Word: shamanov
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...move that has sparked outrage from Human Rights Watch (HRW), the officer in charge, Lieut. General Vladimir Shamanov - who is named in the ECHR's findings - has been chosen to head Russia's paratrooper unit. "A commander in this position should have a firm commitment to upholding international humanitarian law," said Holly Cartner, the HRW director for Europe and Central Asia, in a report released on May 28. "It's hard to understand how an officer with oversight for operations that have resulted in numerous violations of humanitarian law has been considered qualified to assume this role...
With the announcement of Shamanov's appointment on May 25, the Kremlin seemed to be sending mixed messages. It's been little more than a year since President Dmitri Medvedev said in his inauguration speech that he would begin a campaign to increase respect for the rule of law in Russia, stating that he places "particular importance on the fundamental role of the law," and that "[Russia] must ensure true respect for the law and overcome the legal nihilism that is such a serious hindrance to modern development...
...considering the ECHR's ruling on the Katyr-Yurt attack, Shamanov's new role as head of Russia's élite airborne troops flies in the face of that promise, says HRW. "Lt. General Shamanov presided over operations fraught with human rights violations and civilian casualties," HRW states in the report. "He should be investigated, not promoted...
TIME's attempts to ask Shamanov and the Russian Ministry of Defense about the ECHR rulings and HRW's criticism of Shamanov's appointment got no timely response...
...held in Vienna last month turned a deaf ear to Russia's complaints; military delegations from Bulgaria and Hungary had been denied entry to Russian military units. Also last month, Russia turned down an invitation to take part in joint exercises with the U.S., Romania and Bulgaria. General Vladimir Shamanov, particularly notorious for aggressive tactics in Chechnya and now advisor to the Russian Defense Minister, said: "The Soviet Army took part in joint exercises with the Nazi Germany. Which resulted in Germany's perfidiously attacking the USSR. What trust there can be now, if the U.S. is deploying bases...