[15/09/2009] The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, has completed a week-long visit to the Russian Federation, including the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Ingushetia. At a press conference held in Moscow on 10 September, the Commissioner called for better protection of human rights defenders and highlighted the necessity to carry out effective investigations into the recent killings of human rights activists.
During the visit, the Commissioner met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov. In the North Caucasus, he met the President of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov and the President of the Republic of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov, as well as the respective Ombudsmen. He also held discussions with the federal Ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, the Chairperson of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights, Ella Pamfilova, and representatives of prosecutorial authorities, the judiciary, criminal investigation committees and civil society.
Discussions focused on the human rights situation in Chechnya and Ingushetia in the light of recent developments. In particular, the situation of human rights defenders, the need to employ counter-terrorism measures which take due account of human rights principles, the issue of clarifying the fate of missing persons, and the fight against corruption were raised. A report which will include the Commissioner's recommendations will be published during the autumn.
Commissioner Hammarberg also made a keynote address on social and economic rights to a round table of Ombudsmen of the Russian Federation, organised by the Council of Europe in St. Petersburg on 3-4 September.