Ombudsman subjected the methods of struggle against underground in Northern Caucasus to criticism

Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lukin submitted his annual report on the state of affairs in the sphere of human rights and freedoms to State Duma in which he subjected the methods of struggle against participants of paramilitary groups in Northern Caucasus to criticism.

Lukin states in his report that in spite of Russia’s virtual abolition of capital punishment in 2009, “the practice of unlawful murders of members of paramilitary groups is in use as before”.

Lukin emphasizes that he does not bring into question “the necessity of firm and uncompromising struggle against gunmen” but he insists that “the essence of antiterrorist activities is struggle of lawfulness against arbitrary rule”.

“It is evident that all the circumstances of liquidation of paramilitary groups must undergo thorough inspection but in fact it is difficult to do this for only law enforcement bodies have access to the materials of a criminal case initiated on a fact of liquidation. Even the Ombudsman has difficulties in getting access to such materials”, Lukin says.

Lukin considers that setting the situation right is possible only by making the cases on murders of participants of paramilitary groups public, “Gazeta.ru” writes.

All in all Ombudsman received about 57 000 complaints during the past year, most of them were from the Central Federal Okrug (34,6%). More rarely complaints were coming from North Caucasian (4,9%) and Far Eastern (4,3%) Federal Districts, “Vedomosti” reports.