The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, has sent a mission to Crimea to assess the human rights situation there.
"More than 2.5 million people live in Crimea, they are all covered by the European Convention on Human Rights and should be able to benefit from it," he noted, adding that no delegation from an international organization has been able to go there for more than a year.
According to Jagland, "the mission will be carried out with full independence and will not deal with any issue related to the territorial status of Crimea." "It will help us receive clear and comprehensive information on the human rights situation," RIA Novosti cited him as saying.
The mission will start its work in Crimea today. A report and recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary General.
