Russia: New Human Rights Ombudsman Is Retired Police General

Russia's parliament has elected a former police general as human rights ombudsman on Friday. The move, however, sparked some criticisms from the opposition.  

The new Russian ombudsman, Tatyana N. Moskalkova, rose to being a major general of the Interior Ministry after working her way through the ranks of the Russian and Soviet police for more than 20 years. Moskalkova won a seat in the parliament after retiring in 2007, or as the Duma, a member of Just Russia, which is the left-leaning pro-government party.  

Unlike the majority of her predecessors in the ombudsman position, Moskalkova lacks the needed experience for a human rights activist. Hence, raising concerns from the human rights advocates as well as from Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky, the Kremlin-friendly politician who is opposed to her career direction, NY Times reported.

Another notable personality who criticized Moskalkova's election was Lev Ponomaryov, the leader of the movement For Human Rights. Ponomaryov doubts how both of them can communicate given Moskalkova's background.  

Rising to Moskalkova's defense was Sergei M. Mironov, the leader of the parliamentary party, stating that she has been defending human rights beginning her tenure in the Russian and Soviet and Interior Ministries.

In a speech prior to the vote, Moskalkova told the lawmakers that the issues related to human rights are now actively abused by the American and Western institutions, in an attempt to blackmail, manipulate and even to try to destabilize Russia. She further said that they are all aware of the several lies surrounding Ukraine and Crimea, and that it is vital that they protect and defend not just one person, but Russia's entire system of values as well, BBC News reported.

The move to rename Russia's Interior Ministry came from Moskalkova when she suggested in 2015 to have it changed into Cheka, which is the name of Soviet's first state security organization and also notorious for its major role in the purges of Stalin.