13:39, 27 July 2007

HRC "Memorial": European Court's decisions animate investigation into crimes committed in Chechnya

Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial," told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on July 26 in the capital of Chechnya the HRC "Memorial" held a press conference dedicated to decisions of the European Court on complaints of Chechnya's residents. The press conference was attended by representatives of the press service of the President and Government of Chechnya, Public Chamber of the Republic, Deputy Ombudsman in the Chechen Republic, journalists of local editions, agencies Reuter, ITAR-TASS, France Press, Associated Press, and residents of Novye Aldy village.

Tatiana Kasatkina, Executive Director of the HRC "Memorial," has noted that both for human rights activists and for the applicants, compensations for moral and material damage paid out to the victims of state violence are far from being the main point in Strasbourg decisions. The main point is that these verdicts are giving a new impulse to investigation into the criminal cases, which have remained "shelved" for long in Russia.

Author: Vyacheslav Feraposhkin, CK correspondent