The Human Rights Council

CP@ohchr.org

The Human Rights Committee

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Petitions@ohchr.org

The Special Rapporteur on toxic wastes

Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples

indigenous@ohchr.org

  

COMPLAINT  

1. Information concerning the author of the communication

NGO Х — NGO Yakutia — Our Opinion

in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

 

First Name, Last Name of Chief of NGO Yakutia — Our Opinion: Stepan Petrov

Nationality: Sakha, indigenous people of Russian Federation

Address for correspondence on this complaint:

box 70, post office 27,  Yakutsk, Republic Sakha (Yakutia), Russian Federation 677027

Tel: +7(914)224-24-11

E-mail: post@yakutian.org, nashe_mnenie@mail.ru

Website: http://yakutian.org

 

Submitting the complaint:

On the author’s own behalf: Х

 

Complaint is made in the interest of Stepan Petrov, citizen of Russian Federation, residing in the Republic Sakha (Yakutia), representative of indigenous peoples Sakha, whose rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has been violated.

 

2. Information on the State concerned

Russian Federation

 

3. SUMMARY OF VIOLATIONS

 

3.1. The essence of violations

 In the Republic Sakha (Yakutia) the rights to favorable environmental conditions of residence and preservation of physical health are violated due to:

1) the threat of falling of carrier rockets launched from the Vostochny spaceport (Amur Region, Russia) including with toxic fuel – heptyl;

2) the threat of radiation impact due to the possibility of ignition of forests on territories of underground nuclear explosions.

At national level, effective measures are not taken to eliminate them.

In these circumstances  the rights and freedoms of individuals and citizens guaranteed by international law, as reflected primarily in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, are violated.

 

3.2. Articles of the Covenant or Convention alleged to have been violated

 I, Stepan Petrov, state that my following rights are violated:

— the right to favorable environmental conditions of residence and preservation of physical health

guaranteed by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

 

These rights are also enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:

the right to favorable environmental conditions of residence and preservation of physical health in Articles 7, 23, 24, 29.

 

4. Exhaustion of domestic remedies

Inhabitants of Yakutia and civil activists repeatedly requested to the state authorities of Russia and stakeholders with proposals to eliminate these violations by changing the trajectory of carrier rockets and rehabilitating the territories of underground nuclear explosions.

However, it was denied.

These and other urgent problems must be addressed at state level. But their solution at national level is difficult because the state administration system is not interested in real solving problems and protecting the rights of citizens.

 

 

5. Facts of the complaint

 

I, Stepan Petrov  live in Yakutsk, but also like to travel around the republic, including Viluisk districts in the western Yakutia.

However, there my health and life are subjected to the following threats:

1) the threat of falling of carrier rockets launched from the Vostochny spaceport (Amur Region, Russia) including with toxic fuel – heptyl on me;

2) the threat of radiation impact on me due to the possibility of ignition of forests on territories of underground nuclear explosions.

 

The threat of falling of carrier rockets is described in the article of ecologist Ivan Burtsev “Actually: Does Yakutia turn into a dump of Roskosmos?” of April 10, 2018

I also provide the map  of the impact areas (IA) – places where the detached stages of carrier rockets (DSCR) fell.

 

Due to the threat of carrier rockets falling inhabitants of Yakutia repeatedly requested to change the trajectory of carrier rockets launched from the Vostochny spaceport in order to exclude the territory of Republic Sakha (Yakutia) from area of impact of fragments of space rockets and ensure a citizens’ right to free movement without the threat of falling fragments of space rockets with toxic fuel — heptyl.

Representatives  of the space agency directly said that compensate for damage to property and loss of life.

They explained that the trajectory had been selected due to tiny population. Another reason is not to risk the more populated areas. It is a apotheosis of cynicism and hypocrisy of Russian officials. It turns out that the inhabitants of Yakutia could be killed by rockets with poisonous heptyl. There is violation of the constitutional right to equality and discrimination on a territorial basis.

The threat of ignition of forests is a result of underground nuclear explosions carried out in the Soviet era.

12 underground nuclear explosions were conducted on the territory of Yakutia. Two of them — «Crystal» and «Kraton-3» in 1970s were officially recognized as emergencies. As a result, the surrounding areas were subjected to radioactive contamination. It is necessary to carry out the rehabilitation works for utilization of the «dead wood». However, it has not been done.

Now there is a problem of possible ignition of forests on territories of underground nuclear explosions and subsequent radioactive contamination of additional territories.

In both cases, Russia, as the successor of the USSR, does not recognize the damages, does not wish to pay compensation to local population, to restore the contaminated areas and to change the trajectory of rockets.

Accidents and their negative impact on health of yakutians are hidden. Mortality from cancer that is a direct result of nuclear explosions is disguised as diseases of other etiologies.

The Chernobyl disaster, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the focus of attention of the world community. Affected people got decent treatment and compensation. Environmental monitoring and rehabilitation of territories had been conducted. Long-term studies are also conducted .

In Yakutia people and territories that affected by nuclear explosions and heptyl have not received the proper help: treatment, rehabilitation, compensation, monitoring and recovery. Yakut victims of Soviet nuclear arms race and poisoning heptyl quietly die and negative consequences threaten future generations.

 

Violation of my right to favorable environmental conditions of residence and preservation of physical health is that:

-my health and life are threatened in Yakutia because of nuclear weapons testing, falling of highly toxic elements of space rockets on me.

 

These violations of human rights relate to most of the population of Republic Sakha (Yakutia).

We describe the population coverage of above problems.

According to the Federal State Statistics Service population of Republic Sakha (Yakutia) is 962.8 thousand people.

The above environmental problems affected mainly the inhabitants of Viluisk districts (Vilyusky, Verkhnevilyuisk, Nyurbinsky, Suntarsky districts), whose population is about 93 thousand people.

 

6. Measures for redress

 Based on the above, I, Stepan Petrov, as the Chief of the Applicant – NGO «Yakutia — Our Opinion», offer to appeal to the Russian government:

1. to change the trajectory of carrier rockets launched from the Vostochny spaceport in order to exclude the territory of Republic Sakha (Yakutia) from area of impact of fragments of space rockets and ensure a citizens’ right to free movement without the threat of falling fragments of space rockets with toxic fuel – heptyl;
2. to carry out the rehabilitation of territories of underground nuclear explosions on which radiation-polluted forests are found in the Republic Sakha (Yakutia) in connection with the possibility of their ignition and the subsequent radioactive contamination of additional territories.

 

7. LIST OF DOCUMENTS

1.) The article “Actually: Does Yakutia turn into a dump of Roskosmos ?”  of April 10, 2018. Author: ecologist Ivan Burtsev 

2.) The permission for use of author’s materials 

3.) The map of the impact areas (IA) – places where the detached stages of carrier rockets (DSCR) fell 

 

 DECLARATION AND SIGNATURE

I hereby declare that the information furnished in the complaint is true and correct

to the best of my knowledge and belief.

 

Stepan Petrov 

Yakutsk, Russian Federation

 

28 June , 2019