BackOn July 17, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova and representatives of the Council of Europe held an online seminar to discuss Russian experience at federal and regional level with regard to compliance with international human rights standards in the framework of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The federal ombudswoman noted that today the importance of the activities of human rights defenders has increased more than ever. Measures to protect the health and safety of people, measures of social assistance, the assessment of measures carried out by state bodies — their proportionality and sufficiency, as well as forming human rights diplomacy to help compatriots who due to the coronavirus are in a difficult situation abroad have become the key issues for them.
"Now we can say that many people have suffered, unemployment has increased, many have lost their businesses, and today we are working out a set of our human rights measures and are ready to continue working in these difficult conditions," the Commissioner said.
According to Tatiana Moskalkova, in these conditions it is important to ensure the comprehensive functioning of the state human rights protection system. In Russia, together with regional Commissioners, such a system was created. It made possible to cope with the aim of protecting the rights of citizens during the pandemic. A set of laws and measures has been adopted to provide material support for people during the pandemic, to provide medicines and protective equipment, to defend labor rights and the rights of medical workers.
During the seminar, issues of legal support to citizens in the pandemic conditions, the practice of human rights commissioners, the proportionality of restrictive measures during the fight against COVID-19, issues of state support measures and international legal problems of protecting human rights in the pandemic were raised.
The event was attended by 45 Commissioners in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe Christos Giakomopoulos, Head of the Council of Europe Program Office in the Russian Federation Petr Sich.
Source: Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation
