(Strasbourg) Yesterday, the general secretary of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, expressed his “concern” for the alleged abuse of political opponents, dissidents and human rights activists raised by the human rights activist Ildar Dadin, during a telephone call with Alexander Konovalov, Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. The general secretary – as announced by the CoE today – emphasised “how important it is for the Council of Europe and the Russian Federation to join forces and reform the Russian jail system, and confirmed that these efforts should be continued”. Jagland asked for “an extensive investigation of Dadin’s allegations”. Minister Konovalov ensured that “a full, transparent investigation will be carried out, and the general secretary will be informed about the outcome”. Jagland also raised the issue of the closing down of the Moscow branch of Amnesty International. Even if the municipality of Moscow that is to blame for this, the general secretary asked minister Konovalov to “take due care of it, since the NGOs’ freedom to conduct their work is essential in a democratic society, and the Minister of Justice is responsible for helping society work without restrictions, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights”.