Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia Mariana Katzarova. Russia: UN Special Rapporteur calls for acquittal of Russian lawyer Dmitry Talantov Human Rights
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katsarova, today called on the court to acquit detained Russian lawyer Dmitry Talantov before his sentencing scheduled for November 28, 2024. Talantov could face up to 12 years in prison, she said in a statement.
“Talantov must be immediately released and any charges against him dropped, as such actions as non-violent expression of one’s opinion or disagreement with the war are protected by international human rights law. Criminalizing such actions under the so-called ‘military censorship’ law, the sole purpose of which is to silence dissent in Russia, violates international human rights standards and must be urgently repealed,” Katsarova said.
Dmitry Talantov is the former president of the Udmurt Bar Association, who has defended politically significant cases, such as the case of journalist Ivan Safronov, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He was arrested on June 28, 2022, on charges of “spreading false information about the armed forces of the Russian Federation” and “inciting hatred” based on his social media posts criticizing the army for crimes committed in Ukraine, particularly in Bucha, Irpen and Mariupol, as well as his open anti-war stance.
On November 18, 2024, the state prosecutor demanded that Talantov be sentenced to 12 years in prison and banned from holding senior positions in the legal field for four years. Talantov denies all charges against him. The trial is taking place in the Zavyalovsky District Court of Udmurtia.
During Safronov’s trial, Talantov claimed that security service investigators threatened to punish him for defending the journalist.
Talantov’s persecution is part of a horrific, widespread pattern of repression in Russia, in which lawyers are increasingly being targeted for carrying out their professional duties, including imprisonment and revocation of licenses
Talantov spent two and a half years in a pretrial detention facility, and the court cited his professional activities as one of the grounds for applying this preventive measure. “The persecution of Talantov is part of a horrific, widespread pattern of repression in Russia, where lawyers are increasingly being targeted for carrying out their professional duties, including through imprisonment and revocation of their licences,” Katsarova said. “Talantov’s prolonged pre-trial detention is further troubling, as it appears to have been used as a tactic to punish him for voicing views critical of the government and to create a general climate of fear so that people are afraid to speak out for fear of prosecution and harsh penalties,” she added.
In her September report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur drew attention to growing attempts to restrict the independence of the legal profession and the increasing harassment of lawyers, and called on the Russian authorities to release all political prisoners, including lawyers, and to repeal laws that suppress freedom of speech and the peaceful exercise of rights human being.
Special rapporteurs and working groups are part of the so-called special procedures of the Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their personal capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.