MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with the new composition of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights on Wednesday.
The event will be held via a video linkup, and will be Putin's first meeting with the council after several new members had been appointed.
The Kremlin press service earlier reported that Council members will report to the president about their work in 2022. In particular, they will touch upon various aspects of human rights assistance during the special military operation and the integration of the new regions into Russia. They will also discuss harmonization of economic legislation, the status of healthcare workers, and practice of law. Traditionally, council members and the president have an active exchange of views on a wide range of issues, the Kremlin said.
Council Chairman Valery Fadeyev earlier told TASS that a wide range of issues are up for discussion, including those related to partial mobilization and the current state of Russia’s penitentiary facilities.
Council member Kirill Kabanov said that issues related to Russia’s special operation in Ukraine will take the center stage.
A new member of the Human Rights Council, military correspondent Alexander Kots, said he would outline some problems experienced by servicemen taking part in the special military operation, including lack of training and ammunition for mobilized personnel, payment arrears and insufficient communication with the relatives. In Katz’s words, he "would like to understand whether it is possible to create a mechanism resolving those issues in an automated mode, so that people do not have to rush from one governmental agency to another, like they are forced to do now."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Tuesday that "absolutely everybody can always get a chance to speak" during those meetings. In his words, some of the meeting could be held behind closed doors.
"We traditionally reserve a portion of it to be held without the press. Although sometimes it’s about the pressing issues and we make it public one way or the other," the spokesman said.
He also emphasized that no issues will be prohibited for discussion. "There can be no stop-list," the spokesman said.
The president holds annual meetings with Human Rights Council members, which usually take place shortly before Human Rights Day, celebrated on December 10.
In November, 10 new people were made members, including military reporter Alexander Kots, member of the civil society group Free Donbass, Elena Shishkina, head of the Moscow Region’s executive committee of the All-Russian People's Front, Yulia Belekhova and some others. Some of the excluded members were reporter Yekaterina Vinokurova, Ivan Zasursky, Nikolay Svanidze.
Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights is a consultative body designed to assist the head of state in exercising his constitutional authority to protect human rights and freedoms, as well as to inform the president of the situation in this field, prepare related proposals and facilitate the development of civil society institutions.