Donetsk, Nov 17 — DAN. Chairperson of the Donetsk People’s Republic parliament committee on criminal and administrative legislation Yelena Shishkina has been included in the Council for Civil Society Development and Human Rights under the Russian President.

President Vladimir Putin’s decree published on the website of legal information on Thursday, appoints nine new members to the Council; they are public activists and media and research community representatives.  They include president of the international charity foundation Doctor Liza’s Fair Aid Olga Demicheva, chairman of the Russian Writers’ Union Nikolay Ivanov, correspondent of the Komsomolskaya Pravda Publishing House Alexander Kots and chairperson of the DPR parliament committee on criminal and administrative legislation Yelena Shishkina who joined the Council as a member of the “Free Donbass” social movement presidium.

The decree, effective from Thursday, removes from the Council ten former participants.

The presidential council for Civil Society Development and Human Rights is a consultative body. It was founded to provide assistance to the head of state in implementing his constitutional powers in protecting human rights and freedoms, inform the president about the situation in this area, promote the development of civil society institutions and prepare proposals on matters within its responsibilities.*jk