Lord Judd invited to visit Chechnya again

During a Thursday meeting in the Prosecutor-General's Office, Russia's Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov invited Lord Judd, the co-Chairman of the joint working group of the State Duma and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to make a joint trip to Chechnya to check the progress of investigation of criminal cases.

Ustinov reminded all those present that he had already invited Lord Judd to Chechnya on a previous occasion. This time, the lord accepted the invitation.

Ustinov's suggestion followed Lord Judd's observation that he had been told many of the criminal cases were not being investigated properly.

"I travel to Chechnya now and again to check the progress of investigation," stressed Ustinov, adding that Lord Judd's "pessimistic position" on the matter was bound to change after the trip.

Ustinov suggested making a film about Chechnya and screening it in Europe to show that the situation in Chechnya is different from that described by Western media.

The prosecutor-general also emphasized Russia's open position on the situation with investigation of criminal cases and human rights in Chechnya.