“Still no stability in the Caucasus” – EU human rights commissioner
Published: 24 November, 2009, 14:09
Edited: 25 November, 2009, 12:37
Russian Federation, Moscow : People hold portraits of slain Russian human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, during a rally in her honor in Moscow on July 16, 2009. (AFP Photo / Oxana Onipko)
(2.9Mb) embed videoIllegal armed groups have intensified their activities in Russia’s North Caucasus region, according to a new report by the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe.
Thomas Hammarberg recently reported on the situation in the North Caucasus after visiting the Russian Republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia in September.
He says the authorities are making an effort to enforce the law, but stability in the region has not been achieved.
Hammarberg has urged Chechen authorities to do more to protect citizens from terrorism in the republic and defend their human rights.
The report adds that, since the end of last year, NGOs have reported an increase in the number of abductions and disappearances in Chechnya.
The commissioner stresses it is absolutely crucial to conduct effective investigations into current and past murders of human rights activists in the area.
Political analyst Aleksandr Pikayev agrees that, although the situation in the region has improved significantly compared to the early 2000s, local and federal authorities should do more.
“After all, you cannot achieve stability while people are being tortured and abducted. This is of course unacceptable,” Pikayev believes.
Meanwhile, a special operation aimed at neutralizing alleged terrorist groups in a Chechen region is underway. Due to this, a state of counter-terrorist operation was introduced there on Tuesday night.
24.11.2009, 13:50
2 comments
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Of course there is no stability when you have the largest international Islamic terrorist base in the neighbouring region in Georgia in the Panski Gorge trained and recruited from mosques from around the world in the EU and Middle East with the full compliance of the government and intelligence agencies. And when is COE going to investigate the thousands of Russian civilians kidnapped and murdered 200,000+ ethnically cleansed from Chechnya alone 3000+ across Russia between 97 and 2000.
EU countries fund through many sources the very evil they then lecture locals about. Panksi Gorge, or more specifically Georgia, is another Kosovo. Crime filled, center for transfer of drugs, money laundering, human trafficking, and name it. Just like Kosovo, it is a lawless hub of every kind of crime, and the most powerfull criminal networks in the world are linked up there. What really suprises me is the lack of intelligence operations and the lack of interdiction, so that the sources of funding that are flooding Caucasus are not exposed. Perhaps the authorities are waiting for the right moment, and are trying not to jump the gun. And it is possible that the knowledge of what is going on the ground needs to be linked more firmly with the money and protection resources further in the West. It is appaling how much money is available to sow chaos around the world, but not much money any more for health, education and decent jobs. What will it take to get some real audit going. Who precisely is behind all his money? Georgia is a serious problem in the neighborhood. It has only one purpose, and that is to be the agent of chaos. Russia has probably made a mistake by moving military out of Georgia too soon. It just allowed the same elite to retain control, and continue with the "services" it does so well.