The Forbidden Zone: Environmental Information Denied in Russia

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GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR FREE EXPRESSION - article19

2006

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 5

INTRODUCTION. 7

1 ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION – INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 9

1.1 The Right of Access to Environmental Information 9

1.1.1 The Rio Declaration and the Aarhus Convention. 9

1.1.2 Access to Information as a Human Right.. 11

1.2 The Content and Meaning of the Right of Access to Information . 13

1.3 Restrictions on Access to Information . 14

2 AN INEFFECTIVE LEGAL FRAMEWORK ..16

2.1 Guarantees on Freedom of Information .. 16

2.1.1 Mechanisms for Accessing Information. 16

2.1.2 Open Government and Public Participation. 17

2.1.3 Legal Guarantees of Environmental Information.. 18

2.2 Restrictions to the Right to Information.. 19

2.2.1 The Law on Information, Information Technology and Protection of Information of 2006 21

2.2.2 The Law on State Secrets and the Criminal Code. 21

2.2.3 Secret Decrees . 22

2.2.4 Decree 763. 23

2.2.5 Failed Attempts to Adopt a Freedom of Information Law 23

2.2.6 Comments on the Legislation.. 24

3 THE PRACTICE: A WEAK DEMOCRATIC COUNTERBALANCE..27

3.1 A Passive Public .. 27

3.2 A State-controlled Media. 29

3.3 Journalists’ Limited Awareness 30

3.4 Public Officials’ Limited Resources . 31

4 THE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION.32

4.1 Failure to Proactively Disseminate Environmental Information. 33

4.2 Violation of Procedure.. 34

4.3 Denial of Information 34

4.4 Case Studies 36

4.4.1 Submarine Accidents 36

4.4.2 The Moscow Theatre Siege .. 36

4.4.3 The Nuclear Industry 37

4.4.3.1 The Mayak Facility 37

4.4.3.2 Nuclear Dumping 40

4.5 Spies or Environmentalists? Human Rights Defenders under Threat .. 41

4.5.1 Grigory Pasko.. 43

4.5.2 Aleksandr Nikitin .. 45

4.5.3 Igor Sutyagin 47

4.5.4 Nikolai Shchur. 49

4.5.5 Valentin Danilov and others . 49

4.5.6 Harassment of Environmental NGOs .. 50

5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..52

5.1 Recommendations .. 53

6 TABLE 1. PROVISIONS ON INFORMATION in RUSSIAN LAW..56