Index/Dos'e na Tsenzuru. Issue # 24

The block "Solo for a Voice" begins with an essay by B. Dubin, a leading Russian sociologist and journalist. In the material basing on the experience of many years of sociological work in "Levada-Centre" he comes to a conclusion that the process of degradation of civil society structures is going now in Russia.

The block "The Burden of Expectations" is opened by material "Attempts of the Dialogue" of T. Lokshina, a well-known Human Rights activist, president of Informational Researching Centre "Demos". She speaks on the Forum "Civil Eight" and discusses possibilities of the dialogue between Human Rights community and authorities.

In the issue we publish the reports of the participants of the conference. V. Gefter, a well-known human rights activist, the director of Human rights institute, analyzes the anti-legal practices of work of governmental bodies. L. Levinson, a well-known Human Rights activist, expert of Human Rights Institute, in the material "Sore Spots of Russian Legislation" describes the today state of Russian legislation and shows the points of necessary reformation. M. Poliakova, president of "Independent Law Counsil" in her report analyzes the question of advancing of legal reform in Russia. The executive director of the united movement "For Human Rights" L. Ponomarev in his report "We have new Gulag in today Russia" tells about his experience of work with prisoner and struggle for their legal rights. N. Taubina, director of the foundation "Public verdict" in the report "The Torture became a working Instrument of Milicia" raises one of the most keen problems of today Russia, frequent torture in milicia that became something "normal". V. Borschev, chairman of the Public Council at Ministry of Justice, president of the Foundation "Social Partnership", analyzes the present situation when state bodies are more and more closed and law-enforcing bodies resist any contacts with human Rights activists. L. Vahnina, member of the Council of "Memorial", member of Secretariat of all-Russia Coalition "For democratic alternative civil service", describes a widely spread practice of slave labor in the army. The executive secretary of "Civil Committee for scientists" E. Chorny in his report "Secret Service at Power means Lawlessness" speaks about negative consequences of hypertrophied role and influence of secret services in the system of state power. The President of Glasnost Defense Foundation A. Simonov in the report "The Journalism should be brought to its Senses" speaks that the freedom of expression, freedom of opinion are not now the part of the continent of the Russian life and became a little isle. A. Kozlov , director of Program of Foundation "For ecological and social Justice" (Voronezh), secretary of the Movement of Civil Activities, in his report "The main is not to give the Officials the Right to give or not to give Permission" speaks of everywhere violence of the right of meetings. The President of the Centre of development of Democracy and Human Rights Yu. Djibladze in the report "The Dangers we meet have a system Character" anlyzes the law on non-governmental organizations and abrupt change of rhetoric and policy of authorities towards civil organizations. U. Baisaev, Human Rights activist, speaks on the continuing civil lawlessness in Chechnya. O. Orlov ("Memorial"), basing on the example of Russian Caucasus expresses the opinion that till power is in the hands of law-enforcing bodies the state terror cannot be overcome. S. Gannushkina, president of the Committee "Civil Co-operation", member of the Council of "Memorial", analyzes why migrants (mainly citizens of former USSR) are deprived possibility to receive Russian citizenship and comes to a conclusion that the main obstacle is the law on legal state of foreign citizens. G. Kozhevnikova, deputy director of Informational Analytical Centre "SOVA", analyzes in her report "Racism and Xenophobia" reasons and consequences of ethnic xenophobia in Russia. V. Ponomarev, director of the Program of Human Rights monitoring in Central Asia ("Memorial") in his material "The Guilt of justiciable Person is confirmed by withdrawal of Koran" speaks about the campeign of fabrication of criminal cases of so-called islamistic extremism. "The Mechanism that can influence" is the report of O. Shepeleva, she analyzes how the European Human Rights Court can improve the Human Rights situation in Russia and what can (and must) be done by Human Rights organizations in this connection. S. Kovalev ("Memorial") titled his report "Human Rights Activists are engaged in very important and special Aspect of Politics". He analyzes the nature of today Russian power, perspectives of returning of the state ideology of Soviet type and missions of Human Rights movement. Thomas Hammerberg, Commisioner of the Council of Europe on Human Rights in his report "We can enliven them" speaks on role of Council of Europe in prevention of violence of Human Rights in Russia.

In the end of this block the magazine publish the document: Appeal of the Participants of the Conference "Human Rights in Russia" to the Leaders of G8.

The block "The Inventory of values" consists of three files. In the first one, "Imitate Reputation", we publish an essay by R. Frumkina, well-known philologist and journalist, "Robinson and Friday" on the analysis of the institute of reputation in modern Russia funding on the personal experience.

N. Pokrovski, Doctor of Sociology, professor in the State University Higher School of economics, publishes here the article "The World of Consumption and Values in Context of Globalization" where analyzes the mechanism of creating of public reputation.

I. Yakovenko, well-known historian, culturologist, journalist, in the essay "Parsite Brodski and Prisoner Hodorkovski: Reputation and we" describes the history and present situation of the institute of reputation in Russia.

K. Truhan, a student of the faculty of Fine Arts Of Russian State University of Humanity, expresses her thoughts about public reputation, is it now necessary in Russia or not.

The next file "The Freedom of Twaddling" is opened by A. Mokrousov, well-known journalist. His article "Reserves and Zohnes" is dedicated to the today problems of freedom of expression in Russia. N. Rubanova, a writer, discusses the freedom of expression in modern computerized Russia, its pluses and minuses. L. Levinson in the article "The Police of Feelings" describes the threads of government bodies to close media that risk in their opinion to offender "religious feeling of believers". Here we put also a translation of an article by Ronald Coven published in the International magazine "Index on Censorship" on the correlation of freedom and responsibility of media; the author is European representative of World Committee of Freedom of Press.

The next file is dedicated to the problems of ethnic and religious xenophobia. A. Malashenko, well-known expert in Islam (Carnegie Foundation) discusses the problem of reception of stereotypes of modern Islam. V. Kazhdia, awarded in 2006 by the Union of Journalists of Russia for a series of article on xenophobia, considers the dangers of infection of society by the nationalism. Amir Butler, executive director of the Committee on public affairs of Australian muslims, analyzes problems of religious hate in Great Britain. The article was published in the International magazine "Index on Censorship" and translated into Russian.

The next block "Boundaries of misunderstanding" also consists of three files. The first one "Between Society and State" begins with an article by A. Tarasov, co-director of the Centre of New Sociology and Research of practical politics "Phoenix", describes the Second Social Forum and persecution of its participants. S. Ponomarev, a manager of "Memorial" in Perm, expert of Civil Chamber of Perm, analyzes problems which meet civil society in modern Russia. The psychologist A. Solnyshkov in the material "How I Defeneded the youngs" shares the personal experience of Human Rights activity in the army. The journalist and Human Rights activist F. Demelhanova describes new mass Human Rights violations and expresses the critic opinion on the possibility of institute of Ombudsman in today Russia.

The file on Russian Ombudsman begins by Editorial where we explain why we did nor succeed to do a problem issue on the analysis of the functioning of Institute of Ombudsman in Russia.

The historian and journalist G. Ramazashvili tells about his personal contacts with representatives of Russian ombudsman in the material "Hosanna to Ombudsman!".

The Human Rights activist from Ekaterinburg A. Livchak criticizes the functioning of the institute of ombudsman in the region: "Formal Human Rights Activities".

In the file "Why for do you need it?" we publish another material of G. Ramazashvili on the bureaucratic difficulties that meet modern war historian while working in Russian archives.

The issue is concluded by the ironic story by the poet and writer J. Shenkman about everyday life and problems of Russian independent publishing house "Kovriga and Sapego".