Human Rights Organizations Report: 2024 Was One of the Most Terrible Years in Modern Russian History

Several human rights monitoring organizations in Russia have described the year 2024 as "one of the most terrible years in modern Russian history" and expressed concern about the intensification of repression against opponents in the coming year. In a joint report, these human rights organizations stated that given the approval of new laws that further restrict civil liberties in Russia, there is little hope for improvement in the current situation next year, and they are worried about the intensification of repression against the Russian government’s opponents in 2025. The year 2024, like the two previous years, was overshadowed by Russia's war against Ukraine and the increasing repression of political and civil activists within Russia. During this year, legal and criminal prosecution of government opponents continued, pressure on vulnerable social groups intensified, and laws for repression were passed, resulting in the deaths of at least eight political prisoners, including Alexei Navalny, the most prominent opposition figure in Russia, in prison. Human rights observers consider the deaths of these political prisoners as akin to being killed by the government. Six human rights organizations, whose activities have been banned in Russia but still receive support from within the country, published a report titled "Repression in Russia in 2024" following reports from investigative journalists, multiple interviews with lawyers and relatives of political prisoners, and considering the incomplete information from the government and judicial institutions in Russia. The report also examines the human rights situation in annexed Crimea, but the situation in the Russian-occupied regions of four Ukrainian provinces, which remain war zones, is not analyzed due to difficulties in obtaining reliable information, although human rights activists acknowledge that there is substantial evidence of crimes committed by Russian forces in these areas. The main findings of this report are as follows: Continued political persecution: Currently, 2,976 people in Russia are under criminal prosecution, with 1,407 of them serving their prison sentences. In 2024, 620 people were detained, and 212 were tried for their statements in public and virtual spaces. 1,107 people were accused of the "crime" of opposing the war, and 62 journalists and bloggers were imprisoned for their writings in media and social networks. Intensification of punishment for political prisoners: In 2024, a greater number of individuals prosecuted for political reasons were sent to prison and forced labor camps, with many describing their conditions as unbearable. According to the new report, more than half of the sentences issued for political prisoners last year resulted in actual imprisonment, and out of 679 individuals accused in "political" cases, 378 were imprisoned. Last year, 50% of the sentences issued against regime opponents resulted in prison sentences. Human rights activists report that in 2024, at least 107 cases of additional pressure, including physical or psychological torture, deprivation of medical care, or the imposition of deliberately harsh conditions, were documented. The civil organization "Anti-Torture Team," which also participated in drafting the new report, recorded 304 complaints of torture, mistreatment of political prisoners, and the creation of "intolerable and contrary to basic rights of life" conditions by official authorities in Russia last year. The death of political prisoners: The increase in the number of political prisoners who died in prison, committed suicide, or passed away was "one of the grim features" of 2024. Human rights observers explicitly referred to the death of Alexei Navalny in prison as "murder." Russian officials claim that the death of this Kremlin opponent was "natural." According to Vladimir Putin, "It was an incident that happened." The new report from human rights observers also mentions the deaths of four individuals in prison, two in detention centers, and one immediately after arrest (a total of eight). Concurrently with the publication of this report, it was announced that Roman Soudov, who had been detained for two years on charges of "terrorism" and was sentenced to 16 years in prison two days ago, committed suicide in prison. The increase in the number of "terrorists": The new report from human rights observers indicates that most of the individuals accused in political cases last year were ultimately labeled as "terrorists" or "supporters of terrorism and extremist activities." Last year, at least 136 criminal cases related to "terrorism, extremism, and activities contrary to national security" were initiated, and Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Public calls for terrorist activities, justification or promotion of terrorism") was rewritten in such a way that, according to human rights defenders, "virtually any accused in a political case can be recognized as a terrorist." Last summer, Yevgenia Berkovich and Svitlana Petrychuk, a theater director and playwright of "Finist, the Brave," were sentenced to six years in prison on charges of "supporting terrorism." This play, which deals with the fate of Russian women who joined ISIS terrorists, had been performed in various cities in Russia for several years before the war against Ukraine and won two artistic awards. However, two years ago, when the director and playwright publicly protested against the war in Ukraine, they were arrested on charges of supporting terrorism. According to "Ovod Info," the main authority for the detention of government opponents in Russia, many of those who have publicly declared Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia have been accused of "terrorism." The "Baimak Case": At the beginning of 2024, the Baimak District Court in Bashkortostan sentenced a civil activist to four years in prison for "holding an illegal rally and inciting discontent." This sentence led to widespread protests in Baimak and Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, which only ended after hundreds were arrested. According to "Ovod Info," more than 120 people related to the protests in Bashkortostan were fined heavily, and 76 were sentenced to 4 to 5 years in prison, one person died in custody, and the status of more than 380 remains unknown. Criminal cases for using "prohibited symbols": The human rights organization "Sova," which participated in drafting the new report, has examined cases in which more than 3,600 people have been brought to court. Most of them used the eight-pointed star – mostly in the form of tattoos. The Russian government considers this symbol related to the "prisoners' rights movement," which the Russian Supreme Court declared an "extremist organization" four years ago. However, human rights observers state that such an organization does not exist, and the Russian government primarily punishes those who use this symbol to support nationalist movements in Ukraine. Other symbols related to Ukraine and military entities fighting in support of Ukraine, as well as supporters of Alexei Navalny and advocates for sexual and gender minorities, have also been subjected to such criminal cases. Are the Kremlin's methods of suppressing artists similar to those of the Iranian government? "Foreign agents" and "undesirable organizations": In 2024, the activities of more than 150 civil and media organizations in Russia were restricted. Since most of the Kremlin's opposition entities have long been forced to relocate outside Russia, pressure on their supporters and relatives inside Russia has been increasing. Among other things, access to more than 120,000 websites has been blocked by Roskomnadzor. Last year, at least 120 people were charged with cooperating with "undesirable organizations" and "foreign agents." Increased pressure on war opponents: According to human rights observers, the Russian government employs various methods to pressure anti-war activists and their relatives. According to the new report, in 2024, at least 2,047 cases related to "violating the law against discrediting the Russian army" were reviewed in court. Human rights activists report at least 70 cases of illegal prosecution of civil activists related to their anti-war stance. Torture, beatings, and pressuring the relatives of the accused have been the most common forms of harassment. Additionally, last year, there was an increase in the number of forced confessions and apologies that were later broadcast on national television. Widespread persecution of sexual and gender minorities: The declaration of the "International LGBTQ Movement," an organization that does not exist, as a "terrorist organization" by the Russian Supreme Court, which began in early 2024, has led to a systematic and widespread crackdown on sexual and gender minorities in the country. According to human rights observers, police raids on gathering places for sexual and gender minorities or against their rights activists have become commonplace. Over the past year, at least 12 sexual and gender rights activists have been prosecuted on various grounds, and at least 53 have been tried for "promotion" in this area. Pressure on migrants: Russian authorities have intensified pressure on migrants, especially following the terrorist attack at the "Krokus" theater in Moscow. Since last spring, hundreds of migrant workers, mostly from Central Asian countries, have been expelled from Russia. Security forces' raids on dormitories, mosques, markets, and construction sites where workers are predominantly migrants have received extensive coverage on national television, and even the beating of migrants by law enforcement has been deemed "justifiable." New laws, such as revoking Russian citizenship for those who refuse to register for fighting against Ukraine or prohibiting the education of migrant children who do not speak Russian, are among the recent actions of the Russian government that human rights observers consider "populist and discriminatory."