Russia

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) welcomes President Obama’s announcement in Berlin today calling for a world without nuclear weapons and the readiness to pursue further reductions in the US and Russian nuclear arsenals.  However, the humanitarian consequences…

US President Barack Obama has called on Russia to slash its deployed nuclear weapons by up to a third. “After a comprehensive review, I’ve determined that we can ensure the security of America and our allies — and maintain a…

By J C Suresh | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis Russia is in the midst of a comprehensive modernization of its nuclear forces that began more than a decade ago. The upgrade, which involves replacing all Soviet-era ballistic missiles with fewer improved missiles,…

Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, first appears in a 1954 Japanese science fiction movie by the same name, ravaging Japan in a symbolic warning about the risks of nuclear weapons. For a couple of decades Godzilla was…

Russian authorities should immediately and unconditionally free the two members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot who remain behind bars, Human Rights Watch said today. The two women, Nadia Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, have been in detention since their…

Russia and the Arab League have offered to broker talks between Syria and its opposition coalition to end nearly two years of foreign-sponsored unrest in the Arab country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow and the…

Vicious attacks on gay rights protesters in Russia in recent days underscores the need for the Russian Duma to reject a draft law on “propaganda for homosexuality,” Human Rights Watch said today. Russian authorities should thoroughly investigate the violence and new…

The European Union should urge President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming EU-Russia summit meeting to end the crackdown on Russia’s civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. The 30th summit meeting since two sides started meeting regularly will be on…

Russia’s parliament should reject a proposed bill that would violate Russians’ freedom of expression and discriminate against and stigmatize Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. On December 19, 2012, the Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, is scheduled…

Homophobic persecution and discrimination is rife in large parts of the world, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still not recognised or protected by international law. Nonetheless, progress towards equality is being made thanks to…