HRW: situation with human rights in Northern Caucasus is more and more tragic

The international human rights organization the Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that the situation with observance of human rights in Northern Caucasus, and first of all in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, is at critically low level.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 20, the HRW published its annual report on the trends in the area of defending human rights. The 612-page document analyses the situation in more than 90 states and regions of the world in 2009.

Along with the countries and regions, where observance of human rights is at critically low level, the HRW draws attention to Northern Caucasus, first of all, to the situation that exists now in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. According to the HRW experts and journalists working there, in these regions human rights activists are exposed to permanent intimidation; the number of cases of violence over opponents of the ruling power is on the rise. "Despite the attenuation of the conflict in Chechnya, last year Russia saw a shocking series of murders and threats of those who try to struggle against impunity in Northern Caucasus," the HRW reports runs.

"As a rule, the Russian party makes timely payments awarded by the court, but it fails in ensuring real enforcement of the essence of decisions; that is, those guilty are not brought to responsibility, even when the European Court has established the names and whereabouts of wrongdoers," marks Tatiana Lokshina, a representative of the HRW. "Moreover, a trend is observed, when investigatory bodies are directly challenging certain decisions of the European Court aiming to justify closure of cases and refusal from criminal prosecution of infringers."