy.


7. (C) NDI, IRI, and AmCham all counseled against public US
condemnation of the GOR in the event that certain NGOs failed
to be registered by October 18. It was important, they all
stressed, for the process to run its course, for the
organizations (if rejected) to file appeals, and for the US
to underscore its belief in the rule of law and its
expectation that Russia live up to its international (e.g.
OSCE, COE) commitments. Only if the appeal process failed to
reinstate an organization's registration, they noted, would
it be appropriate for a sharp and public reaction. AmCham's
Somers stressed that his constituents -- primarily the
business community -- do not want a politicized or
high-profile approach. The GOR, he warned, is not in a mood
to care about bad headlines in the West; instead, the AmCham
believed -- and was seeking to document through surveys --
that American companies were inculcating Western values
through their investment and engagement in Russia. American
business representatives, he noted, remain perplexed by the
worsening bilateral relations, surprised by the imposition of
sanctions on Sukhoi and Rosoboronexport, and concerned by the
GOR drift to reclassifying segments of the economy as
"strategic." Somers reiterated his community's conclusion
that the more the international community engaged Russia and
absorbed it into international trade regimes, the greater the
chance of disseminating Western values.


8. (C) While NDI and IRI characterized the Ombudsman as not
interested in the re-registration process, Lukin told Kramer
that his ability to act was limited by his mandate to respond
to gross violations of human rights or to petitions brought
by citizens and organizations; to date, he stressed, no
organization had approached him with concerns. Sitting on
the board of an as-yet-unregistered NGO, Lukin said that he
believed bureaucracy and corruption were the primary factors
in the sluggish work of the FRS. Having been handed a
political hot potato, he noted, the instinct within the FRS
was to go slow and stretch out the process until the true
intent of the political leadership was divined.


9. (C) Inevitably, Lukin said, corruption played a factor,
with FRS officers "directing" companies to law firms that
provide "facilitation" of the registration process. (In
fact, such firms exist, and they reportedly are requesting
10,000 euros.) Leading human rights organizations in the
North Caucasus had sent a letter highlighting registration
difficulties to the regional Ombudsman, who was charged with
preparing concrete data. If any GOR actions appeared
politically motivated, Lukin affirmed that he would take up
the case. His private assessment was that smaller,
provincial organizations would bear the brunt of any
difficulties. Many had fallen into the habit of "ignoring
formalities," with some institutionally unprepared to meet
legitimate GOR demands for accounting. Lukin agreed to meet
with IRI Craner and NDI Wallock when they visit Moscow
October 17-18.


10. (C) Lukin acknowledged the initial confusion,
highlighted to Kramer by NDI, over whether October 18 was a
deadline for submitting registration documents or a drop dead
date by which all organizations needed to be registered. As
a result, he privately endorsed the Public Chamber's October
3 initiative to secure an extension of the deadline and
accepted Kramer's arguments on the damage to Russia's
reputation that a cancellation of NGO programming would
produce. Public Chamber International Relations Chairman
Nikonov told Kramer he was optimistic that the GOR would
extend the deadline and perhaps eliminate it altogether,
based on conversations he had with FM Lavrov, as well as
Presidential aides Yastrzhembsky and Prikhodko. He noted
that the timing of the EU-Russia summit on October 20
increased the chances of GOR responsiveness to the letter
sent by Public Chamber President Velikhov to FRS Head
Movchan, since Putin would not want to be embarrassed by a
row over NGOs.


-------------- ---

MOSCOW 00011252 003 OF 003


Xenophobia -- Results of Kondopoga Investigation
-------------- ---


11. (C) Lukin said that he was not sure whether xenophobia
was growing, or simply growing more visible. Incidents that
were classified as hooliganism in the past were now being
prosecuted as hate crimes. He reviewed the results of his
visit to Kondopoga, noting the chain of events (reftel) that
culminated in the deaths of three. Lukin attributed the
outbreak of violence to the "absolute inactivity" of the
local police, who were "bought or disinterested;" to the
weakness of local authorities, who had allowed six years of
self-government to erode all governing institutions; and to
the tensions generated by an influx of migrants from the
North Caucasus. In contrast to previous migrants from the
Caucasus, who had intermarried and been absorbed into local
society, newer arrivals were more likely to form their own
criminal gangs and reside within their own communities. He
contrasted Kondopoga to the capital of Karelia, where a more
active police force had prevented violence. Lukin was quick
to note that Russia was experiencing the same phenomena
confronting other European countries and the lesson he drew
was the need to strengthen state institutions. Lukin
acknowledged the role of Aleksandr Potkin, formerly press
secretary of the ultra-nationalist Pamyat society and current

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leader of the Society for the Prevention of Illegal
Migration, in instigating violence. While three criminal
cases had been opened against him, Potkov was careful to hug
the outer limits of the law and Lukin was not confident that
he would be prosecuted successfully.

--------------
Chechnya: HRW Update
--------------


12. (SBU) Human Rights Watch told Kramer that although
Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov had become less
involved directly in human rights abuses, those under his
control continue to commit them. HRW's Petrov, who had just
returned from Chechnya, pointed out that while there
continues to be a pattern of abuse and a systematic use of
torture, the number of disappearances and murders appears to
have gone down. He highlighted that security forces commit
human rights abuses. Signs are growing, however, of an
increasing divergence between the Russian forces and those
loyal to Kadyrov, as well as within pro-Moscow Chechen
security forces.

--------------
Comment
--------------


13. (C) Lukin's October 10-12 visit to Washington provides
another opportunity to reinforce with a sympathetic and
reasonably influential interlocutor our strong concerns over
the implementation of the NGO re-registration, while
advancing the establishment of an "informal" but
GOR-sanctioned human rights dialogue. The Ambassador meets
with the President's Council on Civil Society and Human
Rights Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova on October 5 and will review
outstanding concerns of US NGOs and encourage her to secure
an extension of the October 18 registration deadline.


14. (U) DAS Kramer did not have an opportunity to clear
this message.
BURNS