Russia demands to ban publication of UN report on secret prisons in Northern Caucasus

Russia calls the Supreme Commissioner of the United Nations on Human Rights to classify the report about secret detention centres, which criticizes Russia for its prisons in the Caucasus. Vladimir Zheglov, Russia's representative, called the report "confrontational" and stated that the document should be removed from the UN's official website, where it was placed last month.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Russian human rights activists believe that a system of violence was formed in Northern Caucasus, characterized, along with torture, kidnappings and extrajudicial executions, also by illegal prisons.

On February 18, UN delegates from 47 western countries expressed a desire to make the report on Russian secret detention centres a point of discussion on March 8 this year. The document also criticizes the Great Britain and USA, as the "Associated Press" writes.

The above Russian diplomat said that the 226-page report made by a group of independent experts in the sphere of human rights, selected and appointed by the United Nations, should not be published as an official document of the UN Council on Human Rights. One of the report sections presents interviews of anonymous residents of Chechnya, who were tortured in secret jails. Allegedly, Moscow uses this sort of jails in its fight against separatists in Northern Caucasus, the document marks.

Jeremy Sarkin, a member of the UN commission for inquiring into violent kidnappings, who took part in the report, believes that should the report be not presented, it will make a problem, as the "NEWSru.com" writes. Let us note here that Russia can block the report only if supported by the majority of the Council.

Alexander Cherkasov, a member of the board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" says that the report lists the following geographical names: Tsentoroy, Gudermes, vicinities of Shali and Urus-Martan, the "Free Press" writes.

According to Mr Cherkasov, the UN report tells about the secret prison in the village of Goity, which became known in September 2007.