Stop the Silencing of Indigenous Voices in Russia

To: Vladimir V. Putin
President of the Russian Federation

CC: Dmitry A. Medvedev, Prime Minister
Aleksandr V. Konovalov, Minister of Justice

Dear President Putin,

I am writing to you today to request that you encourage Russia’s Ministry of Justice to rescind its decision to force the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) to cease its activity for six months. The decision to suspend RAIPON for six months is not only an unjust punishment for RAIPON’s supposed infraction; it will also severely hinder Russians’ ability to exercise their constitutional rights within Russia and abroad.

The forced shut down of RAIPON for minor bureaucratic reasons is a gross misuse of Russian law, and should be immediately reversed in a way that allows RAIPON to adjust its organizational structure without hindering its activity. The Ministry of Justice has justified its suspension of RAIPON by claiming RAIPON’s regional affiliates’ absence from the RAIPON charter constitutes a violation of Russian law. RAIPON has been in existence for more than 20 years, and Russia’s constitution was ratified in 1994. The RAIPON charter has been in place since 1990, with a consistent method for listing affiliates, and in that time the Ministry of Justice has conducted two thorough federal reviews – neither time finding that RAIPON violates the constitution. The sudden forced suspension of RAIPON’s activities is absurdly disproportionate given the organization’s long history of compliance, especially since RAIPON’s leadership tried in good faith to eliminate the technical violation in its charter after receiving notification in 2010. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Justice refused to accept the revised charter submitted in 2011 or work with RAIPON to resolve it. The organization’s inability to resolve the problem despite great effort represents poor performance on the Ministry’s part. We therefore urge you to appeal to the Ministry of Justice to resolve this bureaucratic matter without hindering RAIPON’s important work.

Shuttering RAIPON will severely limit the ability of Russian indigenous peoples to assert their constitutional rights within Russia and internationally. In addition to providing legal and moral assistance to Russia’s thousands of indigenous peoples, RAIPON advises local and federal agencies on best policies for working with indigenous communities, and is an active participant in the All-Russian People’s Front. Closing the organization will remove an important force working for inter-ethnic cooperation throughout Russia.

RAIPON also represents indigenous Russians in several international and multinational governance bodies. By disbanding RAIPON, the Ministry of Justice has significantly decreased Russia’s influence in fora such as the Arctic Council, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the UN Environment Program. It is in the interests of the Russian government to ensure that Russia’s citizens are fully represented in these organizations, and for this reason the Ministry of Justice should seek to solve any of RAIPON’s infractions without disrupting the organization’s representation internationally.

As the President of the Russian Federation, it is your duty to protect your citizens. Closing RAIPON will affect thousands of indigenous Russians who rely on RAIPON for legal advice, legislative assistance, and international representation. For this reason, I urge you to take immediate measures to encourage the Ministry of Justice to reinstate RAIPON and help it bring its activities into accord with Russian Constitution.

Sincerely,