Yesterday, in the Ingush office of Memorial Human Rights Centre there was a working meeting of wide-known Ingush and Chechen human rights defenders specializing in the problem of tortures and abductions.  The meeting was attended by the delegation of the European Parliament consisting of Chairwoman of European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, Ms. Heidi Hautala, and her aide.   

The participants discussed a number of burning issues in the context of on-going tortures and abductions in the Chechen Republic. Ingush human rights defenders noted that despite the efforts of the Republic’s President, tortures were still in use in Ingushetia.

Mr. Igor Kalyapin, chairman of INGO “Committee Against Torture”, told the participants about the activities of the Joint Mobile Group of Russian human rights NGOs working in Chechnya. Some victims under the cases investigated by the JMG also took part in the discussion, those were Denilbek Askhabov, Raisa Turluyeva, and Islam Umarpashayev who had been released after 4 months in custody.

Photo: chairman of the Committee Against Torture Igor Kalaypin (in the centre) and Islam Umarpashayev (on the right).

Right after the meeting European Parliament deputy Ms. Hautala made a statement criticizing Islam’s abduction and tortures and strongly urged the Russian authorities to guarantee the safety of Mr. Umarpashaev and his family and not to put pressure on him in connection with his desire to take part in the identification of those in charge of his abduction.