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Wednesday, August 4, 2004. Page 3. Activists Call for Chechnya Summit By Steve Gutterman The Associated Press Leading human rights activists are calling for an international conference aimed at ending the bloodshed in Chechnya. In a statement issued to media, respected Russian activists including Sergei Kovalyov and Andrei Sakharov's widow, Yelena Bonner, urged leading European rights organizations to propose an international conference that "should serve to bring about talks between representatives of Russia and separatist political leaders." "The Russian authorities are not ready to begin direct peace talks with Chechen separatist political leaders," they said in the appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "The Kremlin may, however, agree to take part in a conference organized by well-respected international organizations." The statement said rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has repeatedly stated his willingness to hold peace talks with Russian authorities. The activists also appealed to the organizations to set up a "contact group" on Chechnya that would immediately call on the sides to cease fire, halt unilateral political and legal action, and name representatives to the group. The activists called the conflict in Chechnya the longest armed conflict in Europe since 1945. "It is the duty of democratic European states to show that they cannot remain indifferent to the bloodshed," the appeal said. President Vladimir Putin and his government have rejected calls from abroad for peace talks, and are wary about any efforts by foreign governments and international groups to become involved in Chechnya. The activists said Russian authorities have ignored European groups that have spoken out against human rights violations and the indiscriminate use of force by Russian military units and called for peace talks and "truly free" elections. Critics say elections in Chechnya, including the campaign for the Aug. 29 vote to replace slain Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, have been staged-managed shows in which the Kremlin-backed candidate is assured of victory. Meanwhile, Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky said Monday that authorities have arrested a third suspect in the May 9 bombing that killed Kadyrov. Two suspects arrested earlier are in custody pending trial. In other Chechen news, rebels killed eight federal servicemen in raids and land mine explosions over the past day, an official with the region's Kremlin-backed administration said Tuesday. Five soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded in 22 rebel attacks on Russian outposts over the previous 24 hours, the official said on condition of anonymity. Kidnappers want $1 mln ransom for Slovak aid worker 03 Aug 2004 18:32:32 GMT PRAGUE, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A small Czech aid organisation is struggling to collect money to pay a $1 million ransom for one of its workers kidnapped near turbulent Chechnya region early in June, Czech news agency CTK reported on Tuesday. Miriam Jevikova, a Slovak from the Prague-based Organisation for Aid for Refugees (OPU), went missing in June after failing to show up for a meeting with a friend. The OPU said it had received four phone calls demanding the ransom, but that it could not identify the kidnappers. "Nobody introduced himself, nobody threatened. He simply said he wanted a million dollars for Miriam," CTK quoted OPU's head Martin Rozumek as saying. "We are trying everything possible, but it is difficult for us to find that money. We are a small organisation." Neither the OPU nor the Slovak Foreign Ministry were available to confirm the ransom demand or give further details. Jevikova, 28, was part of a 3-member delegation visiting the Caucasus area, but stayed behind when her colleagues returned to Prague. She was last in contact with her employer on June 1. Kidnappings of foreigners for ransom are frequent in the north of the Caucasus region, plunged into turmoil since 1994 by fighting between the Russian military and Chechen separatists. In June, the Netherlands paid a ransom reported to be around 1 million euros ($1.20 million) to Russian kidnappers to free a Dutch member of aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres. The Dutch government has since sued the medical group for failing to repay the ransom. Czechs raising money to free colleague in N. Caucasus PRAGUE. Aug 4 (Interfax-Europe) - The Czech Organization for Aid to Refugees is making energetic efforts to collect money to ransom its employee Miriam Jevikova, who went missing in the North Caucasus more than a month ago, the Czech media has reported. The kidnappers reportedly asked the organization for $1 million for Jevikova's release Three reports on violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Chechnya and Ingushetia Vienna, 4 August 2004. Today the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) issued three reports about the human rights and humanitarian law situation in Chechnya and Ingushetia, documenting severe human rights violations by Russian and Chechen security forces, which are increasingly spreading across the borders of Chechnya to neighboring Ingushetia. "Chechnya: Enforced 'Disappearances', Extrajudicial Killings and Unlawful Detentions - An Update" describes seven cases of enforced "disappearances", two cases of torture and extrajudicial killings, one case of extrajudicial killing, one case of killing by torture and six cases of unlawful detentions. In none of the cases were the perpetrators brought to justice so far. "Ingushetia: Enforced 'Disappearances', Extrajudicial Killings and Unlawful Detentions. December 2003 - June 2004" describes six cases of enforced "disappearances" of Ingush citizens on the territory of Ingushetia, including the 'disappearance' on 11 March 2004 of Rashid Ozdoev, an Ingush Deputy Prosecutor, who was responsible for investigating unlawful activities of security force structures, and who repeatedly made written and oral protests requiring FSB officials in the Ingush Republic to stop violating the law. "The Situation of IDPs in Ingushetia after the Armed Incursion of 21/22 June 2004" deals with the series of so-called special operations by police and military agencies throughout Ingushetia, following the armed incursion in Ingushetia on 21/22 June 2004, and their effects on the situation of Chechen IDPs in Chechnya. These operations included ID controls, interrogations, fingerprinting, as well as searches of individual houses. Particularly many of the temporary settlements for Chechen IDPs were targeted. While most of the operations were conducted in a more or less correct manner, some were marred by irregularities, obviously intended to intimidate IDPs in order to pressure them to return to Chechnya. One operation, in Altievo on 23 June 2004 was conducted as a mop-up operation ('zachistka'), involving numerous severe human rights violations. Approximately 2.500 of the 50.000 IDPs who were still present in Ingushetia, left for Chechnya in the three weeks after the armed raid. For more information: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Henriette Schroeder, Press Officer, Tel. +43-676-725 4829 Moscow Helsinki Group, Tanya Lokshina, Programs Director, Tel. +7-916-624 1906 The reports are available on the IHF website under www.ihf-hr.org (at the moment only in English). Joachim Frank, Project Coordinator International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wickenburggasse 14/7 A-1080 Vienna Tel. +43-1-408 88 22 ext. 22 Fax: +43-1-408 88 22 ext. 50 Web: http://www.ihf-hr.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]