Our trip had to be the begining of a wide action that supposed to draw an
attention to the most serious violation of human rights in the world.
Together, with Rupert Neudeck and Norbert Blum, for the whole 2003, we wanted
to visit different places. We weren't hiding our purpose, we were telling
about it in our interviews, so this argument that my visa was incorrect is
just a smoke screen. This trip was known to Akhmad Kadyrov who supposed to
meet with us and who was encouraging Neudeck that his humanitarian organization
Cap Anamur could resume its activities in Chechnya.
I think, that Russians don't want to have any witnesses on what is going
on in Chechnya, specially when after this seizure of the theatre in Moscow
they conduct these terrible zachistkas, when they kill anyone for his appearance
or on a slight suspicion.
But, we won't give up. For now we'll leave our different plans on the side
and we'll focus on the issue of Chechnya. In the shadow of incoming war with
Iraq nobody talks about it anymore. The West compromises with Russia and
closes its eyes, although the Russian policies, for sure, breed some terrorists
there. I myself, who call
those rebels who conduct terror as terrorists, have a right to condemn also
any state terror. Everyone knows, that I'm not a friend of Islamists, and
I'm a friend with Rushdie whom I was even hiding at my place, I condemn Islamicist
terror. But, if it comes to human rights, I'm totally independent.
[Translation by the Yahoo Chechnya list moderator Norbert Strade]