Council of Europe

Commissioner Hammarberg discusses human rights with President Medvedev

Strasbourg, 22/01/10 - At the end of a two-day visit to Moscow, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg was received by President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, at the Kremlin. The issues discussed included the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commissioner in his recent report on Chechnya and Ingushetia, as well as necessary steps to protect human rights in the field of administration of justice.

Commissioner Hammarberg welcomed the ratification by the Russian Federation of Protocol 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights, and of the Revised European Social Charter, as well as the decision of the Constitutional Court to prolong the moratorium on the death penalty.

The Commissioner underlined that serious problems remain in the North Caucasus, and highlighted the need to investigate past disappearances and clarify the fate of missing persons, as well as to eliminate the recurrence of killings, abductions and other major human rights violations. In this context, the Commissioner stressed the importance of effective and unhindered investigations into murders of human rights defenders.

He expressed the hope that the recent steps taken with respect to the newly-created North Caucasus Federal District will contribute positively towards economic and social development and improve the effective protection of human rights in the region.

Commissioner Hammarberg and President Medvedev also discussed initiatives to strengthen the rule of law and the protection of human rights in the areas of law enforcement, the judiciary and the prison system, as well as to combat corruption.

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Press contact in the Commissioner’s Office:
Stefano Montanari, +33 (0)6 61 14 70 37; stefano.montanari@coe.int