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View all search resultsLetter to editor: Russian ambassador responds
Russian Ambassador Sergei Tolchenov defends the Indonesia-Russia extradition treaty, rejecting Western narratives on geopolitics, human rights and the Ukraine war while urging bilateral ties to be guided by national interests.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with then president-elect Prabowo Subianto on July 31, 2024, during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. (AFP/Pool/Maxim Shemetov)
T
he Russian Embassy has taken note of the article by Indonesian academic experts on the treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia on extradition, published in The Jakarta Post on Sept. 18. We would like to express our satisfaction with the interest in this subject and for the generally positive assessments provided by the authors.
As Konstantin A. Chuychenko, Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, stated during his official visit to Indonesia in March 2023, “the signing and ratification of the treaty is an important step in combating cross-border crime, protecting victims of crime as well as maintaining justice and security”. We value the substantive analyses made by the authors about legal and juridical issues.
But when it comes to other aspects related to reasons and consequences of the ratification of the treaty and its entry into force, they began to rely on data from by Western think tanks which is often biased in nature and distorts the true state of affairs.
First of all, it is not necessary to discuss this document in the context of the geopolitics and Russian special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.
With regard to the allegations about the presence of “foreign fighters, volunteers and even prisoners” among Russian military personnel participating in the SMO, let me once again underline that Russia possesses all the necessary resources and capabilities to independently achieve the goals set.
Regarding the statements on “the decline of human rights protection in Russia”, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the constitution of the Russian Federation enshrines the fundamental principles of the state, including robust social and legal guarantees of human rights, and ensures a balance between all branches of power. The leadership of our country consistently provides the conditions for Russia's sustainable development as a democratic, sovereign and social state, in which human rights and freedoms are recognized as the highest value.
Unfortunately, Western countries increasingly attempt to replace universally recognized norms of international law with their own artificial “rules”, using the theme of human rights as an instrument and pretext for interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. By the way, Russia is not the only country that has been accused by the West of alleged human rights violations. Many nations of the Global South, including Indonesia, have already encountered the so-called policy of “double standards”.
