1 July 2020 marked the end of a week-long national referendum in which the Russian people approved a series of constitutional amendments introduced by President Vladimir Putin. The referendum, which was delayed due the outbreak of COVID-19, spanned over 200 amendments to the Russian Constitution. Yet the single most worrying amendment for observers of human rights in Russia is the provision that resets the constitutionally entrenched presidential term limits, thereby allowing Putin to remain in power until at least 2036.
IRREGULARITIES IN THE NATIONAL REFERENDUM
The national referendum was not in fact required under Russian constitutional law. The reform bill was already approved by the State Duma, Federal Council and all 85 of Russia’s regional legislatures. The referendum was therefore purely designed to provide a thin veneer of legitimacy to Putin’s plan to secure his dominance of the Russian political landscape for years to come.
The Russian people were offered a simple yes/no vote on a wide array of constitutional amendments, ranging from social policy changes to the adoption of a strict definition of marriage as “[a] union between a man and a woman.” The vote was framed as a return to old-fashioned traditional values, as evidenced by the slogan; “Our Country, Our Constitution, Our Decision” adorning federal government buildings across Russia. The vote was designed to appeal to Putin’s conservative political base, and grant him some much-needed political capital after a slump in approval ratings following the economic tailspin generated by the coronavirus outbreak. This tactic of stoking the flames of nationalism has been deployed by Putin in the past, most notably with the illegal annexation of Crimea in an effort to detract attention from the Bolotnaya Protests surrounding the botched 2012 Presidential election, and to quell the Euromaiden Protests in Kiev.
The Russian people voted overwhelmingly in favour of the amendments, with the Russian Central Election Commission reporting a 78% ‘yes’ vote from a turnout of around 68%. Although initially conceived as a show of public support for the amendments, the referendum was marred by controversy. Golos, the Russian Election Monitoring Group, reportedly received over 2,100 complaints of voting irregularities. Other news agencies have reported allegations of ballot stuffing and loopholes in the online voting systems which allowed individuals to cast multiple ballots.
Additionally, Russia’s main opposition leader and staunch Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, decried the results of the referendum as “fake [and] a huge lie”. Nevertheless, Russian officials have dismissed the allegations and have remained committed to honouring the result of the referendum, thereby opening the door for Putin to realise his ultimate ambition – becoming Russia’s “President-for-life”.
THE PROGNOSIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA
Since coming to power in 1999, Putin’s presidency has been defined by his blatant disregard of human rights. Whether it be the atrocities committed during the Second Chechen War, or the litany of extrajudicial killings allegedly ordered by the Kremlin, Putin has consistently defied condemnation by prominent international human rights organisations.
More recently, Putin in 2012 introduced the controversial Foreign Agents Law, which has been used as legal justification to freeze the assets of several human rights organisations. This significantly diminishes their ability to expose alleged human rights abuses in the country. In 2019 the Russian Sovereign Internet Law, a bill designed to sever Russia’s internet connection from the rest of the world by 2021, was introduced. Subsequently all domestic content would be channelled through the filters of Russia’s internet watchdog, Rozkomnadzor. These are only some examples of Putin’s numerous attempts to subvert human rights standards throughout his tenure as president.
As has been seen in other countries, power-grabs such as that legitimised by the referendum, remove the political and legal guardrails protecting against the unfettered exercise of executive power. Having already witnessed what Putin is capable of in the face of global condemnation, the result of this referendum could signify the final nail in the coffin of human rights in Russia.
William has recently completed an undergraduate law degree at the University of Bristol, during which time he developed a passion for human rights issues, with a specific focus on the development of human rights in Europe and Asia. As an aspiring barrister he will be embarking on the BPC this September at the University of Law.