Parliamentary questions

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0425/03

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Council and the Commission

(07 February 2003)

Subject: Violation of human rights in Chechnya

With a Council of Europe resolution on Chechnya in view, three international organisations have made a joint statement calling on the Council of Europe to consider the following issues:

- the fact that those responsible for acts of violence against civilians on both sides have not been called to account or brought to justice,

- the practice of both sides in the conflict of making targets of civilians in violation of international humanitarian law,

- the Russian Government's suspension of the OSCE support group in Chechnya on 31 December 2002 and the continued refusal to publish the reports by the European Commission for the Prevention of Torture on the situation in the Russian Federation.

Does the Council concur with the above statements and what measures will it take towards safeguarding human rights in the region and, in particular, lifting the ban on the access of international observers to Chechnya and putting an end to the lack of transparency surrounding the information available concerning violations?