No abstract

It is underlined in the article, that fixing of the wide complex of civil and political rights in the constitutions of the countries of former USSR in the 1990s, its complete realization, and proper protection did not become possible. The facts of media controllableness, infringements upon independence of the judiciary, pressure on the “third factor”, prosecution of human rights defenders, spreading of hate speech and even capital punishment practice certify that. The institute of the state as well as non-state subjects are noted to be the initiators of pressure on political and civil rights and freedoms. This is stated to separate post-Soviet countries from values of neo-liberal democracy, what is typical under conditions of neo-authoritarian political regimes, defective democracies, etc. In the article, the latest trends in the functioning of the Institute of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Belarus and Russia are revealed. We state that despite the constitutional consolidation of a wide range of civil and political rights and freedoms in the countries of the former USSR in the 1990s, still their full implementation and proper protection are lacking. The author’s argumentation is based on the proven facts of media control, the infringement against judicial independence, pressure on civil society, persecution of human rights defenders, the rise of hate speech, which are inherent to Belarus and Russia. In the article, it is stated that the main movers of pressure on civil and political rights and freedoms in the analyzed countries are both state institutions and non-state actors (pseudo-civil society). The main problem in upholding the inviolability of constitutionally guaranteed civil and political rights is the lack of a sufficiently critical mass of citizens, who are ready for systemic change, and the weakness of national civil societies.