Representatives of "Amnesty International" on visit to Kabardino-Balkaria

Victoria Webb and Frieda Vike, representatives of the international human rights organization "Amnesty International", have visited Kabardino-Balkaria.

Victoria Webb, "Amnesty International" researcher, while talking to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the aim of their visit, has said that it is their wish to have a clear idea of the events in Nalchik in October last year, of what preceded and followed them.

"We have been here for 5 days and met a lot of people. We can not claim that we have clarified everything, but we can make some conclusions. The information we have obtained proves that there was persecution of believers and that they were tortured. But we have also obtained information that the policy of authorities in Kabardino-Balkaria has changed and there are positive tendencies," notes Webb.

Victoria Webb has said that "Amnesty International" is going to continue keeping the track of events in Kabardino-Balkaria, in particular, the progress of the court proceedings with regard to the militants charged with participation in the October 13 events. Talking about details, Victoria Webb has said that they are interested in the fate of Rasul Kudaev, the former prisoner of Guantanamo: "We are not talking about the degree of responsibility, it is a matter of court and investigation, but the fact that he has been tortured, deprived of medicines, that his lawyer who persisted in protecting his interests has been put aside - these are all violations of international humanitarian law."

The refusal to hand over the bodies of militants for burial, in the view of the "Amnesty International" representatives, is a manifestation of cruelty towards relatives of the victims.

Victoria Webb and Frieda Vike have also met with relatives and employees of Ruslan Nakhushev who disappeared in November last year.

They are going to generalize all facts of disappearances and use of torture and include them into the annual report on Russia: "Our aim is to influence the authorities in order to change the whole situation."

"Amnesty International" will support the lawyers who are going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights.