March 23, 2010 year. Moscow. The Delegation of the European Union to Russia will host its annual human rights conference. This year it will be paid more attention to human rights defenders and address the issue of their security in Russia and in the whole world.

The conference will bring together over 40 Russian leading human rights NGOs, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and other Ministries and Agencies of the Russian Federation, international organisations, as well as of the 27 EU Member-States’ Embassies.

The following keynote speakers will address the conference, which will be moderated by prominent journalist Marianna MAXIMOVSKAYA.

Every year all over the world, human rights defenders themselves become victims of aggression and even murders. Russian human rights defenders suffered particularly in 2009 with the assassinations of Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, Zarema Sadulayeva.

Speaking in the run-up to the conference, Ambassador Fernando M. Valenzuela, the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Russia, said: “All over the world there are courageous people who fight to promote the principles of human rights and democracy – the values to which both the European Union and Russia are committed. We must all reflect on society’s responsibility towards human rights defenders and the way to ensure their security. A society that cares for human rights should also care for human rights defenders”.

The chairman of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for promotion of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights, Ella Panfilova said: “In the Russian Federation there are two system defects: – firstly, democratic institutions are weak; absence of independent courts, lack of independent media, lack of political competition – direct election; and secondly, the high level of corruption.

The European Union, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, supports  human rights defenders all over the world against repression and the arbitrary exercise of power, particularly in case of emergency situations. Eleven civil society organisations, specialized in the defense of human rights defenders in different parts of the world, work in partnership with the European Union to enhance the security of human rights defenders. More information on the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in Russia: http://www.delrus.ec.europa.eu/en/p_321.htm