The complaint made by international human rights groups regarding obstacles that the Chechen authorities were allegedly making for human rights defenders is based on "biased" information, since the authorities of the republic have only ever helped facilitate the work of those who protect the people's rights, Alvi Karimov, the spokesman for the head of the republic, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
GROZNY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) The complaint made by international human rights groups regarding obstacles that the Chechen authorities were allegedly making for human rights defenders is based on "biased" information, since the authorities of the republic have only ever helped facilitate the work of those who protect the people's rights, Alvi Karimov, the spokesman for the head of the republic, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, international watchdogs Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin stating that human rights defenders were being persecuted by the Chechen authorities. The authors of the letter also called on the Russian leadership to prevent the republic from carrying out illegal actions.
"The letter is based on biased data and speculation. Everyone knows that Ramzan [Kadyrov, Chechen leader] has never hindered the activities of organizations and individuals who really protect human rights and in every way contributed to this work," Karimov said, adding that dozens of human rights groups and activists were working in Chechnya without any pressure from local authorities.
According to Karimov, there are human rights defenders who use a selective approach to the issue of protecting the rights of people in Chechnya.
"Thousands of our law enforcement officers were killed and injured by terrorists, but, for some reason, human rights activists have never been interested in protecting their rights, the rights of their children, they are also people, and they also have families," the spokesman added.
On August 22, Kadyrov held a meeting with the republic's law enforcement following a deadly gun attack on policemen in Chechnya earlier this month. The video of his speech surfaced in the media, with the latter publishing its translation from the Chechen into the Russian language. Kadyrov allegedly lashed out at "the so-called human rights activists" who were corrupt and playing into the hands of criminals, adding that there was no place for such people in the republic.
