Violations of journalists' rights in Chechnya - December 2002
Monitoring of violations of rights of journalists, the press and conflicts connected
with media coverage of the events in the territory of the Chechen Republic in
December 2002
Compiled by the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations. Translated by Prague
Watchdog.
November 29
The “United Russia” party announced it had started setting up 15 teams
of regional journalists who will record footage of the life of people in
different regions of Chechnya in the course of a single day at the beginning of
2003. The obtained material will be used for preparing the film “Chechen
Days”. Commenting on the decision, the chairman of the central executive
committee of the party Aleksandr Bespalov stated that Chechnya is currently under
an information embargo.
December 4
The command of the Joint Troops Group (OGV) in the Northern Caucasus announced
that provocative materials had been discovered in a number of Chechen districts.
According to OGV, leaflets threatening local schoolteachers with physical elimination
were confiscated in the Shalinski district. Flyers requesting local inhabitants
to stop going to work, stop watching television, stop trading and give up their
secular life for a wahhabi way of life had been distributed in the Shatoiski
and Achkhoi- Martanovski districts. The Russian military claims they have confiscated
copies of the “Islamskaya Molodyozh” newspaper in the village of Bolshie
Varandy, containing an appeal by Aslan Maskhadov to launch a new stage of the
“liberation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria from Russian usurpers”.
December 5
The Chechen Minister of the Press, Broadcasting and Mass Media and Deputy Prime
Minister of the Moscow-backed Chechen government Bislan Gantamirov sharply criticised
the line-up of the cabinet. In his opinion the composition of the government “does
not correspond to the needs of the anti-terrorist operation carried out in Chechnya,
because it demonstrates no coalition of political forces or interests”.
Gantamirov made these statements in an interview given to the official paper
“Vesti respubliki”. He said “key offices are held by people
who systematically change their position depending on changes of the political
line and leadership of Ichkeria and Chechnya”. He also claimed the results
of the upcoming elections of the president of the republic will depend on
him irrespective of whether he will run alone or he will join some grouping.
December 8
The staff of human rights centre Memorial visited the village of Alkhan-Kala,
where the former head of the local administration Malika Umazheva had been murdered.
According to their report, the family of the deceased refuses to talk to
anyone, blaming human rights campaigners and journalists that they turned
out to be incapable of protecting Malika.
December 10
Ruslan Yusupov, associate editor of the Gudermes district newspaper “Gums”,
became one of the laureates of the “Journalism as a Deed” prize conferred
by the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Civic Center. The Chechen journalist submitted
a series of his publications for the competition in 2002. For his achievements,
which were announced on December 10 – Human Rights Day, Yusupov was invited
to attend a solemn ceremony in Moscow, where he received a diploma and a valuable
gift.
The “Journalism as a Deed” prize is conferred annually to the editors
of mass media and journalists for reports, the preparation and publication
of which constitute a moral deed, and which convincingly and honestly present
social problems, issues of war and peace. In his letter addressed to the jury
of the competition Ruslan Yusupov wrote: “I have written not a single word
in the interest of the authorities, while I have delivered so much criticism on
their account that frequently some
readers on meeting me express their surprise that I am still alive.” He
also wrote: “During the entire period of the Dudayev regime I was the most
published author in republican papers, which were openly opposing the regime.”
In those years Yusupov was deprived of the “Best Journalist of the
Republic” prize due to intervention from the then vice-president Zelimkhan
Yandarbiyev.
Referring to federal troops, the journalist claimed “hardly anyone else
in Chechnya has launched as many angry lines against military offenders as the
author of this letter”. Speaking on the issue of censorship in the Chechen
mass media in an interview with “Radio Svoboda”, Yusupov said there
is no specific document restricting journalists, nevertheless, there are certain
unwritten conditions and the editors get to have a feeling for what they
may and what they may not publish.
December 11
On December 11 in Saint Petersburg, on the eighth anniversary of the beginning
of the armed conflict in Chechnya in 1994, the Anti-War Committee carried out
a protest action near the television building. The picket started at 5 PM
at the “Peterburg” television channel building at the Chaplygin
Street. Fifteen participants of the action unfurled flags, posters and banners
with slogans “Freedom for Chechnya!”, “Down with state terror!”,
“Against the policy of Russian authorities in North
Caucasus!”, “Soldiers go home, Putin go to war!”, “Stop
now!”. The action took place under police surveillance. Police representatives
also informed the protesters about law restrictions of their rally. None
of the mass media covered this action. Reflecting this fact the protesters raised
the slogan “Shame on the official television! Shame on mass media
supporting the colonial war!”
December 12
The Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations published a special report by
its expert Tamerlan Aliyev “The Press in the Chechen Republic”
on its website (http://www.cjes.ru/bulletin/special/015.php).
December 17
The Moscow-backed Chechen government announced that Chechen fighters are
establishing an extensive information structure on the Internet and at the same
time they are organizing the printing of publications with information of anti-Russian
nature. The government statement claims that the intention of the leaders
of armed groups is to have a structure consisting of a large number of Internet
websites based in several different countries. The Chechen government expects
“Kavkaz-Centr” to remain the base website, while its branches will
be located in Georgia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Jordan, the Czech Republic
and in a number of other countries. According to information from the authorities
of Chechnya, in the Czech Republic journalist Petra Procházková
is involved in setting up the website, while in Georgia there are plans
to publish a printed version of “Kavkaz-Centr” under the auspices
of the editors of the Georgian Times newspaper.
December 17
Chechen separatist information sources announced that the Ingush police groundlessly
detained the Agence France Presse North Caucasus correspondent Alik Astamirov.
As reported by these sources, the journalist said he was detained together with
his brother Umar without any charge, after which they were taken to the criminal
investigations division of the Ingush Interior Ministry. In the course of several
hours the Astamirov brothers were subject to interrogation accompanied by
insults and threats of physical elimination. Both detainees were released late
at night.
December 18
The US newspaper “Christian Science Monitor” newspaper published an
article “Life among Grozny’s ruins” by its journalist Fred Weir.
In the article the author writes: “The Kremlin takes journalists on a tour
to show that Chechnya is returning to civilian normalcy. But is nightly mortar
fire normal?” The journalist who stayed in Chechnya with a group of representatives
of western mass media, who visited the republic on invitation and in accompaniment
of Russian authorities, noted that “Chechnya's single, state-run television
channel paints a rosy picture of normal life returning to this war-ravaged republic:
homes being rebuilt, services restored, and people enthusiastically embracing
the latest Kremlin-authored peace plan.”
Fred Weir writes that “off-camera, some of the TV employees tell a different
story”, such as that “severe Russian security measures and nightly
rebel activity make life among the Chechen capital’s ruins far from normal.”
The journalist reported that every night the Russian military hurried to transport
the western media representatives to the Khankala military base before the fall
of darkness and the beginning of artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire. Fred
Weir also recalled the incident when Russian soldiers “forcibly prevented
journalists from making contact with about 20 elderly Chechen women who attempted
to reach them, bearing portraits of sons and husbands who have disappeared.”
December 19
Russian human rights defenders reported that the population of the Achkhoi-Martanovski
district of Chechnya was caught in an information vacuum, due to periodical shortages
of power supply to houses. The inhabitants now frequently learn about events occurring
in Chechnya from Russian mass media news programmes with a delay of 5 to
10 days. For example, the information about the Congress of the Chechen Nation,
which took place in Gudermes on December 11, came as a surprise to the population
of the Achkhoi-Martanovski district, according to the human rights activists.
December 19
Chechen human rights campaigner Ruslan Badalov accused the editors of Russian
newspaper “Nezavisimaya gazeta” of publishing materials made-to-order.
In his announcement he claims that the article “Threatening refugees with
their homeland” by Alla Kheynonen, published in the issue of December 17,
“carries very clear signs of being made to order.” Badalov states
that “the piece correlates with the usual general line of the official
Kremlin propaganda, primarily aimed at creating a negative stereotype of Chechens.”
Badalov also refuted Alla Kheynonen’s statement that human rights activists
are “henchmen of [Chechen] gang formations”. “The author carelessly
equates those who fight with those who campaign against war,” the Chechen
human rights activist noted.
December 19
The Nizhegorodskoye telegrafnoye agenstvo (NTA) news agency reported that one
of the organizers of the provocation connected with Mikhail Kasyanov’s presidential
candidacy, co-chairman of the inter-regional civic organisation Society of the
Russian–Chechen Friendship (ORChD) Ruslan Kutayev, carried out Aslan Maskhadov’s
special orders. According to the agency, the co-chairman of the Society from the
Russian side, Stanislav Dmitrievski from Nizhegorod, travelled repeatedly to Chechnya
under the pretence of searching for captive Russian soldiers – and established
contacts with representatives of the Chechen fighters. NTA reported that the ORChD
engages in disseminating information, including information obtained from leaders
of Chechen units. Some of these materials were published in Nizhegorod media,
in particular in the “Valentina Buzmakovaya’s political kitchen”
programme of the Volga television company. Information about ORChD activities
is also spread by the “Pravo – Zashchita” newspaper, published
with the support of Jordanian citizen Riyad Ahmad Abu Hadir and Syrian citizen
Juni Jamal
Adel.
December 20
In the Permskaya oblast region, human rights activists Sergey Isayev and
Evgeniy Kozminykh announced their intention to carry out their own investigation
into the circumstances of the death of Salman Raduyev, who ended in one
of the Perm area prison camps. They sent a letter to the Perm region attorney
Aleksandr Kandalov requesting him to provide the inspection materials and the
resolution on the refusal to reopen the criminal case on Raduyev’s death.
It is known that a range of mass media published speculations that the death may
have been caused by fasting and refusing to take food, beating, etc. The human
rights activists intend to carry out an objective analysis of the facts and they
promised to publish their conclusions in the media.
December 23 – 27
Chechen governmental newspaper “Vesti respubliki” published drafts
of the Chechen constitution and draft acts on presidential and parliamentary elections
in the Chechen Republic. An additional issue of the Vesti respubliki with these
documents was released on December 27. The chairman of the initiative group for
holding a referendum on the Chechen constitution Khasin Taymaskhanov said the
intention behind therelease was to disseminate the contents of the draft documents
among the entire population of the republic.
December 27
Several journalists from various Russian media – including the central media
– sustained injuries during the terrorist act in Grozny, in which two vehicles
laden with explosives blew up the building of the Moscow-backed Chechen government.
Russian news agency “Interfax” reported that its correspondent, who
was himself injured, drove his colleagues to the hospital and returned to
the site of the attack. “RIA – Novosti” correspondent Kometa
Tepsayeva was also among the injured.
December 27
Representatives of the Chechen State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company
received in Stavropol a new digital equipment from their colleagues, purchased
with funds raised by regional television companies with active support
from the All- Russian State Television and Radion Broadcasting Company. In the
opinion of the Stavropol television staff, the digital equipment will help
the Chechen television staff to achieve new creative and technical standards.
December 30
The editor-in-chief of the Gudermes district newspaper “Gums” Khozh-Baudi
Borkhadzhiyev announced that starting from the new year “Gums” will
become an inter-regional newspaper and will be distributed in the Gudermes,
Kurchaloyevski and Nozhai- Yurtovski districts. The rint run of the newspaper
will increase from 7 to 20 thousand copies.
December 30
The press service of the President of Ingushetia made a statement entitled “Another
lie from Interfax”. The statement notes that Russian website “Gazeta.ru”,
referring o Russian news agency Interfax, claims that Chechen field commander
Ruslan Gelayev “visits Ingushetia and was seen in the vicinity of several
Ingush villages.” The press service announced that this information is not
founded on facts. The Ingush First Deputy Interior Minister Kh. Albakov stated
there have been no ighters and no field commanders in the territory of Ingushetia,
and the information in question is merely a journalist’s vivid imagination.
The press service of the President of Ingushetia announced that the “dissemination
of false information” is considered as an attempt to destabilize the situation
within the region. The press service intends to take all measures necessary to
“hold false informers responsible bylaw”. Meanwhile the information
on Gelayev’s movements was broadcastwith reference to Chechen law enforcement
authorities.
Compiled by Ilya Maksakov. Based on materials of the Center for Journalism in
Extreme Situations, CJES expert on Chechnya and Ingushetia Tamerlan Aliyev,
news agencies “Interfax”, ITAR-TASS, RIA “Novosti”, “Prima”,
newpapers “Kommersant”, “Obshchaya Gazeta”, “NezavisimayaGazeta”,
“Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Novaya Gazeta”, radio stations
“Echo Moskvy” and “Svoboda”, and internet publications
“Strana.ru”, “Regiony.ru”, “Chechenpress”
and “Kavkazski Vestnik”.