Human rights challenges in the North Caucasus

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16395 | 23 April 2026

Signatories:

Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Kolbrún Áslaugar BALDURSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Christophe CHAILLOU, France, SOC ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Edite ESTRELA, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Piero FASSINO, Italy, SOC ; Ms Gabriela HEINRICH, Germany, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Julian JOSWIG, Germany, SOC ; Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Didier MARIE, France, SOC ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Mr Sigurður Helgi PÁLMASON, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Awet TESFAIESUS, Germany, SOC ; Mr Francesco VERDUCCI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Sandra ZAMPA, Italy, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The human rights situation in the North Caucasus, particularly in the republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, remains a matter of serious concern.

Long before the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its subsequent expulsion from the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly had documented grave and persistent violations committed in the region, including enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention, and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.

The Assembly drew attention to these violations in Resolution 1738 (2010) “Legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus”, Resolution 2157 (2017) “Human rights in the North Caucasus: what follow-up to Resolution 1738 (2010)?”, and Resolution 2445 (2022) “The continuing need to restore human rights and the rule of law in the North Caucasus region”. These texts underscored the responsibility of the Russian authorities to end impunity, ensure accountability, and protect the fundamental rights of all persons in the region.

Recent developments, including the antisemitic incidents in October 2023 and the attacks on places of worship in June 2024, demonstrate that the situation has worsened. Even after the Russian Federation’s exclusion from the Organisation in March 2022, the Council of Europe bears a moral and political responsibility to monitor these issues.

The Assembly should continue to draw attention to ongoing violations and explore means of co-operation with international partners and civil society actors to ensure that the plight of victims in the North Caucasus is neither ignored nor forgotten.