EIN Statement on the Expulsion of Vanessa Kogan from Russia

Statement by the Chair of EIN’s board, Professor Başak Çalı

On the 2nd of December, the Executive Director of human rights group the Justice Initiative, Vanessa Kogan, was informed by the Russian authorities that she is to be expelled from the country. The reason given was that Vanessa Kogan is a threat to national security. She has two weeks to leave Russia.

The decision also affects Vanessa Kogan’s husband, Grigor Avetisyan, who is the Implementation Director at the Justice Initiative. It allows the authorities to target both of them, by forcing them to face the threat of family separation and the uprooting of their life in Moscow, in the middle of an international pandemic.

Both Ms. Kogan and Mr. Avetisyan have carried out invaluable human rights work. In addition to extensive litigation before domestic courts, their organization has brought more than 400 applications before the Strasbourg Court, and has won 270 of these cases. As a result, Russia has had to provide more than 25 million euros in compensation to victims.

Of particular note in recent years is the pioneering judgment of Volodina v. Russia, which identified a systemic problem of the state’s failure to prevent and punish violence against women. This judgment helped to start a national debate about the issue, which rights groups hope will lead to meaningful reforms in the coming years.

Ms Kogan and Mr Avetisyan have also carried out tireless work on the implementation of ECtHR judgments concerning Russia. Through written and oral submissions to the Committee of Ministers, they have helped maintain the profile of the Khashiyev and Akayeva group regarding disappearances in the Chechen Republic in the context of actions of Russian security forces; ensured that the Khanamirova group, concerning custody rights for mothers, is being examined at the highest level; and have provided essential information on the Volodina group outlined above. Mr Avetisyan briefed members of the Committee of Ministers on the Khanamirova group less than three months ago; Ms Kogan made a presentation in an EIN briefing on the Volodina group last week.

The couple have absolutely no doubt that their work on implementation contributed to the decision to expel them. 

The Justice Initiative is an EIN member organisation: both Ms Kogan and Mr Avetisyan are highly valued colleagues. The targeting of them is a result of their work as human rights defenders. Attacks on civil society of this kind should be deplored in all cases – they are attacks on human rights and democracy itself. However, EIN is particularly concerned about the link between the decision to expel Ms Kogan and the work of her and her husband on the implementation of ECtHR judgments.

Civil society provides a vital contribution to addressing the problem of the non-implementation of these judgments. It is absolutely unacceptable for individuals to be targeted for this work.

There is a growing recognition that efforts to implement ECtHR judgments are of fundamental importance to the ECHR system. When those on the front line of that effort are personally targeted, it is essential that the guardians of the ECHR system respond. We call upon all those connected with the ECHR system to voice their concern against the decision to expel Vanessa Kogan, a human rights lawyer with an outstanding track record in advancing the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in Russia, in the strongest terms.