Exactly one year after the murder of the Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Amnesty International has decided to rename Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, where the Saudi Arabian Embassy is located in Brussels, in his name. As a tribute, activists stood in front of the embassy holding signs with the new name of the street, “Jamal Khashoggi Avenue”, and commemorative posters.

Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian dissident, author and columnist for The Washington Post. He has been killed one year ago – on the 2nd of October 2018 – at the Saudi consulate of Istambul. Recently, the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed ben Salman, took full responsibility for the murder and defined it as a big mistake. However, Lynn Maalouf, director of research on the Middle East at Amnesty International, stated: “All the rhetoric about taking responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi’s homicide sound hollow if they do not come with the immediate and unconditional release of dozens of people who are languishing in prison and are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment, only for expressing their opinion peacefully”.

Amnesty International has documented at least 30 cases of prisoners of conscience currently serving sentences of between five and 30 years in prison just for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Maalouf continues: « The announcement of Mohammed bin Salman, who assumes responsibility for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, will only be a communication failure if it is not accompanied by a determined, concrete and immediate action. The aim is to put an end to the crackdown, to release all human rights defenders and to let independent observers of the human rights situation circulate freely in the country, inter alia, to observe and report publicly on the ongoing trial. for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi ».

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It is very difficult for a politician to refuse advances from human rights activists. This is particularly the case in the institutions of European politics, where, in the absence of hard power of their own, politicians often use humanitarian issues as a platform to engage on an international stage.

Into this morass has stepped what appears at first sight to be an innocuous human rights NGO, fronted by a photogenic and highly articulate young woman who seeks to address the wrongs that are the legacy of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian citizen Lyudmyla Kozlovska, champion of Maidan, defender of the imprisoned and the maligned, and her Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) have become a fixture on the European human rights scene.

However, this NGO, originally founded by another Ukrainian citizen, Ivan Szerstiuk, who is reportedly currently serving an eighteen-year sentence in Ukraine for ordering a murder, in actuality serves a purpose, and indeed a master, far removed from the carefully crafted image it conveys so well.

As well as outstanding arrest warrants, multiple convictions, and considerable wealth, the key clients of the foundation, presented as politically persecuted champions of democracy, share something else in common: allegations of money laundering on a formidable scale.

French MEP Nicolas Bay, speaking during a meeting of the European Parliament’s committee on Financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance earlier this year, named the controversial Kazakh fugitive oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov as being the real figure behind the ODF.  « There are now very real questions about the funding of the activities of that Foundation. All too often, perpetrators of white-collar crimes are able to pass themselves off as victims », he said, calling for a parliamentary investigation into the activities of the organisation.

Bay’s call was echoed by Romanian MEP Andi Cristea, who declared that considering “the ODF’s efforts to defend one or more controversial characters, I believe that significant resources are needed to investigate in Brussels the transparency of the ODF’s funding and the correct recording of lobbying activities in the public register. The image-washing operation that the Foundation led for Ablyazov is not a secret to officials in Brussels.”

Ablyazov, who has multiple convictions and who has served two prison sentences in the past, in Kazakhstan and France, became responsible for possibly the greatest fraud in history when he embezzled some $7.6 billion from the BTA Bank, of which he was head. He has also received a life sentence for ordering the murder of his predecessor at the bank, Yerzhan Tatishev, in 2004. The fugitive also has an outstanding 22 month jail sentence awaiting him, should he ever return to the UK, handed down to him for contempt of court. This was confirmed in recent weeks when the outstanding arrest warrant in his name was formally extended.

His crimes, however, should not be viewed in isolation: he appears to be not a lone criminal, but part of an organised crime syndicate. Brussels-based journalist and author of the book Wanted Man: the story of Mukhtar Ablyazov (2019), Gary Cartwright, stated at a Brussels press conference recently, « if you want to know who Ablyazov’s partners in crime are, simply look at ODF’s client list.”

The list includes the likes of Ablyazov’s son-in-law, Ilyas Khrapunov, wanted in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, and named in an English court as having been involved in the laundering of Ablyazov’s cash through Donald Trump’s property enterprises. Also Khrapunov’s father, Viktor, a former mayor of Almaty, and, like his son, currently resident in Geneva is another of ODF’s so-called “persecuted oppositionists”.  The former Mayor of Almaty Viktor Khrapunov, his TV-anchorwoman wife Leila, and their son Ilyas stand accused of embezzlement schemes amounting to at least $300 million — they are the subject of lawsuits in the United Kingdom and the United States. The Khrapunovs have been described in the French language press as “one of the richest families in Switzerland”.

Nail Malyutin, currently serving six-years in Russia for stealing $4 million, and who has ties to Aslan “Djako” Gagiyev, a controversial figure whose gang stands accused of orchestrating more than sixty murders is represented by ODF, as is Moldovan businessman Vyacheslav Platon, a businessman named in the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation into the Russian Laundromat. Platon is currently serving eighteen-years for his part in what became known as the “theft of the century,” in which 12.5% of the nation’s GDP went missing from three banks.

ODF appears, with some success, to have created a model for its wealthy clients: the establishment of a political organisation, positioned in opposition to the government of the country or countries in which they are wanted, and then formulating a campaign for their « human rights », carefully positioning them alongside genuine and high profile victims such as Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov.

This abuse of the human rights platform was attacked by former UK MEP Nikki Sinclaire who said  “For those of us who have fought tirelessly for Human Rights, it feels like a punch in the stomach when someone uses mechanisms to slyly promote their own self interest.  Such actions undermine the work of genuine Human Rights activists and deserve to be highlighted.”

Another vocal critic of ODF is one-time ally, Polish MEP Anna Fotyga, who has severed her links with the organisation stating in the European Parliament that it has “ceased to be a non-political NGO and is not a credible organisation”.

As well as undermining the work of genuine human rights activists, ODF can also be seen to be corrupting important European political institutions. An Interpol Red Notice calling for Ablyazov’s arrest was successfully lifted following successful lobbying of the European Parliament deputies by Kozlovska. There have been questions asked as to exactly how this was achieved. « The MEPs who supported the initiative by ODF were all asked if they, or their families, had received any pecuniary advantage in return for their support, » Cartwright said to the author of this article. « Whilst we have no evidence to suggest that this may be the case, it is noticeable that not one has directly denied it.”

Interpol undermined, parliamentarians possibly corrupted, this is the work that ODF does so well.

However, the organisation itself came under the spotlight when in April of this year Britain’s Sunday Times published a damning article implicating it in money laundering activities allegedly related to Ablyazov’s ill gotten gains. A company owned by Kozlovska’s husband, Bartosz Kramek, was named as having benefited from money laundering activities involving a number of Scottish based companies, to the tune of more than £1 million.

Until the Sunday Times article appeared, Kramek was mainly known for his somewhat bizarre July 2017 call to overthrow the Polish government, encouraging acts of civil disobedience such as the withholding of tax payments and teachers’ strikes. This led to increased governmental interest in Kramer, Kozlovska, and in particular ODF’s finances.

All of this is being presented by ODF as the political persecution of Kramek, thus winning over those who are opposed to the current ruling party such as Belgian Liberal Democrat MEP, Guy Verhofstadt, who personally intervened when Kozlovska was subject to an order banning her from entering the Schengen zone. Thanks largely to his efforts, in March of this year Kozlovska was granted a five year residency permit in Belgium, and the Schengen Information System (SIS), which exists to protect the security of EU citizens, was added to the list of political mechanisms and institutions undermined by the activities of ODF.

The post Will the Open Dialogue Foundation pull the wool over the eyes of the European Parliament? appeared first on Brussels Express.

Accessible, gripping conversations between art experts and magistrates, journalists, and professors of human rights will include you in the best dinner party conversation, showing you art in a new light. Learn how famous artists have considered basic human rights over the centuries and be amazed that the same issues – torture, justice, children’s rights, the death penalty, freedom of expression – are still being grappled with 500 years later.

10 different human rights are explored in 10 video conversations, each with one expert from the art world discovering a masterpiece with an expert from the world of human rights chosen by Amnesty Belgium.

The video series was the idea of Althea Williams, a former director at Amnesty Belgium and Geraldine Barbery from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts. The video series which has just been launched will enable first time and seasoned visitors to the Fine Art Museum to share the mindset of the artist and experience his or her perception, while fast-forwarding to our present world and seeing its relevance.

The masterpiece The Judgement of The Emperor Otto explores the notion of Justice, with a magistrate from the International Court of Human Rights talking with an art historian. Their conversation addresses the question of equal access to justice, fair trials and the notion of violence in justice, all of which are vitally important today.

Another work explored in the Justice conversations is Susanna and the Elders, painted in 1567. They addressed the question of the abuse of power by authority, its destructive influence on the fabric of society and the role of the citizen in opposing it.

Freedom of Expression

The Death of Marat is a masterpiece by Jacques-Louis David, painted at the time of The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. Marat, murdered in his bath by Charlotte Corday, defends freedom of expression but, once in power himself, abuses that right, inciting hatred and is instrumental is sending many political opponents to their death. In David’s iconic painting, which can also be seen as political propaganda, Marat is depicted as an idealised martyr. The questions asked during this conversation concern the importance of freedom of expression: 1400 journalists have been assassinated in the past 25 years for their work and only 13% of the world’s population enjoys a free press today. And what are the limits to this freedom? Can you see Marat as a hero of the French Revolution, or can you see him as someone who abused his right to freedom of expression?

The 10 videos are free to download and are in French or Dutch with subtitles (English subtitles will be added during the summer months) and they are suitable for all ages and levels.

In addition, starting from September, on the first Wednesday of every month at 2pm there will be a tour by the museum guides.

To find out more about this, please click this link.

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An estimated 2,275 died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean in 2018, despite a major drop in the number of arrivals reaching European shores. In total, 139,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe, the lowest number in five years.

“Saving lives at sea is not a choice, nor a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “We can put an end to these tragedies by having the courage and vision to look beyond the next boat, and adopt a long-term approach based on regional cooperation, that places human life and dignity at its core.”

The report describes how shifts in policy by some European States saw numerous incidents where large numbers of people were left stranded at sea for days on end, waiting for permission to dock. NGO boats and their crews faced growing restrictions on their search and rescue operations. On routes from Libya to Europe, one person died at sea for every 14 who arrived in Europe – a sharp rise on 2017 levels. Thousands more were returned to Libya where they faced appalling conditions inside detention centres.

For many, setting foot in Europe was the final stop of a nightmarish journey on which they had faced torture, rape and sexual assault, and the threat of being kidnapped and held for ransom. States must take urgent action to dismantle smuggling networks and bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

However, new seeds of hope did emerge in some places. Despite political deadlock on progressing with a regional approach to sea rescue and disembarkation, as called for by UNHCR and IOM last June, several States committed to relocating people rescued on the central Mediterranean – a potential foundation for a predictable and lasting solution. Thousands of resettlement places were also pledged by States for evacuating refugees out of Libya.

The report also reveals significant changes in the routes being used by refugees and migrants. For the first time in recent years, Spain became the primary entry point to Europe as around 6,800 arrived by land (through the enclaves in Ceuta and Melilla) and a further 58,600 people successfully crossed over the perilous Western Mediterranean. As a result, the death toll for the western Mediterranean nearly quadrupled from 202 in 2017 to 777. Some 23,400 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy in 2018, a fivefold decrease compared to the previous year. Greece received a similar number of sea arrivals, some 32,500 compared to 30,000 in 2017, but saw a near threefold increase in the number of people arriving via its land border with Turkey.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded some 24,000 arrivals as refugees and migrants transited through the Western Balkans. Cyprus received several boats carrying Syrian refugees from Lebanon while the UK witnessed small numbers crossing from France towards the end of the year.

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Seventy years after its adoption, on 10 December 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly, the Declaration continues indeed to embody the common ideal to be achieved by all peoples and nations. As the foundation of the universality of the values of equality, justice and dignity, it remains as relevant as it was on the first day. The universality of human rights is the foundation of the modern international order, the primary obligation of all States. It remains the compass that guides Belgium’s action, both in our domestic policy and on the international stage, towards a better and fairer future for all.

Over the past three years, our country has been tirelessly involved in the Human Rights Council on many issues such as the fight against impunity, respect for human rights in the fight against terrorism or the promotion of the participation of civil society. Our country has also worked to protect and strengthen human rights institutions on the ground, starting with the Human Rights Council itself but also with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or regional organizations such as the Council of Europe and the African Union. At the end of its term of office, Belgium intends to continue these efforts as an observer member.

From next January until the end of 2020, it is as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council that Belgium will endeavor to keep the defense of human rights at the top of the international agenda. Peace and security, like development, necessarily require respect for the fundamental rights of each individual.

2019 will also be the year of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Second Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which aims to abolish the death penalty. The right to life, enshrined in Article 3 of the Declaration, is a fundamental condition for the enjoyment of all other rights enshrined therein. With this conviction in mind, our country will host, together with the European Union, the Seventh World Congress against the Death Penalty in Brussels from 26 February to 1 March next year.

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This trial has been very sensitive over the last weeks and days. What’s at stake? Deciding what legal processes will the people who host asylum seekers face.

In this case, 11 people have been sued as they have been suspected to take part in human trafficking and criminal organisation. Several Belgian citizens are involved, such as volunteers, a journalist and a social worker. The NGOs which are active in the field of migration and human rights have therefore been following the trial closely.

Last Thursday, the two public prosecutors have called for acquittal of two Belgian citizens who have hosted asylum seekers from January to May 2017.

12 people had been arrested on October 2017, after policemen had conducted a phone investigation as well as observations on highway car parks.

Both the journalist Myriam Berghe and another volunteer at Maximilien’s Park might face some months behind the bars. The prosecution has found that they have provided some human smugglers with help: Mrs Berghe had lent her phone to a guy that used to help asylum seekers cross borders.

Looking at the global picture, the prosecution has asked the judges to provide sentences from 1 to 4 months behind the bars for nine persons involved in this case.

While the barristers have pleaded their clients are innocent, or asked for a sentence as lenient as possible, some of them have welcomed the fact that the prosecution in Brussels has been more comprehensive that the one in Termonde, where the interviews had started.

The final decision will be made by the judges on 12 December at 9.00 am.

The post Hosting asylum seekers trial: prosecutors call for acquittal of Belgian journalist for having lent her phone appeared first on Brussels Express.

During the discussion, serious concerns were raised about the growing phenomenon of the creation and subsequent use of fake news by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the pursuit of their clients’ agendas.

One of the case studies given was that of the highly controversial so-called ‘human rights’  NGO, the Brussels based Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), originally founded in Warsaw in 2009, by Ivan Szerstiuk, who is now reportedly currently serving a sentence for ordering a murder in Ukraine. There are strong and long-standing rumours circulating in the EU institutions, and amongst the Brussels press corps, that ODF was founded at the behest of Kazakh fugitive Oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, who has been described in the British press as “the world’s richest fraudster”, and who has multiple convictions and outstanding arrest warrants, including one for suspicion of involvement in murder, in his name. There are proven connections between Ablyazov and senior figures within ODF.

The ODF recently attracted media attention across Europe when the foundation’s current president, Lyudmyla Kozlovska, a Ukrainian citizen who has enjoyed residency rights in Poland for 10 years on the basis of her marriage to a Polish citizen, Bartosz Kramek, who is also head of the ODF management board.

However, for whatever reason she herself has not been granted Polish citizenship. In August of this year she was turned back at Brussels airport arriving on a flight from Kyiv, on the grounds that she had been banned from entering the Schengen zone by the Polish government as she was allegedly a threat to the national security of Poland.

The ODF has been linked to allegedly seditious activities including a call to bring down the Polish government by Kramek.

A recent (April 2018) report by the Independent investigation body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), presented strong evidence of manipulation, and indeed bribery, of parliamentarians by lobbyists and NGOs. An investigation by a Brussels-based journalist revealed that in 2016 ODF lobbied PACE on behalf of Vyacheslav Platon Kobalyev, a Moldovan citizen and reputedly one of the country’s richest men. He is currently serving an 18 year prison sentence having being found guilty of fraud and money laundering. A declaration by PACE (No. 617 | 11 October 2016) calling for Kobalyev’s release from jail describes him as having been subjected to “political persecution”.

In the name of “human rights”, ODF represents a number of extremely wealthy fugitives, mostly wanted for money laundering in their respective countries, presenting them all as persecuted “political oppositionists”.

This was indeed the defence that Kozlovska presented when turned back by the authorities at Zaventem airport in August after being told at border control ‘Poland is looking for you on a high alert. There is a ban to enter the Schengen countries.’  She has been reported as saying ‘I told the police officer that I recognise the case as one of political prosecution of my husband and Polish authorities want to punish him’.

There is no evidence that her husband has been arrested himself. Despite his allegedly seditious comments, it would therefore appear that it is her, not him, that the Polish authorities are most concerned about. It has been noted that whilst she herself is somewhat reticent when it comes to answering questions on the subject, although presenting herself as ‘pro-Ukrainian’ she also possesses a Russian passport, allegedly granted to her following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.

Following the OSCE conference, delegates unanimously signed a Written Declaration stating that, “foundations such as the Open Dialogue use the money of their sponsors and distort real information about the human rights situation and try to propagandise (their) biased point of view in countries with a developing civil society. In this regard, constructive cooperation between government and the non-governmental sector can be threatened.”

Delegates also called on the OSCE leadership to “pay attention to the activities of the Open Dialogue Foundation, which has an ambiguous reputation in the countries of the European Union.”

The post A controversial Brussels-registered human rights NGO is under scrutiny appeared first on Brussels Express.

Romania will take over the presidency of the European Union in January 2019, an important step for a country that only joined the EU in 2007, and this will thrust the country under the spotlight in Brussels. When Romania gained EU membership, there were concerns that the country was not ready, in terms of corruption levels and the justice system. Unfortunately, many of those concerns are still valid today and Romania remains under special supervision by means of a cooperation and verification mechanism (CVM). The country has been actively encouraged by the international community to pursue its anti-corruption, with the former head of the anti-corruption unit (the DNA), Laura Kovesi, gaining near celebrity status in Western media for what they felt was her tough approach. But the international community has been negligent in its duty to insist upon respect for human rights and rule of law in the methods used to pursue this necessary anti-corruption campaign.

The DNA has been under domestic scrutiny since the its former head, Ms. Kovesi, was heard on tape in 2017 commanding employees to pursue investigations against the Prime Minster and his colleagues and using the phrase “put pressure” with reference to the government in retaliation for their moves to curtail her authority. This was followed by revelations that two senior DNA prosecutors had in 2015 forced a witness to fabricate evidence against media owner and former MP Sebastian Gita, with the witness being told his family would be targeted unless he cooperated.

There is concern in Romania about the covert role of the intelligence services in directing anticorruption prosecutions. The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) carries out 20,000 telephone intercepts on behalf of the DNA every year and initiates DNA investigations. The SRI’s own Dumitru Dumbrava said publicly that the SRI regards the judicial system as a “tactical field” of operations. Both the SRI and the DNA have been criticised for undermining judicial independence.

It was also revealed that protocols were signed between the Romanian intelligence service (the SRI) and the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation, the General Prosecutor’s office, the Superior Council of Magistrates and the Lawyers’ Bar Association.  These protocols are alarming in terms of human rights, constitutional propriety and conflict of interest.  It is unacceptable by any European standards that the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), the body responsible for regulating the activities of judges and prosecutors have a covert relationship that would influence the judges it appoints to rule in the interests of the intelligence services and their partners at the Anti-Corruption Directorate (the DNA).   It is also claimed that the protocols are used to bypass constitutional safeguards in the gathering of evidence. The existence of such protocols makes it difficult to trust the results of the Romanian justice system.

Pressure on the judiciary is another cause for alarm.  Marius Iacob, the First Deputy of the head of the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) has publicly stated that the DNA is handling 300 files regarding magistrates. If we consider that a file can include two or three magistrates and that one magistrate might handle ten cases a year, this means the potential for magistrates being vulnerable to pressure or influence in the cases they hear is huge.

A recent report written by Emily Barley, Lisi Biggs-Davison and Chris Alderton and published by Due Process and CRCE, shows Romania to be the worst in the EU in terms of human rights violations. The European Court of Human Rights found a total 272 violations from 2014 to 2017.  In terms of inhumane or degrading treatment, Romania ranks consistently behind only Russia in the Council of Europe. For violating the right to a fair trial among the 47 Council of Europe members, Romania lags behind only Russia and Turkey.

Prison conditions are dire in Romania, with the Due Process report highlighting the 104 violations found in Romania by the European Court of Human Rights for inhuman or degrading treatment, most of which took place in detention. The overcrowding of Romanian prisons has drawn much criticism from the European Court of Human Rights. This is also commented upon by the Due Process report: “In Romania, case after case has brought disgusting prison conditions to light; with infestations of bed bugs and vermin, inadequate washing facilities for prisoners, and cold, damp, dirty cells being the norm.”

Conditions in detention facilities made domestic, if not international, headlines when the Director of Rahova penitentiary hospital was charged, four employees detained and another four placed under house arrest, accused of committing violence against inmates. The charges against the staff included mistreatment and assault. This was followed by the death of former judge Stan Mustata.  He was serving a prison sentence at the Jilava prison facility on bribery charges and received appalling treatment. Despite his known kidney problems, he was moved in the middle of the night from one prison to another whilst vomiting.  He later died of a heart attack in Carol Davila civilian hospital in Bucharest and the hospital notified prosecutors over his death as their concerns about his prior treatment were so grave.  This has led to inquiries being launched and it can only be hoped that these might finally bring some real change.

Of course we must support the Romanian presidency, but we must also use this spotlight to show the country that we care not only about their much-needed anti-corruption campaign, but also the manner in which they conduct it. Current standards regarding human rights, rule of law and judicial independent do not meet our expectations for an EU member, let alone president of the Council, an absolutely crucial EU institution in Brussels.

The post Romania’s long road to justice appeared first on Brussels Express.

Together with Nikolay Oleynikov, he founded the band Arkady Kots, and they are among the most outspoken of left-wing activists and artists in contemporary Russia.

Asked if he was comfortable defining himself as a communist in the light of Russia’s past, Medvedev said that it was only as problematic to be a communist as it was to be European or Christian. All belief and all political systems have some violent or oppressive history. What he wants, through his art, is to reclaim the original ideal of communism: equality between people. Looking at the oligarchical state of Russia and at the increasing inequality under Western capitalism, that ideal still needs to be fought for.

As well as writing his own poems and music, Medvedev runs a publishing house and has translated important left-wing writers like Pier Paolo Pasolini into Russian. Spreading ideas through art is as important as direct political action, he said. It is a risky thing to do, as Russia under Putin is increasingly repressive towards dissenting artists.

In 2012, members of the punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to years in prison after they performed an anti-Putin song. When Arkady Kots went to support Pussy Riot at their trial, they were arrested as soon as they started singing. Earlier this year, five antifascist and anarchist activists disappeared and then surfaced in police custody, where they said they were tortured. Medvedev and Oleynikov dedicated one of the songs they performed at Bozar to those activists of the “Penza Case”, who are still imprisoned.

“There’s nothing beautiful in the future,” Medvedev said, reflecting on the fact that Putin is likely to win again in rigged elections this Sunday. But that is precisely why he and his “comrades” insist on staying in their country and will keep up their activism until it is a decent place to live for the majority of fair-minded Russians.

Oleynikov said that fifteen years ago (not coincidentally, the time when Putin was in his first term as President), people in Russia saw art and politics as diametrically separate. That is changing. Oleynikov and Medvedev insist that they are not propagandists and believe in the true value of art, but they are also subjects in a political situation that cannot be ignored.

So, what about the elections on Sunday? Medvedev and Oleynikov will not vote, since the system is a sham, but they say that what happens will nevertheless be important – for all of us. In fact, Europe is facing many of the same problems as Russia: the rise of far-right nationalism and the capturing of political and economic power by the richest elite.

The shared fate of Russia and Europe is explored in Bozar’s series Russian Turn, which has here shown the activity and energy of dissent in Russia today.

The post Kirill Medvedev and Nikolay Oleynikov: Protesting through art appeared first on Brussels Express.

MPs have been debating the bill since the beginning of the month. Under the provisions the Federal government have proposed, police could be entitled to conduct investigations at residents’ homes to check whether illegal residents are still on Belgian territory.

The government since bringing the bill forward has faced much criticism concerning a « lack of humanity ». Members of the Mouvement Réformateur (MR), the PM’s party, have expressed their concerns, as well as lawyers and professors.

The bill has also led several municipalities, both in Brussels and in Wallonia, to vote on motions, asking the Federal parliament not to support the bill. Brussels, Ixelles and Namur have taken that stance.

But so far, no municipality in Flanders, a traditionally more right-wing area, has endorsed such an initiative. The motion raised concerns with Drogenbos municipality on privacy and solidarity. It was voted against by almost of the members of the city council.

“I refuse the idea that Drogenbos’ residents are searched because of solidarity, and on the basis of suspicions or denunciation”, Nahyd Meskini, deputy mayor in charge of social and legal affairs, said. He also stressed he aims to spread those motions throughout Flanders. Alexis Calmeyn, the Drogenbos’ mayor, also approved the sentiment, as he is worried about the lack of privacy the residents could face over the upcoming months.

Nothing had been decided yet at the top-level. Charles Michel stated he aims to take time as well as to conduct consultations before making any decision. But if most of the municipalities across Belgium refuse such a bill, it will make it difficult for his government to go forward.

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