Doc. 8931

22 January 2001

Conflict in the Chechen Republic: recent developments (follow-up to Recommendations 1444 (2000) and 1456 (2000)

Recommendation 1478 (2000)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 737th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (17 January 2001)

The Committee of Ministers recalls its detailed reply adopted on 27 June 2000 to Recommendation 1456 of the Parliamentary Assembly on the conflict in the Chechen Republic. Following this reply it has continued to give the highest priority to developments in the region.

On the basis of the intensive work, such as that summarised below, which the Committee of Ministers has conducted, with the active participation of the Russian Federation, the Committee of Ministers recognises that a number of new steps have been taken by the Russian Federation to improve the situation in Chechnya in an effort to meet the concerns expressed by the Parliamentary Assembly in its Recommendation 1478 and its Resolution 1227. However, the Committee of Ministers considers that further progress must be made by the Russian Federation especially in the fields of human rights protection and humanitarian assistance.

The Committee of Ministers reiterates the necessity and the urgency of seeking a political solution for Chechnya, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. It believes that every effort should be made to make further progress in this direction.

The Committee of Ministers condemns all acts of terrorism perpetrated in Chechnya, as elsewhere. It deplores the fact that Chechen militants have not followed the appeal of the Parliamentary Assembly to put an end to terrorist acts, including acts of abduction. The Committee of Ministers assures the Parliamentary Assembly that the member states of the Council of Europe are ready to co-operate with the Russian authorities to remove the root causes of terrorist acts in Chechnya, in particular by rebuilding civil society based on the rule of law.

The Committee of Ministers calls for the immediate release of Mr Kenny Gluck, Regional Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as all other hostages detained in the Chechen Republic.

The Committee of Ministers has continued to follow developments in Chechnya very closely in the framework of its regular meetings at Deputy level, under the item “contribution of the Council of Europe towards restoration of the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy in Chechnya”. These discussions have been based in particular on the information contained in the first four monthly interim reports by the Secretary General on the presence of the experts of the Council of Europe in the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for ensuring human and civil rights and freedoms in the Chechen Republic (documents SG/Inf(2000)27 revised, 34, 43 and 51). They have also taken account of supplementary information, including the recommendations adopted on 3 November 2000, from the parliamentary hearings of the State Duma held on 21 September 2000 on “The progress of work to restore the economy and social sphere and to ensure respect for human and civil rights and freedoms in the Chechen Republic” (see Addendum II revised to document SG/Inf(2000)43) as well as other relevant information from the Parliamentary Assembly itself, from the OSCE, from the United Nations, from Russian institutions and from NGOs (see Addendum I to document SG/Inf(2000)43 and Addenda I and II to document SG/Inf(2000)51).

All this information is at the disposal of the Assembly or has been communicated to it.

With a view to continuing the direct and reciprocal flow of information between Ministers and parliamentarians on this subject of major common concern to the two organs of the Council of Europe, an interim report was presented by Secretary of State Ranieri, for the outgoing Italian Chairmanship, at the meeting of the Joint Committee which took place immediately before the 107th Session of the Committee of Ministers (Strasbourg, 9 November 2000). The situation in the North Caucasus has been one of the main questions discussed at ministerial level.

The Committee of Ministers recalls, more particularly, the efforts – including those to ensure concrete follow-up to complaints of human rights violations, and prosecution of those allegedly responsible – being pursued by:

In addition to the discussions held in the framework of the regular item on their agenda, mentioned in paragraph 5 above, the Deputies held a detailed and a fruitful exchange of views, in Strasbourg on 7 December 2000, with Mr Vladimir Kalamanov on the functioning of the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for ensuring human and civil rights and freedoms in Chechnya, including on the contribution of the Council of Europe experts to it and the problems encountered. The contents of this exchange of views is reproduced in document CM/Inf(2001)2, which has been communicated to the Parliamentary Assembly.

At the exchange of views between the Ministers’ Deputies and Mr Kalamanov, it was noted in particular that his Office, with the support of the Council of Europe expert staff, is progressively developing into a useful instrument for the protection of human and civil rights and fundamental freedoms of individual citizens in the Chechen Republic. Steps have been taken there to rebuild the judicial system which is now partly operational.

Mr Kalamanov’s Office has in particular achieved results in high priority areas such as tracing missing persons and securing the release of arrested persons, in improving the situation at military check-points, also co-operating with competent Russian and international NGOs.

The Committee of Ministers stresses the necessity to ensure effective follow-up to the complaints made to the Office including the prosecution of those allegedly responsible for human rights abuses in accordance with the Russian legislation. It also stresses the need for preventive measures to be taken against any incidents of such nature.