After the session of the Expert Council, a round table meeting was conducted. Experts
were joined by a large group of departments' representatives (from MVD, Procuracy General,
Security Council etc.) and State Duma deputies, judges, lawyers, and journalists. There
were so many people wishing to participate in the Round Table that discussion had to be
moved to the Great Hall of the Sakharov Center.
MVD and Procuracy spokesmen were asked to give their opinion on the experts'
conclusions. One could easily notice that the employees of these departments tried hard to
avoid the term «torture» and to substitute some euphemisms for it, such as battery,
abuse, violation of the law, pressing etc. They also disagreed with experts' conclusions
about the occurrence of torture within the internal affairs agencies and the lack of
Procuracy supervision over militia. «There are plenty of genuine experienced criminals
among those who appeal to mass-media and NGOs with information on torture, — said Mr.
Kamyshansky, spokesman for Procuracy General. — They are thus trying to escape
responsibility.» The presentation caused so many pointed questions and objections on the
part of human rights activists that Mr. Kamyshansky said: «I and my MVD colleague should
be recognized as the victims of torture too.»
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