Back Council of Europe anti-torture Committee returns to the North Caucasian region of the Russian Federation

A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out a visit to the North Caucasian region of the Russian Federation from 16 to 23 April 2009. It was the CPT’s eleventh visit to this part of the Federation since the year 2000.

The visit focused on the Republic of Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic, where the delegation reviewed the treatment of persons detained by Internal Affairs structures, Federal agencies and the penitentiary service, and examined the action taken by the competent authorities in respect of complaints and other indications of ill-treatment. The delegation also visited the SIZO (pre-trial establishment) in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Kraï, to which remand prisoners from Ingushetia are being sent due to the continuing absence of a SIZO in that republic.

The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:

Chechen Republic

  • IVS (temporary detention facility) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, Grozny
  • IVS of the Temporary Operational task force of Agencies and Units (VOGOiP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, located on the premises of the Operational/Search Bureau (ORB-2) of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for the Southern Federal Region, Grozny
  • Inter-district division of ORB-2, Gudermes
  • Argun Division of Internal Affairs and IVS
  • Gudermes Division of Internal Affairs and IVS
  • Leninskiy District IVS, Grozny
  • Staropromyslovskiy District Division of Internal Affairs and IVS, Grozny
  • Urus-Martan District Division of Internal Affairs and IVS
  • Directorate of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), Gudermes
  • SIZO No. 1, Grozny

Republic of Ingushetia

  • IVS of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia, Nazran
  • Karabulak District Internal Affairs Division
  • Nazran City Internal Affairs Division
  • Malgobek District Internal Affairs Division and IVS
  • Sunzhenskiy District Internal Affairs Division and IVS, Ordzhonikidzevskaya
  • Directorate of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), Magas

The delegation also visited the site of the SIZO under construction, near Karabulak.

Stavropol Kraï

  • SIZO No. 2, Pyatigorsk.

In the course of the visit, the CPT's delegation held discussions with the President of the Chechen Republic, Mr Ramzan KADYROV, and the President of the Republic of Ingushetia, Mr Yunus-Bek EVKUROV, as well as with numerous senior officials at the republican level.

The delegation also held meetings with the First Deputy Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic, Sharpuddi ABDUL-KADYROV, the Prosecutor of Ingushetia, Yuri TURYGIN, and with senior representatives of the Prosecutor’s Offices and the Investigation Committees in both republics. Further, the delegation visited the Republican Forensic Medical Bureaux in Grozny and Nazran.

In addition, the delegation had consultations with representatives of the NGO “Memorial” in Grozny and Nazran, as well as with members of the Bar Association of the Chechen Republic and with defence lawyers.

In Moscow, the delegation met the Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation, Vladimir LUKIN, and members of his office.

On 24 April 2009, during a meeting in Moscow chaired by the Deputy Minister of Justice, Vladimir DEMIDOV, the CPT’s delegation provided the Russian authorities with its preliminary observations.

The visit was carried out by the following members of the Committee:

  • Mauro PALMA, Head of delegation, President of the CPT (Italian)
  • Latif HUSEYNOV (Azerbaijani).

They were supported by Trevor STEVENS (Executive Secretary) and Petya NESTOROVA (Head of Division) of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by one expert, Derrick POUNDER, Professor of forensic medicine, University of Dundee (United Kingdom).

28/04/2009
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