Valentin Gefter and Boris Pustyntsev leave Human Rights Council under Russian President

After Lyudmila Alekseeva, the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, two other well-known human rights defenders announced their withdrawal from the Presidential Council on Human Rights. They are Valentin Gefter, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organization "Institute of Human Rights", and Boris Pustyntsev, Chairman of the Saint Petersburg public human rights organization "Civil Control". This was reported today by Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the Council.

Let us remind you that on June 22, Lyudmila Alekseeva filed a petition to withdraw from the Presidential Council on Development Civil Society and Human Rights under President of the Russian Federation (HRC). She motivated her decision by her discontent with the new order of formation of the HRC, at which any public organization would be able to nominate candidates to the Council members and the list of the nominees would be discussed on the Internet.

According to her, the authorities are going to make sure that candidates are nominated not by the Council members and by various public organizations, and that contradicts the provision on the establishment of the Council. Furthermore, Lyudmila Alekseeva also stated that she would begin work on establishing a public organization, which should include members of the Presidential Council.

In her petition of withdrawal from the Council, published on the Council's website, the human rights defender states that the new procedure of its formation contradicts the provision on its establishment and is democratic only in its form, and "is really aimed at the destruction of the Council as active organization."

"Following Lyudmila Alekseeva, Valentin Gefter and Boris Pustyntsev, our well-known human rights defenders, made decisions to leave Human Rights Council," Mikhail Fedotov stated today.

According to him, at present, 24 persons remain the members of the Council. "Thus, the quorum remains. Meanwhile, several other members of the Council called me and said that they occupied the same position as Lyudmila Alekseeva; however, till present, they filed no petitions to withdraw the Council," Mikhail Fedotov said.

When asked, whether he himself remains the member of the Council, Mikhail Fedotov replied in the affirmative: "Of course, I stay, till the Council has a quorum," the "Interfax" reports.

In his petition of withdrawal, Valentin Gefter reports that he is "ready to continue contacts and assist the Council under one condition that we will not surrender and reject the algorithm of performance of functions to present to the President candidates to members of the Council, assigned to the Chairman."

Earlier, Mikhail Fedotov reported that on June 21, the Presidential Administration held a meeting, which offered a new way of working. According to him, starting from July 1, the HRC's website will be opened for discussion of the candidates to the Council for the free positions.

Mikhail Fedotov has explained that from July 1 to August 1, any NGO can nominate its candidates to the list, and from August 1 to September 1, voting on the Internet is to be held, in which any citizen can participate, and then, out of three candidates for each free position, the President will choose one.

Earlier, in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, Svetlana Gannushkina, Chairperson of the Committee "Civil Assistance", also declared her intention to leave the Council after Vladimir Putin became Russian President.