She told the reporters that she discussed the human rights issue in Chechnya during her visit to Russia and in the course of numerous conversations with the Russian leadership.
According to Ms. Arbour, she will visit the North Caucasus and Chechnya during her next visit to Russia in the near future.
In the framework of her current visit to Russia, Ms. Arbour met with the Russian President, the foreign and justice ministers, the deputy interior minister, the chairmen of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, the Prosecutor General and representatives of the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council.
Ms. Arbour stated that antiterrorist measures must be based on legal norms.
"Russian people suffered immensely from terrorist acts and deserve compassion and support in the solution of this problem. I expect the Russian government will undertake legal and effective measures aimed at eliminating this threat," she said.
At the same time, she underlined that law enforcement actions cease to be legal and effective when they go beyond the limitations imposed by international human rights norms.
"When law enforcement operatives abuse their authority and remain unpunished for that, when the civilians cannot defend their rights violated by state officials, then the society starts facing a double threat," she stressed.
"It is impossible to equate crimes committed by terrorists with illegal actions taken by law enforcement officers. However, both crimes must be punished by law," she emphasized.
She also stated that the situation in Russia causes concern both in terms of legislative initiatives and in terms of counter-terrorist measures because their conformity with legal norms was questionable.
