Strasbourg - Authorities in Chechnya need to do more to protect citizens from terrorism and actions of illegal armed groups, the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe said Tuesday. Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg urged the authorities to conduct "effective and independent investigations" into abductions, disappearances and unlawful killings of civilians and human rights activists.
"Such practices must be eliminated and those responsible brought to justice," Hammarberg said in a report on a visit he paid to Chechnya and Ingushetia in September.
The report said public prosecutors estimated that more than 3,000 people had disappeared in Chechnya in the past nine years. It said Chechen authorities had discovered 60 mass graves containing 3,000 unidentified bodies.
Thorough investigations into past disappearances and identifying the dead bodies buried in the known sites in Chechnya should be carried out, it said.
"It is essential that the exhumation of corpses takes place in an orderly and methodological manner, demonstrating due sensitivity to the relatives concerned."
This summer, the murder of rights activist Natalia Estemirove in Chechnya provoked widespread outrage.
The report noted that while serious efforts to reinforce the rule of law are observed, further steps should be taken to ensure the desired result of more effective investigations.
"Patterns of impunity persist," he said. "Sustained efforts should be pursued to combat corruption in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. The protection of witnesses during investigations and court cases should also be ensured."
The European Court of Human Rights regularly condemns Russia over kidnappings, murder and torture in Chechnya. More than 100 verdicts to this effect have been handed down, some linked to compensation payments.
