AI reports on crimes, committed by power agents in Northern Caucasus

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) focused on the uncontrolled and unpunished killings and kidnappings of people in Northern Caucasus in its report entitled "Vicious circle of injustice: special operations and violations of human rights in Ingushetia".

"Unfortunately, those violations of human rights are not random errors of individual law enforcement officers, but tactics, chosen by them. And the impunity that accompanies them is not a result of objective difficulties, but an important component of law enforcement system in the form, in which it has been built at present," said John Dalhizen, AI's Director for Europe and Central Asia.

Today, the report was presented in Moscow. The reports was compiled, summarizing the results of two AI's expeditions to Ingushetia in 2010 and 2011 and interviews with 60 victims and relatives of victims of alleged crimes, committed by power agents, and conversations with local human rights defenders, lawyers and officials.

The human rights defenders emphasize that, as a rule, crimes, committed by power agents, are either not investigated or not investigated properly. "Impunity represents both outcome of that activity and its starting point. It can be argued that failure of investigation is intentional," told Denis Krivosheev, the AI's expert for Russia, to journalists.

"It is time to make real efforts to restore law and order and to stop violations of human rights, committed by law enforcement agents, who have no restrains. Ensuring of the region's safety in the long term depends on that," the "Vedomosti" quotes John Dalhizen as saying.

At the same time, the AI notes that the situation in Ingushetia is better than in the neighbouring North-Caucasian republics of Russia. John Dalhizen has emphasized that President Evkurov recognizes the violations of human rights more willingly than his counterparts, that local and international human rights organizations work in Ingushetia more freely, and that other North-Caucasian republics could learn from Ingushetia, the "BBC" reports.