The instruction was contained in a letter from the Deputy Prosecutor, Victor Grin in response to appeals by the Presidential Human Rights Council and the Public Chamber’s Commission for Family Support that called on the the Prosecutor's Office to verify allegations of instances of “female genital mutilation” in Dagestan, the website YuGA.ru reports, quoting RIA Novosti.

The Deputy General Prosecutor’s letter said: “Taking into account that subordinate prosecutors did not take any decisions in relation to the issues raised by the appeals, the Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan has been given the task of organising and checking the reported information and presenting the findings to you, in order to ensure a rapid response to possible violations of the law.”

In August a report was published on the website of the NGO Russian Justice Initiative on the practice of female genital mutilation in some mountain regions of Dagestan. The Presidential Human Rights Council forwarded the report to the General Prosecutor with a demand that the allegations it contained be verified.

Translated by Nathalie Corbett