The US State Department identified Russia’s political prisoners.

On March 6 the US State Department released its annual human rights report. This report describes the performance of governments in putting into practice their international commitments on human rights. The most part of the report is dedicated to Russia. And as report’s authors consider there were few positive developments with regard to human rights.

Compliant State Duma, corruption and selectivity in enforcement of the law, political pressure on the judiciary, continuing media restrictions and self censorship, and harassment of some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) continue to be severe problems of Russia.

Various Russian individuals have been identified as political prisoners: Zara Murtazaliyeva, Mikhail Trepashkin, Valentin Danilov, Igor Sutyagin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev, and Svetlana Bakhmina.

Rendering the chronology of Svetlana Bachmina's persecution, the authors write about Bakhmina's lack of access to her family and medical treatment while in custody. ‘Some observers stated that she was being held in an attempt to pressure Dmitriy Gololobov, her former boss at Yukos, to return from London. Many saw the treatment of Bakhmina as politically-motivated and linked to the Khodorkovskiy case,’ the report notes.

As regards Khodorkovsky, ‘he was selectively targeted as a warning to other oligarchs against involvement in political affairs or providing financial support to independent civil society. The arrest and conviction of Khodorkovsky raised concerns about the rule of law, including the independence of courts, the right to due process, the sanctity of contracts and property rights, and the lack of a predictable tax regime’, says the report.