The Council of Europe denounced Russia today for alleged human rights violations in Chechnya and urged world leaders to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the abuses.
In an unsually strongly-worded statement, Council of Europe President Lord Russell Johnston said Russia's behaviour was unacceptable and contravened the pan-European watchdog's most fundamental principles.
"In recent weeks there has been mounting evidence of a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Chechnya," he said."There is little doubt that the conduct of the Russian forces...is largely to be blamed for this," he added.
The Council of Europe, a 43-nation club of parliamentary democracies, has repeatedly condemned Russia for its brutal crackdown on rebels in the North Caucasus region and once threatened to expel Moscow from its ranks because of the war.
Lord Russell-Johnston said Russian authorities had displayed a deplorable lack of willingness to investigate allegations of past abuses by Russian troops.
"The failure to bring to justice those responsible for crimes constitutes a blatant violationof Russia's obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and as a party to its most important conventions," the organisation's president said.
"I expect that European and world leaders who have developed close and cordial relationships with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will use their influence to bring to bear effective pressure on the Russian authorities to change their present unacceptable conduct," he continued.
The Council of Europe, which is based in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, said it would send a delegation to Chechnya from September 13 to 16 to check the situation and expected to see evidence of concrete and substantial progress.