European Committee for the Prevention of Torture condemns Russia for human rights abuse in Chechnya
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture accused Russia of not cooperating on the situation in Chechnya and two other republics of the North Caucasus, Mediazone reported with a reference to the Committee's statement.
The organization stated that torture in Chechnya shows the failure of the republic's authorities to fulfill their duties, as well as to the lack of state control over the situation. The committee believes that Russia does not recognize the seriousness of what is happening in the republic.
The organization drew attention to the torture by law enforcement officers and the detention of representatives of the LGBT community in Chechnya. In addition, the committee pointed out that the torture of detainees is a widespread phenomenon in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia.
In December 2018, a group of 16 countries of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) called on the Russian authorities to investigate human rights abuses in Chechnya.
According to a joint statement issued after the expert report of the so-called Moscow mechanism, Russia must ensure that the Chechen authorities comply with Chechnya's international obligations in the field of human rights. According an OSCE investigation, residents of Chechnya are systematically illegally detained and tortured regardless of age and gender. They are kept and tortured in “secret jails”.
Novaya Gazeta repeatedly wrote about disappearances of people and the extrajudicial killings in Chechnya, as well as about the persecution and murder of gays in the republic. Russian and international human rights organizations called for investigating the actions of the Chechen authorities.