15 March 2003

It looks as if Europe begins to realize the danger coming from the anti-Chechen campaign of the Kremlin, as each day of this tragedy increases the appetite of so-called "war party" of the Russian authorities, looking for a new victim of its folly, that, in point of fact, is a matter of time. That's why a sober view of things in Chechnya takes the place of the usual "ostrich policy", and louder is heard the voice in defence of the tortured Chechen people.

The genocide in Chechnya is evident, as there are sufficient proofs of mass killing and violation of human rights in the republic. But the insipid recommendations of Alvaro Khil Robles addressed to the Russian authorities could not be called a voice in defence of the Chechen nation. The commissioner of the Council of Europe on human rights has evaded all sharp angles, refusing to call the actions of Russian forces in Chechnya a genocide of the Chechen people. But the ice has broken, and the silence of the European community has been broken by the deputy of German Social-Democratic Party Rudolf Bindig, head of the delegation of Bundestag in PACE. Unlike Mr.Khil Robles, Mr Bindig, speaking in plain terms, called on the European community to bring to trial the Russian war criminals guilty of mass summary executions committed against the civilians of the Chechen Republic. The deputy urged his colleagues to set up a tribunal, similar to the Hague one against the former leaders of Yugoslavia, guilty of the genocide in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. The reaction of Russia was immediate and inadequate. Co-Chairman of the joint Duma-PACE working group Dmitry Rogozin called the author of the mentioned initiative a "frantic enemy of Russia". As to not quite sane Vladimir Slutsky, Deputy Chairman of State Duma for international affairs, he blamed Rudolf Bindig to be a schizophrenic. Chairman of Russia's State Duma Ghenady Seleznov also expressed his indignation. The wrath of Russian politicians is a demonstration of the fact that the genocide in Chechnya is being carried out with the consent and direct instructions of the high political leaders of Russia.

As to the European community, its position is not in the spirit of contradiction to the course of Russia. It should be noted that for the three and a half of the conflict the only demonstration of PACE 's will to have an influence on Russia, has been a deprivation of Russia of the voice in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which lasted from April 2000 to January 2001. It should be also noted that it was not a severe punishment, for the deputies could quite possibly exclude Russia from the PACE for infringement of the principal rules international law. Having been subject to this kind of indulgence, Russia, as a matter of fact, received a carte-blanche from Europe to continue war crimes in Chechnya. And the war crimes have been intensified after the Russian delegation left Strasbourg. We do not know a precedent of State terror against the defenseless people left to the Russian military machine to be torn to pieces.

In view of the above-mentioned I would like to thank Mr.Bindig for his courage, and call on the politicians and public of Europe to bend every effort to the stated direction, as Russian authorities, muddled up in own intrigues, can no more restrain the criminal slaughter in Chechnya.

Ruslan Badalov,
Chairman of the Chechen Committee of National Salvation
Nazran, Republic of Ingushetia

http://www.chechenpress.info/english/news/03_2003/15/2.htm