Chechen Ombudsperson evades answering rights defenders' questions

At a meeting with Mansur Soltaev, the Ombudsperson for Chechnya, lawyers of the "Team against Torture" (TaT)* tried to find out how the security of the journalist, Elena Milashina, in Chechnya would be ensured, and how the inquiry into the beating of Nikita Zhuravel, a Volgograd resident, committed at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) was progressing. They failed to receive any specific answers to their questions.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in this April, the “Amnesty International” (AI) pointed to the worsening situation with human rights in Russia. Human rights defenders then highlighted the persecution of authorities’ critics and rights defenders in Chechnya; in particular, the disappearance of Salman Tepsurkaev, and the criminal prosecution of Zarema Musaeva and Oyub Titiev.

In his turn, Mr Soltaev has stated that these human rights problems have been "artificially created."

Ekaterina Vanslova, a lawyer with the TaT*, said in her Telegram channel that Soltaev said that he fully trusted the outcomes of official investigations. He has also stated that human rights are now "at the highest level" in Chechnya.

Other questions also remained without specific answers. In connection with the beating of Nikita Zhuravel at the Grozny SIZO, Soltaev stated that he had no "competent information" and that the respective investigating bodies "would look into it."

*The "Team against Torture" (TaT) (formerly the "Committee against Torture" – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.