President Barack Obama will travel to Moscow on July 6 to 8 for a summit meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. A White House announcement of the trip released last month indicated that it will focus on arms control, as well as business ties between the countries. Many others want President Obama to also focus on human rights abuses in Russia. Yesterday, Congressional leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission wrote the President (press release and full text of letter) urging him to raise concerns about religious and press freedoms in Russia. In particular, they urged focus on Russia's suppression of Jehovah's Witnesses, and return of a library of sacred Jewish texts to Agudas Chasidei Chabad from whom they were seized in the 1920's. (See prior related posting.) Meanwhile Human Rights First yesterday announced that it had written the President urging him to express concern to Russian leaders over the sharp rise in violent hate crimes in Russia. (Full text of letter.)
UPDATE: Human Rights First has made available online its 2008 Hate Crime Survey examining violent hate crime in OSCE countries.
