FREEDOM UNDER THREAT Sochi Winter Olympics Action Toolkit - SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT
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FREEDOM UNDER THREAT
Sochi Winter Olympics Action Toolkit
SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT 1
Amnesty International Canada 312 Laurier Ave East Ottawa Ontario K1N 1H9 www.amnesty.ca
What’s going on in Russia? Ever since Vladimir Putin returned as Russian President, the space for freedom in Rus- sia has been shrinking. The rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly have come under increasing attack, despite the fact that these rights are guaranteed by the Russian Constitution and international human rights treaties joined by Russia. The Winter Olympic Games are being held in Sochi, Russia from February 7-23, 2014. Amnesty International believes that hosting the Olympic Games is a privilege and the respect of rights and freedoms should be demanded of any host country. While the spotlight is on Russia for the Olympics we want to shine a light on human rights and demand that Russia respect the right to freedom of expression, association, and assem- bly. Being out and loud and proud in Russia can land you in prison On June 30th, Russia passed a law banning "propaganda of non-traditional sexual rela- tions" which they say could morally corrupt children. As a result of this new law, dis- crimination, harassment and attacks targeting LGBTI people in Russia have intensified greatly. It's getting harder and harder to protest in Russia The right to freedom of assembly has been severely restricted by complicated approval procedures which make it difficult to organize events. Many peaceful protests and gath- erings have been arbitrarily banned or dispersed, including a group of young people hav- ing a snowball fight. Defamation was re-criminalized on June 30th, and new laws on treason, espionage and blasphemy were passed posing chilling threats to people criticiz- ing government officials or policies. And it's more difficult than ever to operate an NGO New restrictions on freedom of association mean that organizations receiving foreign funding must describe themselves as "foreign agents" if they are considered to be in- volved in undefined "political activities"--a requirement which is inconsistent with inter- national human rights standards. If an NGO doesn’t register, it faces hefty fines, its work can be suspended or shut down completely, and its leaders can even face prison time. 2 SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT
Take action!
Spread the word. Learn more about Russia’s human rights record and share this in-
formation with family, friends, and colleagues: www.amnesty.ca/russia.
Go viral! Social media is a great way to shine a spotlight on human rights in Russia,
and it’s also a great way to get around state media sensors and let activists in Russia
know that we support them. Use hashtags: #Russia, #Sochi2014, #Olympics,
#humanrights, #RussiaCrackdown, #FreePussyRiot,
#LGBTI.
Try this Sample message: @AmnestyNow: #Russia
hosting the #Olympics is a privilege! Respect
#humanrights and freedoms! #RussiaCrackdown bit.ly/
russiarights
Sign our online petition urging President Putin to
stop attacks on civil society: www.amnesty.ca/
russiarightss and gather signatures for the hard copy
petition included in this kit (pg 6).
Sign our online petition demanding that Pussy Riot
be freed: www.amnesty.ca/get-involved/take-action-
now/free-pussy-riot and gather signatures for the hard
copy petition included in this kit (pg 7).
Write for Rights! During Amnesty’s annual letter-writing marathon in November-
December, one of the cases we will spotlight is that of opposition protestors arrested
for peacefully protesting in Bolotnaya Square, Moscow, in May 2012, www.amnesty.ca/
events/write-for-rights.
Share your message and raise awareness with a store window display. Dress manne-
quins up like Pussy Riot, add Pride flags, and Russian symbols such as Matryoska
dolls. Add a poster with more information (download one from our website at
www.amnesty.ca/russia). Have petitions inside the store for curious shoppers to sign.
Channel your inner James Bond—to protest Russia’s restrictive law that forces NGOs
receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents” and note this on all their
publicity materials. Take a “Bond-style” photo of yourself holding a poster saying “Call
me a foreign agent!”
SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT 3
Extra, extra read all about it!
Russia Makes the Headlines!
Let’s put Russia in the headlines for something other than the Olympics! On the front
page of a newspaper make and paste your own front page. Use the title “RUSSIA TO-
DAY” and include headlines about the discriminatory new laws in Russia that we want
to eliminate.
(Contact us if you would like sam-
ples of headlines to include.)
Get others involved!
The more people the better. In a
busy public space get people to
freeze in pose “reading the
newspaper” and take photos.
Check out these photos from a
flash mob action used for anoth-
er campaign as an example.
Let’s make Russia’s dismal hu-
man rights record famous!
Upload your photos to
Facebook, Twitter and other social
media sites.
Do you have questions about the
campaign, pictures or action ideas
you’d like to share?
Contact: jhansen@amnesty.ca or
hhomes@amnesty.ca
4 SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT
Q&A Q: Why is Amnesty launching this campaign now? A: While Russia gears up for the Winter Olympic Games, set to take place in Sochi from February 7-23, 2014, the country’s human rights situation is worsening. While all eyes are on Russia we will shine a light on the country’s dismal human rights record and raise awareness about the human rights violations occurring in Russia. Q: How long is this campaign and will it carry on throughout the Olym- pic Games? A: The campaign will run from October 7, 2013 to February 3, 2014—ending three days before the Olympics begin. Amnesty will not continue campaigning during the Olympics so to not interfere with or distract media attention from the sporting events. Q: Is Amnesty boycotting the Olympics? A: Amnesty is not boycotting the Olympics, calling for relocation of the Olympics, or asking the International Olympic Committee to take actions in relation to Russia. No boycott is necessary as this campaign focuses on the ongoing violations of freedom of expression, association and assembly in Russia rather than on human rights abuses re- sulting directly from the organization of the Olympics in Russia. We are for human rights, not against the Olympics. Q: Is Amnesty approaching Olympic athletes to join in the campaign? A: Amnesty is not approaching Olympic athletes to join this campaign. Olympic ath- letes are governed by Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter which sets out restrictions regard- ing their involvement in “advertising, demonstrations and propaganda.” Amnesty fully respects the Olympic Charter and the sensitivities surrounding athlete involvement in our campaigning. Q: I want to learn more! Where can I get more information on the hu- man rights situation in Russia? A: For a general overview of the human rights situation in Russia read Amnesty Interna- tional’s report titled “Freedom Under Threat, Clampdown on Freedoms of Expression, Assembly and Association in Russia,” bit.ly/16lSaap. Additional resources are listed on our website at www.amnesty.ca/russia. SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT 5
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SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN KIT 7
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