Contradictory outcomes of Alvaro Gil-Robles' visit to Chechnya

Last week, Alvaro Gil-Robles, head of the Office of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, and his future successor Thomas Hammarberg finished their visit to Chechnya. In Grozny, they had meetings with Chechen leadership and local MPs, and visited the State University and investigatory isolation facility (SIZO) "Chernokozovo".

On Saturday, February 25, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles and his successor in this post Thomas Hammarberg paid a visit to the SIZO "Chernokozovo" belonging to the Chechen Department of Federal Service for Punishment Enforcement (known as "UFSIN"). The officials of the Council of Europe had a talk with Vakhit Murdashev, a former assistant of Aslan Maskhadov, who was detained in settlement Tolstoy-Yurt in March 2005 in the course of the operation aimed to detain the leader of Chechen militants. Then, Maskhadov was killed.

In his comments after visiting the SIZO Mr Gil-Robles said: "I'm literally amazed by what I saw, and by those changes for the better made during several past years. Five years ago, when I visited "Chernokozovo", I resolutely stood for closing it. Now, the conditions here are absolutely different." As noted by the Commissioner of the Council of Europe, "real criminals should serve their terms in such colonies." Meanwhile, as the "Lenta.ru" remarks, nothing is known so far about the details of the Council of Europe officials' talk with Murdashev.

Besides, the Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles called Chechen militants to surrender. He made this statement in Grozny after his meeting with President of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov, as the "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports. "It's necessary to put an end to armed struggle, it's necessary to lay down arms. I call them to do it," Mr Gil-Robles has stated.

In his opinion, "the situation in the Chechen Republic indicates that the war here is over." "During six years I visited the Chechen Republic for many times. For the first time I came here in autumn of 1999 in the midst of warfare. Guns and cannons were at work. Today, there's no cannonade. The war in the Chechen Republic is actually over," Mr Gil-Robles has noted.

The Radio Liberty reports that according to Alvaro Gil-Robles, corruption in Chechnya has only become stronger lately. Speaking to journalists after his meeting with President of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov, the head of the Office of the Council of Europe for Human Rights reported about violations related to payment of compensations for destroyed and lost property to residents of Chechnya. Mr Gil-Robles has stated: "In my previous report on observance of human rights in Russia, I said that when receiving their compensations in Chechnya, many citizens had to pay a part of their compensation money as a bribe, and it reached 30 percent. Now, people told me that the bribe went up to 50 percent of the compensation sum, and still a person needs to have friends or relatives to help to receive compensation."

Alvaro Gil-Robles also paid attention to the problem of mass disease of children in Shelkovskoy District of Chechnya. "It's a very alarming issue. This issue - sick children in Shelkovskoy District - is highly disturbingly. I think that first of all we urgently need full information on this problem and find out the reasons of the disease," said Mr Jil-Robles.

He said that he received more detailed information about what happens in Shelkovskoy District during his meeting with members of human rights NGOs that took place on February 25. During that meeting activists told him that people are still disappearing in Chechnya, the ecological situation is bad and human rights are broken everywhere.

In conversation with journalists, the head of the Office of the Council of Europe for Human Rights has noted that one of the primary goals of the leadership of Chechnya is to fight against kidnappings. According to his story, this republic has much more facts of people's disappearances that it is spoken about; therefore, the local law enforcement bodies should better respect the principles of a lawful state. The Council of Europe will never stop speaking about this problem. "It's impossible to deal with restoration of economy only, it's also necessary to restore the Chechen society," said Mr Gil-Robles.

At that very press conference "Human Rights: Russia's and Europe's Viewpoints" on February 27, the Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles said: "One can't but notice really serious reconstruction elements as a whole both in Grozny, and in the region. First of all, it concerns economy," the ITAR-TASS quotes his words.

He added that he discussed the issue of kidnappings with President Alu Alkhanov and acting head of the government Ramzan Kadyrov. "This phenomenon should be stopped," said Mr Robles. "Those in charge of these kidnappings and their inspirers should be brought to trial. This is the only way to bring peace and calmness to Chechnya." He also stated that "in the course of warfare, fundamental human rights were surely seriously broken."

He thinks that the primary goal now is restoration of order in Chechnya. "Chechnya should have its civil society - like elsewhere in the world. The society, which will normally progress and have no need for the Commissioner to came back there again and again and speak about establishment of safety in the territory, and about the need to put an end to practice of people's disappearances," the Commissioner of the Council of Europe has stated, as the RIA "Novosti" reports.

At the same time, the authorities of Russia should not hamper the work of NGOs, Mr Gil-Robles thinks. According to his story, such organizations form an integral part of the civil society; the authorities should also take part in building this society.

One of the outcomes of Gil-Robles' visit was renewal of the work of the Danish Board of refugees' matters. Ramzan Kadyrov, acting prime-minister of the Chechen Republic, has noted that "Mr Gil-Robles asked to allow the operation of the Danish Board on Refugees' Matters in Chechnya." This was reported by the "Interfax".

At the same time, the "Memorial", being disappointed with Council of Europe's condescension towards the authorities of Chechnya, refused to participate in the meetings with Alvaro Gil-Robles in Grozny last weekend. "It looks like European countries want to be satisfied with the official picture demonstrated by the authorities," Natalia Estemirova, an activist of the "Memorial", said to the French newspaper "Liberation". "In fact, Chechnya is still missing law and order."

Alvaro Gil-Robles is a prominent Spanish lawyer, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe since October, 15, 1999. He was born on September 9, 1944, in Lisbon (Portugal). In 1980-1983, he was a member of the Spanish Constitutional Court. In 1983, he took the position of First Deputy of Spanish Ombudsman, and in 1988 Alvaro Gil-Robles was appointed the national Ombudsman, and held this post till 1993. He is a recognized expert in the field of human rights, adviser of numerous international and national human rights organizations (in Europe and Latin America), also specialized in the field of struggle against discrimination and help to refugees. He acted as observer at general elections in a number of countries.

This Gil-Robles' visit to Chechnya in the capacity of the Commissioner for Human Rights is the last one, as on April 1 he will pass over his powers to Mr Hammarberg, elected to this post during the last year's autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Mr Gil-Robles became the first ever Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights when in 1999 he was elected to this post for the term of 6 years.