20 May 2011, 23:00
Hammarberg tells Sakharov Conference in Moscow about poor crime investigation in Northern Caucasus
Lack of proper inquiry into crimes committed in Northern Caucasus may create a dangerous precedent for future generations, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, said at a briefing held within the Moscow Sakharov Conference.
"Many cases on Russia were considered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. Most of these cases were related to Chechnya. In most of them claims dealt with improper crime investigation. Of course, victims received their adjudged compensations, relatives of victims also received compensations; however, in none of these cases real culprits were brought to justice," said Thomas Hammarberg.
According to his story, it threatens to create the atmosphere of impunity. "If this situation does not change, and if the results of investigations fail to bring intelligible results, it may give a bad example to future generations," he said.
Mr Hammarberg has recently visited Northern Caucasus, where he discussed these topics in detail with local authorities. "Following this visit, I'm drafting and will publish a special report," he said and added that this issue is of great interest and very important both for him personally and for the Council of Europe as a whole.
Author: Dmitry Florin Source: CK correspondent
