PACE Committee points to "climate of fear" in Chechnya

The PACE Legal Affairs Committee has reported on "the climate of pervasive fear in the atmosphere of personalization of power" in the Chechen Republic. According to the PACE Committee, the recommendations voiced by the PACE for improvement of the human rights situation in Northern Caucasus remain unfulfilled.

The report of the International Crisis Group (ICG) entitled "Chechnya: internal abroad" represents a comprehensive study of the political situation in the republic, based on field research and the work of the ICG in the region, as well as on analysis of the local media publications. The report emphasizes the growth of potential for conflicts in Chechnya in different directions, and it also notes the legal regime under which "Russian law has almost no effect in the republic."

The PACE Committee has emphasized that the human rights situation in the region remains one of the most serious on the whole territory covered by the Council of Europe.

"The PACE Committee calls on Russia to legally combat terrorism in the region, put an end to impunity for violations against human rights defenders, as well as work more closely with the Council of Europe," reports the website of the PACE.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.