Citizens' Watch

The three-year grant to the St. Petersburg Non-Governmental Human Rights Organization Citizens’ Watch will support a project to promote access to justice in the Russian Federation. The project will promote media rights and freedom of information in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second city, through developing a model to improve transparency of the judicial system. Project activities will include designing and launching a training program for court press secretaries; assisting in the formation of press services for all 23 district federal courts of St. Petersburg; introducing local court reporters to international standards and practices related to court reporting; resolving conflicts between freedom of speech and transparency of justice on the one hand and the principle of privacy protection on the other; and developing recommendations for the courts and the media. Citizens’ Watch is a leading human rights organization in St. Petersburg, set up in 1992 to prevent violations of constitutional rights by government agencies, to bring Russian legislation into line with international human rights standards, strengthen judicial independence, improve access to justice, and combat racism and other forms of intolerance. Foundation dollars will be used primarily to fund salaries, experts’ fees, and the costs of training workshops and seminars. The project will advance Foundation strategy to promote media rights in the Russian Federation.