Svanidze: public hearings in Dagestan failed to start a dialogue

On March 10, Dagestan hosted a meeting of Republic's leader Mukhu Aliev with the members of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations and Freedom of Conscience and a group of well-known Russian human rights activists. The delegation held a session of public hearings in the Republic, however, in the opinion of Nikolai Svanidze, Chairman of the Commission, the parties failed to start a dialogue.

"As a whole, the impression from the travel is strong. I liked the people. I was for the first time in Dagestan," Mr Svanidze said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "As to the situation in the Republic, it is certainly ambiguous. However, I expected the worse."

"When in Moscow, we had an impression that you can't walk along the street here - you'll be either shot dead or kidnapped. A closer look shows that it's not the case. I have a feeling that the main reason we are here is in a certain vicious circle. On the one hand, kidnappings committed by bodies of the law and order, according to the signals that we receive. On the other hand, murders of militiamen. The circle should be broken. In my opinion, the Republic's leadership is full of commitment to do it," said Nikolai Svanidze.

In his opinion, to solve the problems, "people need talking, they need a dialogue." "Sometimes I witnessed just absolute misunderstanding. We held public hearings, but it was just recrimination, nothing else - a complete unwillingness to listen to each other. However, such intention should arise," the Commission chairman has stated.

At the meeting on March 10, a decision was made to set up a Commission in the Republic headed or supervised by President Aliev with participation of Public Chamber members, Nikolai Svanidze, possibly, inclusive.

The Commission will be in charge of holding the dialogue, otherwise, according to Svanidze, "violence cannot stop violence." In his opinion, one of the main problems in Dagestan is high level of corruption.

Mr Svanidze has also reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the official bodies of Dagestan gave him statistics on kidnappings and murders.

The members of the Commission also had data on kidnappings and murders presented by the public organization "Mothers of Dagestan". "I had this data already in Moscow," said Nikolai Svanidze. "In Dagestan, I also received information from this NGO, together with data about this NGO - from it, about it and against it."

"My opinion - everybody is right here. It seems to me that it would be na?ve to represent all the people who were kidnapped and whose interests the 'Mothers of Dagestan' as absolutely innocent. It on the one hand, and on the another hand, the law should be always respected. This is the main thing," Mr Svanidze has emphasized.

As to the reasons of extremism in Dagestan and actions of power agencies in the Republic, Svanidze has stated that the reasons of extremism stem from the complexity of the geopolitical location of the Republic.

"It is the largest of North Caucasian republics, and the most multinational one, therefore, here everything is more complicated. Here, Wahhabism is very strong, and it is one of the main reasons of Republic's problems."