RIGHTS: EU Urged to Quiz Russia Over Abuses

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, Nov 5 2003 (IPS) - A leading civil society group is calling on European leaders to demand answers over human rights violations when they meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit Thursday (November 6).

On the eve of the annual EU-Russian summit in Rome, Amnesty International (AI) says that the European Union (EU) must question Putin over continuing reports of grave human rights abuses in Chechnya and neighbouring Ingushetia.

According to Amnesty, human rights abuses in Chechnya are continuing in spite of the election of a new Chechen President Akhmed Kadyrov last month.

Amnesty says that while the Russian government attempts to portray the recent presidential elections as a step towards stabilisation, attacks on members of the Chechen administration and people linked to President Kadyrov continue.

The human rights group says it is seriously concerned over reports of numerous military raids during which Russian federal forces as well as armed troops reportedly under the command of Kadyrov are alleged to have targeted civilian settlements as well as IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), and committed serious human rights abuses. "While the EU used strong language to criticise the conduct of the recent elections in Chechnya and voiced concerns over human rights, it remains to be seen whether these strong sentiments will be repeated face to face in the meeting with the Russian President," director of Amnesty’s EU office Dick Oosting told IPS.

This year’s summit is particularly important because it comes as 10 new countries prepare to join the European Union in May 2004.

Eight of those countries – Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – are former members of the Soviet bloc.

The aim of the meeting Thursday is to confirm a timetable that will bring Russia into the European Economic Area and raise EU-Russian relations to a new status.

Cooperation in the fight against organised crime, and the rules governing sales of Russian gas and oil will also be discussed.

But Amnesty says that before advancing its relations with the Soviet bloc, the EU must demand answers to continuing concerns.

"It is difficult to see how the EU can build an enlarged area of political stability and functioning rule of law on its eastern borders if the Russian president is allowed to continually sweep away criticism on these fundamental issues, and if the EU is not pushing for a concrete response," Oosting said.

Amnesty is insisting that EU leaders press Putin for answers over a range of concerns.

First, Amnesty is asking Putin to allow unfettered international human rights monitoring in Chechnya and provide dates for the visits to Chechnya of experts from the UN Commission on Human Rights.

To date, Russia has failed to comply with resolutions by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or the UN Commission on Human Rights in this regard. Amnesty is also urging Putin to immediately make a commitment to halt attempts by the Russian authorities to forcibly return Chechen internally displaced persons (IDPs) until they can return voluntarily in safety and dignity to their place of origin or choice.

There are currently some 12,000 IDPs living in tent camps in the state of Ingushetia, many of whom are being forced to return to Chechnya against their will and without guarantees for their security.

Finally, Amnesty wants the Russian president ensure immediate action to bring to justice those responsible for the grave abuses committed during the conflict in Chechnya, and provide concrete information about all criminal investigations into alleged human rights crimes.

The organisation says that the Russian government still appears to lack the political will to end human rights abuses in Chechnya and to bring to light the fate of thousands of "disappeared" people.

A spokesperson for the European Commission said that the EU delegation in Rome will address the developments in Chechnya and will – recall the need for the fair, non-discriminatory and proportional application of the law by the Russian authorities."

The EU will focus on the ôpolitical prospects for a lasting peace in the region as well as the need for Russia to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid," he told IPS.

ôThe Commission will continue to support the implementation of judicial reforms in Russia since failure to respect these key principles would not only undermine the progress made in Russia in the last few years to create a positive environment for the development of trade and investment by Russian and foreign companies but could also hold back Russia’s integration into a common European economic space," he continued.

The recent arrest of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was charged with fraud and tax evasion, is also expected to figure at the meeting.

His arrest has been heavily criticised by the international community, which believes it could be a politically motivated move to curb Khodorkovsky’s political ambitions and his funding of parties opposed to Putin.