"Death Squads" in the North Caucasus. Summer of 2009

press-conference

September 2, 2009 (Wednesday) 12 p.m.
Independent press-center
(Prechistenka, 17/9, office 44, enter from Barykovsky per.)
tel. (495) 232 28 91

Participants:

* Lyudmila Alekseeva , head of Moscow Helsinki Group
* SvetlanaGannushkina , head of Civic Assistance Committee, member of the Council of HRC Memorial
* Alexander Cherkasov, member of the Council of HRC Memorial
* Lev Ponomarev, executive director of All-Russia public movement "For human rights"
* Svetlana Isaeva, head of regional organization "Mothers of Dagestan for human rights"

During summer of 2009 monitors and media constantly reported from Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia about various crimes allegedly committed by the authorities that organize "counter-terrorist operations" in the republics.   
Abductions, tortures and extrajudicial executions continue in the North Caucasus. "Siloviks" present the killed as "boyeviks" that put up resistance and were killed during a fight during a "special operation".
But on the bodies of the killed tracks of tortures are seen, and numerous witnesses say that these people were abducted by "siloviks" prior to any special operation.
Authorities usually refuse to deal with those who demand investigations of the abductions and extrajudicial executions and to stop such practice.
Human rights activists are being persecuted in the region. On July 15, HRC Memorial member Natalia Estemirova was abducted and killed in Chechnya. On August 10, head of organization
"Save the Generation" Zarema Sadulaeva was killed. In Dagestan on the night of August 20, the office of the organization "Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights" was burned down.
Human rights activists will speak about recent tragic events in Dagestan, Chechnya and Igushetia.

Accreditation in the press-center.

Contacts:
All-Russia public movement "For human rights"
125009 Moscow, M. Kislovsky per., 7, building 1, office 21.
tel. (495) 691-62-33
tel./fax (495)609-92-14
e-mail: zpch@zaprava.ru
http://zaprava.ru/

August 31, 2009