Head of FIDH: Kadyrov failed "taming" HRC "Memorial"

President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov offered employees of the HRC "Memorial" not to cover violations of human rights in media, but notify the head of Chechnya in private order. This was stated by Soer Belassen, President of the International Federation on Human Rights (FIDH), in her exclusive interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent; she was present on September 25 at the trial on Kadyrov's claim against head of the HRC Oleg Orlov.

"Kadyrov several times offered Estemirova (Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Grozny-based office of the HRC "Memorial", of whose death Orlov had accused Kadyrov, - comment of the "Caucasian Knot") and other employees of the "Memorial" to address him directly and not to cover human rights problems that exist in Checnya in the press. Thus that is, through corruption and manipulation, he, so to say, tried to tame them," said Ms Belassen. 

However, according to her story, at the trial human rights activists have shown that the HRC "Memorial" is not "the organization to be manipulated with."

Ms Belassen has noted that the "Kadyrov vs. Orlov" case is of great importance, as actually "the members of the 'Memorial' as though held court on Kadyrov."

"For a very long time human rights activists were afraid and kept silent; but today they could tell, at last, what was on their hearts for so long. It was felt that a very friendly atmosphere was in the courtroom, which helped them to say what they said," said Belassen about the trial. 

Soer Belassen has drawn attention to the fact that during the court session Orlov tried to explain that his accusations against Kadyrov refer to political, not criminal, liability of the President of Chechnya. 

"What is the responsibility for what happens from the constitutional viewpoint? Kadyrov keeps control of the situation in Chechnya; he supervises law enforcement bodies and commands a certain number of special operations in Chechnya; and all the issues of domestic policy are directly addressed by Kadyrov," said Ms Belassen.

According to her story, the most awful is that Kadyrov "not only recognizes that he takes part in these operations, but also directly takes responsibility." Today, his phrase was quoted: "Yes, my arms are elbow-high in blood."

In the course of the trial, Oleg Orlov and the witnesses based their statements on a certain number of Kadyrov's official statements, which contained threats - direct threats to Natalia Estemirova, as Ms Belassen asserts.

"His (Kadyrov's, - comment of the "Caucasian Knot") first meeting with Anna Politkovskaya was mentioned today… When Kadyrov said that… human rights activist can… be murdered, and that human rights organizations should be termed equal to terrorist ones," the human rights defender said.

Besides, Ms Belassen asserts, the today's witnesses said that Kadyrov had met Estemirova twice, and "in both cases... threats to her life were pronounced." 

Soer Belassen has assumed that, in spite of all that, the court will judge against Oleg Orlov.

She has noted that should pressure on Orlov aggravate, he will have an opportunity to go abroad.