The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is honored to present Chechen President’s Appeal to the Chechen People.

March 12, 2003

(Official Translation)

Appeal of the President of the ChRI H.E. Aslan Maskhadov to the Chechen People

Dear Fellow Countrymen!

By initiating the so-called "referendum on Constitution" under the conditions of war, guided by the principle "divide and rule," Russian authorities seek to undermine the statehood of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, discredit the legitimately elected Chechen authorities, and divide the Chechen people. Russia realizes that the matchless brutality of the unlawful wars will not persuade the Chechen people to be part of Russia. Holding the whole nation at gunpoint and making mockery of
democratic procedures are the only things that are left for her.

The woe and suffering of our people brought by Russia to the land of our ancestors will remain in the memory of the generations forever. They have not crushed us, and no one will ever manage to break us. No one has or ever will manage to sow dissention and hostility among the Chechen people. We are strong and united in strive for our freedom. We will never surrender to the will of the aggressor.

Having determined the essence and form of our statehood in 1991, we are fighting for the sacred right of self-determination and for international security guarantees. We must deprive anyone of the possibility to repeat the genocide of 1944, 1994, and 1999. We will not allow anyone to walk over the sacred memory of our sons and daughters who gave their lives for independence of our homeland. There is nothing more blasphemous than Russia' attempt to justify murder of our people.

Russia vainly tries to force us to recognize its rule. The Chechens have rejected this for centuries. Now they want to make of us the first nation in the world to express its will under a threat of murder. A nation's right to express its will is never given by murderers and conquerors. It is never granted by aggressors but won by the nation.

As the legitimately elected President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, I appeal to every Chechen who loves our long-suffering homeland and values dignity of our nation, to all citizens of our republic to unite at this difficult time and reject Russia's farce of referendum and in so doing to make it clear that there can be no
alternative to an independent Chechen State.

Aslan Maskhadov

President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria