John Kerry Meets Russia Human Rights Groups

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

US Secretary of State John Kerry has met leading human rights activists in Moscow on the second day of a heavily-scrutinised visit to the Russian capital

Mr Kerry is attempting a delicate diplomatic balancing act - mending fences with the Kremlin and finding common ground on Syria, whilst also showing support for the country's embattled civil society.

At a meeting inside the US ambassador's residence in Moscow, he reportedly assured campaigners that Washington was concerned about a crackdown on non-governmental organisations operating in Russia.

Human Rights Watch senior researcher Tania Lokshina, one of nine activists who met Kerry, said he told them he had been up until 2.30am discussing the situation with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.

Mr Kerry also met Nobel Peace Prize nominee Lyudmila Alexeyeva, and Alexander Cherkasov, head of Russian human rights group, Memorial.

Hundreds of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) have been raided across the country in recent months as Russia attempts to enforce a new law requiring those involved in political activities to register as "foreign agents" if they receive funding from abroad.

Activists say the term is reminiscent of Soviet-era propaganda and an attempt to undermine their credibility.

"Foreign agents in Russia has only one single interpretation: It reads like foreign spies," Lokshina said.

Election monitoring group Golos, which exposed allegations of electoral fraud in the run-up to Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency, was fined 300,000 rubles (£6,200) last month in the first case to come to court.

Golos insists it is not involved in political activities, does not receive funding from overseas, and has appealed against the ruling.

USAID, the main US developmental agency, was expelled from Russia last year after President Putin accused US groups of funding mass street protests in opposition to his rule.

John Kerry met Nobel Peace Prize nominee Lyudmila Alexeyeva

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Kerry said: "Russia is complicated, we all know, but vital."

"I just met with a group of your civil society folks who are struggling to find their voice in their own country, who are standing up to fight for what we take for granted in the United States of America."

But he refrained from publicly criticising his government hosts and had earlier stressed the need to not "get lost in some of these other issues".

He told reporters that he had discussed the crackdown on NGOs and Russia's ban on Americans adopting its children with officials, but that these disputes should not cloud relations between the two countries.

He said: "The key is not to let them become so personalised or so much an impediment to the larger goal and to the broader agenda and to our larger interests."

Some of those present at this morning's meeting accused Mr Kerry of glossing over Russia's deteriorating human rights situation.

Veteran rights campaigner Lev Ponomaryov said: "We are saying that an unconstitutional coup is taking place in Russia. These are pretty serious words and serious accusations.

"Once again, (US officials communicated with) smooth language. 'We are sympathising with you. Well done! You are at the forefront of the fight for democracy. We are not going to abandon you.'

"But I have to say that the language was very smooth. So, of course, these are our domestic problems.

"Kerry said lots of good words," added Ponomaryov. "But these are standard words which everyone says."

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