Joint working group set up on human rights and freedoms in Dagestan

A decision was made by members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation (RF), leaders of main Russian non-commercial organizations (NCOs) and Dagestan leadership to set up a joint working group on problems of observance of rights and freedoms in this republic.

The RF's Public Chamber will be represented in the group by journalist Nikolai Svanidze; Valery Tishkov, Director of the N. N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Liudmila Alekseeva, President of the Moscow Branch of the Moscow Helsinki Group; and Genry Reznik, President of the Moscow Bar.

According to the information, received by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent at the RF's Public Chamber, in his letter addressed to Nikolai Svanidze, Chairman of the Public Chamber's Commission on Interethnic Relations, President of the Republic of Dagestan Mukhu Aliev informed about the members of the group.

The Republic of Dagestan will be represented in the group by Ummupazil Omarova, Ombudsperson in the Republic of Dagestan; Garun Kurbanov, Minister on National Policy, Information and Foreign Relations; Azadi Ragimov, Minister of Justice; Alyuset Azizkhanov, Chairman of the "Nabat" Regional Charitable Organization for Helping Refugees and Immigrants; and Kazimurza Sultanov, Chairman of Regional Public Organization "Sabur" Dagestan Centre of Peacemaking Initiatives.

"The primary mission of our group is to create room for dialogue between the state and public structures in the republic. In difficult conditions that now exist in Dagestan it's crucially important to depart from the practice of unilateral estimates," believes Nikolai Svanidze.