COUNCIL OF EUROPE PRESSURES RUSSIA ON HUMAN RIGHTS.

Members of a Council of Europe human rights commission, in Moscow last weekend, said they were prepared to support Russia’s admission to the Council. Continuing violation of human rights in the country, however, precluded Russia from being considered a "rule of law state," they said. Committee members pointed especially to human rights violations in Chechnya, in Russian prisons, and in the armed forces, as well as to enduring restrictions on freedom of movement. They recommended that control of the penal system be transferred from the Interior Ministry to the Ministry of Justice and called for an immediate moratorium on capital punishment. (12) Russia’s admission to the Council was delayed last year due to Russian military operations in Chechnya. A final decision on admission will be made in Strasbourg January 25. It is unclear whether the latest outbreak of violence in Dagestan will affect the vote.

Russian-Ukrainian Summit.