Madam, - Russian president Vladimir Putin ( Opinion, November 23rd) does not mention human rights anywhere in his attempt to promote co-operation between his country and the EU.
In the same edition readers will have seen coverage of a new Amnesty International report which brings to light the practice of torture and ill-treatment throughout Russia. Beatings, suffocation, electric shocks and rape rooms are some of the means of torture used in Russia.
Amnesty International was deeply angered by the murder of Anna Politkovskaya on October 7th. She was targeted because of her work as a journalist reporting on human rights abuses in Chechnya and other regions of the Russian Federation. We have called on President Putin to condemn the murder and show that there can be no impunity for such crimes.
New laws curbing the activities of civil society organisations give excessive powers to the authorities in monitoring organisations and making decisions on their registration and closure. The upshot has been the restriction of operations at Amnesty's Moscow office.
Until Russia addresses its deplorable and deteriorating human rights record the dialogue with Ireland and other EU countries on any new co-operation agreement to replace the current pact should focus on human rights, accountability, justice and dignity for the people of Russia. - Yours, etc,
COLM Ó CUANACHÁIN, Secretary General, Amnesty International Irish Section, Dublin 2.