19 May 2010, 21:00
Shevchenko invited Medvedev to reduce the number of checkpoints in the North Caucasus
Dmitry Medvedev intends to consider the possibility of eliminating unnecessary checkpoints in the North Caucasus, a Public Chamber member Maxim Shevchenko stated, following today's meeting of the Presidential council on civil society institutions.
"The president said that he would explore the viability of such a large number of checkpoints. He admitted he did not know the problem was so acute and so pressing, and he would look into it more closely", said Shevchenko, who believes that nowadays the excessive number of checkpoints have turned into "collection of tribute from the population."
"There are absolutely absurd things. In some republics the checkpoints nothing but resemble border crossing points, as if it were not the territory of Russia. Sorry, but it is easier to enter the Schengen zone than to reach Nalchik from Pyatigorsk", Shevchenko noted.
He also recalled the words of the Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov saying that the insurgents do not cross checkpoints, "Gazeta.RU" writes.
Furthermore, Shevchenko said that "the President offered to set up a forum where human rights organizations could interact with the law enforcement bodies."
In addition, a member of the interregional public organization "The General Lebed Peacekeeping Mission" Maya Astvatsaturova told that "the head of the State made a point of the fact that in solving all problems of the North Caucasus region, the most important thing is the interaction between the authorities and civil society", Interfax reports.
