SRChF/CP: Press release No. 374 (various reports)

INFORMATION CENTER OF THE SOCIETY OF RUSSIAN-CHECHEN FRIENDSHIP

Press release No. 374, March 13, 2003

Lawlessness of soldiers at the blockpost No. 28.

Meeting at the gates of Chechen administration.

Only one blockpost has been liquidated in Groznyy.

One more elderly female resident of Serzhen-Yurt died from cardiac rupture during shelling.

New data about the missing people.

Report from the Chechen Republic

Groznyy

Lawlessness of soldiers at the blockpost No. 28

On March 12, 2003 at the blockpost No, 28 situated at the entrance to Groznyy on the side of the road towards Shatoevsky and Itum-Kalinsky districts drunk Russian soldiers amotivationally detained two teenagers, aged 14 and 15. The boys were put down on the ground practically naked and were subject to beating and humiliation. The head of Ulus-Kert administration (Shali district) Tamara Vesengirieva, who by pure accident was passing by, tried to interfere. Having produced her documents, she demanded to explain the cause of detention and to stop violence. The soldiers scolded at her and declared that the representative of "nobody knows what state" was no authority for them, after that they threatened the 55-year-old woman "to put her down nearby". The accident gathered a lot of people by the blockpost. Being indignant at soldiers' behavior, they demanded to release the detained immediately. Finally, under the pressure of the gathered people the teenagers were set free.

(From our correspondent.).

Meeting at the gates of Chechen administration

On March 12, 2003 at the gates of republican administration residents of Grozny and other Chechen settlements organized a meeting demanding to stop military lawlessness and to release people who had been illegally detained or kidnapped by representatives of Russian law-enforcement structures.

The main slogans were ""Release illegally detained children!", "No to referendum!", "Putin, stop robbery by federal Russian soldiers in Chechnya!", "Referendum only after stopping annihilating Chechen people!". At the meeting special issues of newspaper "Pravozaschita" ("Law-protection", a joint project of Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights and the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship) devoted to events In the Chechen Republic were distributed. Chairman of SRCF regional department Imran Ezhiev participated in the action. Organizers of the meeting gave him statements describing crimes conducted by soldiers and
asked to hand them to representatives of republican procurator's office!

After a series of requests to meet with procurator's office servicemen Imran Ezhiev and a delegation of women from the villages Mesker-Yurt, Samashki, Novye Atagi, Duba-Yurt and some settlements of Vedensky district were accepted by assistant republican military procurator, head of 5th department of Chechen Military Procurator's office lieutenant colonel Dostal Aleksey Ivanovich. However, that meeting brought no results. Lieutenant colonel refused to accept criminal statements and recommended civilians to appeal to district public prosecutor's offices at the places of their residence. Delegation members considered his
words to be slyness, as civilprocurator's offices do not possess a right to investigate crimes conducted by soldiers and always close them being incapable to find suspects.

(From our correspondent.).

Only one blockpost has been liquidated in Groznyy

The information spread by Russian State Mass Media about serious reduction of the number of blockposts in Chechen Capital does not represent the facts.
By the present moment only one blockpost at the exit from Groznyy towards the old airport has been liquidated. The process of its dismantling were widely covered in press and shown on TV.

(From our correspondent.).

Shali district

One more elderly female resident of Serzhen-Yurt died from cardiac rupture during shelling

On March 7, 2003 during one more bombardment of the village Serzhen-Yurt on the side of federal forces dislocation a 70-year-old village resident Makka Tezerkhanova died from cardiac rupture.

(From our correspondent.).

New data about the missing people

In December 2001 late at night unknown people in masks and camouflage drove away Anzorov Ramzan Khamzatovich, born in 1965, who lived in the village Kotar-Yurt of Achkhoi-Martan district.

On April 16, 2001 Zakaev Rustam Musaevich (1980), who lived in Mayakovsky town (one of Groznyy districts), house No. 135, flat No. 61, went to The Chechen State University and did not return home.

On November 16, 2002 at night unknown people in masks and camouflage drove away from home head of passport service of Urus-Martan district Garsultanov Musa Evsoltovich, who lived in Urus-martan at 54 Merzoev St., flat No. 11.

On December 15, 2001 Akuev Magomed Aslambekovich, who lived in Leninsky district of Grozny at 15 Ionisiani St., flat 26, went to work and never returned. He was wearing a black coat, grey-blue jeans and black boots.

Relatives of these people ask to assist in search. Appeals to law-enforcement structures and other state institutions brought no results. The disappeared are still registered missing.

(From our correspondent.).

Editor in chief Stanislav Dmitriyevsky.
Editor of this edition Oksana Bazhina.

This edition has been put out with the support of The National Endowment for Democracy, as part of their "Russian-Chechen Information Partnership".

The Society of the Russian-Chechen Friendship
Prospekt Gagarina 28, room 27,
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 603007

http://www.chechenpress.info/english/news/03_2003/17/2.htm