History of the institute of the commissioner for human rights formation in the Russian Federation

The article is devoted to the history and principles of activities of the Commissioner for human rights in the Russian Federation. The authors examine the causes, historical challenges of the emergence of one of the most important civil society institutions in our country. The main attention is paid to the peculiarities of the political and social processes in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which first made possible the formation of public and political requests for the institutionalization of service of the Commissioner for human rights. The authors’ position is based on the deep study of international experience, primarily the history of the emergence and activities of this institution in Sweden, Finland, etc. There emphasizes the Russian specificity, activities of its government structures and public institutions, their contribution to the formation and development of the institution of the Commissioner for human rights. Noting the short duration of the existence of this institution in the Russian Federation, the authors overestimate his contribution to the establishment, development and improvement of Russian civil society. In article analyzed the fundamentals of the legislation on the Commissioner for human rights, activities of federal and regional offices in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The authors made suggestions for further improvement of the Institute's activities, the development of cooperation with public authorities.