World Moscow irate over German comments on Russian democracy

The Russian Foreign Ministry lashed out on Friday at criticism of the country’s human rights record and the state of its democracy leveled by a German government official. German Human Rights Commissioner Markus Loening has lambasted the human rights situation in Russia and called for the introduction of sanctions against Russian politicians and security and law enforcement officials “responsible for human rights violations.” Loening said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been paying lip service to the rule of law throughout his presidency while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin “bears no relation to a genuine democrat.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Loening’s remarks were misguided and unacceptable. “It is surprising that he has appropriated the right to speak on behalf of the German government and even of all Europeans, calling for direct pressure on Russia - in effect, for interference in our internal affairs,” Lukashevich said. Loening also said the EU should be more forthright in upholding universal human rights values in dealing with Russia, criticizing in particular last week’s EU-Russia summit as a “feel-good” event. Failure to defend human rights values erodes the EU’s foreign policy and its credibility, he warned. The German federal government is currently discussing sanctions against Russian officials guilty of rights violations, including denial of visas to the EU and a freeze on their bank accounts, he said.