The Russian government has been charging that Russians in non-Russian countries in the former Soviet Union have been, or may be, subject to human rights violations as a result of the laws passed or being considered.
The issue of human and civil rights for ethnic minorities has become urgent in the post-Soviet era Europe. The new nations of the former Soviet Union are all members of the OSCE and have accepted certain norms and principals regarding human rights and ethnic minorities. The hearing will focus sharply on post-Soviet Union states and how best to combat future ethnic minority violations in these countries.