Special Rapporteur on the Russian Federation

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation

Purpose of the mandate

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation was created by the Human Rights Council at its 51st session in October 2022. Resolution 51/25 establishing the mandate cites concern over “the significant deterioration of the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, in particular the severe restrictions on the rights to freedoms of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association, both online and offline, resulting in systematic crackdowns on civil society organizations”. In April 2023, the Human Rights Council appointed Ms. Mariana Katzarova to the position, and she officially took up her functions on 1st May 2023. On 12 October 2023, the Human Rights Council decided to renew the mandate for one year.

About the mandate

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation was established by the UN Human Rights Council at its 51st session on 7 October 2022 (A/HRC/RES/51/25). At its 54th session on 12 October 2023, the Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for an additional year (A/HRC/RES/54/23).

The Special Rapporteur presented her first report to the 54th session of the Human Rights Council on 21-22 September 2023 in Geneva (see the webcast recording here and the meeting summaries of the interactive dialogue here and here) and addressed the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly on 25th October 2023 in New York (see the webcast recording here).

Learn more about the purpose of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation here.

About the Special Rapporteur

Ms. Mariana Katzarova started work as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation on 1 May 2023, following her appointment by the Human Rights Council at its 52th session in April 2023. Ms. Katzarova is a human rights expert, with over two decades of experience as a journalist and human rights leader in the war zones of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (Security Council resolution 1244), Chechnya, and Ukraine. Ms. Katzarova’s human rights experience includes heading Amnesty International's investigations of human rights in the Russian Federation.

Read Mariana Katzarova’s full biography here.