Field seminar of the Public Monitoring Commissions

From 15 to 17 September, a seminar for the chairpersons of the Public Monitoring Commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will be held in Sochi.

On 16 September at 10:00, the official opening will take place at the ‘Zamok’ (‘Castle’) holiday home (Bytkha St., 3/1).

A member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and Chairperson of the Public Council of the FSIN (Federal Penitentiary Service) of Russia, Maria Kannabikh, will summarise the results of the two years of the Public Monitoring Commissions’ work and will also speak about existing problems and the observers' plans for the near future (as of 1 September 2010, the procedure for nominating candidates for the Public Monitoring Commissions began in 50 regions).

During the field seminar, the activists will visit the temporary detention facilities of the Interior Ministry in Sochi and Lazarevskoye, Krasnodar Krai, as well as the special detention centre in Adler. The human rights defenders will familiarise themselves with the conditions of detention and hold meetings with the leadership of the local FSIN and Interior Ministry.

Participants: Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber Sergey Katyrin, Deputy Head of the State Protection Directorate of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights Valery Bazunov, representatives of the Administration of Krasnodar Krai, and leaders of the Public Monitoring Commissions from various regions of Russia.