Human rights activists ask EU to urge Russia to respect human rights

Within the last year, Russia saw stronger pressure on those who defend human rights in Chechnya and in Northern Caucasus as a whole; therefore, the European Union should present "unambiguous demands to Russia to take particular steps towards stronger defence of human rights in Northern Caucasus." This is stated in the address of human rights activists to the government of Sweden, the chair-country of the EU, and the European Union as a whole, dated to the "Russia-EU" Summit in Stockholm.

"Many of our colleagues were kidnapped and assassinated. Now, one should already ask not whether someone of us will be the next victim, but who will become such. We expect from the Swedish government, as the current EU chair, and from the European Union as a whole that during the Stockholm Summit on November 18 they will move unambiguous demands to Russia concerning particular measures towards stronger defence of human rights in Northern Caucasus," runs the application, which was signed by 21 representatives of Russian and international human rights organizations.

"It is necessary to add to this sad list numerous cases of threats and pressure, such as the arson on August 19 of the office of the organization 'Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights'," the authors of the document have emphasized.

Human rights activist are sure that public activists fell victim just because they had revealed to the public cases of violations of human rights in Northern Caucasus.

"The responsibility for rough violations of human rights in this region is mostly on the power agencies subordinated to the federal centre and on local authorities and power agents supported by Moscow. Most often, Russian authorities are not inclined to investigate into these crimes; those guilty remain at large. The atmosphere of impunity is reigning today in the region; crimes go on, and human rights activists are actually pushed outside the law by those whom they criticize," activists of human rights organizations said.

The human rights activists called the EU to put forward five requirements to the Russian government, namely: Russia shall strictly fulfil the decisions of the European Court; it shall sign international treaties on human rights and follow them; it shall take particular steps towards reforming laws and system of legal norms defining the limits of using violence by armed forces; the country shall guarantee safety of human rights activists and bring the norms regulating the activities of NGOs in conformity with international standards; and Russia shall guarantee free access of international organizations to the territory of Northern Caucasus.