| Wednesday, November
5, 2003
Tour airs Chechen war via kids' eyes By JANICE TANG Kyodo News Children don't lie. For Chechen journalist Zara Imaeva, children were the best chroniclers of the realities of war in Chechnya in her documentary "No Children's Story." With the international spotlight focused on Iraq, Imaeva has come to Japan to raise awareness on the desperate situation in war-ravaged Chechnya. She is seeking humanitarian aid and international pressure to bring an end to the four-year conflict. "I want the world to pay attention to Chechnya," Imaeva, 42, told Kyodo News in a recent interview in Tokyo. "Without pressure from international political institutions, such as economic sanctions, the war will not end." Imaeva and her son, 17-year-old Timur, were among those who fled Grozny to escape the bloodshed. They now live in Baku, Azerbaijan. An estimated 80,000 displaced Chechens still live outside Chechnya, mostly in neighboring Ingushetia, as a result of the first war, from 1994 to 1996, and the current fighting between Russian troops and separatists that began in 1999. Others have fled to Georgia and other nearby countries. "Even if the Russians withdraw now, Chechens will still be dying because the environment is destroyed," Imaeva said. "There are several thousand orphans and we need humanitarian aid, especially in psychological support and education for the children." Imaeva and her son were invited to Japan by the human rights group Amnesty International Japan on a six-week speaking tour, which started Saturday and runs until Dec. 3. The tour will take them to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Kagoshima and other cities. Her documentary, made in 2000 after hostilities erupted for a second time, features testimony from 14 Chechen children, most under 10 years old, on what they saw and experienced before fleeing to Azerbaijan. "I don't understand why the Russians destroy our homes," a 5-year-old girl says in the video. "It seems like they don't like us living in tents, but we are here because there are no houses left where we can live." "All children hate wars, but it seems that adults like wars. I wonder if they don't like children?" another child asks. "War kills people." Meanwhile, Imaeva declared: "This is not an ethnic war; this is a ridiculous war. The children are suffering from it." A young boy's remark in the documentary illustrates the impact the war has had on children. When asked about the things he dislikes, he said, "I don't like Russian children because they grow up, they kill people. They pick fights and come attack us in planes. Those Russian children should be killed." Imaeva's son was 13 when he and his father fled to Ingushetia. He and his mother were separated for more than six months. Imaeva said she was hiding on a mountain in Chechnya but could not escape because all the roads were closed off by the Russian military. "I can only say that war is a very terrible thing," Timur said. "All we can do is to flee from our homeland when we are young." He is slated to meet with Japanese junior high and high school students in Kumamoto this month. "The exchange among the children is very important because when they grow up in the future, they will be concerned about the Chechen situation," Imaeva said. Asked to comment on the recent election of new Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, whom Moscow appointed as Chechnya's top civilian official in 2000, Imaeva said: "I wonder if there is any meaning in the election. I think it was just a way (for Russia) to make itself look good to Western countries." Though Moscow has promoted the election as an important step toward stabilizing the republic, many critics and Chechens are skeptical, believing the Kremlin manipulated the election to ensure Kadyrov's victory. "I don't think he was elected in unity as president," Imaeva said. "Chechens know the Russian language, culture and history. However, Russians do not try to understand Chechen and other minorities in Russia." In the documentary, the 5-year-old girl says: "I don't like TV news because they say the Russians do not kill anyone and that they love everyone. That's all lies." She also told Imaeva, "I am not afraid of dying. I didn't do anything bad." The Japan Times: Nov. 5, 2003 (C) All rights reserved EU President Berlusconi is called upon to press President Putin tosecure the release of Arjan Erkel, MSF aid worker in captivity in theCaucasus since August 2002. "After more than 14 months of unbearable captivity for our colleague,we urgently ask all members of the European Union and especially itspresident, Silvio Berlusconi, to hold the Russian President VladimirPutin accountable for securing the safe release of Arjan Erkel", saidDr. Morten Rostrup, MSF International Council President. Rome - As European Union (EU) leaders meet at the EU-Russia Summit inRome this week with their counterparts from the Russian Federation, thehumanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls upon theEuropean Union presidency to press President Putin to secure therelease of Arjan Erkel, the MSF volunteer abducted on August 12, 2002in the Russian Republic of Dagestan. At the end of July, 2003, MSF was shown proof confirming that Arjan wasalive. During an official visit to Switzerland on October 13, RussianForeign Affairs Minister, Igor Ivanov, also confirmed that Arjan wasalive. Ivanov also said that Russia was doing everything possible tosecure his release. However, even though such statements are reassuringto Arjan's family and MSF, the lack of resolution of the case indicatesclearly that much more must be done. "After more than 14 months of unbearable captivity for our colleague,we urgently ask all members of the European Union and especially itspresident, Silvio Berlusconi, to hold the Russian President VladimirPutin accountable for securing the safe release of Arjan Erkel", saidDr. Morten Rostrup, MSF International Council President. Since the day of the kidnapping, the European Parliament has twicecalled on Russia to increase their efforts to find and ensure therelease of Arjan Erkel. After a first resolution adopted last January,the issue of kidnapped MSF volunteer Arjan Erkel was once again raisedby the European Parliament in a plenary session on July 3 this year:The European Parliament called upon "the Russian authorities to step uptheir efforts to find and free Arjan Erkel, the head of the MSF missionin Daghestan". "Arjan is a European citizen, so MSF takes the opportunity today duringthe EU-Russian Summit; to appeal to the European Union Presidency, ledby Italy until the end of the year; to follow the European Parliament'sresolutions; and thus, call Russian authorities at all levels tosubstantially increase their efforts in order to secure his saferelease," added Rostrup. Arjan Erkel is today the only foreign humanitarian worker remaining incaptivity in the Caucasus. His case has become a clear expression ofthe reduced humanitarian space in the Caucasus. This is a region thathas been in conflict for more than ten years and where independenthumanitarian organizations today are unable to deliver effectiveassistance to thousands due to both enormous insecurity andinstability. In August 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution1502 on the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers,reiterating the responsibilities of host countries. Arjan Erkel,however, is still in captivity - and humanitarian workers in Russia'sNorthern Caucasus region continue to be threatened.
24 Cambodian Members of Parliament back the Radical's call for the UN in Chechnya Brussels - After the backing of the entire Cambodian Parliamentary group of the Sam Rainsy Party, signatures supporting the Peace Plan for the establishment of an international administration regarding Chechnya, (the Akhmadov Plan) exceeded 10,000 indications of support from 84 countries. Signatories include numerous famous international personalities, 135 members of national parliaments, 140 members of the European Parliament, dozens of mayors, including Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome. The collection of signatures continues. It's possible to sign the appeal on www.radicalparty.org RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 7, No. 209, Part I, 4 November 2003 EU Russia summit: Three questions for President Putin On the eve of the European Union summit meeting with Russia in Rome (6 November 2003), and with continuing reports of grave human rights abuses in Chechnya and neighbouring Ingushetia, Amnesty International is calling on EU leaders to pose three specific questions to the Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit and make public his response. While the Russian government attempts to portray the recent presidential elections in Chechnya as a step towards stabilisation, Amnesty International has received credible reports, including in September and October this year, that human rights abuses in Chechnya linked to Russian security forces and troops reportedly under the control of the newly elected Chechen President, are continuing and increasingly spreading to the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia. At the same time, attacks, reportedly by Chechen fighters, on members of the Chechen administration and people linked to President Akhmed Kadyrov have also continued. Amnesty International's EU Director Dick Oosting said: "While the EU used strong language to criticise the conduct of the recent elections in Chechnya and voiced concerns over human rights, it remains to be seen whether these strong sentiments will be repeated face to face in the meeting with the Russian President. "Amid the discussions on trade and cooperation in a future Common European Economic Space, the misery and despair which civilians in the EU's biggest new neighbouring state have endured, and still are enduring, must not be forgotten. "The perpetrators of grave human rights violations must be brought to justice by the Russian authorities and it is difficult to see how the EU can build an enlarged area of political stability and functioning rule of law on its Eastern borders if the Russian President is allowed to continually sweep away criticism on these fundamental issues, and if the EU is not pushing for a concrete response." Amnesty International calls on the EU to pose the following, specific questions: # Question: access for international monitoring Will the Russian President allow unfettered international human rights monitoring in Chechnya, including by the OSCE and the Council of Europe, and provide dates for the visits to Chechnya of experts from the UN Commission on Human Rights (the Special Rapporteurs on Torture, on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, and on Violence against Women)? # Question: protection of internally displaced persons Will the Russian President commit to immediately halt attempts by the Russian authorities to forcibly return Chechen internally displaced persons until they can return voluntarily in safety and dignity to their place of origin or choice? # Question: ending impunity Will the Russian President ensure immediate action to bring to justice those responsible for the grave abuses committed during the conflict in Chechnya, and provide concrete information about all criminal investigations into alleged crimes which may amount to human rights violations or violations of international humanitarian law? Background Spread of human rights violations to Ingushetia Human rights violations of the kind typically associated with the Chechen Republic - such as "disappearances", torture and ill-treatment and extra-judicial executions - have in recent months continued their spread into the territory of Ingushetia. Reports of numerous military raids - during which Russian federal forces as well as armed troops reportedly under the command of Chechen President and previous acting head of administration Akhmad Kadyrov are alleged to have targeted civilian settlements as well as IDP (internally displaced persons) camps and committed serious human rights abuses - are a serious cause for concern. Ingushetia is now no longer the safe haven for the internally displaced that it once was and the spread of the armed conflict into the territory has impacted on both the IDP and Ingush civilian populations. Climate of impunity continues On 14 October the trial against Sergei Lapin, a member of a special federal police force (OMON) began in Grozny. Sergei Lapin is accused of inflicting bodily harm on Zelimkhan Murdalov from Grozny, who "disappeared" in January 2001 after having been detained by Sergei Lapin and other members of his unit. It is the first time that a member of the Russian federal forces has been brought to trial in a court in Chechnya for crimes against the civilian population. Amnesty International is closely monitoring the case. Amnesty International is aware of other ongoing trials against members of the federal forces for crimes committed in Chechnya, but they are few and far between and rarely relate to human rights abuses committed against the civilian population in Chechnya. The organisation remains concerned that the Russian government still appears to lack the political will to end human rights abuses in Chechnya and to bring to light the fate of the "disappeared". No one has been brought to justice in connection with any of the well-documented raids including killings of civilians in places such as Alkhan-Yurt, Aldi, Staropromyslovskii or Sernovodsk. The failure to bring to justice those responsible for serious human rights abuses will further undermine the confidence of the civilian population in Chechnya that they can rely on the judicial system for protection and redress. Russia has consistently failed to comply with resolutions by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in this regard. Intimidation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) Amnesty International remains seriously concerned that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are being subjected to extreme pressure to return from tent camps in Ingushetia to Chechnya, against their will and without guarantees for their security. During August and September 2003 attempts by the Russian authorities intensified to pressure the remaining IDPs living in tent camps in Ingushetia, who number approximately 12,000 out of the total 80,000 IDPs. Consistent and credible reports from UN agencies as well as national and international NGOs stated that a variety of tactics such as intimidation, harassment, threats of de-registration from official camp lists of IDPs and the curtailment of vital services such as water, electricity and gas supplies are being used by the authorities to compel the IDPs to return. In mid-August, 200 IDPs from Bella Camp, one of the five remaining tent camps in Ingushetia, came under particularly concerted pressure to return to Chechnya. Such activity prompted the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to describe the manner in which they were treated as "aggressive and unacceptable." On 30 September the camp was closed and the remaining IDPs were resettled to the neighbouring Satsita camp amidst pledges that all necessary infrastructure services and facilities would be put in place. Following initial reports that there were insufficient tents for the new IDPs and problems with the electricity and gas supplies, conditions in the Satsita camp are said to have improved. However, Amnesty International remains concerned that guarantees that the Bella IDPs resettled in Satsita would be registered in the official Ingush Migration Service camp list have not been fulfilled. Furthermore, it is reported that humanitarian and human rights agencies are being denied access to the Satsita camp. http://www.amnesty.org.uk RIAN: Medicins Sans Frontieres refute reports that Erkel's kidnappers demand ran THE HAGUE, November 6 (RIA Novosti correspondent Alexander Dobrovolsky) - A high-ranking representative of the Amsterdam office of the Medecins Sans Frontieres humanitarian organization refuted in his Thursday interview with RIA Novosti the reports in some mass media saying that Netherlander Arjan Erkel's kidnappers demand a *5 million dollar ransom for his release. Arjan Erkel, coordinator of the Daghestani mission of the Medecins Sans Frontieres, was kidnapped by unknown persons last August in Makhachkala (the capital of Daghestan - a North Caucasian republic neighboring on Chechnya). After the incident the organization terminated its activity in Daghestan and Chechnya. According to the
source, recent news of Erkel allegedly having been discovered in Daghestan
and kidnappers demanding a ransom for him are figment. "Our Daghestani
coordinator's kidnappers never contacted anyone, nor did they make any
demands relating to his release. I think all these things were invented
by journalists," he said. Swiss parliamentarian Andreas Gross, who was named five months ago as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's rapporteur for Chechnya (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," 25 July 2003), complained in an interview published in "Izvestiya" on 4 November that the Russian authorities have systematically rejected his monthly requests to visit Chechnya. Gross pointed out that he would like to complete drafting by the spring of 2004 a new peace proposal for Chechnya, but that he will be unable to do so if he is prevented from assessing the situation on the ground. Gross said that while the Council of Europe acknowledges Akhmad-hadji Kadyrov as Chechen president, Kadyrov's legitimacy is "quite weak." He added that he wants to ask Kadyrov "how he intends to meet the demands of the Chechens who want to be rid of all kinds of violence -- gunmen, federal forces, and the private army of his own son." Gross also wondered aloud whether the Kremlin's acceptance of Kadyrov as Chechen leader is a sign of weakness prompted by fear of Kadyrov's military strength. LF |