Torture accusations against Russian instructors in the Central African Republic (CAR) are slanderous, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2019) Torture accusations against Russian instructors in the Central African Republic (CAR) are slanderous, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.The ministry said that in February, Radio France Internationale published a report titled "Central African Republic: The UN investigates torture accusations against Russians."
"We believe that the accusations of involvement in the interrogation and torture of a car citizen in Bambari laid by Radio France Internationale against the Russian instructors operating in the CAR are defamatory," ministry's statement on Facebook reads.
According to the statement, the authors of this "fake publication" cited a strictly confidential UN report by experts coordinated by French citizen Romain Esmenjaud, while "public access to it was restricted."
The UN report, which the media referred to, "does not contain any mention of the Russians' involvement, along with CAR personnel, in any unlawful actions in the territory of the Central African Republic," the ministry stressed.
The statement noted that Russian instructors are in the CAR at the invitation of the leadership of this country to assist in the training of Central African troops and law enforcement officers.
"So far, Russian specialists have trained over 2,000 troops and law enforcement officers in the CAR, who have already started performing urgent tasks involving the protection of civilians, maintaining security and establishing the government's authority across the entire state," the ministry said.
The statement notes that CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera and Minister of National Defence and Reconstruction of the Army Marie-Noelle Koyara "have repeatedly expressed high regard for #Russia's assistance in enhancing the performance of Central African troops."
