ROAR: Presidential council defends rights of human rights ombudsman

As deputies accuse ombudsman Vladimir Lukin of “taking sides” with some opposition figures and missing other issues, human right activists and analysts say he is doing his job properly. Lukin, who was appointed the human rights commissioner in 2004, came under fire after he urged an inquiry into the brutal activities of the riot police during the dispersal of an unauthorized opposition rally in Moscow.

He visited Triumfalnaya Square on May 31 where protesters demanded “the implementation of the constitutional right for peaceful assembly.” The brutal response from police was not justified, the ombudsman said. He also made his position clear in the report about the results of his activities.

The ombudsman should protect human rights first of all, stressed Igor Yurgens, director of the Institute of Contemporary Development. “And the state, trade unions and employees should deal with economic and social rights,” he told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “Lukin cannot replace everyone.”