Russia has virtually no structure for whistleblowing protection, so the action of speaking out against the government is too risky. There are also high levels of corruption in the government, scoring a 28 out of 100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (Batishcheva and Vorontsov), which contribute to the fact that they don’t want to lose their power or receive any opposition. Opposition is often met with police force which results in arrests and unfortunately injuries and/or fatalities. People are fearful to play a role in any form of rebellion against the government and whistleblowing can be perceived as an action that falls into this category. Anonymity is a significant benefit for many whistleblowers as a way to avoid any attacks on themselves or their families, but there was no law in Russia that protected the whistleblower’s identity until 2013. That year, the first whistleblower hotline was established which became the first step to create a sense of security for whistleblowers. The process had been slow in its upbringing with the next major proposed bill in 2017 where those who speak up about government proceedings gain confidentiality, free legal aid, and protection against discrimination when applying to other positions. However, there is room for interpretation in the bill which creates possible loopholes for employers in the government and it has yet to be finalized by the courts to officially become a law (Shvets et al.).
The doping scandal in Russia became an international incident as it directly pertained to the validity of the previous Olympic games which involved other high powered countries. During the height of these proceedings, multiple people came forward and could be described as whistleblowers. People like Yuliya Stepanova provided WADA with voice recordings of coaches encouraging the use of doping to compete at a higher level. Others like Dr. Gregory Rodchenkov had access to the distribution and the techniques used to bypass the system that prevented doping, so was able to provide WADA with the necessary documentation of the illegal doping. Since the government didn’t provide an adequate amount of protection, whistleblowers are forced to flee Russia and gain asylum in another country. The result of the doping scandal did not directly cause any reforms or laws, but Russia was suspended from the Olympics for 2 years. Unfortunately, whistleblowers were labeled as traitors to their country while the government denied the validity of their information.
A less well-known case was a case that involved both Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer and tax auditor, and William Browder, a financial analyst. Browder contacted Sergei Magnitsky after officials from the tax office raided his companies’ offices looking for documentation that he was unaware of. Magnitsky subsequently inquired about the issue and uncovered the largest act of tax fraud ever made in Russia approximating to about 230 million dollars. After going public with his findings, he was arrested and transported to Moscow’s Butyrka prison, a remand prison. Magnitsky sustained dangerous injuries in his time at Butyrka that were not treated properly in medical care. After being subject to continuously worse conditions, his health deteriorated rapidly, he eventually died on November 16th, almost a year after his arrival.
Citations:
Browder, William. “Hermitage Capital, the Russian State and the Case of Sergei Magnitsky.” 15 December 2009. Chatham House, https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Russia%20and%20Eurasia/151209browder.pdf. Transcript.
Shvets, Jane, et al. “Russia Considers Enhanced Whistleblower Protections.” Compliance and Enforcement, New York University School of Law, 3 Nov. 2017, wp.nyu.edu/compliance_enforcement/2017/11/03/russia-considers-enhanced-whistleblower-protections/.
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