The Russian Orthodox Church has, since the late 1990s, become an increasingly powerful force in Ukrainian politics and society. But the violent desecration of a piece of modern art shows it is also increasingly intolerant of different viewpoints.
Russia’s law outlawing ‘gay propaganda’ has brought into the open a subject that was almost unmentionable before. And ordinary Russians have turned out to be less homophobic than anyone imagined, says Sergey Khazov. Russia needs its own Stonewall: see Igor Yasin's contribution here
As Western sympathizers call for a boycott on the Sochi Olympics, Igor Yasin wonders if this is quite the best way to help Russia’s LGBT community win their fight for equality. Russia's anti-gay own goal: see Sergey Khazov's contribution here
In most parts of the world the incidence of HIV/AIDS is falling, but official figures for Russia show 200 new cases being recorded every day. And as Grigory Tumanov reports, if you’re a migrant worker or immigrant, you face not only discrimination and stigma, but deportation as well.
Recent regional elections in Russia provoked more interest than usual, mainly because charismatic and controversial opposition leader Alexei Navalny was standing in the Moscow mayoral election. Some results were dramatic, but Grigorii Golosov wonders whether they will make a lasting difference to
Despite government rhetoric, human rights are a thoroughly British affair.
Genocide is both taking on new forms in the era of democratic revolution and exposing the defective reactions of western states, says Martin Shaw.
As the level of inter-ethnic violence reaches disturbing proportions, Emil Pain asks if Russia’s protest moment has turned nasty.
Internationally poverty has been recognised as a violation of human dignity and, when a consequence of government policy, a violation of human rights. What does this mean for women seeking asylum who are forced into poverty in the UK, asks Amanda Gray.
The upcoming Moscow mayoral election is much in the news because one of the candidates, Alexei Navalny, is appealing against a prison sentence. Anastasia Valeeva gives a snapshot of some of the campaign days thus far...
The author who has been involved in UN electoral missions all over the world, met up with a group of colleagues in New York who worked with him in Central America. He looks back on the work of twenty years, including the ONUVEN and ONUSAL missions.
