RUS103313.E	14 December 2009
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information about procedures to obtain police reports and medical reports was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Police reports

In 24 November 2009 correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow stated that individuals can obtain police reports at the Area Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the area where they are registered. Without providing details, he also indicated that police reports can be obtained by an authorized representative (Canada 24 Nov. 2009). In 19 November 2009 correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Chair of the Civic Assistance Committee (CAC), a non-governmental organization (NGO) which assists refugees and migrants in Russia, stated that a lawyer or a representative with power of attorney could obtain police reports. In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 10 November 2009, the Head of the Political Section of the Russian Embassy in Ottawa also noted that a citizen may be able to obtain police reports through a lawyer (Russia 10 Nov. 2009).

According to the United States (US) Department of State's Reciprocity Schedule, "Federal and more serious criminal records in Russia are kept at the Main Information Center (MIC), while convictions related to minor offenses (interpreted as when the punishment was up to 3 years of imprisonment) are stored in the local police (militia) archives" (US n.d.).

Medical reports

The Official at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow stated that medical reports can be obtained by contacting the specific hospital which dealt with the case (Canada 24 Nov. 2009). Without providing details, the Head of the Political Section at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa stated that medical institutions would not typically provide this information to a third party because of "privacy issues," but that policies may vary from one institution to another (Russia 10 Nov. 2009). He also stated that a citizen may be able to access his or her medical records through a lawyer (ibid.). The Chair of CAC similarly stated that a lawyer can obtain medical reports through a court enquiry, an investigation enquiry within criminal proceedings, or possibly through power of attorney (CAC 17 Nov. 2009). She suggested that it may also be possible for someone to acquire this information through "friendly relations" or by offering money (ibid.). In 19 November 2009 correspondence with the Research Directorate, a correspondent at the International Herald Tribune indicated that bribery is "a fact of life in Russia" and that it may be possible for someone to obtain either medical reports or police reports by offering to pay (Journalist 19 Nov. 2009).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Canada. 24 November 2009. Embassy of Canada, Moscow. Correspondence from a migration integrity officer.

Civic Assistance Committee (CAC) [Moscow]. 19 November 2009. Correspondence from the Chair.

_____. 17 November 2009. Correspondence from the Chair.

Journalist. 19 November 2009. Correspondence from a journalist at the International Herald Tribune.

Russia. 10 November 2009. Embassy of Russia, Ottawa. Telephone interview with the Head of the Political Section.

United States (US). N.d. Department of State. "Russia Reciprocity Schedule." [Accessed 1 Dec. 2009]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to reach representatives at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Centre for Ethnopolitical and Regional Studies, and the Medical Centre for Information and Analysis (MCIA) of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), European Country of Origin Network (ecoi.net), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Crisis Group, Memorial, Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Refworld, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).