European Human Rights Court postpones the trip of its representatives to Georgia and Russia

The European Human Rights court decided to postpone the trip of its representatives to Georgia and Russia until the beginning of 2004.

According to court's press service, the governments of respective countries will be informed of the exact date of the planned trip in the "near future." Initially, the representatives were supposed to visit Georgia and Russia at the end of October 2003 in order to gather additional information for the case concerning extradition of several Chechen militants, detained in Georgia, to Russia. The case is currently being deliberated in the Human Rights Court. However, the governments of both countries asked to postpone the trip for a later time.

Georgian authorities justified their request by the necessity to conduct parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2, and Russian authorities - by the specifics of "internal procedures" established in the prosecutor' office of the Stavropol Territory, which the court representatives must visit to collect additional data.

The court decided to satisfy both requests, though stating that according to the Convention on the European Human Rights Court "internal procedures" are not considered a good reason for such requests because in accordance with international law, which has a priority statute over state laws, access to prison inmates should not be impeded by state authorities.

© RIAN

UN Human Rights Committee to consider Russia's report

23.10.2003

By Konstantin Pribytkov

GENEVA, October 23 (Itar-Tass) - - The U.N. Human Rights Committee will begin to consider a fifth periodic report of Russia on the fulfilment of the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights at its 79th session in Geneva on Thursday.

The discussion will last for two days. Members of the committee consisting of independent experts from 18 countries will publish their conclusions on November 7 - - the last day of the session.

A Russian interdepartmental delegation headed by Minister of Justice Yuri Chaika has arrived in Geneva. The delegation includes representatives of a number of ministries and departments, the Supreme Court, President Akhmat Kadyrov of Chechnya and special representative of the Russian president on ensuring human rights and freedoms in Chechnya Abdul-Khakim Sultygov.

As Itar-Tass learnt at the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 20, during the discussion with members of the committee, the sides "will discuss the whole range of issues connected with encouragement and protection of civil and political rights and freedoms in Russia."

24 October 2003

Russian minister hits at bias at UN rights session

Itar-Tass, Geneva, 24 October: At its session in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Committee completed its consideration of Russia's fifth periodic report on its fulfilment of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Russian Federation Justice Minister Yuriy Chayka, who presented the Russian report to the experts, gave an interview to an ITAR-TASS correspondent in which he described the discussion during the two-day session as a constructive dialogue. The committee is expected to publish its findings at the beginning of November. Members of the committee asked the Russian delegation around 200 questions.

The delegation included representatives of a number of ministries, the Supreme Court and the Central Electoral Commission, and also Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov and the special representative of the Russian Federation president for human and civil rights and freedoms in the Chechen Republic, Abdul-Khakim Sultygov.

According to the justice minister, such topics as Chechnya, the Meskhetian Turks, residence permits, migration and issues to do with alternative military service dominated the discussion. "I am satisfied with the positive evaluation of the processes taking place in the Russian Federation. This was said by the chairman in his concluding remarks and this was said by other members of the committee," Yuriy Chayka said.

The Russian Federation report and replies given by the Russian delegation to questions gave members of the committee - 18 independent experts - objective information on the situation in the field of rights and freedoms in the country.

It has to be admitted that Russians have gained the impression that the opinion of certain participants prior to the meeting had been "shaped one-sidedly", as they had evidently got their information from sources which, according to the head of the Russian delegation, are "far from always trustworthy".

An alternative report submitted to the committee by nongovernmental organizations was described by Yuriy Chayka as "largely tendentious". The justice minister stressed Russia's openness to both dialogue and cooperation

24 October 2003

EU Troika to focus on Chechen presidential elections in Moscow meeting

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - EU Troika ambassadors and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov are expected to discuss the recent presidential elections in Chechnya during talks in Moscow on October 28, chief of the European Commission's office in Russia Richard Wright told Interfax on Friday.

Wright said he is confident that the EU Troika will bring up the issue to hear Russia's comment on it. The EU Troika delegation will include Italian and Irish Foreign Ministers Franco Frattini and Brian Cowen, European Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen, and EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. Wright noted that the upcoming meeting will wrap up preparations for the Russia-EU summit in Rome on November 6.

The diplomat recalled that the EU is seriously concerned over the way the Chechen presidential elections were conducted. Wright said that the EU also hopes that the political process in Chechnya will continue, thus contributing to the humanitarian situation and the republic's human rights record.

The EU official said that international organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, should play a bigger role in this process. He said that the EU is still worried about the situation with refugees in the North Caucasus. Wright added that the EU is firmly opposed to returning refugees to Chechnya by force.