Kremlin Envoy:
Chechnya Human Rights Situation "Unacceptable"
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“There
is chaos there right now, no-one knows who is arresting people
and where they are being taken,” Sultygov told reporters.
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MOSCOW,
July 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Russian President Vladimir
Putin's senior representative for human rights in Chechnya described
the situation of human rights in the breakaway republic Thursday, July
17, as "unacceptable."
Abdul-Khakim
Sultygov, a pro-Moscow Chechen newly appointed to the post, also
called for a Russian officer currently on trial for the murder of a
young Chechen girl, Colonel Oleg Budanov, to be stripped of his rank,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"The
human rights situation in Chechnya is absolutely unacceptable. ...
There is chaos there right now, no-one knows who is arresting people
and where they are being taken," Sultygov told reporters,
according to AFP.
"Even
in the days of [Stalin's secret police chief Lavrenti] Beria, we knew
who was liquidating people and where they were sent," he said.
Greeted
with a high degree of skepticism when he was named last week, the
envoy said one of his first priorities would be to establish new rules
regarding the notorious "sweeps" by Russian troops, during
which, according to non-government organizations, civilians are
subjected to abuses.
He
admitted that a new set of regulations concerning the
"sweeps" issued last March had failed, but said this was
because the chain of responsibility when abuses occurred was not
clearly defined.
He
also stressed the importance of cooperation between the Russian and
pro-Russian Chechen authorities and the various human rights
organizations in order to improve the overall situation.
Last
week, leading rights groups, including Memorial, said they were
breaking off cooperation with the Russian authorities as they were not
able to achieve any improvements in the situation.
Questioned
about Budanov, standing trial in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don
for the murder of an 18-year-old Chechen, Elsa Kungayeva, Sultygov
said the defendant "must be stripped of his rank -- he has
committed acts unworthy of his status as an officer."
Budanov,
the first Russian officer to stand trial for crimes against civilians
in the Chechen war, has admitted abducting and killing Kungayeva, but
pleaded insanity at the time of his action.
He
faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted of murder.
In
his first declarations last week, Sultygov spoke in defense of Russian
troops stationed in Chechnya, where they have been attempting to put
down a separatist insurgency for almost three years.
History
The
Chechnya tragedy started during the Soviet era, when Stalin, in order
to maintain power and to prevent overthrow "by external powers
manipulating internal ethnic groups", was brutal in his control
of the Chechen people.
The
Chechens therefore actually said they would welcome Germany if they
recognized an independent Chechnya. This led to a mass deportation and
relocation of Chechen people (and others) to Kazakhstan and Siberia.
Around
800,000 people are said to have been relocated this way. Perhaps
100,000 or more of these people died due to the extreme conditions.
Chechnya
later declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The 1994-96 war left 80,000 casualties. The Russian assault
devastated Grozny and other parts of Chechnya.
However,
the Chechens defeated Russia, revealing how poor Russian military
capabilities were. Earlier in 1999, the Islamic uprising in the
neighboring Dagestan region of Russia resulted in accusations by
Moscow that Chechen government forces supported a Dagestan rebellion.
While
this was denied, Chechen fighters (that are not controlled by the
central government) did support the Islamic uprising in Dagestan. This
incursion led to a conflict with Russian forces that defeated the
Chechens.
Following
the Chechen defeat in Dagestan, Moscow suffered bomb blasts believed
to be by various independence activists (although never proven). This
has also led to a rise in Russia of racist sentiments against people
mainly from the Caucasus regions.
Russia
is now engaged in a full-scale war with Chechnya. There have been many
reports of bombing raids by Russian forces and over 200,000 people are
said to have fled from Chechnya.
Grozny
and other parts of Chechnya are being pounded and destroyed. Once
more, the civilian population is caught in the middle. Civilian
casualties have been high and there has been international outcry at
the brutal Russian crackdown and indiscriminate bombing and targeting
of civilians.
The
Russian troops have been looting and burning homes and buildings, even
executing those who resist.
On
April 20, 2000, Chechen President, Ashlan Mashkadov, made a ceasefire
offer. However, Russian demands have been stern, which triggered more
suicide attacks and increased warfare by the Chechen combatants,
indicating that the conflict is far from over.
As
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported in April 2001, "the U.N.
Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution on Chechnya that
condemned serious human rights violations by Russian forces, and
raised concern about forced disappearances, torture, and summary
executions.
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