State Duma: International Human Rights Organisations Have Double Standards on Iraq And Chechnya

On Friday, the Russian State Duma issued a statement on Iraq, expressing concern for serious violations of the 1949 Geneva convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War by the troops of confronting sides. The Russian State Duma believes that all facts of the death of civilians, including journalists, should be investigated and culprits should be taken to court.

International human rights institutions don't have an exact standpoint on this issue, the State Duma said. The fact that they continue condemning the human rights situation in Chechnya points to the adherence of these organisations to double standards, the State Duma added.

Moscow preserves critical attitude to the actions of the USA and its allies in Iraq, however, considers it necessary to continue Russian-American co-operation in the fight against global threats to maintain strategic stability in the world, the statement says. The fight against these threats "should be carried out within a wide international coalition on the basis of relevant UN decisions. Any other actions are inadmissible, no matter where they come from and against whom they are aimed," the State Duma's statement stresses.