Will a Dmitry Medvedev presidency mean a softening of the authoritarian practices associated with Vladimir Putin’s rule? Prior to the Russian presidential election, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and the Norwegian Union of Journalists (NUJ) host an open seminar on Russia after Vladimir Putin’s presidency, focusing especially on the prospects for independent media, the conflicts in the North Caucasus (including Chechnya), and what Norway can do.

Speakers:
Irina Jasina, PhD, economist and journalist, the Regional Journalists’ Club and the Institute of Transitional Economy, Moscow
Grigory Shvedov, Director of the information agency memo.ru and member of the board of the International Society ‘Memorial’
Allon Groth, Foreign Policy Adviser of the Conservative Party’s Parliamentary Group, Stortinget
Bjørn Jacobsen, MP, Socialist Left Party, member of the Committee for Defense, Stortinget 

Program:
9.30 – 9.45 Welcome, Kjetil Haanes, Vice President, NUJ
Bjørn Engesland, Secretary General, NHC
9.45 – 10.15 From Putin to Medvedev: From ‘Dictatorship of the Law’ to Rule of Law? Irina Jasina
10.15 – 10.40 North Caucasus: Progress or Continued Conflict? Grigory Shvedov
10.40 – 11.00 A new Norwegian policy on Russia? Allon Groth
11.00 – 11.20 New trends in Russo-Norwegian relations? Bjørn Jacobsen
11.20 – 12.00 Discussion 

Moderator: Aage Borchgrevink, Adviser, NHC 
The discussion will be in English.

Welcome! Velkommen! Dobro Pozjalovat’!