CE Commissioner Thomas Hammerberg cannot reach liquidation of ORB-2 in Chechnya

"Now, the official mass media and authorities are creating an image of stabilization process that is underway in Chechnya. It is not the case. Violations of human rights are systematic, and the existing power in many respects is based on suppressing people," Igor Shamshev, coordinator of the European Commission's Project "Counteraction to Violations of Human Rights in North Caucasus," has said today to the press conference held at the Independent Press Centre.

The participants of the press conference were informed that during the recent year lawyers had revised dozens of criminal cases and reconsidered hundreds of them, among which there were 150 cases related to fabrication, illegal detainments and tortures at the so-called ORB-2 (Operations and Search Bureau), and four workshops had been held on judicial defence for advocates from Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.

On April 21, the regular spring session of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), where the situation with human rights in Chechnya was discussed, was over. The hearings were attended by Ruslan Badalov, Chairman of the Regional Public Movement "The Chechen Committee for Nation's Salvation," and Chechen advocates Said-Abu Dzhabrailov, Bayali Elmurzaev, Aida Kassimova and Dzabrail Abubakarov. The delegation was headed by Igor Shamshev, coordinator of the European Commission's Project "Counteraction to Violations of Human Rights in North Caucasus."

The Project performers had a meeting with Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner of the Council of Europe (CE). Having returned from Chechnya, the latter made a public statement to sharply condemn the indulgence of Russian authorities to crimes committed by power agents.

"The Commissioner told us about his efforts and pressure levers he uses to have that notorious ORB-2 unit liquidated," Ruslan Badalov said.

In answer to the question of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on what pressure levers the Council of Europe can presently use to stop the everyday violations of human rights in the Republics of North Caucasus, Mr. Badalov explained that victims' applications to the European Court for Human Rights are the main pressure lever.