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Weekly Vol. 4, No. 41, 22 October 2004 Chechen terrorism is "homegron phenomenon" On 12 October, Yekaterina Sokiryanskaya, the Nazran representative of the Memorial human rights organization and an eyewitness to the tragedy at Beslan, gave a presentation at RFE/RL's Washington office. You can hear the complete audio of her presentation at http://www.regionalanalysis.org/briefings/latest/en/2004/10/F76BD5A8-49FD-4394-B070-120C3F5E5D67.ASP Readers of "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly" who are interested in developments in the North Caucasus and throughout the Caucasus region should see the weekly "RFE/RL Caucasus Report" at http://www.rferl.org/reports/caucasus-report/. In her presentation, Sokiryanskaya discussed the origins of the 10-year armed conflict in Chechnya and offered possible solutions to end the war. She said that Chechen terrorism is a "homegrown social phenomenon with domestic origins and roots." During the past decade of separatist war, Sokiryanskaya asserted, both Chechen and federal forces have "neglected the Geneva accords" and applied terrorist tactics with little regard for civilian casualties. "Unresolved conflict leads to human disaster," she said, explaining that the continuing violence and disregard for human rights in Chechnya is intensifying internal divisions within a society already fragmented by warfare. While reviewing the categories of human rights violations in Chechnya, Sokiryanskaya said that Memorial and its monitors had documented a climate of "impunity," where the "double jurisdiction" of civilian and military authorities there allows criminal investigations to be lost in the bureaucracy while policies that allow federal forces to engage in gross violations of civil and human rights go unchallenged. This has made Chechen civilians reluctant to file charges against federal forces for crimes or sustained physical injuries because of a fear of government persecution, she said. Sokiryanskaya stressed the need for a peaceful resolution in Chechnya soon, as the violence there is spilling over into the surrounding republics of Daghestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia and raising intercommunal tensions throughout the region. She said that any lasting solution must involve negotiations between Chechnya and Russia, in which both sides can reach a "symbolic settlement where acceptance as well as compromise can take place." Once a political solution is achieved, the more difficult process of reconciliation between Russia and Chechnya can begin, which Sokiryanskaya said will take many years and cannot be accomplished in the "current political situation." October 25th 2004 · Prague Watchdog / Ruslan Isayev Ossetian checkpoint demonstration against Chechen and Ingush travel Ruslan Isayev, North Caucasus - A demonstration against Chechens and Ingush took place on Saturday, October 23 at the administrative border between North Ossetia and Ingushetia. More than 300 mainly young people (mostly from Beslan) drove up to the Chermen checkpoint in several dozen passenger cars and demanded that the North Ossetian authorities ban Chechens and Ingush from travelling along the Caucasus Federal Highway. Ingush taxi drivers who witnessed the demonstration said that many of the young people were excited and aggressive. Several of them even were even seen to be armed. After the North Ossetian Deputy Interior Minister arrived on the scene, he managed to diffuse the situation and the protesters began to disperse. The incident has again inflamed the situation in the Ingush village of Chermen, situated in North Ossetia, where many people are already keeping their children away from school. "Since the events in Beslan we have only just managed to bring the attendance of students up to 90 percent. Now again parents are keeping their children at home because they are afraid the school might be seized." said Khamzat Gardanov, head of Chermen secondary school. Chechenpress About the situation with the Chechen refugees in Baku Chechens are arrested. But it is not mass arrests One of these days, the Internet site "Chechenpress" has distributed the information on mass arrest of Chechens in Baku. In the information it was said, that employees of special services in masks have carried out searches in houses of some Chechens living in Baku and detained them. As it is said, there are even women among the arrested. But according to BBC information given by officials, there were not mass arrests of Chechens in Baku. The Chechens, detained in the morning on October 16, were confiscated the weapon. Now the Chechens are in the investigatory isolator of the Ministry of National Security. It became known, that among the arrested persons there are no women, and one of them - Hasmagomed Isaev, is already released. His brother Sulejman Isaev and Usam Ahmedov, the student of the second rate, are still in custody. The search in their apartments was carried out at night since October, 15 on 16. According to a representative of the Ministry of National Security Arifa Babayev the number of the detained Chechens does not subject to disclosure in interests of the investigation. Arif Babayev has said, that arrested persons are considered suspected in the organizations of especially grave crimes. The counselor of the Chechen representation of legal affairs Vaha Turpuhanov has declared that he is against giving a political painting to the detention of the group of Chechens from the party of the MNS. "According to the available data, people who carried out the detention of the Chechens were without masks and they did not offend and humiliate them ". Vaha Turpuhanov has said that the majority of representatives of the Chechen Diaspora are pleased with the attitude shown to them in Azerbaijan. "I assure you, that the Chechen people do not have intentions to carry out an act of terrorism in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the only country where Chechens are concerned friendly and met normally ". According to the Chechen sources, 3-4 thousand of Chechens live in Azerbaijan now. Before the events of the “Northeast” in Moscow, the number of Chechens reached 10 thousand. We remind you that the Chechen representation in Azerbaijan was closed on demand of Russia after the events of the “Northeast”. BBC, Kvestnik.org The Azerbaijan special services have carried out detentions of the Chechen refugees According to the Azerbaijan mass media, several days ago the Ministry of National Security has carried out an operation on detention of a group of Chechens suspected in preparation of grave crimes. During the operation plenty of weapons and ammunition was found. Chechen legal expert Majrbek Taramov in conversation with the correspondent of "the Caucasian unit" has confirmed the fact of this operation of the Azerbaijan special services. As he said, "more than 300 Chechens have undergone the passport check from the party of the MNS; 70 of them were detained. There are also data, that some of the detained people were thrown up ammunition. According to all the available information, the majority of the arrested persons are released, but under arrest there are two more left, Isaev Sulejman and Ahmadov Usam ". Taramov also has noted that the employees of the MNS have especially inconsiderately treated Chechens in the settlement of Mardakjan. "In this settlement especially many Chechens have been detained among them women one of them was more than 70 years old ", - the legal expert informed. Taramov has emphasized, that he prepares a report on all these facts for the Supreme Commissariat of the United Nations on Affairs of Refugees. Zaur Rasulzade, “the Caucasian Unit ", 22/10/2004 The Comment of Majrbek Taramov: More than one week has already passed from the date of arrests of Chechens in Baku, but until now no one victim or his relatives, or those who was exposed to arrest, have not addressed either the Chechen Center of Defense of Rights, or Chechen or Azerbaijan NPO with official or unofficial applications. All this gives the basis to journalists to say about the occurred events as about hearings. Some journalists who even do not know me, have made such applications referring, ostensibly, to my words (look: http: // www.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/news/id/717440.html) Yesterday I met and got acquainted with the journalist of "the Caucasian Unit” Zaurom Rasulzade who heard the trustworthy information from me but which was transferred to me not from the victims but from the third parties. ' Majrbek Taramov, the Director of the Chechen Center of Defense of Rights Chechenpress, the Department of the Operative Information, 23.10.04. 23.10.04 http://www.chechenpress.info/english/news/2004/10/25/01.shtml BBC Monitoring Oil pollution in Chechnya reaches critical levels, reports Russian TV Source: Russian TV, Moscow, in Russian 1600 gmt 23 Oct 04 [Presenter] The environmental situation in the Chechen Republic is close to critical. This was the conclusion reached today [23 October] by ecologists and representatives of the prosecutor's office after carrying out joint inspections. The tens of illegal oil-production factories which do not observe any health regulations are to blame. As a result, in nearly every district of Groznyy there are lakes of oil and pools of petrol. And for the moment only drivers know what to do about these. Here is a report by Mikhail Popov on waste-free production and irreparable damage. [Correspondent] It is not always necessary to go to a petrol pump to fill up your car. Fuel can simply be scooped out of the lake using a container. This is the site of a former oil production plant. The ground has been polluted by petrol and oil products down to depth of 20 metres. [Passage omitted] There are hundreds of such free filling stations in the republic. Here is another one in the Sunzha River. It is covered with a film of oil. The river was famous for its trout and carp. But these breeds only live in clean water, so now there are no fish here. [Video shows pipe into river] There are tens of such pipes flowing into the river. Before in the Sunzha it was possible to catch fish with your bare hands, now there is only oil here. There is so much fuel in the river that it can literally be pumped straight out of the water. Near the Sunzha there are tens of illegal mini oil-production plants. They pump out the oil and process it and discharge the waste products back into the river. This is how these enterprising businessmen have a waste-free industry. Even under the Soviet Union, Groznyy was one of the top five towns suffering from environmental problems. Now most of the oil-extraction plants are closed, but the town is even more clouded in smoke. Oil pours out of illegal outlets. There are similar factories all over the republic. At one of them a valve burst. And here are the consequences. A quagmire of oil stretches for several kilometres up to the road. The ecologists and representatives from the prosecutor's office have over several days inspected more than 200 abandoned oilfields. They have found violations at each site. [Shirvani Astamirov, ecologist] As this pumping-unit has been abandoned, it needs to be fully encased in concrete and sealed so that the oil cannot escape. This has not been done. [Passage omitted] [Correspondent] The specialists are calling the situation critical. According to the republic's Health Ministry more than 40 per cent of children suffer from bronchitis. Doctors say that the fumes from oil products inhaled by the people have caused new forms of the illness. Environmental raids were carried out in July. Oil-production plants were fined and threatened with closure. |