Arrests have occurred in various parts of the country, OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva, during a routine briefing.
In the Dagestan capital Makhachkala, protests are said to have continued for a second day on Monday, with hundreds of people taking to the streets and clashing with police officers, leading to dozens of arrests.
“We stress that the arrest of people solely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and free speech constitutes a arbitrary deprivation of liberty“Mrs Shamdasani said.
“We call for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained and for authorities to comply with their international obligations to respect and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. “
Wrong call
Ms. Shamdasani noted that there were reports of men was mistakenly called despite no prior military training and authorities set up a hotline to rectify the situation.
An OHCHR spokesperson also described it as “heartbreaking” about the widely reported exodus of young men leaving Russia to avoid mobilization.
And she says international human rights law is very clear that when people want to protest hostile acts as conscientious objectors, this should be respected by the authorities.
Problems of conscience
“Our primary concern is the need for legitimacy, the need for a lack of arbitrariness, and a clear scope for an impartial protest. and independent review of individual decisions on how mobilization was made. “
While the majority of the protests are believed to have been peaceful, military and administrative buildings, including the enlistment office, were attacked in several areas, OHCHR said. urged people to “protest peacefully and avoid resorting to violence”.
