20 July 2010, 14:00
Members of the Board under Russian President ask Medvedev to defend human rights activists in Chechnya
The Board for Assisting to Development of Civil Society Institutes and Human Rights under Russian President sent an appeal to Russian leader asking to protect human rights activists, including the employees of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", who work in Chechnya, against the threats pronounced by local president Ramzan Kadyrov, and ensure their normal working conditions.
"You had a meeting with human rights defenders who work in the Caucasus; and you said then that cooperation with NGOs is a duty of heads of Russia's subjects. That meeting was attended by five employees of the 'Memorial', now blamed by the Chechen leader as 'nation's enemies'. It can hardly be treated as constructive cooperation with the civil society," runs the appeal placed today in the website of the Board.
