SOVA Center
Encyclopedia
The SOVA Center for Information and Analysis is a human rights nongovernmental organization and
think tank
that conducts sociological research on development of nationalism
and racism in post-Soviet Russia.
and the Russian research center "Panorama" established the Center in October 2002. SOVA receives funding from several Western think-tanks.
The Center's activities are devoted to several projects:
The director of the SOVA Center is Alexander Verkhovsky. The deputy director was Galina Kozhevnikova until her death in March 2011.
, Amnesty International
, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and other human rights
and political organizations. . It also monitors the situation with freedom of religion
in Russia.
on the Russian internet and for the facilitation of alternate constructive dialogue by:
Per its position statements, SOVA Center does not, however, support eliminating hate speech in a fashion which endangers free speech.
SOVA Center's activities include presenting seminars, such as one held October 26, 2006, organized together with the administrative office of the President of the Russian Federation , titled "Incitement to hatred and enmity: legal counter-measures and law enforcement". Approximately 50 representatives from committees of the State Duma, Federal Service, General Procurato's office, Russian Academy of the Sciences, and other organizations attended. The participants agreed that while current laws sufficiently address hate crimes, improvements are still required. Of particular concern was insuring current statutes are not broadened to enable arbitrary interpretation and enforcement.
On July 2, 2007, SOVA Center organized a round table dedicated to discussing and refining amendments to the Criminal Code and anti-extremism laws regarding the "incitement to hatred and enmity" criminal offence. The bill was approved on July 11, 2007 and came into force on August 12, 2007. Summarizing acts of extremism included under the legislation:
Subsequent legislative attempts to address Internet-based hate speech specifically, however, have failed to pass, most recently in October, 2008.
:Category:Russian nationalism
think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
that conducts sociological research on development of nationalism
Russian nationalism
Russian nationalism is a term referring to a Russian form of nationalism. Russian nationalism has a long history dating from the days of Muscovy to Russian Empire, and continued in some form in the Soviet Union. It is closely related to Pan-Slavism...
and racism in post-Soviet Russia.
History and Structure
Members of the Moscow Helsinki GroupMoscow Helsinki Group
The Moscow Helsinki Group is an influential human rights monitoring non-governmental organization, originally established in what was then the Soviet Union; it still operates in Russia....
and the Russian research center "Panorama" established the Center in October 2002. SOVA receives funding from several Western think-tanks.
The Center's activities are devoted to several projects:
- Nationalism and Xenophobia
- Resistance to Radical Nationalism
- Language of Hate
- Against Hate on the Internet
- Religion in Secular Society
- Misuse of Anti-Extremism Legislation
- Antisemitism (defunct since 2006)
- New Conservatism in Russia (defunct since 2004)
- Democracy Under Siege (defunct since 2006)
The director of the SOVA Center is Alexander Verkhovsky. The deputy director was Galina Kozhevnikova until her death in March 2011.
Policy and analysis
SOVA Center produces regular reports and recommendations regarding hate crimes that are widely used and cited by OSCEOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and other human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and political organizations. . It also monitors the situation with freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
in Russia.
Prevention of hate speech
In its workshops, including under the auspices of the OSCE, SOVA Center advocates for the prevention of hate speechHate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
on the Russian internet and for the facilitation of alternate constructive dialogue by:
- "tracing hate-sites;
- "establishing contacts with hosting providers in order to abolish such sites;
- "creating special discussion environment around the issue of hatred in the Internet, in order to morally stimulate hosting providers (who should be a part of such discussion), to cut off the inadmissible content;
- "organizing work with catalogues and search systems in order to work out methods of pushing hate-sites from the leading positions and offering users, by their special requests, various resources not including hate speech...."
Per its position statements, SOVA Center does not, however, support eliminating hate speech in a fashion which endangers free speech.
SOVA Center's activities include presenting seminars, such as one held October 26, 2006, organized together with the administrative office of the President of the Russian Federation , titled "Incitement to hatred and enmity: legal counter-measures and law enforcement". Approximately 50 representatives from committees of the State Duma, Federal Service, General Procurato's office, Russian Academy of the Sciences, and other organizations attended. The participants agreed that while current laws sufficiently address hate crimes, improvements are still required. Of particular concern was insuring current statutes are not broadened to enable arbitrary interpretation and enforcement.
On July 2, 2007, SOVA Center organized a round table dedicated to discussing and refining amendments to the Criminal Code and anti-extremism laws regarding the "incitement to hatred and enmity" criminal offence. The bill was approved on July 11, 2007 and came into force on August 12, 2007. Summarizing acts of extremism included under the legislation:
- acts of force against the constitution and the integrity of the Russian Federation;
- public justification for terrorism and terrorist activities;
- fomenting social, racial, national or religious dissent;
- propaganda against equality regardless of social status, race, nationality, religion, or language;
- interference with the rights of individuals based on social status, race, nationality, religion, or language;
- interference with the right to vote by violence or threat of violence;
- interfering with the legal activities of public institutions and organizations, unions, religious organizations by violence or threat of violence;
- Nazi propaganda and the display and use of Nazi symbols;
- public support for acts called for in extremist publications; such support is viewed equal to producing and storing such materials;
- deliberate false accusations against anyone representing or that is the staff of the state office of the Russian Federation in the performance of their duties of any of the criminal acts of extremism described herein;
- organization, preparation, or instigation of any of the criminal acts of extremism described herein;
- financing any of the criminal acts of extremism described herein, including support of propagation by training, publications, telephone or other forms of communication, or rendering information services.
Subsequent legislative attempts to address Internet-based hate speech specifically, however, have failed to pass, most recently in October, 2008.
Controversies
State Duma Deputy and Judicial Committee Deputy Chairman Andrey Savelyev filed a criminal libel complaint against a number of liberally oriented NGOs on July 13, 2007, including SOVA Center. Savelyev cited use of the descriptive terms "ultra-right" and "racist" in article on the SOVA Center web site. He pointed out that the ascribing such qualities constitutes a criminal accusation according to the then newly established "anti-extremism laws." The court case remains open at end of 2008.External links
- Official website (English)
- Reports and analytics of SOVA
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Alexander Verkhovsky from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Offcical blog of SOVA Center (in russian)
- Blog of Alexander Verkhovsky (in russian)
- Facebook Page of the Sova Center (in English and Russian)
- Working sessions facilitated by the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis at the OSCE Conference, Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw, 29 September–10 October 2008
See also
- Human rights in RussiaHuman rights in RussiaThe rights and liberties of the citizens of the Russian Federation are granted by Chapter 2 of the Constitution adopted in 1993.Russia is the signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has also ratified a number of other international human rights instruments, including the...
- Racism in Russia
- Movement Against Illegal ImmigrationMovement Against Illegal ImmigrationThe Movement Against Illegal Immigration is a Russian nationalist and anti-Illegal immigration organization. The organization is led by Aleksandr Belov a former member of ultra-nationalist Pamyat...
:Category:Russian nationalism