Activity Report 15 March 2003
For its publication on the European Commission’s website
A. General Information
1. Name of the organisation: London Metropolitan University
1a. Acronym: LondonMet
1b. Website (if applicable): www.londonmet.ac.uk, www.memo.ru
EHRAC web pages currently under construction
2. Title of the project: Strengthening capacity for support for women and men making complaints against the Russian Federation to the European Court of Human Rights.
3. Reference number of the project: B7-701/2002/1176
4. Duration of the project (in month): 36 months
5. Country(ies) in which the project took place: United Kingdom and the Russian Federation
B. Budget
6. Total Project Cost (in ?):1,071,962
7. Total EU Contribution (in ?): 852,261
C. Objectives and expected results of the project (boxes can be extended)
8. Objectives: (a)To strengthen the capacity of Russian NGOs (b)To establish an administrative and advice structure in London, based at the London Metropolitan University (c)To create a system for drawing on the experience of the barristers of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar of England and Wales (d)Facilitate the giving of assistance by these experienced UK lawyers in advising complainants (e)To provide intensive and on-going training to advisers from the Russian regions (f)To give practical training in English legal drafting (g)To provide UK lawyers internships in Russia (h)To bring Russian lawyers to the UK to experience the present practice of leading UK lawyers and NGOs in human rights litigation at the ECtHR (i)Enable Russian lawyers to witness suitable cases in Strasbourg (j)Create resource centres (k)Create and disseminate quality training materials (l)Create a set of webpages (m)Provide support for human rights complaints for those from the FSEE area.
9. Expected results: (a)Successful cases will enable individuals whose rights have been violated to obtain ’just satisfaction’ (b)Supervision of Court judgments by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers will encourage the Russian Government to improve the means of redress, both provision of compensation and prosecution of perpetrators (c)respect for the rule of law in Russia will be significantly improved by the successful prosecution of cases (d)changes in the law and practice can be anticipated (e)research and documentation of violations are an important part of redress and rehabilitation for victims (f)Manuals and materials produced will benefit advisers and complainants throughout Russia (g)Raising awareness of abuses and of mechanisms for addressing them in the Russian Federation.
D. Project Activities (boxes can be extended)
10. Summary of the project:
To strengthen the capacity of Russian NGOs, to assist men and women complaining of violations of the ECHR by the Russian Federation. To provide support structures to enable Russian NGOs to draw upon the extensive human rights litigation expertise of UK lawyers and NGOs and to create a resource for other Russian NGOs, lawyers and individuals.
11. Please list all the activities undertaken during the implementation of the project.
(a)Establish a transnational steering group (b)Establish project structures in Moscow/London (c)Establish a liaison office in Ingushetia and support in Chechnya and the regions (d)Enable Russian NGOs, lawyers and complainants to make use of UK experience (e)Provide drafting and representation for cases (f)Providing UK interns in Russia (g)Provide intensive training (h)Publish case reports (I)Prepare and publish training manuals (j)Prepare webpages
E. Impact and Evaluation (boxes can be extended)
12. What is your assessment of the results of the project so far? Include observations onthe extent to which foreseen goals were met and whether the project has had any unforeseen positive or negative results.
Project planning and co-ordination meetings were held in Moscow in January and March to facilitate project implementation.The project is now into its third month and has identified and appointed one lawyer in Moscow who is already engaged in the work whilst another is being recruited. Transnational steering group meetings have been scheduled and field liaisons officers are presently being identified.
The project took responsibility for six cases brought initially by the Russian NGO Memorial and even at this early stage there has been very positive results with the admissibility of these cases lodged before the ECtHR.The appliacnts are all Chechnyan and complain of issues such as torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, extrajudicial executions, the destruction of property, and ineffective investigations and remedies at national level.
These decisions are very important as they demonstrate that the European Court is prepared to hear the cases, in spite of the Government’s preliminary objection that the applicants had failed to exhaust domestic remedies.
13. What has been the impact on both the target group and the target region?
The ECtHR’s decision to hear the cases sends a clear signal that the Court accepts the situation in Chechnya is within it’s jurisdiction. It was widely reported on by the media. This is a very positive message to the people in the target group and target region as it gives them hope that there is an avenue open to them for redress and reparation for the alleged violations occurring in the region.
As the project is only into its third month, the activities envisaged for this project are only just being launched and it is difficult to evaluate further the impact at this stage.
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