Since 2000 the Council of Europe has engaged in a programme with the Russian Federation to improve legislation on human rights, promote social cohesion, and develop democratic processes. The project included seven strands one of which was the promotion of the Regional Parliamentary Ombudsman Institution in the country. The aim being to promote the parliamentary ombudsmen in the 89 different regions of the country and assist the election of ombudsmen in places where the necessary legislation was already in place. The objective of the project was to put in place cheap, effective and accessible non-judicial mechanisms for the promotion of human rights. The project also sought to create links between the Council of Europe, Regional Ombudsman and the Federal Human Rights Commission. In mid-2002 there were 20 regional Ombudsmen offices in the Russian Federation. (1) Seminars will continue in 2003 to promote Regional Ombudsmen in areas where there is still no law in place to establish them. Regional ombudsmen are empowered to receive complaints on human rights abuses and investigate them.

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At the Federal level the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Russian Federation receives and investigates complaints of human rights violations when people have exhausted their legal and administrative remedies. In 2003 complaints made to the Ombudsman were up to the level of 3000 per month. (2) The Ombudsman has been particularly outspoken in suggesting governmental measures to prevent human rights abuses, for example in 2000 the Ombudsman argued that a medical examination, conducted by an independent medical service, of all persons prior to and after their detention may help to prevent torture and inhuman and degrading treatment in detention facilities. (3) The Ombudsman also expressed great concern over the situation in Chechnya stating that a great number of human rights abuses are concentrated there. (4) The Federal Ombudsman also monitors complaints made by Russian citizens to the European Court of Human Rights.

(1) Link to Amnesty International Report

(2) Urikhanyan A. "An 'Unsatisfatory' for Quality of Life", Johnson's Russia List, 12 Feb. 2003

(3) PRIMA News Agency, 27 Oct. 2000

(4) supra

Analysis provided by: Anisa Niaz LLM (Public Law), United Kingdom.

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