Anna Neistat expects no UN sanctions against Russia for policy in Chechnya

The press conference titled "The Situation in Chechnya and Ingushetia Is Worsening: New Evidence of Abductions, Torture, Rapes, and Extrajudicial Executions" took place at the Moscow Institute of Press Development on April 8. It was arranged by the Independent Press Center and timed to the submission of a draft resolution on Chechnya to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The participants in the press conference were Anna Neistat, Moscow director for Human Rights Watch; Aleksandr Petrov, deputy Moscow director for Human Rights Watch; Tatyana Kasatkina, executive director of the Human Rights Center Memorial; and Kim Wiesener, Russia Researcher at Amnesty International (via phone from London).

Anna Neistat, a specialist in international law and Moscow director for Human Rights Watch, agreed to give her comments to the Caucasian Knot agency concerning the submission of the draft resolution to the UN commission.

- If the UN resolution on Chechnya is passed, what concrete results it will have?

- It's difficult to say since the resolution will hardly be passed. One shouldn't expect such drastic political steps from the international community, especially in the situation when Russia tries to represent itself as a main partner in the global struggle against terrorism. But, on one hand, the fact itself of putting the resolution to the vote prevents the substantial worsening of the situation in many respects. While the Russian authorities feel that there are people in the world who care about the Chechen problem, the worst thing doesn't happen. And this is the main. On the other hand, being under certain pressure, the power will likely agree to let international observers in Chechnya. Now they are not present in the republic mainly because the international community has completely turned away from this problem.

- What real steps the international community will take in case the UN Commission still votes for the resolution?

- I can say with confidence there will be no sanctions. The resolution contains recommendations. Though the situation that our country went through a few years ago can recur. The resolutions on Chechnya passed in 2000 and 2001 also contained recommendations. But Russia has not met them so far. First of all, those recommendations concerned the creation of a national commission to investigate crimes in Chechnya and invitation of UN special rapporteurs on torture and extrajudicial executions to the region. Following it, Russia invited UN special rapporteurs on violence against women, but their visit have never come about. The authorities still plead they are not able to provide due security for international experts.

- And what will happen if Russia doesn't meet recommendations again?

- Let's not be idealists. We understand well that there is no force which can make a sovereign state change its internal policy, except for international tribunal, of course. But there are some diplomatic, political, and financial mechanisms that are used to put pressure on a county. These mechanisms are exactly what we count on. I believe it must also be in the interests of the international community to resolve this situation.

Editors note: See also the article "Joint statement by leading rights monitors: UN Human Rights Commission should adopt resolution on Chechnya".