An outstanding Russian human rights activist and State Duma deputy Sergey Adamovich
Kovalev supposes that recent refusal of Russia to prolong mandate to the OSCE
working group in Chechnya, turning out from Russia the delegation of German opticians
and human rights activists, as well as forcing out the western humanitarian
mission from the North Caucasus region are the links of one chain. According to
Kovalev, the Kremlin is not in need of opinion of the foreigners, the more so
as they can be well used by the independent western mass media. The Kremlin, continues
the human rights activist, is in need of political figures like the PACE
representative Lord Judd whose visits to Chechnya are always followed by his statement
on "noticeable progress in humanitarian sphere". "It is quite clear that there
is no progress there, and it is a pack of lies, but these lies are for benefit
of Moscow and those western politicians who do not wish to be on bad terms with
Russia because of Chechnya". "Owing to this there is a share of the West in responsibility
for the atrocities committed by the federals in the North Caucasus" - concludes
Kovalev.
To the same opinion adheres no less prominent in the circles of liberal groups
Russian journalist Anna Poltkovskaya. According to her, in Chechnya Europe has
lost all those democratic values the Europeans were so proud of for many years,
and at present Europe, with regard to Russia, is ridden by double political standards.