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Russian ombudsman fiercely critical of human rights
situation in Russia
ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 15 November, ITAR-TASS correspondent Diana Rudakova: Speaking at the State Duma today, Russian human rights ombudsman Oleg Mironov said that the human rights situation in Russia was a matter for grave concern.
Explaining his point of view, Mironov stressed that Russian service personnel, the elderly, women and children were dying in the course of the ongoing campaign in Chechnya.
"The Chechen problem still cannot be resolved by military means," Mironov pointed out, adding that a whole raft of social, moral and cultural measures were needed to rebuild the republic.
"While blood continues to be shed in Chechnya, the human rights situation in Chechnya cannot be considered satisfactory," he said.
Mironov said that Russia could not properly be considered a social state. According to him, "40 per cent of the population has an income lower than the subsistence minimum". He noted that appropriate measures had to be taken in the immediate future to improve people's lives.
Mironov announced that the office of the human rights ombudsman received more than 2,000 complaints and letters from the population each month, relating to basic violations of human rights. Amongst these Mironov made special mention of people with disabilities, whose situation in Russia he described as catastrophic. According to his information, there are now 10m people with disabilities in Russia. The numbers of people with disabilities are on the increase amongst the able-bodied population, service personnel and children. #
At the same time disability benefit, Mironov stressed, amounted to R683 per month, and in that sort of situation, "it is impossible to create normal living conditions". He called on all federal departments to provide for the possibility of "taking practical measures to improve conditions for people with disabilities in Russia". With this aim in mind he put forward a proposal for special parliamentary hearings in the State Duma, and meetings of the government and the collegium of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, dedicated to this issue.
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