Rights defenders point to rights violations of persons with disabilities in Makhachkala

Entrances to state institutions in Makhachkala are not equipped with ramps; this violates the rights of persons with disabilities; and human rights defenders have to seek the installation of ramps in courts, but judges reject about a third part of complaints, activists of the human rights NGO "ZhKKh (Housing and Communal Services) Monitor " assert.

In Makhachkala, activists of the above Dagestani human rights NGO are monitoring the observance of the rights of persons with disabilities by public and state institutions. They insist on creating the accessible environment, said Suleiman Suleimanov, an activist of the above NGO.

If necessary, human rights defenders notify institutions about the absence of a ramp and the need to install it. If the violation is not eliminated, activists go to court.

Out of a hundred percent of the complaints filed, in seventy percent of cases, court are siding the human rights NGO activists, but in thirty percent of cases judges find no grounds to satisfy the claims, said Aina Gabibova, a lawyer for the "ZhKKh Monitor".

Rights defenders have also sued the Pension Fund of Dagestan for the absence of a ramp in one of its city buildings. Ms Gabibova said that on August 18 she received a court judgement that refused to satisfy the claim demanding to erect a ramp of certain parameters. The lawyer has clarified that the ramp, which is now installed in the building of the Pension Fund, is too steep.

At the trial, the defendant motivated the bad ramp by the fact that residents are not received in this building of the Pension Fund. The court took his side; however, according to the law, all the public and administrative institutions must be provided with an accessible environment, regardless of whether they receive citizens there or not. The above court decision was appealed against on August 18 at the Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan, Aina Gabibova has emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 19, 2021 at 11:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.