OSCE – France is participating in the Moscow Mechanism on Human Rights Violations in Russia (28 Jul. 2022)

In response to the alarming human rights situation in Russia, marked by the introduction of many restrictive and liberticidal measures in recent years, 38 OSCE participating States, including France, invoked the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism on 28 July.

The Moscow Mechanism aims to investigate the allegations of serious violations of the commitments made by States within the framework of the OSCE and identify action to address them. Under this mechanism, a mission of independent experts will look into and report on the particularly serious threats regarding Russia’s OSCE commitments, particularly when it comes to democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The mission should evaluate Russia’s implementation of its commitments and identify actions of the Russian Government which have led to the current situation regarding human rights and fundamental freedoms.

For the third time, France is participating in the invocation of the Moscow Mechanism. The two prior invocations aimed to investigate the violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in the context of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.