The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions issued a Report on the state of the rule of law in Europe. The document covers 40 countries out of the 43 countries where ENNHRI has a member.

"National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) are key players in the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as state-mandated bodies acting independently of government with a broad human rights mandate. This report brings together reporting from NHRIs in Europe on the rule of law situation in their country, collected over April to June 2020. It identifies key trends across the region and details the specific situation in each country, including in the context of governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic." the Report says.

Russian NHRI entered the ENNHRI in 2016. Within the framework of international activities, High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova constantly interacts with international universal and regional organizations on the protection of human rights and freedoms, primarily with the UN and the Council of Europe human rights bodies.

"It is difficult to overestimate the importance of GANHRI as an association of national institutions for the protection of human rights, which acts as a powerful collective «voice» of the professional international human rights community at the UN platforms. By expressing its evenhanded positions on the most acute human rights challenges of our time it makes a great contribution to the protection of human rights at the international arena and in the UN member states," the Report on the Activities of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation for 2019 says.

As part of this cooperation, the federal ombudswoman provided the ENNHRI with information on topical issues of human rights in the country, which was reflected in the organization’s report.
Thus, a large section of the report is devoted to the activities of federal and regional Commissioners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, in cooperation with the regional human rights commissioners (who are often members of the regional headquarters to combat COVID-19) organized joint work on the prompt processing of citizens' complaints and the resolution of local crises related to coronavirus outbreak." the Report speaks.

It is noted that the need for assistance from the Commissioner was very high during this period. "From March 27 to June 4, 2020, the Commissioner’s Help Line received 1,857 requests from citizens asking for help in the difficult life situation in which they found themselves during the pandemic."

The document also contains information on human rights guarantees in the context of the exercise of legislative, executive and judicial powers, ensuring media pluralism and the activities of human rights organizations.

The ENNHRI Report can be accessed by clicking the LINK.