Compliance of the Russian Federation with the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination


A report by Memorial Human Rights Center
Moscow, Russian Federation
March 1998

Full report

The Memorial Human Rights Center is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Moscow devoted to investigating and publicizing human rights abuses and educating the public about proposed remedies to alleviate human rights problems.

The information which the staff of the Memorial Human Rights Center has obtained as a result of its field investigations and from other sources enables us to state that in a number of situations the Russian Federation is egregiously violating its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Russian Federation is only inadequately implementing CERD and is not taking the necessary measures envisioned in the Convention, which, under current conditions, in fact could realistically be implemented.

The Memorial Human Rights Center has prepared comments on the Russian Federation's compliance with CERD, organized according to Articles 1-7 of the Convention.

Article 1, par. 1

Article 1, par. 2 c

Article 1, par. 4

Article 2, par. 1

Art. 2, par. 1, a

  • Non-recognitionof Russian Citizenship, Despite Federal Law, of Categories of Former USSR Citizens
  • Display of Racism in the Activities of Law-Enforcement Agencies
  • Discrimination in Connection With Restriction of the Rights to Free Choice of Residence
  • Situation of Meskhetian Turks in the Krasnodar Territory and the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic
  • Opposition on the Part of the North Ossetian Authorities in the Chechen-Ingush Conflict Zone to the Return of Refugees Ingushs to the Territory of Prigorodnyi Raion
  • Privileges Granted by the Authorities of some North Caucasian republics (Adygeia, Kabardino-Balkaria) to New Arrivals Belonging to the So-called "Titular Nationalities" as Regards the Right of Permanent Residence in the Territories of These Republics, while Seriously Limiting This Right for the Persons of Other Ethnic Origins.
  • Discrimination on Ethnic Grounds in Granting the Status of Refugee or Displaced Persons

Article 2, par. 1, b

Article 2, no. 1 (c)

Article 2, par. 2

Article 4, a

Article 4 (b)

Article 4 (c)

Article 5 (b)

Article 5 (c)

Article 5 (d)(I)

Article 5 (d)(IV)

Article 5(e) I, II, IV, V (section on obtaining education above the secondary level)

Article 6

Article 7

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