Council of Europe human rights commissioner to visit Russia

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights is to visit to Russia between September 2 and 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights is to visit to Russia between September 2 and 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement that Thomas Hammarberg would begin his visit with a roundtable discussion in St. Petersburg with regional representatives on human rights before heading to Russia's North Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia.

"Hammarberg will visit the North Caucasus, including the republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia, where the commissioner is scheduled to meet with the presidents of both republics, heads of law enforcement bodies and local human rights activists," the statement said.

A number of attacks have been carried out recently against human rights activists in Chechnya and Ingushetia, which have been condemned by the international community and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Respected human rights activist, Natalya Estemirova, was abducted and killed last month. And in a similar attack Zarema Sadulayeva, the head of a children's charity in Chechnya, and her husband, Alik Dzhabrailov, were kidnapped and found dead in the trunk of their car on August 11. All three had been shot in the head and chest.

The ministry added that Hammarberg was also scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on September 10 in Moscow.