The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner has cancelled a trip to Russia due to what he called "unacceptable" restrictions put on him by the government.
Nils Muiznieks said on October 11 that the visit, planned for the third week of October, was cancelled due to Russia-imposed limitations, which included a request to limit the amount of time Muiznieks would be authorized to spend in Moscow to 48 hours.
Muiznieks, a Latvian-American, added that Russia, as a member-state of the Council of Europe, is required to provide information and help him establish contacts.
"As I told the Russian authorities, it is deeply disturbing and highly regrettable that these requirements are not fulfilled by the authorities of the Russian Federation today," Muiznieks said.
