Russian TV: The future of human rights and democracy in the volatile, post-Arab Spring Middle East is still murky, with daily violence continuing to threaten the lives of civilians. RT discussed the situation with Russian human rights envoy .

RT: The Arab Spring has upset the balance of power in North Africa and the Middle East. We witnessed politically Islamic movements come to power across the region. Some are moderate, but the rise of radical Islamism is evident. What threats do these radicals represent?

Konstantin Dolgov: First of all, the so-called Arab Spring is a process which totally reflects certain objective phenomena in the region. It was a movement that came from within. Obviously, there was certain external participation and prodding. Stability is basically kept in cases, in which the change came from within, and we face fewer immediate threats as far as extremism and the security of those countries and the adjacent region is concerned. It is definitely different when certain transformations and political changes are being pushed from the outside. Then it’s a different picture. We keep reiterating, and it is not only Russia’s view, that you cannot bring about democracy from the outside. Democracy is to become the result of certain internal processes.

If we take the situation which falls within my purview, my mandate, the situation within the field of human rights and democratic development and rule of law, the picture is not black and white, and we cannot say that human rights are being better ensured in certain countries of the region where the Arab Spring has occurred. It’s still a long way off.

RT: Let’s take Libya. Are human rights ensured at all? Or were they better off before the NATO-led invasion?

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