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ehttp://www.svoboda.org/hotnews/2005/02/09/27.asp News of the day [09-02-2005 17:21] 6 people kidnapped in Chechnya 6 local residents, including two-year-old girl have been kidnapped in Chechnya - reports a correspondent of Radio Svoboda. In the Grozny district, the Russian servicemen detained 4 young people. Nothing it's known about their fate for their relatives. In the opinion of human rights activists, in many instances in the disappearance of people in Chechnya are participating siloviki structures. President of republic, Alu Alkhanov, talking at the press conference in Groznyy on Wednesday, rejected these assertions and accused the members of  the human rights center "Memorial" of non-objectivity. Feb 10 2005 4:03PM Russian human rights groups back talks with Maskhadov MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - A group of Russian human rights campaigners has called on the government to begin negotiations with Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov. "Negotiations are the only way to achieve by political methods what is hard to achieve by military methods," said a statement from human rights campaigners distributed in Moscow on Thursday. The statement was signed by Moscow Helsinki Group Chairman Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Civil Aid Committee Chairman Svetlana Gannushkina, Memorial Center directors Oleg Orlov and Sergei Kovalyov, Movement for Human Rights leader Lev Ponomaryov, and others. The statements asks the authorities to respond to Maskhadov's cease-fire order to Chechen militant groups, "to issue an order to cease fire in Chechnya and form a delegation to negotiate on a political settlement with Maskhadov." "Peace negotiations with the non-aggressive section of the militants is a promising political option and one of the very few ways of preventing Chechnya from turning into another front in the battle between Islamic radicalism and Western civilization," the statement says. Chechnya's authorities did not welcome this initiative. "This issue has been taken off the agenda a long time ago. What should we negotiate about - separating Chechnya and completely withdrawing troops from there so that a civil war can start in the republic? There is no subject to negotiate on," Chechen deputy prime minister and Chechnya's representative in Moscow Ziyad Sabsabi told Interfax. If Maskhadov wanted peace, he should have admitted that Chechnya was an inseparable part of Russia and recognized the results of the March 2003 referendum, where the new Chechen constitution was approved, Sabsabi said. RFE/RL Putin Asks UN For New Standards On Human Rights 10 February 2005 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he wants the United Nations to develop a new set of "standards" for how it judges human rights decisions. Putin made his remarks in Moscow to visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. Putin told Arbour that Russia has its own views concerning antiterrorism operations and the protection of human rights. He said while Russia will listen to the opinions of qualified experts on those subjects, it is unacceptable for anyone to use human rights issues to reach political or economic goals. "Russia has its own views on how human rights are observed in the world, including during counterterrorist operations; how human rights are observed in certain regions and countries of the world, where Russia has clear, significant interests. In this regard I believe it is extremely important to work together to develop common standards and understanding in this very sensitive and very important area," Putin said. He said the Kremlin wants to see the UN to develop more "precise standards" in that field. (AP/ITAR-TASS/AFP) Friday, February 11, 2005. Issue 3104. Page 3. Putin Says 'Objective' Criticism Is OK By Maria Danilova The Associated Press Yuri Kadobnov / AP President Vladimir Putin welcoming visiting UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour at a meeting Thursday in the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told the visiting United Nations human rights chief that his government would listen to "objective" criticism of Russia's human rights situation but would not tolerate attempts to turn the issue into a political weapon. Welcoming Louise Arbour, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Putin pledged adherence to international human rights standards and said that Russia would appreciate her advice. "Of course, we need the opinions of qualified specialists, including on human rights, and we will listen with respect to all objective analysis in this field," Putin said at the start of their Kremlin meeting. He added, however, that "it's not acceptable for anyone to use the human rights theme to achieve political, or sometimes economic, aims." He said Russia had its own view on the observation of human rights in other regions where Russia has its interests. "We believe that contacts are needed to work out precise standards in this very sensitive field," he added. Arbour said her visit to Russia should help establish "what I hope will be a very productive basis for cooperation." "I come to these issues from a legal point of view and not a political point of view," she added. Russia has faced international criticism for its human rights record, primarily in Chechnya. Kremlin human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, who attended the meeting, told reporters that Putin talked about Chechnya and said "we are no less concerned than our international colleagues that human rights are being violated." "It's not right to compare terrorists to the military working there, but on the other hand there is no way you can excuse people in uniform who violate rights," Lukin said. Lukin said that the meeting was productive. "I got the impression she wants to help solve problems instead of dancing on them," he said of Arbour. Chechen Abductions ST. PETERSBURG Feb.10, 2004 (AP) -- Abductions remain a major problem in war-torn Chechnya, committed by rebel fighters, federal officers and regional law enforcement alike, a top Chechen rights official said Thursday. Speaking at an EU-funded training program, Lyoma Khasuyev, Chechnya's acting ombudsman, said people were often kidnapped by masked people in military uniform, who often drove military transport. He said rebel fighters usually kidnapped out of revenge, while Chechen police and special services did it for what they called "investigative purposes." CE human rights commissioner calls for end to violence in Chechnya ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Alvaro Jil Robles has called for a end to violence in Chechnya. It is important to end any forms of violence, he said. The Chechen people have suffered too much and it is high time to put an end to any forms of violence and start building a peaceful life, Jil Robles said. Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in St. Petersburg for the staff of the interim human rights representative in Chechnya, the ombudsman refused to comment on a month-long unilateral cease-fire initiated by Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, saying that he could not comment on "such global ideas of other people." RFE/RL Chechen leader slams Russian human rights group, exonerates deputy minister Speaking at a news conference in Grozny on 9 February, pro-Moscow Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov criticized the Russian human rights group Memorial, accusing its members of remaining silent when Chechen Presidents Djokhar Dudaev and Aslan Maskhadov "forced over 250,000 people to leave Chechnya," Interfax reported. In a clear rebuttal of U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Vershbow's 8 February warning that Chechen security forces should desist from abducting civilians (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 February 2005), Alkhanov affirmed that "the security service led by [First Deputy Prime Minister] Ramzan Kadyrov has nothing to do with kidnappings." LF http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-02-10.rferl.html#14 An Open Appeal to the President of the Russian Federation from Leading Russian Human Rights Activists, Moscow, 9 February 2005 Cease-Fire in Chechnya and Talks with Maskhadov are Necessary For more than 10 years now, with a quasi three-year break, in reality Russia has been at war with Chechnya. This has been a terrible war, with tens of thousands of casualties, hundreds of thousands of crippled people, destroyed cities and a ruined economy. Recently, a new opportunity has arisen to put a stop to this vicious conflict – Aslan Maskhadov, the political leader of the Chechen resistance, has not only ordered a unilateral cease-fire, but has also publicly condemned Basayev's actions. He stressed that Basayev should be tried by an international tribunal, thereby, defiantly dissociating himself not only from Basayev, but also from the whole radical wing of insurgents. In no case, should this historical chance for peace be missed. We understand that it is very easy to ignore this unprecedented gesture of the opponent calling it a "trick." Yet, to ignore it will only result in radical groups of insurgents placing more pressure on the moderate wing calling them traitors. And then nothing will stop the final transformation of the Chechen war into an "eternal conflict," or prevent its further proliferation across the whole of the Northern Caucasus. Terrorists are capable of supporting the existing level of military-terrorist activities for many years, especially if Chechnya is surrounded by the same intensive terror and insurgent war support system, which has been formed around Israel or Iraq, now occupied by international coalition troops. This will be an extremely heavy blow for Russia. It is also clear that the number of Islamic radicals among the insurgents will increase year after year, for whom the Chechen war is just one of several fronts in the fight against the West, and who need "a war for war’s sake." In parallel, the radicalization of the civil population will grow. Radicals are not interested in any terms for a peace settlement, even the most favourable for the secular wing of separatists. At the same time, we will witness an even faster growth in the strength and power of ultranationalists in the Russian politics ready to use the Chechen conflict and terror to build up fascism in the country. The conclusion is obvious – the earlier a clear political dialogue between the Russian federal authorities with the moderate wing of the Chechen resistance is launched, the more chances we may have of reaching a peace settlement. History teaches that negotiations are the only means of achieving by political methods what is difficult to achieve by force. Mr. President, peace talks with a moderate wing of insurgents are a promising political alternative, in fact a unique way to prevent transformation of Chechnya into another confrontation line of Islamic radicalism and western civilization. Now, perhaps, Russia is faced with a key historical decision; another chance has appeared to save many thousands of lives. Should the chance be lost, the future generations of politicians will have to find a way out of the deadlock under much more difficult conditions. Mr. President, we are calling you – as the Supreme Commander in Chief, the guarantor of the constitutional rights of the citizens of Russia, and, above all, of the right to life, to order a cease-fire in Chechnya and to form a delegation to commence talks with Maskhadov on a peaceful political settlement. L.M. Alekseeva, Moscow Helsinki Group, Chairperson A.V. Babushkin, Committee “For Civil Rights” V.V. Borschev, Moscow Helsinki Group, member S.V. Brovchenko, Public Fund “Glasnost” S.A. Gannushkina, Committee “Civil Facilitation” L.I. Grafova, Coordinating Committee for Refugees and Enforced Migrants E.L. Grishina, Public Association “Public Information Centre” S.A. Kovalev, T. Kasatkina, O. Orlov, Human Rights Centre “Memorial” A.A. Piontkovski, Center for Strategic Researches, President A.S. Politkovksaya, journalist L.A. Ponomarev, Yu.A. Rybakov, Civil Movement “For Human Rights” Yu.V. Samodurov, Sakharov’s Museum and Public Centre “Peace, Progress, Human Rights” A.P. Tkachenko, writer G.P. Yakunin, Public Committee for Freedom of Conscience Defence __________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________ Maskhadov's relative, believed abducted, found in prison 09.02.2005, 15.34 MOSCOW, February 9 (Itar-Tass) - Movladi Aguyev, 35, one of the relatives of the former "leader of the Ichkeria regime" Aslan Maskhadov, who was believed to have been abducted in December 2004, is kept in an investigation prison of the Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya. "Aguyev, who is married to Maskhadov's niece, is accused of the crime, which falls under Article 208 of the Russian Penal Code (the organisation of an illegal armed unit or membership in it). He was captured by our men in December 2004. Aguyev's relatives and friends visit him in the investigation prison," an officer on duty of the Nozhai-Yurt police department told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. He said charges would be brought against Aguyev within a few days. One of the heads of the criminal police of the Nozhai-Yurt police department told Itar-Tass that "the police made no secret of the arrest of Aguyev. We were surprised to learn that the wife of Maskhadov's brother reported on January 17 the alleged abduction of her relative, while he had been kept in the investigation prison for about a month for assistance to the gangsters."