Russian Federation: Council of Europe must ensure protection of human rights in Chechnya
On the eve of debates on the situation in and around Chechnya at the Council of Europe, Amnesty International is
calling on the Council of Europe and its member states to use all available avenues to help protect and implement human
rights in Chechnya and the surrounding republics of the North Caucasus.
The Council of Europe should continue to monitor and report on the situation in Chechnya as well as on the situation of
refugees and internally displaced people from Chechnya, and further cooperation between Council of Europe human rights
bodies and the relevant Russian government authorities should be encouraged.
When debating the three reports -- on the human rights situation in Chechnya, the political situation in Chechnya and on
the humanitarian situation of Chechen internally displaced persons -- on 7 October, the Parliamentary Assembly should
reiterate that human rights abuses are never justified and that impunity must end. Amnesty International calls on the
Council of Europe and its member states not to miss this opportunity to further strengthen mechanisms to protect human
rights in Russia and insist on the implementation of previous recommendation.
Throughout the conflict Amnesty International has documented cases of "disappearance", extrajudicial execution, torture,
including rape and ill-treatment by members of the security forces, and indiscriminate killings of civilians by members
of armed opposition groups. While most of these abuses are committed with impunity, victims of human rights abuses who
dare to seek justice by lodging a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights may face serious reprisals for doing
so. Amnesty International has, for example, documented a number of cases in which applicants to the court and their
relatives have been murdered, "disappeared" or were subjected to threats and physical abuse. In some cases the victims
of such violations were explicitly told that they were treated like this in order to force them to withdraw their
complaint. On 14 October the European Court of Human Rights will consider the first cases of human rights violations in
Chechnya.
As part of its documentation of continuing abuses, Amnesty International delegates travelled to Ingushetia in
March/April and again in June this year, gathering information about human rights abuses both in Chechnya and in
Ingushetia. In June 2004 the organization published a report on the situation in the North Caucasus, which among other
things calls on the Council of Europe to increase measures of protection of human rights in the North Caucasus. (AI
Index: EUR 46/027/2004)
The October session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is taking place against the backdrop of the
recent tragic events in Beslan, North Ossetia. Amnesty International strongly condemned the hostage taking, during which
331 hostages died and many more were injured. The organization is concerned that in the aftermath of the hostage taking
human rights protection may be eroded in the name of security and the so-called "war on terror". The Duma (the Russian
parliament) adopted a resolution calling for measures to combat terrorism, which may include infringements of human
rights; freedom of movement and freedom of expression. Amnesty International is further concerned about reports that
large numbers of people of Caucasian and Central Asian origin have been detained in Moscow and other major cities
throughout the Russian Federation and have been deported to other areas inside Russia, and that during such deportations
the human rights of many of these people have been violated.
While acknowledging Russia’s obligation to protect its citizens from violent crimes, Amnesty International urges the
authorities to ensure that any measures taken are in line with the Council of Europe Guidelines on Human Rights and the
Fight against Terrorism. Reports received by Amnesty International suggest that immediately after the hostage taking
Russian forces and Chechen forces under the command of the pro-Moscow government in Chechnya detained relatives of those
who were suspected of being responsible for the hostage taking. Most of the detained were later released but some of
them reported that they had been physically and verbally abused.
Amnesty International’s delegates, attending the October session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
can be contacted on: Nicola Duckworth, Director, Europe and Central Asia Programme + 44 78 1063 8897 Friederike Behr,
Researcher/Campaigner on the Russian Federation, +44 78 7020 3595
View all documents on the Russian Federation at http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maacHTUabaspJbb0hPub/