Fedotov treats putting "EcoWatch" on list of "foreign agents" as attempt to blanket ecology problems

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the proposal of members of the Human Rights Council (HRC) to reconsider the inclusion of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch) into the list of the so-called "foreign agents" and promised to speed up the work of the commission that deals with the complaints of Kuban farmers about raiding. The HRC members also drew President's attention to the threat of alienation of lands of the Caucasian Reserve and killings of Imams in the Stavropol Territory.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today in Moscow, the members of the HRC under the Russian President held their annual meeting with Vladimir Putin.

The journalist Maxim Shevchenko asked the President to instruct the Prosecutor's Office to check the legality of the practice of putting people in Dagestan on the so-called "prophylactic registry". Mr Putin has promised to pay attention to this problem.

In his turn, Mikhail Fedotov, the head the HRC, has stated that the "EcoWatch" was ranked as a "foreign agent", because "it is easier and cheaper than solving the environmental problems raised by ecologists."

Ilya Shablinskiy, another member of the HRC, reminded President Putin about actions of farmers from Kuban (Krasnodar Territory) in protest against raiders' captures of land in the region.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.