RFE/RL: British Lawmaker Praises Human Rights Groups In Chechnya
posted by circassiankama on February, 2010 as CHECHNYA
British Lawmaker Praises Human Rights Groups In Chechnya
A portrait of murdered human rights activist Natalia Estemirova in Grozny
February 17, 2010
GROZNY, Chechnya -- A British member of Parliament on a fact-finding
trip to Chechnya has praised the work of Russian human rights groups
and Chechen NGOs investigating disappearances and abductions, RFE/RL's
North Caucasus Service reports.
Lord
Frank Judd told RFE/RL the purpose of his visit is to evaluate the
situation in Chechnya in terms of freedom, human rights, and
"accountable democracy." He declined to comment on the political
situation in the republic but did say that people who are
"disillusioned, oppressed, and disgruntled" because of the way they are
treated by their government are potential recruits for the Islamic
insurgency.
Judd described the reconstruction of Grozny's
infrastructure as "very impressive," but added that thousands of
Chechens remain homeless.
Judd served for years as the
rapporteur for Chechnya for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE). He resigned that position in March 2003 to protest
the referendum on a new Chechen Constitution, which he argued was
premature.
Russian NGOs that monitored the vote estimated turnout at around 10 percent.
The Russian authorities claimed that 85 percent of voters took part.
Judd's
British delegation is scheduled to meet today and February 18 with
Chechen government officials, possibly also with Chechen Republic head
Ramzan Kadyrov.
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