VZCZCXRO5601
RR RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #3148/01 3011337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271337Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0520
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 003148 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KCRM KJUS RS
SUBJECT: LUKIN LOOKS FORWARD TO THE END OF HIS TENURE AS RUSSIAN 
FEDERATION OMBUDSMAN 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Russian Federation Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin told 
visiting HFAC Chairman Berman that his term as Ombudsman for the 
Russian Federation has been a "difficult job of compromises."  Lukin 
said that during his almost five years as Ombudsman, it has been 
most important for him not to spoil relations with members of the 
government and representatives of the opposition and civil society. 
Lukin, a founding member of the liberal, pro-Western Yabloko 
political party, told Berman that moving NATO to Russia's boundaries 
was a mistake, because it increased nationalistic feelings here. 
Lukin agreed that television media has become increasingly 
centralized and controlled by the government, but said there were 
other outlets for news available to Russian citizens and that there 
was neither "full freedom of the press" nor a "strict Iron Curtain" 
in Russia.  End Summary. 
 
"A Difficult Job of Compromising" 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a candid October 15 meeting with visiting HFAC Chairman 
Howard Berman (D-Cal) and HFA;QQJQQ, noting that he had served as the chairman 
of the Duma's 
Committee on International Relations.  Lukin was the second person 
to be appointed Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman.  Prior to the 
enactment in 1995 of legislation authorizing the creation of the 
ombudsman's office, human rights activist Sergey Kovalyev served as 
Russia's unofficial ombudsman.  In 1996, constitutional lawyer Oleg 
Mironov, described by Lukin as "a Communist," became Russia's first 
Ombudsman.  After Yabloko failed to win seats in the Fourth Duma in 
December 2003, then Russian President Vladimir Putin nominated Lukin 
to become Russia's second Ombudsman.  He was confirmed by the State 
Duma in February 2004 and his initial term expires in March 2009. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Lukin described his work as Ombudsman as a "difficult job 
of compromises," that was more challenging than his two years 
(1992-93) in Washington as Russia's first post-Soviet ambassador. 
He said his office can receive as many as 200 complaints each day; 
Assistant Ombudsman Georgiy Kunadze confirmed to us that the office 
receives 30,000 complaints per year.  Lukin noted that it was most 
important for him as Ombudsman not to spoil relations with members 
of the government and representatives of the opposition and civil 
society.  He joked to the Congressman that in response to a 
complaint by a leading Russian human rights activist that he should 
be more proactive as Ombudsman, he had responded "better to be 'not 
so active' for a long time than 'active' for a short time."  Lukin 
admitted that he was looking forward to leaving his job as Ombudsman 
when his term expires in March. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Lukin told Berman that as Ombudsman, he can propose Duma 
investigations and the office has the power to decide on its own 
when there has been an abuse of human rights without referring to 
the Russian State Duma or to a Russian court.  He discussed the 
power of the Ombudsman's office to entertain appeals from the 
military and provided Berman with copies of not only his Annual 
Report for 2007, but also special reports on military conscription 
and hazing.  He pointed out that his office can visit all types of 
prisons, both military and civilian and that it had a special team 
that visits prisons unannounced.  (Note:  Lukin visited prisons in 
the Samara region of south-central Russia on October 21.  End 
Note). 
 
Lukin Sympathetic Towards Jailed Lawyers 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Berman asked Lukin his views on the case of former YUKOS 
Oil lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina, who has appealed for clemency and 
early release from detention.  Lukin answered that he supports an 
early release for Bakhima, who has two children and is eight months 
pregnant.  Lukin added that as Ombudsman, he cannot interfere with 
an investigation, but that he has appealed to the prosecutor in the 
case of former YUKOS Vice-President and head lawyer Vasiliy 
Aleksanyan and had succeeded in getting the terms of his confinement 
changed.  (6:AQnA7qd 
Note.). 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Lukin said that the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist and 
Kremlin-critic Anna Politovskaya was "clearly a contract murder." 
He said that the killer is on the run, but the accomplices are 
currently on trial.  He added that the identity of the person who 
ordered Politovskaya's murder may be made known at the trial.  He 
has gone on record as saying that until the killer is brought to 
justice, this case cannot be considered closed. 
 
 
MOSCOW 00003148  002 OF 002 
 
 
"Mistakes Were Made" in Bilateral Relations 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Concerning U.S.-Russian relations, Lukin said that both 
countries have made mistakes.  In particular, he thought that moving 
NATO close to Russia's borders was a mistake, because it increased 
nationalistic feelings here.  He agreed with Berman that U.S. policy 
toward Russia was having a negative influence on Russian domestic 
politics and undermining the efforts of liberal forces here.  He 
said the 1990 Paris Declaration was a "distraction" and that there 
should have been more honesty from the start about NATO's 
enlargement plans.  He added that he was against Russia's 
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia until Georgia had become a 
member of NATO.  Lukin called for a new beginning in U.S-Russian 
relations after the inauguration of a new U.S. president in January 
2009 and chastised the current U.S. administration for simply 
pocketing Putin's concession of closing its naval bases in Cuba and 
Vietnam and his strong support for the U.S. in the immediate 
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Lukin agreed that the government has increased its control 
over television media in Russia, but said there were other outlets 
for news available to Russian citizens.  He cited the "mostly" 
independent REN-TV as presenting an independent voice on Russian 
television and noted that Euronews is broadcast in Russian without 
censoring.  He concluded that Russia needed an equivalent of the 
U.S. Public Broadcasting System, and added that there was neither 
"full freedom of the press" nor a "strict Iron Curtain" in Russia. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Lukin said that he will be in the U.S. after the elections 
as part of the dialogue between his office and the Carnegie 
Foundation and offered to meet with Chairman Berman if both are in 
Washington at the same time. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) HFAC Staff cleared this message. 
BEYRLE