| Human Rights Centre “Memorial”
Mutalieva 46 386100 Nazran, Republic Ingushetia E-mail: memorial@southnet.ru
Phone/fax + 7 (8732) 22 23 49 FROM THE CONFLICT ZONE BULLETIN OF HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER “MEMORIAL” APRIL 2005 (the issue prepared by HRC “Memorial” in Nazran) Dear colleagues, ‘Memorial’ Human Rights Centre presents its latest information bulletin based on the results of monitoring of human rights abuse in the armed conflict zone in the Chechen Republic. You can access this bulletin and back issues at http://www.memo.ru/eng/memhrc/texts/5grozny1.shtml Your questions and comments and subscription requests, please, send to: 386100 Republic Ingushetia, Nazran, Mutalieva, 46 Human Rights Centre “Memorial” E-mail: memorial@southnet.ru Phone/fax + 7 (8732) 22 23 49 The Situation in the Chechen Republic: April 2005 According to HRC “Memorial’s data*, during April 2005: (*The human rights center carries out monitoring in 5 out of the 17 regions of the Chechen Republic. This statistics include only the cases documented by monitors of “Memorial”): 1. Killed: 18 persons 2. Kidnapped: 16 persons - Subsequently set free or released for ransom- 6 ; - Subsequently went missing - 9; - Subsequently found dead– 1. NB! Given the specific nature of monitoring human rights abuse in the Chechen Republic, the information will be gradually supplemented over the following few months. Therefore, regrettably, the numbers of people killed and abducted in April 2005 will inevitably grow. 1. From “The Chronicle of Violence” On April 2, at dawn from his house in Gvardejskaja street, 26, the village of Gekhi, Urus-Martanovsky district of Chechnya representatives of unidentified security agency kidnapped Dadakhaev Dukh-Vakha, born in 1980. According to other residents of Gekhi, the representatives of unidentified security agency arrived to the detainment by cars, broke the door and rushed into Dadakhaev house. The servicemen (some of them were masked) behaved very rudely did not present themselves or the agency they represented. When women tried to prevent the illegal detainment, the servicemen several times hit them with gun butts. Dadakhaev was forced into one of the cars and driven into unknown direction, without informing the relatives about the reasons for his detainment or his future whereabouts. The possible reason for detainment of Dadakhaev could be the fact that his cousins participated in armed resistance to the federal forces. One of the brothers, Spartak Dadakhaev, has been killed by representatives of the security agencies; the second brother is wanted by the federal forces. On April 12, in the area of ponds in the village of Kulary, Groznensky Selski District of Chechnya, militiamen found the corpse of Dadakhaev with marks of violent death. The corpse was delivered to Grozny, it was shown on the local TV; this way the relatives learnt about the death of Dadakhaev. They went to Kulary, identified the body and buried it at their family cemetery. Starting mid March in the village of Katayama, in Grozny a zachistka has been carried out. On April 5, in the village of Katayama, a group of armed men (allegedly representatives of Russian security agencies) in camouflage with dogs and without masks carried out an operation. According to the locals, 5 men were detained. At some point the locals heard one of the servicemen deliver a message by a portable radio transmitter “We knocked one down”. Supposedly, he spoke of Adam Torshkhoev, born 1978, resident of Shefskaja street, 187. Adam was mentally disabled; he only attended the mosque and funerals and refused to move to his relatives to Ingushetia. The neighbors examined the house and found pools of blood on the floor. Subsequently it turned out that Adam was, indeed, killed. His body was found in the ROVD of Staropromyslovsky district. On April 6 at 4 a.m. from their house in the village of Katayama, Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny were kidnapped brothers Tsetchoev, Umar born 1970 and Tsetchoev Ibrahim, born 1971, who suffered of heart deficiency. At around 3 p.m. Ibrahim was released. Supposedly he and his brother were kept on the territory of patrol-post service regiment N 1 (ППС-1), in the micro-district of Ippodromny. Umar Tsetchoev has not been released. On April 9, at 4 a.m. in the village of Dzalargi, Kurchaloy district of Chechnya, unidentified armed persons in camouflage detained Ramzan Khalimov, aged 35. The kidnappers speaking Chechen arrived at the village by several cars. The reason of Khalimov’s detainment is unknown. In the village Ramzan Khalimov’s family is considered to be the poorest, there are 5 small children. On April 11, in the village of Zagryazhskij, Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny from the house located in Dostoevskaja street, 50, four unidentified military servicemen in masks kidnapped Saiev Sulumbek, born 1966. The servicemen arrived by cars “VAZ-2107” without state registration plates. According to Natasha Saiva, the sister of Sulumbek, at around noon her brother was outside in front of his house. A white Zhiguli car stopped next to him. The military servicemen, who witnessed the detainment immediately informed the relatives of Saiev. The relatives got into their car and followed. Near the village of Butenko, Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny they managed to catch up with the kidnappers. Having noticed the followers the military servicemen stopped, got out of the car and started shooting in the air. Afterwards they disappeared. On April 13 at 12: 00 the representatives of security agencies kidnapped Mutsalkhanov Ramzan, born in 1964, the resident of Zarechnaja street, the village of Tangi-chu, Urus-Martanovsky district of Chechnya. The relatives turned to Urus-Martanovski ROVD. The representatives of security agencies denied the fact of their involvement in the kidnapping of Mutsalkhanov. For full version of “The Chronicle of Violence” for April 2005 in Russian, please, consult our web site at http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/rubr/2/index.htm 2. Armed Clashes, Explosions, Special Operations On April 6 in the village of Prigorodnoe, Groznensky Selsky district of Chechnya representatives of unidentified security agency killed one person; two others blew themselves up on a grenade. According to the witnesses, the military men driving a “Niva-Tajga” car followed a “Volga” car with two unidentified young men inside on along the highway Grozny - Shatoy. The passengers of the two cars were exchanging fire. Having approached the Prigorodnoje village “Volga” turned in the direction of the village. At the Chkalovskaja street the car stopped and the people inside it tried to escape by running into the yard of one of the private houses. The military servicemen overtook the young men, and killed one of them. To avoid getting into the hands of the military servicemen, two others blew themselves up by “limonka” grenades. The military servicemen left the corpses of the young men where they were took their guns and left. On April 13 in Chkalova street, 9, the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny, the personnel of the republican security agencies carried out an operation for detainment of unidentified young men. The young men resisted, as a result, one militiaman was seriously injured. The unidentified young men managed to escape. According to one of the neighbors, the crossfire continued for about an hour. In the end of the operation the military servicemen carried a dead body of a young woman out of the house; she was probably killed in the clash. The military servicemen expropriated a car “VAZ 2109” parked in the yard. The neighbors said that the house at Chkalova 9 remained empty for a long time. Approximately one week before the above described events, the young men arrived and rented the house. They led an isolated lifestyle, everyone thought that they belonged to some security agency, since they were dressed in camouflage and carried guns. On April 19 at 10 p.m. in the city of Grozny, a base of the Chechen OMON was subjected to fire by unidentified people. The OMON fighters shot back, the crossfire continued for 15-20 minutes. As a result one OMON fighter, Beshiev Askhab, born in 1977, was injured. On April 20, at around 9 am a car exploded near the building of the OMON, killing two OMON fighters and injuring another two – Elzhurkaev Alikhan, born 1970 and Makaev Ruslan, born 1970. It turned out that after the attack on the OMON station the servicemen searched the nearby territory. As a result they found a neglected Niva car of white color. The car was brought to the territory of the OMON, the sappers searched it, but found nothing suspicious. Then two OMON fighters approached the car and tried to set off the engine. The car exploded. On April 15 in the area of Ippodromny, Bogdana Khmelnitskogo street, 141 in Grozny, the representatives of federal security agencies carried out a special operation for capturing fighters, who were allegedly based in one of the flats. According to the official sources, after a short fight, six Chechen combatants and four spetznaz fighters were killed; there were casualties among civilians. The information, collected from the local residents differs from the official version. A lot of people were inside of the building during the operation, many more witnessed the events from the outside. According to the witnesses the operation started at 8:30 a.m., when near the block of flats № 141 there appeared armed people and military vehicles; helicopters started to circle around the area at a very low altitude. The snipers occupied the positions on the roof of the building itself and of the surrounding blocks of flats. Military vehicles blocked the entrances and exits to the yard. The residents of house N 141 were forbidden to exit their flats and even look out of the windows. None of the people inside the block of flats was evacuated, as claimed the official sources. Moreover, women, whose children were alone in the flats, were not allowed to go upstairs to them. It took the servicemen about 2, 5 hours to fully blockade the area. At about noon the cross fire started. It lasted no longer than 15-20 minutes. After that the black smoke started to come out of the windows of 2 of the flats. Possibly, the military servicemen used smoke boxes. At least two servicemen were injured in the crossfire; another serviceman was carried out to the headquarters completely covered by white cloth. Soon at the balcony of the burning flat there appeared a man who made signals and shouted that he was a civilian. He asked the servicemen not to shoot at him. It was obvious that the man was suffocating. He then jumped down the fourth floor. Surprisingly, he survived and even got up on his feet without help. The military servicemen took him to the headquarters of the operation. After verifying his identity, the servicemen set this man free and his relatives took him to the hospital. Before being put in a car the man only managed to tell the crowd that there were lots of killed Russians in the building. The fire was ceased for sometime and then re-launched at about 3 p.m. This time the shooting continued for 15 minutes. No one shot back from the flat. At the same time the central Russian TV channels showed the reportage of the special operation at Ippodromnaya and claimed there were four killed fighters inside the flat. After 5 p.m. one of the residents, who remained inside the block of flat N 141 called his relatives outside on their cell phone and said that his neighbor Musa Mataev, born 1955, had died of a heart attack. It took the relatives a lot of effort to persuade the military servicemen to allow them to take the body. There were also other civilians casualties. Thus, Milana Shidaeva, born in 1975, who lived two floors down the attacked flat, was injured in her leg. In her case the military servicemen were likewise reluctant to allow for evacuation. In the evening the crowd of witnesses became much larger – people were returning home from work. Many had cell phones and they called their relatives inside of the building. No one could tell, however, what had happened inside of the attacked flat. Subsequently, it became known that the flat was rented by Murad (Beslan) Muradov, born in 1976, the head of an NGO “Save the Generation”. The NGO is involved in organizing medical and social assistance to children-victims of land mine explosions. In the database of this organization there were over 3, 000 handicapped children and young people under 21. In the end of the operation the military servicemen expropriated the computer with the database and the files with personal information of the children. According to the witnesses, Murad Muradov himself was detained by the personnel of the special services. This happened just before the beginning of the operation. That morning Muradov and another young man were driving out of the yard, when their car was stopped by the spetsnaz fighters. The servicemen pooled Muradov and the young man out of the car and started to kick them with boots and hit with gun butts. What happened then, no one knows, since the place, where the young men were subjected to beatings was blocked by a big military truck “URAL”, which covered the scene from the witnesses. People only noticed that the military servicemen took the registration plates off Muradov’s car and after the end of the operation, took the car with them. The operation was over at 8: 55 p.m. Before the residents were allowed to enter their flats, each apartment was carefully searched. The servicemen broke the doors of those apartments where the owners were absent. Subsequently the names of the alleged combatants, who had been hiding in the flat, became available. They were two brothers Gakaev, residents of village Elistanzhi, and a man named Dzabrailov. According to some sources, personal guards of Shakhab Mukuev, the head of Vedensky ROVD were also killed. On April 19, the representatives of NGO “Save the Generation” filed an inquiry to the prosecution of the Chechen Republic about the database and documentation of their organization. The representatives of “Save the Generation” have no information about any connection of Murad Muradov with the fighters. As of May 20, the whereabouts of Muradov remain unknown. The database has not been returned. 4. Healthcare in Chechnya: Interviews with Doctors in the Municipal Hospital № 9 in Grozny In the end of April the social workers of HRC “Memorial” carried out interviews with the doctors of the central municipal hospital of Grozny (# 9). “Memorial” was interested in current the state of healthcare system in the republic. Below, is a summary of these interviews. Before the war the system of healthcare in Chechnya included three levels: 1. Primary medical aid (ambulances, polyclinics) 2. Qualified medical aid –surgery, traumatology, gynecology etc (district/regional hospitals) 3. Specialized medical aid (specialized clinics, hospitals) During the military campaign, the first and the third levels suffered the most. The system of primary medical aid was almost fully destroyed, the buildings were bombed out, the material basis of the ambulances and polyclinics was destroyed, and the specialists left the profession. The ministry of health allocates almost no money to the reconstruction of primary medical healthcare; therefore the majority of patients have learnt to do without doctor’s advice and cure common diseases and simple traumas on their own. Qualified medical aid today is provided by 14 district hospitals. Two districts of Chechnya- Shatoyski and Itum-Kalinsky regions have no hospitals. This level of healthcare is the most effective of the three; it functioned throughout the active phase of warfare. The equipment survived or has been replenished, qualified professionals remained. The Ministry of Health and humanitarian organizations pay sufficient attention to district hospitals. Specialized medical aid is the most vulnerable part of the Chechen healthcare. This most complicated and expensive level of healthcare has virtually not been restored. Currently in Chechnya there is only one hospital which carries out specialized treatment and complicated surgeries – the 9th municipal hospital in Grozny. Today only the surgeries of high urgency are being done; planned operations or planned treatment of complicated diseases can not be carried out. Besides, this sphere suffered dramatically from the “brain drain”: the majority of highly qualified specialists left the republic during warfare. When planned specialized treatment or surgeries are needed, the residents of the Chechen republic are being sent to hospitals outside the republic. The treatment is supposed to be free of charge, but in fact the patients have to pay significant “honorariums” to the doctors (on top of the transfers which the Southern Federal Okrug makes to the hospital for their treatment). For this reason, many residents of the republic do not undergo the planned treatment. The republican healthcare is also very corrupt. According to the doctors, the Ministry of Healthcare covers of 10-20% of the needs of the Chechen healthcare. Today in Chechnya child mortality is 3 times higher than the average in the country, women’s mortality in labor – 2, 5 times. According to psychiatrists, 95% of the population of the republic suffers of serious psychological problems or psychiatric disturbances. Preventive medicine is organized well; planned vaccination is carried out in time. The salary of a doctor of the highest qualification category (e.g. neurosurgeon) is 4. 570 rubles (150 USD), of a nurse – 700 rubles (25 USD) per month. The presence of large numbers of armed people in the republic seriously disturbs the work of the doctors. Armed men, especially representatives of power agencies of the Chechen republic, enter all premises of the hospital, including the surgery rooms. Hardly a day goes without a conflict between the armed relatives and friends of the patients and their doctors. “Lots of times I had to carry out a surgery literally under a gunpoint. If he dies, I kill you – some young blocks declare to the doctor”, - said one of the surgeons. According to the statistics following numbers of patients were delivered to the hospital № 9 the with landmine and injuries stemming from firearms . In 2001-929 people; In 2002- 862 people; In 2003 – 543 people; In 2004 - 783 people. Starting 2003, injuries stemming from firearms predominate. __________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________ Beslan Hostage-Taker Blames Russian Forces for School Bloodbath Created: 01.06.2005 MosNews The explosions that sparked the bloody end to the September 2004 school hostage-taking in Beslan were set off when sharpshooters killed two militants holding triggers to homemade bombs, Nur-Pashi Kulayev, the only surviving Beslan hostage-taker, tried for the massacre on Tuesday, testified. The Itar-Tass news agency quoted Nur-Pashi Kulayev as saying that the leader of the 32 heavily armed militants whom he called Polkovnik (Colonel) entered the packed gymnasium where more than 1,100 hostages were held after the bombs detonated and smashed his cell phone. According to Kulayev, Polkovnik said: "They won't take pity on anyone; we fight to the last cartridge". The testimony of the only surviving participant of the seizure provides potentially new insights into the Sept. 1-3 raid on Beslan's School No. 1 the precise details of which remained murky more than eight months after the seizure. ITAR-Tass said Kulayev told the court of some of the arguments that erupted among the hostage-takers. Some apparently objected to taking children hostage, and several wanted instead to seize the nearby police station, he reportedly testified. "The children and women were captured and forced into the school building. Then the militants started shouting: 'The police station is nearby, let's seize it, why seize the school?'" ITAR-Tass quoted Kulayev as saying. Two of the militants were female suicide-bombers who openly disagreed with the terrorist group's leader about holding children hostage and were killed when he detonated their bombs by remote control, Kulayev testified, according to the agency. At the same time North Ossetia's president, Alexander Dzasokhov, who was accused of turning a blind eye to the rampant corruption that allegedly allowed the attackers to seize the school with ease by Beslan survivors and victims' relatives, announced his resignation on Tuesday. He did not give any reason for his decision. However, the Russian daily Kommersant reported Wednesday that it was caused by Dzasokhov's refusal to cooperate with President Putin's envoy to the region. Chechenpress Chechen refugees in Turkey are left to the mercy of fate Turkey , aspiring to enter the EU and having carried out "democratic reforms" for the last month, does not observe elementary human rights in relation to Chechen refugees. The Chechen refugees do not receive any help from the Turkish management; on the contrary, it makes their existence intolerable, regularly switching off electricity and water in places of compact residing. After the meeting of Putin and the Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan, Chechens had fears, that they would be deported to Chechenia to the very massacre. These fears are not vain, as they say "there is no smoke without a fire". They began to give the temporary registration, which had earlier been given only to students, to all Chechen refugees without exception, but, the most interesting thing is that the registration is only for 6 months without the right to work and prolongation. Thus the Turkish authorities reserve the right to deport Chechens to Russia after the six-monthly term, motivating it with that the Chechen refugees are illegal in the territory of Turkey . The powers of the United Nations, extending for all nations of the world, bypass Chechens in Turkey. It is explained with that Chechenia is a European country, and the UVKB of the United Nations in Turkey serve only for the Asian countries. Thus, the Turkish management prevents any help to Chechens from the international organizations. Meanwhile, the impression is made, that humanity of Turkish authorities is really boundless! Pangs of conscience began to torture them! The government has decided to give a block-house for settling of Chechens. The question is, in what humanity consists. In this case, it has been showed in a complex! Because the house given to Chechens turned out to be absolutely unsuitable for residing! Several days ago children from the Ossetic city of Beslan were brought to Turkey to have a rest. "The victims of the Chechen terrorism ", - this is how they are named in compassionate Turkey. But there is also another question: and whether the Chechen orphans, invalids living in the Istanbul camps, do not they deserve compassion? The matter is that since very ancient time Chechenia received exactly as much help from Turkey, as it does today! Students' life of Chechens does not differ from the rest. Tuition fees are given only to those Chechens, who are sent to Turkey to study by puppets from Chechenia. Our correspondent Iznaur Alhankalinsky talked to a student of the Ankara University Rasul Daudov. (The Chechen TV-radio Company CHECHENIA TV. Corr: Assalamu alaikum, Rasul! For how long are you in Turkey? Rasul: Va alaikum assalam! In 2003 I arrived to Turkey to study. Corr: What problems do Chechen students face in Turkey? Rasul: First of all, as well as all students, we need tuition fees, which are not paid to us! Corr: That is, you do not have any financial help! Rasul: We receive financial help from Jamaats as disposable payments, but it is not stable! The strangest thing is that the Turkish authorities are favorable to those students, who are sent here for study by the management of the puppet regime, they are provided with lodging, grants, but there are very few of them! Corr: And have you got the right for work? Rasul: There is a stamp on the temporary registration that we do not have the right to work, so we are compelled to earn additionally illegally. This conversation shows that it is very difficult for Chechen students in Turkey. Numerous meetings of the head of the Chechen Diaspora with the management of Turkey have not influenced such a position. So, it will be so, until the Chechen state is acknowledged by the world community. In connection with the above-stated, the management of the Chechen TV-radio company CHECHENIA TV calls the world community to acknowledge the political independence of the Chechen state to avoid the utter annihilation of the ancient Chechen ethnos, for the Chechen people lived in an independent state even when many other peoples did not have even the concept of a "state", and to pay attention to infringement of human rights of the citizens of the CRI in Turkey. The Head of the Chechen the TV-radio company CHECHENIA Mansur Malsagov. Chechenpress, the Department of letters, 01.06.05. * * * The information of the Chechenpress: The TV-radio company CHECHENIA TV was established in 2004. The activity of the TV-radio company is subordinated to the ideologies of construction of the independent Chechen State . The TV-radio company CHECHENIA TV has done the following works, which will be published in the site of the company, which is being created: "Daimohk", "Unsubdued Chechenia", "We have reached", "I alamna malh sanna", "Cleanings", "Johar Dudaev", "The Gallery of Memory of Aslan Mashadov" and others. http://www.chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2005/06/01/01.shtml To: Vladimir Pavlovich Kravchenko, Prosecutor of the Republic of Chechnya, RF, Via facsimile + 7 (8712) 22 31 44 , + 7 (095) 777 92 26 Copy: Vladimir Ustinov, Prosecutor General of the RF, Via facsimile +7(095) 921-41-86 Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman of the RF, Via facsimile +7(095) 207-76-30 Ella Pamfilova, Chair of the Human Rights Council under the President of the RF, Via facsimile +7 (095) 206-48-55 OPEN LETTER Vienna, 1 June 2005 I am writing to you on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) regarding abductions and extrajudicial executions of local residents by representatives of the Russian and Chechen power structures in August 2004 in the village of Sernovodsk, Sunzha district of the Chechen Republic. In the attached report we give a detailed account of what we managed to find out in two missions, in which we interviewed relatives of the victims, and many other persons. The three brothers, Rustam Ilaev (b.1974), Inver Ilaev (b.1982) and Adlan Ilaev (b.1987, 17 years old) and Kazbek Bataev (b.1983) “disappeared” on 4 July 2004 at 4 a.m. in Assinivskaya. Khamid Magomaev (b.1979) “disappeared” on 3 August 2004 at 7 p.m. near Sernovodsk. Assan (Khamzat) Mazaev, who was unlawfully detained simultaneously with Khamid Magomaev, was released some hours later. Imran Sadulaev was extrajudicially executed on 27 August 2004 at about 5:45 a.m in the hospital of Sernovodsk, and his brother Rizvan Sadulaev unlawfully detained, ill-treated and refused to be brought to a hospital although he was wounded. ******* On 4 July 2004 at 4 o’clock in the morning, Rustam Ilaev (b.1974), Inver Ilaev (b.1982), Adlan Ilaev (b.1987, 17 years), and Kazbek Bataev (b.1983) were unlawfully arrested in the village of Assinovskaya by a group of around twenty armed persons, most in black masks, who had come in three armored personnel carriers (APCs). They did not identify themselves, but it is believed that they were federal servicemen. They also stole 250$ and a passport from the house. On 3 August 2004 Khamid Magomaev (b. 1979) “disappeared” near Sernovodsk, and Assan (Khamzat) Mazaev was unlawfully detained simultaneously with Magomaev, but released some hours later. At about 7 p.m. they were grabbed by a group of eight armed representatives of unidentified power structures in camouflage, and some of them in masks, who came in a grey UAZ car, registered in region 99 with license plate 614, and taken away to the territory of some military base in the direction of Grozny. There, Magomaev “disappeared”, and Mazaev was interrogated straight in the car for more than an hour and a half, accompanied by beating. Basically, they tried to get information from Mazaev on whether he knew any insurgents and their location. The he was brought to another village and thrown out of the car. The destiny and whereabouts of Khamid Magamaev remained unknown. On 27 August 2004 at about 4.30 a.m a group of about ten armed men in camouflage, and some with black T-shirts with Ahmad Kadyrov's portrait, entered the house of the Sadulaev family in Sernovodsk, Lenin street 23 in an unlawful manner. In the following struggle, the group wounded three family members of the Sadulaevs, and had also two of their own colleagues wounded, whereby one apparently died later on. The whole action appeared to the family as if the group had come to take away their car and money. Later it turned out that the group, consisting of Chechens, were representatives of OMON of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic and the Sunzha District Department of Internal Affairs (DDIA). A little bit more than one hour later, in the hospital of Sernovodsk, Imran Sadulaev was extrajudicially shot dead, in what appears to have been a revenge killing. This happened in the presence of the chief of Sunzha DDIA, Shamil Kisaev. Imran’s brother Rizvan, who had also been wounded, was unlawfully detained and was not hospitalized. It was not known for a day where he was. Employees of OMON of Ministry of Internal Affairs of CHR subjected him to repeated and severe beatings. He was then accused of an attempt on the lives of employees of law enforcement bodies, although the members of Sadulaevs’ family insist that he was not involved in an attempt on the lives of the OMON personnel, but that the dead OMON officer died from the gunshot wound received as a result of a ricochet bullet. And according to them, the second employee of OMON received only a slight knife wound and not from Rizvan, but from Imran Sadulaev. ****** Now, more than 9 months after the incidents, we wanted to inquire, if the whereabouts of Rustam Ilaev, Inver Ilaev, Adlan Ilaev, Kazbek Bataev and Khamid Magomaev could be identified, and if the perpetrators of their “disappearances” could be identified and be brought to justice. And in the case of the Sadulaev family, where it should be known who are the perpetrators of Imran Saduleav’s murder, and the unlawful arrest, ill-treatment and failure to render assistance in an emergency of Rizvan Sadulaev, we herewith inquire, if these individuals were indeed brought to justice. At the same time we wish to inquire what is the outcome of the investigation against Rizvan Sadulaev, which, according to the Sadulaev family, is based on false accusations. Sincerely, Dr. Aaron Rhodes (Executive Director) cc OSCE Delegations Council of Europe, Mr. Rudolf Bindig, Chechnya-Rapporteur for the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights; Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mr. Stephen J. Toope, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Attachment: Report "Chechnya - Disappearances and Extrajudicial Killings in Sernovodsk and Other Villages of the Sunzha District of Chechnya. July - August 2004", 1 June 2005 __________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________ Jun 2 2005 11:23AM Three Polish journalists detained in Ingushetia NAZRAN. June 2 (Interfax) - Three Polish journalists have been detained in the Russian republic of Ingushetia, a source with the Ingush Interior Ministry told Interfax on Thursday. The reporters were detained for unsanctioned video filming near the base of the Russian Combined Federal Force in the North Caucasus, the source said. A video camera and video cassettes were seized from the journalists, after which they were handed over to the local Federal Security Service (FSB) office. Interfax has not been able to receive official confirmation of this information from the Ingush FSB office. http://www.mignews.com/news/scandals/cis/010605_164300_89849.html 01.06.05 MIGnews FSB - Ingushetian, methods - Soviet ones Three Polish journalists weredetained by the Russian security services in Ingushetia. They were hold for 14 hours in the police department and their 18 video-cassettes recordings, shot in the course of their stay in the republic have been confiscated. Consul of Poland in Russia Tomasz Klimanski stated that all documents of those journalists, including visas and certifications about their accreditation, issued by the FM of RF were in proper order and valid. As the answer to a question of journalists, when their video recordings will be returned, the agents of special services answered: "when it needed to be". FSB of Ingushetia refused to comment on this incident. The journalists reported that they were "taken" from a room in a hotel in Nazran. The next day they were supposed to leave city and go to Grozny in order to take interview with the "president and political figures of Chechnya". "Four or five policemen brought us into the police department in Nazran and put us in different rooms. There, they told to us to describe our version what was going on, reported journalist Marius Pilis in his telephone call from Vladikavkaz. - We did not know, why they arrested us, and they told us nothing . They took away all our equipment, films, personal letters, photographs, notebooks with telephone addresses - everything. After 14 hours they told us that we have been arrested, since our documents were invalid. This is an official version, but not a true one, since our documents are still valid for several weeks ". The journalists were preparing a documentary about Chechnya. "We were in Chechnya already several times, says Marius Pilis, and were filming everything, as it is there. This, of course, it was necessary because of what is going on there". After the release, the journalists were permitted to return to thei hotel; however, they were forbade to leave it for several hours. Pilis reported that thir equipment and their documents were returned to them and they were advised to leave Ingushetia in the same evening and forever, otherwise a big problems await them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,53600,2741548.html The Caucasus: interrogation of the Polish journalists Tomasz Bielecki, Moscow 01-06-2005, last update 01-06-2005 18:11 Russian special services do everything to scare the journalist from their work in Chechnya. On Tuesday, three Poles fell "the victim of scare tactic". [pasage omitted] The Poles took a trip around Chechnya, organized by the Russian authorities in the last days of May. A goal of such propagandist excursions is to show sucesses of stabiliazation of the republic wich a brutal war is going on. Usually journalists try to escape from this guardianship of the FSB's minders, to get materials about a real Chechnya. The Polish team broke the program of this trip by trying to make appointment to take an interview with the pro-Kremlin president of the republic, instead of gratitude for this, they got a standard harassment. - Before our return to Poland we wanted one more time to go to Chechnya. But after what they had done to us here we will probably give it up - admitted journalist Mamon. The Poles are waiting in Vladikavkaz on the outcome of negotations conducted by the Polish consulate, which is trying to get back 18 confiscated video-cassette recordings. PRESS-RELEASE #1302 FROM MAY 26, 2005 REPORT FROM NIZHNI NOVGOROD Vogatelecom discovered permafrost under Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod telephone company is impeding work of the Information Center at the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society The Volgatelecom telephone company has been impeding work of the Information Center at the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society for more than a month. After the editorial office of the Information Center at the RCFS together with the Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights moved from the third to the fifth floor in the same building on April 23, telephone company officials keep refusing to install the telephone line in the office under various pretexts. Today representatives of Volgatelecom stated that the pipe where the telephone cable is located is filled with ice that they claim will have melted by the middle of June at best. However, engineers are claiming that they will inject hot water into the frozen area. Meanwhile, the temperature in Nizhny Novgorod has not fallen lower than 25 degrees centigrade and sometimes it has been higher than 32 degrees centigrade the whole of last week. The engineers and officials of the leading telephone company in Nizhny Novgorod have produced many reasons to explain the NNSHR and the RCFS that the problem of laying the telephone cable from the third to the fifth floor of the modern office building becomes insoluble due to numerous technical obstacles! It was necessary for them to convince us that they were doing what they could as both organizations had paid for their work long before. The company staffers could not find free connection in the switch box on the fifth floor. They even offered to pull in a cable from a neighboring building. When they drew the cable from the third floor at last, it turned out that the telephones of the human rights people were linked up to the damaged cable. It took engineers a long time to find the place of the cable break. They even stated that they had had to use some electronic devices to do it but it turned out that the cable break was in the manifold and that manifold was flooded with spring water. Then the human rights people had to listen to a story about their attempts to pump water out that lasted two days. After flooding the pipe under Admiral Vasyunin Street got frozen all of a suddenWe anticipate that the next misfortune that is sure to strike us will be fire. It will surely destroy all the cables in the area of the RCFS office once and for all. These technological disasters are occurring simultaneously with other problems that the organization is experiencing right now. The prosecutors office of Nizhny Novgorod Region keep investigating the criminal case initiated in connection with the publications in the Pravozaschita newspaper which is jointly published by the NNSHR and the RCFS. The Main Registration department at the Ministry of Justice lodged a civil complaint to the court of Nizhny Novgorod Region demanding to close the organization down. The Tax inspection has been auditing the financial activities of the organization for three months. The prosecutors office of Kanavinsky district keeps unsuccessfully searching for people who threatened the editor of the Information Center Oksana Chelysheva. Its hardly possible that such a great coincidence of unprosperous events is just a mere accident as in addition there have been some other impediments to our work including temporary freezing all the bank accounts of the RCFS last week and registered letters sent by the Information Center to official bodies that never reach their addressees. One might assume that it is a deliberate action of officials against inconvenient human rights organization. But such assumptions are considered extremist. Meanwhile, it is clear that the Information Center at the RCFS cant disseminate the collected information on time, communication with our reporters has become very complicated and the project of establishing an information agency based on the Information Center in being hindered due to the telephone companys supposedly unsuccessful attempts to resolve the underground ice disaster. The editorial office is offering our apologies to all our readers in this connection. The editorial staff of the Information Center at the RCFS. PRESS-RELEASE #1304 FROM MAY 31, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Two boys died as a result of a mine explosion On May 30, 2005 two boys got undermined at the junction of the federal highway Rostov-Baku and the road going to Achkhoy-Martan district center. The tragedy happened in the territory of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district. Both boys died at the place at the spot of the explosion. Residents of Achkhoy-Martan district center, a 14-year-old Makhmud Makhaev and his 12-year-old friend Mamed Yakhiev were collecting non-ferrous metals scrap at about afternoon. According to some eye-witnesses, a small object attracted their attention. The boys thought it was an explosive device and put a magnet on it. As there was no magnetization, they thought that the object was safe. They banged on it with a stick. It caused detonation and the mine blew up. Both boys had no fathers, one of whom had died a few years ago of mortal wounds received as a result of a mine explosion. One more abduction in Samashki On 29 May, 2005 at daytime unidentified people, representing reportedly an unknown force agency, abducted a resident of the village of Samashki of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district Aslan Aldamov. The abduction happened at daytime. Aslan Said-Akhmedovich Aldamov (born 1977) lived in Samashki at 39 Kirov Street. At the time of the abduction he was riding in his car along a village street together with other three local people. Suddenly an UAZ car blocked their way. Some masked gunmen burst out of it and made the driver stop the car by giving signals to them. Then they drew the people out of the car and beat them up. After that, they dragged Aldamov into their UAZ car and disappeared to an unknown destination. The other people lost their consciousness and were left lying on the road near the car. As of today, Aslan Aldamov's relatives have no information about his whereabouts and his fate. An abduction of a person and a mop-up in Yandy-Kotar On May 29-30, 2005 a police operation was carried in the village of Yandy-Kotar (Orekhovo) of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district. The settlement was rounded up, their residents' passports were checked and their households were searched. Nobody was allowed to enter the village if a person had no registration at Yandy-Kotar. On May 28, a group of unidentified armed people in camouflage abducted a resident of Yandy-Kotar village Khisar Isaevich Jambulatov from his own house. As of the present moment, there has been no information about his whereabouts and his fate. (From our correspondent) Grozny rural and Gudermes districts . Civilians are injured in car accidents On May 29, 2005 in the Chechen Grozny rural district two Zhiguli cars collided not far from the junction of the Rostov-Baku federal highway with the road going to the village of Kulary. Both cars belonged to local people. Both drivers were seriously injured and were taken to hospital immediately. The same day Mukhtar Kambiev, a resident of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district center, was riding in 9th model Zhiguli car and knocked over a resident of the village of Bachi-Yurt. That man was riding a horse along Gudermes - Melchkhi highway. Both men were seriously injured and they were taken to hospital. The animal was injured too. (From our correspondent) |