Since the late 1990s, Russia has seen an increasing rise in the number of terrorism cases - both real and fabricated. Lawyer Stanislav Markelov, in this 2006 article, reflects on the changing nature of the concept of political prisoner, and his own advocacy.
Ten years ago this month, activist lawyer Stanislav Markelov was murdered in Moscow. We publish his reflections on Russian society’s nostalgia for the Soviet period here for the first time in English.
For Russian law enforcement, informal connections with the opposition can be anything from genuine information-gathering to ticking boxes in their monthly reports.
A number of Russian anti-fascists and anarchists have been tortured by the country's security services. The official investigation into this torture is yet to turn up results. Warning: graphic.
Russian rights defender Svetlana Gannushkina has been defending the rights of refugees and displaced persons for years. Here she talks about the decay of the judicial system in Russia, Chechnya and pessimism. RU
The sprawling system of Soviet camps contained many untold stories. I spoke to one of the few historians researching the experiences of gay men and lesbians in the Gulag to find out more. RU
In November 2017, hundreds of Russian citizens were involved in an apparent attempt to organise a new “revolution” in Russia. Thirty of them are now facing serious charges.
Allegations of a cover-up and improper qualification of an organised assault on an Orthodox Church in May this year have left space for conspiracy and intrigue.
Prisoners in the so-called “People’s Republics” in Donetsk and Luhansk are facing terrible living and working conditions – and being kept beyond their sentence. RU
Russia's North Caucasus region is famed for its landscapes and nature. But as this local doctor and activist tells me, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes.
