The President changed the composition of the Human Rights Council

The President rotated the composition of the Human Rights Council (HRC). Academician of the Russian Academy of Education Alexander Asmolov, director of the SOVA center (included in the register of non-profit organizations-foreign agents) Alexander Verkhovsky, president of the Association of Internet Publishers Ivan Zasursky, human rights activist Igor Kalyapin, who headed the Committee Against Torture (included in the register of non-profit organizations) -foreign agents), executive secretary of the Human Rights Council of St. Petersburg Natalia Evdokimova, historian Nikolai Svanidze and journalist Ekaterina Vinokurova. Also expelled from the council were the deceased chairman of the “Committee for Civil Rights” Andrei Babushkin, retired federal judge Galina Osokina and chairman of the Union of Families of Russian Military Personnel Maria Bolshakova.

Instead, the HRC included Yulia Belekhova, head of the executive committee of the ONF in the Moscow Region, Yan Vlasov, co-chair of the Union of Patients’ Public Associations, Olga Demicheva, president of the Fair Aid of Doctor Lisa, Nikolai Ivanov, chairman of the Russian Writers’ Union, Vladimir Ikonnikov, chairman of the Public Chamber of Sakhalin, military commander Alexander Kots , Secretary of the PMC of Moscow Alexei Melnikov, Professor of the Russian State Pedagogical University im. Herzen Sergey Rukshin, Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child in the Ulyanovsk region Ekaterina Smoroda and a member of the presidium of the Free Donbass movement Elena Shishkina.

“In new circumstances, other people become leaders of public opinion and in new circumstances, other people can best represent civil society, are the most correct reflection of civil society. In addition, there is an ongoing process of rotation,” Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters, commenting on the changes in the composition of the HRC.