13 February 2003
ABOUT UNACCEPTABILITY OF CONDUCTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM AND ELECTIONS
IN CHECHNYA IN CONDITIONS OF MILITARY ACTIONS
Open appeal of Russian National Committee FOR THE TERMINATION OF WAR AND RESTORATION
OF PEACE IN THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC to
The Prime Minister of Canada
Mr. Jean Chretien
The President of France
Mr. Jaques Chirac
The Federal Chancellor of Germany
Mr. Gerhard Schreder
The Prime Minister of Great Britain
Right Honorable Tony Blair
The Prime Minister of Italy
Cabaliero Silvio Berlusconi
The Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Dz'untiro Koyzumi
The President of the USA
Mr. George Bush
Your Excellencies!
We would like to bring to your notice our deep concern and anxiety in connection
with the plan of the President and the government of Russia to conduct a referendum
on the draft Constitution of the Chechen Republic on the territory of the Chechen
Republic this May and after that - in the end of 2003 - elections to various state
bodies of the Chechen Republic.
We consider that conduction of such referendum is prematurely due to the fact
that military actions and clashes with armed opposition have being continuing
in Chechnya for three and a half years. During this period mass cruel human rights
violations, tortures and killings of civilians and representatives of the administration
are taking place, there are strict limits on move within territory of the Republic
for the Chechen citizens, limits on Russian and foreign international press representatives'
access to Chechnya, there are no conditions for public political discussion and
freedom of _expression of the citizens. Hundred of thousands of permanent citizens
have left the territory of Chechnya - the Chechens, the Russians, representatives
of other nationals - without whom definition of the Republic's fate is unacceptable.
Preparation for the referendum has already caused strict measures aimed at returning
the refugees who were in Ingushetiya back to the Chechen Republic and pressure
on many public organizations located on the territory of Chechnya and founded
in accordance with the Russian legislation.
We share and support the position of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of
Europe reporter Lord Judd who established impossibility of the referendum on the
Constitution of Chechnya in March 2003 and called to its postponement. The same
opinion is being expressed by many Russian and Chechen politicians and also representatives
and activists of decades of Russian and Chechen public organizations which work
in the Chechen Republic. We suppose that conduction of the constitutional referendum
in the Chechen Republic in March 2003 will inevitably turn into parody to freedom
of _expression, will lead to extending of civil confrontation in Chechnya, will
provoke strengthening of armed opposition's activity.
Criticizing intention of the Russian authorities to conduct the referendum in
the Chechen Republic in March 2003 we think, and have repeatedly said that before,
that the very people of the Chechen Republic have a right to define the political
future of their Republic and that the best way for that is a referendum under
an international control. But such referendum can be conducted in Chechnya only
after a ceasefire agreement is signed and agree of the representatives of all
basic forces of the Chechen society (including supporters of Aslan Maskhadov,
the legally elected in 1997 President of the Chechen Republic Ichkeriya) to admit
its results. We assume that not only citizens who live in Chechnya but also all
citizens who were forced to leave the Chechen Republic after 1991 regardless to
their present place of living and nationality should have a right to participate
in the referendum on the Constitution of the Chechen Republic. International observers
should be attracted to the process of peace settlement including the process of
organizing and conduction of the referendum.
Our critics of the Russian President's plan - to conduct referendum in the Chechen
Republic in March 2003 - is aimed not at disparaging the Russian sovereignty but
is conditioned by the aim and intention to achieve real political settlement of
this extraordinary and severe conflict. We suppose that governments of the democratic
states of the West should not let Russian authorities simply ignore the fact that
conduction of any referendum in the conditions which in fact now exist in Chechnya
- "mopping up operations", blocking roads and localities by troops, going on curfew
- are completely forbidden by the international norms and current Russian legislation.
We appeal to the Heads of the states who are interested in termination of war
in Chechnya with a call to use all your influence to bring warring parties to
immediate beginning of real process of peace settlement and in hope that you will
express your support to the idea of the Constitutional referendum in Chechnya
- as a final stage of political settlement of the military and civil conflict.
Your actions in this direction will save thousands of lives of civilians of the
Chechen Republic and Russian soldiers.
12 February 2003
Signed by the members of the Russian National Committee for Ending the War and
Securing Peace in the Chechen Republic:
Deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation: Sergei Kovalev,
Yuli Rybakov, SergeiYushenkov; Alexander Tkachenko, the Russian
PEN-Center; R.N. Badalov, Chair of the "Chechen Committee for National
Salvation"; Zuleikhan Bagalova, actress, Honored Artist of the Russian
Federation; Elena Bonner, Chair, The Andrei Sakharov Foundation; Lidiya
Grafova, Chair of the Migrant Organisations Forum; Svetlana Gannushkina,
Chair of the Refugee Committee "Civil Assistance"; Lev Gudkov, Doctor of
Philosophy; I.G. Yakovenko, Doctor of Philosophy; Oleg Orlov, member of
the Human Rights Center of the Memorial Society; Lev Ponomarev, Chair of
the All-Russian Movement "For Human Rights"; Yuri Samodurov, Executive
Director, The Andrei Sakharov Public Center and Museum.