Human Rights
Wednesday 25 April 2018
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Irina Rodnina
Russian lawmaker and former Olympic figure skating champion
“I’m just saying they [Americans] wouldn’t report to us. Look at the amount of abuse those children were subjected to. I am not saying that it happened everywhere. But there were a lot of cases like that. We weren’t notified about them because the child would lose their citizenship.”
Read more...Russian lawmaker Irina Rodnina’s statement justifying the Russian ban on U.S. adoptions overstates instances of abuse of adoptees in the U.S., ignores Russia’s own lack of accountability in inter-country adoptions and misstates laws in Russia and the U.S. governing citizenship. -
Leonid Slutsky
Chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee
“I have no doubt that in terms of cooperation with Moscow, as well as within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, full continuity will be maintained. Russia for many years has been Armenia’s strategic ally, and there are no factors for any changes.”
Read more...Thousands of Armenians protested against ex-President Sargsyan’s appointment as the Prime Minister. Hundreds were arrested in rallies over 11 days. 63-year old Sargsyan, yielding to the pressure, resigned on Monday. Chairman of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutksy commented, “Russia for many years has been Armenia’s strategic ally, and there will be no changes.” Armenia depends on Russia militarily, politically and economically; thus, current political turmoil in Yerevan will not affect cooperation with Moscow -
Ekaterinburg Investigative Committee, Russia
“There are no grounds for initiating a criminal case. Several versions are under consideration, including an accident; there are no signs that a crime was committed."
Read more...Before allegedly falling from his fifth floor balcony or window to his death, the 32-year-old journalist had been physically attacked several times and, according to friends and colleagues, he suspected he was under surveillance. The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have called for an independent investigation. -
Sergey Lavrov
Foreign Minister, Russia
“Because during the Cold War there were channels of communication. And there was no obsession with Russophobia, which resembles genocide through sanctions."
Read more...The United Nations defines genocide as the deliberate destruction of a specific group, and lists five types of actions toward a specific group that qualify as genocidal. None of these apply to the financial and travel restrictions the United States imposed on Russian government officials and tycoons. -
Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy
Chief of staff of Russian defense ministry
“Syria's air defense system, based on the Soviet-manufactured air defense systems, has successfully repulsed the strikes from aviation and naval means of destruction. 71 cruise missiles have been intercepted, using Syrian air defense systems S-125, S-200, Buk, Kvadrat and Osa.”
Read more...Gen.Sergei Rudskoy's full statement contains multiple claims aimed at minimizing the impact of air strikes on Syrian chemical weapon facilities. The fact check reveals they are either inaccurate of false. -
Dmitry Peskov
Vladimir Putin's press secretary
"The Kremlin backs an objective investigation into this situation to provide trustworthy data, and so that we don’t rely on rumors and fake media reports. We believe that this information on such awful consequences of using chemical weapons in [Syria’s] Douma is not based on real data.”
Read more...Vladimir Putin's press secretary claim that the Kremlin backs an "objective investigation" into the use of chemical weapons in Syria is false. The Russian ambassador to the United Nations has systematically blocked resolutions calling for joint international investigations of chemical weapons use in Syria. -
Russia’s Embassy in the United States
“With that we are told that these measures are not directed at the Russian people. Quite on the contrary! Thousands of workers are now in the crosshairs of this ‘penalty list’. … In these sanctions we see (the) intent to split Russian society apart.”
Read more...The Russian Embassy claim is misleading. A fact-check reveals that although average Russians suffer from the consequences of the country’s economic decline, the United States has not intentionally targeted them. Furthermore, the Russian government has deliberately shifted the burden of the sanctions from the tycoons onto the most vulnerable segments of society. -
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Official statement
"Information dumps about the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances by government troops are continuing. Another such fabricated story about an alleged chemical attack on Douma appeared yesterday."
Read more...Contrary to the Russian Foreign Ministry's claim, there does appear to be credible evidence that a chemical attack took place in Douma on April 7. -
Vladimir Putin
President, Russia
“As many already said, certainly, this was the most transparent and clean election in the history of our country.”
Read more...There have been only six presidential elections in the history of Russia, and only three elected presidents. In the two out of six elections, the winners were the incumbent’s hand-chosen successors and in four, Vladimir Putin was the winner. -
Ramzan Kadyrov
Head of Chechnya
“The Kadyrov Foundation is the only international charity organization working on the front line together with the Russian troops. Other international organizations are now forced to use its services to deliver aid to refugees.”
Read more...According to the Kremlin, there are no Russian troops on the front line in Syria. In addition, the aid provided by the Kadyrov Foundation in Syria is sporadic and negligible compared with other international humanitarian organizations. -
Vladimir Putin
President, Russia
“Social networks, as you know, are a turbid source, regrettably. Therefore, one must rely on the results of the real investigation.”
Read more...Vladimir Putin’s claim that the official information in Russia is reliable had been challenged by the relatives of the victim. There is a long history of the Kremlin misinformation in such disasters. -
Vladimir Putin
President, Russia
Give back Crimea? “What, have you lost your mind? There are no such circumstances and there never will be.”
Read more...Three days before the presidential elections in Russia Vladimir Putin appears at the major rally in Crimea, that his press secretary says, "is not connected with presidential elections" and repeats multiple statements justifying Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, including the claims that he himself described in the past as "provocative."