MOSCOW, December 26 - RAPSI. A number of activists, who stay away from the Presidential Human Rights Council, have announced the establishment of the All-Russian Human Rights Council, RIA Novosti reported.

The primary task of the initiative is to unite the potential of human rights organizations in Russia, Anton Tsvetkov, one of its advocates said.

The All-Russian Human Rights Council will be present in all Russian regions, it has invited all open-minded human rights activists to participate.

The presidential council failed to meet the expectations and human rights are still violated in Russia, this is why a decision to set up an alternative human rights organization has been made, Tsvetkov said.

The new make-up of the Presidential Human Rights Council was approved on November 12. The new council includes head of the independent Golos electoral monitoring group Liliya Shibanova, well-known journalist Leonid Parfyonov, former presidential candidate Irina Khakamada and Alexander Verkhovsky, head of the Sova organization that monitors race-hate crimes.

The reshuffle followed a spate of resignations that began in the wake of last December's disputed parliamentary elections and continued following Putin's inauguration for a third presidential term in May.