Contract with the devil

Grigory Pasko, journalist

The regional congress of non-commercial (human rights and civic) organzations (NCOs) took place from 4 through 7 December in Penza. In the year 2005, the congress took place in Poland, while in 2007 — in the Ukraine. Then the co-organizers were the Council of Europe and representatives of the NCOs. This time, for the first time ever, appearing as co-organizer of the event was the Commission of the Federation Council of the RF for Questions of the Development of Institutions of Civil Society. This circumstance aroused the indignation of Russian human rights advocates, because there exists a long-standing understanding – the state must not participate in such an event in the capacity of an organizer, inasmuch as in this case it itself forms the agenda, the participants… In short, it functions according to the principle: whoever pays the piper gets to call the tune. The «tune» for the Russian power is just one and it’s rather old: to incorporate Russian NCOs into the infamous vertical of power.