Association of rights defenders of Dagestan calls Magomedov to control power agents

The participants of the conference, where a decision was passed to establish a new human rights organization in Dagestan, adopted an open letter to President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov, listing the measures, which, in the opinion of the authors of the document, should promote cardinal changes of the situation in the republic in the sphere of human rights and return people's trust in the authorities.

Let us remind you that the conference took place on July 7. The "Association of Rights Defenders of the Republic of Dagestan" will work without forming a legal entity. As stated by its founders, the aim of the organization is, in particular, to defend citizens' rights and legitimate interests in interaction with the republic's and federal authorities.

The participants of the conference note in their open letter to President of Dagestan that for radical changes of the situation in the republic in the sphere of human rights and returning of people's trust in the authorities, "first of all, the authorities should change the attitude to their population."

Authors of the appeal believe that to achieve this it is necessary to ensure efficient control over the power agencies to exclude the cases of illegal arrests, kidnappings and extrajudicial executions.

Human rights activists find it necessary to stop the state support of one religious current and prosecution of adherents of other trends and cancel the local law "On Prohibition of Wahhabite and Other Religious Activities" as contradicting federal laws and the Constitution of Russia.

The letter also offers to give publicity through mass media to facts of punishments and dismissals of officials and power agents for their crimes and facts of corruption.

Other measures listed in the document include establishment of whereabouts of kidnapped and missing people; immediate notification of detainees' relatives about the custodies and reasons of detention; termination of the practice of hampering the work of lawyers by power agencies; use of forces and means, adequate to the threat, while conducting special operations; and termination of the practice of taking convicts out of the republic for serving their terms.

Besides, the authors of the letter call the authorities of the republic to start negotiations with the so-called "forest brothers", convince them to lay down weapon and get back to peaceful life, initiate amnesty to the members of IAFs (illegal armed formations), who have no blood on their hands and want to quit their IAFs. The letter also asks not to persecute such people and their families and guarantee to other participants, who have repented and want to surrender, the punishment commensurable with their guilt.