 Source: HRO.org (info) The Presidential Human Rights Council is preparing to introduce new changes to its rules again, Radio Svoboda reports, citing an article published in Kommersant on 27th March. Some of the proposals are a ban on members of the Council being a member of any other federal bodies, the work of which is connected to civil society, for example in the Public Chamber, and also introducing the norm that the Council’s work must be carried out in accordance with a plan that has been approved in advance. Igor Borisov, a member of the presidential Council, told the paper that the first restriction should solve the quorum problem, and the second one will protect members of the Council from “spontaneous reactions” and “the urge to do politics”. According to Borisov, the Council’s work must really change as its current methods of work are ineffective, above all for the President, under whom this body was established. The reason for the changes in the rules is the conflict that arose among the members of the Presidential Council when on 2nd March a number of members published on the Council’s website a statement in which they negatively evaluated Vladimir Putin’s actions in relation to Ukraine. The presidential administration considered this action by the members of the Council to be an abuse of their powers. On 18th March the Human Right Council introduced changes to the rules according to which the Council’s approval of a statement and its publication on the website could be done only if a majority of the Council (at least 31 members) sign the statement. Translated by Olga Cable |
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