12 February 2009, 19:00
Russian Public Chamber tries to clear out the fate of persons kidnapped in Dagestan
In mid-March, the members of the Public Chamber and human rights activists plan to arrive to Dagestan and consider in situ the situation in the Republic with kidnappings. The delegation will be headed by Nikolai Svanidze, chairman of the commission for interethnic relations and freedom of conscience.
The delegation will include: members of Public Chamber Nikolai Svanidze, Archbishop of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz Theophan, Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Liudmila Alekseeva, and leaders of the Muslim religious community.
The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation that in the course of the visit the members of the delegation are going to meet the President of Dagestan, heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and representatives of public organizations.
"We're still receiving warning messages that people are still disappearing in Dagestan. They say that there are special 'rates' in the Republic for buying out live and dead people that kidnappers are already trading in photos, and law enforcement bodies act as murderers," said Nikolai Svanidze, chairman of the commission for interethnic relations and freedom of conscience. "Therefore, we made a decision to go to the venue."
According to Mr Svanidze, it is up to public figures to get into the circumstances of the situation. He has especially noted that the commission for interethnic relations and freedom of conscience will not make "project decisions" or hasty conclusions.
Author: Oleg Ionov Source: CK correspondent
