| Rights Official Admits Over 50 Mass
Graves in Chechnya Created: 16.06.2005 MosNews There are 52 mass graves in Chechnya, the local government admitted on Thursday. The chairman of the Chechen government committee for civil rights, Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying the graves have not been opened, so the total number of dead is difficult to determine. Identification of the victims' bodies can only be carried out by a specially established forensic medical examination bureau within the Chechen health ministry. "We have addressed the Council of Europe human rights commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles, to help us establish the bureau," Nukhazhiyev said. "Modern equipment is promised, the organization (CE) will assume the training of specialists." Earlier, the government decided to rebury the remains of troops and civilians killed in military operations in Chechnya. Nukhazhiyev had earlier said that up to 60,000 people had lost a relative or friend in the disappearances that have blighted the republic for the past five years. Most of those killed were peaceful citizens. He added that the figure had been compiled with the help of police and non-governmental organizations. Up to 60,000 people in the republic knew or were related to someone who was abducted. "Many died just in front of their houses," he said. Alu Alkhanov, the republic's president, said recently that 5-10% of abductions in the republic had been carried out by federal forces. 70 abductions registered in Chechnya in 2005 GROZNY, June 15 (RIA Novosti) - Since the beginning of 2005, 70 abductions have been registered in Chechnya. The Chechen Prosecutor's Office launched 63 criminal proceedings, deputy prosecutor Alexander Nikitin said on Wednesday. According to him, 6 criminal abduction cases against 8 people were sent to court. In the first five months of 2004, 112 people were abducted and 82 criminal cases were launched. The number of abductions has reduced as compared to last year, Nikitin said. Vehicles without numberplates should not be admitted to special operations to solve the abduction problem, he added. "Each car involved in special operations should have numberplates and should have no tinted glasses. Then we will be able to track down criminals," Nikitin said at a session of the Chechen State Council. Armored vehicles are not involved in detention of suspects anymore, he added. Armored vehicles were used in special operations in Chechen townships only twice this year. Chechen Military Prosecutor Maxim Toporikov called to stop unsanctioned special operations to solve the problem of abductions in Chechnya. He intends to submit relevant proposals to heads of the regional operative headquarters for the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. According to Toporikov, he will work out new instructions on cooperation between power agencies and civil authorities during special operations. PRESS-RELEASE #1305 FROM JUNE 1, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Grozny. Russian forces abduct person in Katayama settlement June 1, 2005. IC RCFS was informed about the abduction of Kadayev Usam (born 1945), living on Perviy Tavarniy Pereulok in the Katayama settlement in the Staropromyslovkiy district in the city of Grozniy. The abduction took place on March 28, 2005, and was carried out by fifteen members of the Russian forces, traveling in two armored personnel carriers. The fate and whereabouts of the abducted remain unknown. Two murders in Grozny May 27, 2005. The bodies of police captain Rizvan Mumadievicha (born 1962) and Didiga Zina Alauddinovna (born 1976) were found in the trunk of a car in the 8th zone of the Staropromyslovkiy district in the city of Grozny. The circumstances of their deaths and the reasons for the murders of the two individuals have not been established. The report was received from a source in the Ministry of the Interior of the republic. Grozny citizen found dead May 24, 2005. The body of Mikhalov Vitaliy Yakovlevich (born 1962) was found in his own apartment on 10 Kirovogradskaya street in the Katayama settlement in the Staropromyslovkiy district in the city of Grozny. According to eyewitnesses, the man appeared to have committed suicide. Mysterious disappearance of individual in Grozny May 19, 2005. Gersiev Rasanbek Ramzanovich (born 1986) left his home and did not return in the Leninskiy (Avtorkhanovskiy) district in the city of Grozny. There are presently no leads concerning the whereabouts of the man and his fate remains unknown. (Our Corr.) PRESS-RELEASE #1306 FROM JUNE 1, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Grozny rural district. Flooded citizens in the Starye Atagi village were subjected to illegal searches May 31, 2005. Around 3:00 p.m. members of Chechen state agencies, traveling in light vehicles, carried out unsanctioned searches of local residents living on Nuradilova street in the Starye Atagi village in the Grozny rural district in the Chechen Republic. Specifically the searches were directed at four families; Akhmadoviy, Kantaeviy, Ismailoviy, and Israiloviy. According to family members, the soldiers were searching for relatives of theirs, namely Timur Akhmadov, Shirvana Israilov and Khadisov, who are suspected of participating in the armed activities of Chechen rebels. The residents believe that the identities were given to the state by a local resident who was taken into custody two weeks ago. Since the individuals referred to were not present at the time of the searches, the soldiers left after the searches were completed. People continue to disappear in Grozny The Nizhny Novgorod IC RCFS office continues to release information about the continuation of mysterious disappearances and abductions of residents in the Chechen Republic. On May 28, 2005, a group of armed individuals dressed in camouflage uniforms stormed into building number 11 on Kievskaya street in the city of Grozny and abducted Ibragimov Ruslan Nasrudinovich (born 1982). At the present time the fate and whereabouts of the abducted man remain unknown. May 26, 2005. Unknown individuals, threatening to use their weapons, abducted Visaitov Kazbek Vakhabovich (born 1980) in the Zavodskiy district of the city of Grozny and took him away in an unknown direction. Vakhabovich resides on 26 Andreevskaya street #9 in the Kirov district. The fate and whereabouts of the abducted man presently remain unknown. On the same day Tasueva Aminat Umarovna (born 1988) disappeared without any traces in Grozniy. She lives on 20 Patrisa Lumumby street. May 28, 2005. Unknown individuals dressed in camouflage uniforms abducted Magomadov Rustam Tagirov (born 1979) from his own home in the Shelkovskaya settlement in the Shelkovskiy district in the Chechen Republic. Tagirov lives on 24 Shkolnaya street. May 15, 2005. Local resident Idrisova Yakha Khavazhovna (born 1981) disappeared in the middle of the day without any traces in the Gravdeyskoye village in the Nadterechniy district in the Chechen republic. The fate and whereabouts of the woman remain unknown. (Our Corr.) PRESS-RELEASE #1307 FROM JUNE 6, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Additional reports about disappearances and abductions in the territory of the Chechen Republic May 29, 2005. Three officers of unknown state agencies abducted Magomadov Maskhud Andarbekovich (born 1980), resident on 15 Kasiora street, and took him away in an unknown direction in the city of Grozniy. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown. On the same day in the village Samashki in the Achkoy-Martan district a group of 12-15 individuals abducted Aldamov Aslan Said-Akhmedovich (born 1977), living on 32 Kirova street. May 25, 2005. El’gireev Magomed-Emin Usamovich (born 1985) disappeared without any traces in the regional center Urus-Martan in the Chechen Republic. This was reported by a source in the Ministry of the Interior of the republic. (Our corr.) Shalinskiy district. Chiri-Yurt resident murdered May 28, 2005. In the village Chiri-Yurt in the Shalinskiy district, local resident Yashurkaev Ilyas Khamotovich (born 1973), living on 10 Karl Marx street was shot by unknown individuals in the yard of 8 Karl Marx street. There is no information about the circumstances or the motive of the murder. (Our corr.) Grozniy. Resident of the Katayama settlement found dead May 30, 2005. In the Katayama settlement in the Staropromyslovksiy district in the city of Grozniy local resident found the body of Aslambekov Mukhtar Saydarovich (born 1955) near their home on Krasina street. According to witnesses the man had by all appearances been shot to death. The body had several gun shot wounds. (Our corr.) PRESS-RELEASE #1308 FROM JUNE 6, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Grozny. Grozniy resident victim of explosion May 31, 2005. In the Andreevskaya settlement in the Grozny Valley, local resident R. Ozniev (born 1980) drove a tractor onto explosives of an unknown kind. As a result of the explosion he was severely injured and died from his wounds at the place of the incident.(Our corr.) Argun resident shot by police May 31, 2005. Leningradskiy district police in the city of Grozny shot and killed an unknown man while trying to detain him. Police established his identity following the incident. He is R. Shaipov (born 1982), resident of the town Argun. According to a source within the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic, on May 31 officers from the Leninskiy district police observed what they considered a suspicious man in the course of a search operation on Tbilisskaya street in the city of Grozniy. When they demanded to see the man’s documents he ignored them and tried to escape. When the police ran after him, he opened fire on them. Shaipov was shot when police returned the fire. (Our corr.) Achkhoy-Martan district. Two teenagers victims of explosion May 31, 2005. On the outskirts of the Noviy Sharoy village in the Achkoy-Martan district in the Chechen Republic, two teenagers, A. Ekhiev (born 1993) and M. Makhaev (born 1991), were fatally injured by undetermined explosives. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion occurred when the youngster tried to take apart some undetermined explosive device. (Our corr.) PRESS-RELEASE #1309 FROM JUNE 6, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Achkhoy-Martan district. Special operation carried out in the Shalazhi village May 31, 2005. Federal forces carried out a search operation in the Shalazhi village in the Achkhoy-Martan district of the Chechen republic. There have been no reports about any detainments during the operation. Zakan-Yurt resident victim of grenade explosion May 30, 2005. In the village Zakan-Yurt in the Achkhoy-Martan district one person was killed and another severely injured as a result of careless handling of a grenade. The dead is Umar Sulmanov. His friend Isaev was severely injured by the explosion and taken to the nearest hospital. (Our corr.) PRESS-RELEASE #1310 FROM JUNE 6, 2005 REPORT FROM THE CHECHEN REPUBLIK Vedeno district. Rocket fire in the territory of the Vedeno district June 4, 2005. In the forested area between the villages Elistanzhiy and Eshilkhatoe in the Vedeno district in the Chechen Republic the Russian air force fired rockets. According to local residents the rocket attacks were carried out by Russian helicopters for a period of one to one and a half hours. (Our corr.) Grozniy. Unidentified female body found in the city of Grozniy June 4, 2005. Local residents found the body of a 20-25 year old woman with traces of violence in the Zavodskiy district in the city of Grozniy, near a garbage dump located not far from a chemical factory. The woman had been shot in the head. Police has so far been not been able to identity the body. (Our corr.) Chechen rebel killed June 4, 2005. Chechen rebel Abalaev Sultanbek Lechievich (born 1978) was killed during an attempted detainment in the court yard of 28 Perviy Pereulok Darvina in the Kalinina settlement in the city of Grozniy. He was a native of the Dishni-Vedeno village in the Vedenskiy district, and was temporarily living on 105 Michurina street in Grozniy. This was reported by a source in the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic. (Our corr.) New report on Chechen IDPs, asylum seekers and refugees. 78 European organizations oppose the return of Chechen asylum seekers NRC, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 •Grave human rights abuses continue with almost impunity in Chechnya. •Chechens who seek refuge in other parts of the Russian Federation are not granted the protection they are entitled to under international standards. •Returns of Chechen asylum seekers cannot happen in safety and dignity at the present time. These are some of the main conclusions in a new report on protection of Chechen internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum seekers and refugees. ------------------------------------------------------------- The report is produced by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) with the support of the ECRE-network (European Council for Refugees and Exiles) which represent 80 non-governmental organizations in 30 European countries. ECRE stands behind this position, strongly warning against forced or mandatory return of Chechen asylum seekers to the Russian Federation in a set of guidelines on the treatment of Chechens published today. The situation in the Russian Federation On a number of important issues, the Russian authorities have failed to secure implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: * Chechen IDPs are not granted status as forced migrants. * They are often denied residence registration and identification documents needed in order to access basis rights in the Russian Federation. * They are victims of discrimination and harassment both by private and state actors, and have not been effectively protected against forced returns to Chechnya. “European states should not consider there to be a viable internal protection alternative for ethnic Chechens in the Russian Federation”, says Raymond Johansen, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “We fear that if returned to the Russian Federation, many will find it impossible to settle in safe regions, and will end up in unsafe conditions in Chechnya.” Pressure on Chechen IDPs increased in late 2002, and since 2003 asylum seekers from the Russian Federation, most of whom are considered to be Chechens, have been one of the biggest groups of asylum seekers to European countries. The situation in Europe The report reveals that Chechens seeking refuge abroad are facing many obstacles. For example, their very basic right to seek asylum is not always respected: * In Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Chechens are denied access to the national asylum procedure. Many stay there without any legal rights and almost no humanitarian assistance. * Chechens are sometimes denied access to the territory of other states. This happens routinely at the border with Ukraine. * EU member states have a widely differing approach to Chechen asylum seekers. Refugee recognition rates vary dramatically within the EU, and the outcome of “the asylum lottery” depends on the country in which the claim has been processed. During the first six months of 2004, the Slovak Republic did not grant asylum to a single person from Russia, while Austria’s refugee recognition rate for this group was 96 %. The report raises concern that the system of asylum and integration in new EU states receiving many Chechen asylum seekers, are not up to European standards. It appeals to “old” EU states to support “new” EU states in providing protection to Chechen asylum seekers. In a recommendation to European states, the Norwegian Refugee Council states that “old” EU states should use the powers they have under the Dublin regulation to examine claims from Chechen asylum seekers lodged on their territory, even if they believe a new member state to be responsible under the Regulations’s criteria. ------------------------------------------------------------- The report will be released in Moscow 14th of June. Press Conference Panel: * Petter Nome, Director of Communication, NRC * Svetlana Gannushkina, Head of “Migration Rights Network”, Memorial Human Rights Center, Member of the Commission for Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation * Anne Marit Austbø, author of the report More information: NRC Press Officer: Roald Høvring, + 47 90 75 74 86 Memorial Press Officer: Grigoriy Kotok + 7 095 24 30335, + 7 906 095 39 30 http://www.nrc.no/Chechnya_report140605.htm -------------------------------------------------------------- The full text of the report can be downloaded from: http://www.nrc.no/Whose_responsibility_Chechnya.pdf Wednesday, June 15, 2005. Issue 3187. Page 3. Radical Nationalists Suspected in Train Attack By Nabi Abdullaev Staff Writer Radical Russian nationalists could have carried out Sunday's bombing of a passenger train traveling from Grozny to Moscow, investigators said Tuesday. "We consider this version on a par with a plot by Chechen terrorists," Yelena Rassokhina, a spokeswoman for the Moscow region prosecutor's office, which is in charge of the investigation, said by telephone Tuesday. Citing the ongoing investigation, she refused to disclose what evidence had prompted investigators to put radical Russian nationalists on the list of prime suspects. A homemade bomb went off at about 7:10 a.m. under the locomotive of the passenger train, which was 150 kilometers south of Moscow, derailing the locomotive and four passenger cars. No one was killed, but three injured passengers remained in Moscow hospitals as of Tuesday afternoon, Interfax reported. An unnamed explosives expert from the investigation team told Interfax on Tuesday that the bomb had been assembled "utterly unprofessionally." According to Russian media reports of investigators' findings, explosives equivalent to 3 kilograms of TNT were detonated by a toggle switch and six ordinary household electric batteries mounted on a piece of plywood. Investigators also found 50 meters of thin telephone cable connecting the bomb to the detonator. "You get the feeling that one terrorist read a printout of 'The Terrorist Cookbook' from the Internet, and another one used these sketches to make a bomb," the explosives expert said, Interfax reported. He added, however, that the bomb could have been the work of a skilled explosives expert seeking to mislead investigators. The experts said that the bomb bore similarities to the one used in March's ambush of Unified Energy Systems chief Anatoly Chubais. Three retired military officers connected to nationalist organizations were arrested in the attack and law enforcement agencies put three other people on wanted lists. No group had claimed responsibility for the bombing as of Tuesday afternoon, and political analysts were divided as to whether in Chechen rebels or radical Russian nationalists had likely carried out the attack. Other theories, such as an attack by hooligans or aggrieved Chechen war veterans, were largely discounted. "Planting explosives under a train can be done only with ideological motives," said Alexei Makarkin, an analyst with the Center for Political Technologies. Alexander Verkhovsky, a researcher with the Moscow-based Sova think tank specializing in radical nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, said that neo-Nazis appeared to be most motivated for such an attack. "They may feel that beating dark-skinned migrants on the streets is no longer an effective way to 'cleanse' Russian cities," he said. "Bombing a train coming from the Caucasus sends a much stronger signal and is much easier and safer to do." He said that neo-Nazi groups probably did not fear arrest, due to the poor track record of law enforcement agencies in catching the perpetrators of such attacks. "Whenever we are shown someone tried and prosecuted in terrorism cases, there is often a doubt that the right person is being punished," he said. "Neo-Nazis feel the same way and if a Chechen were to be tried in a bombing they carried out, it would suit them fine." Russian neo-Nazis have been suspected of involvement in several smaller bomb attacks, including the planting of a hand grenade attached to an anti-Semitic poster near a highway outside Moscow in 2002. A woman who picked up the poster was badly wounded. Alexander Savostyanov, leader of Russia's biggest radical nationalist group, the National Power Party of Russia, said by telephone Tuesday that nationalists would never bomb a train from Chechnya "because there were Russians among the passengers and crew." He said, however, that he would not rule out that some fringe element or mentally disturbed individuals in Russian nationalist circles could have bombed the train. Makarkin of the Center for Political Technologies said that the bombing fitted the pattern of previous attacks outside Chechnya claimed by Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev. "If this attack had taken place anywhere in the North Caucasus, there would be not much fuss about it. But when it happened in the Moscow region, it was a shock for many here," he said. The resumption of train services between Grozny and Moscow has been trumpeted by the Kremlin as a sign of peace returning to Chechnya, and so rebels could have seen the train as a legitimate target, Makarkin said. The amateurish attack could have been due to the Chechen resistance movement running short of trained fighters, he said. Chechen Ombudsman Refuses to Cooperate With Russia's Oldest Rights Group Created: 15.06.2005 MosNews Chechen Republic human rights commissioner Lema Khasuev said he has refused to cooperate with Memorial, Russia's oldest human rights organization, Interfax reported Wednesday. "Memorial's policy is 'the worse for Chechnya, the better for Memorial'," he was quoted by Interfax as saying at a meeting in Chechen State Council. "This is why I do not cooperate with them (Memorial's activists)," he added. "Memorial's managers have only one aim — to work off the money that they received from Western structures," Khasuev said. The Memorial human rights center is the oldest and most respected in Russia, with branches, research and educational centers in many regions, with libraries and museums. The Memorial movement dates back to the age of perestroika, when its main task was keeping alive the memory of severe Soviet political persecution. Memorial Moscow concentrates on human rights violations in zones of armed conflicts in Russia, so called "hot spots", and on the protection of refugees and victims of discrimination and political persecution. eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 13/6/2005 Vicious practice mars Russia's COE membership Unauthorised detentions of relatives of members of rebel groups have been on the rise in Chechnya. Detainees' relatives are afraid to make such facts public because they fear for the detainees' lives and are afraid of further harassment on the part of law enforcement and security agencies. "Hostage-taking of relatives of Chechen rebels has become a standard," thinks Viskhan, a Grozny resident. "This is a tactic of federal forces and local law enforcement and security agencies which was tested quite a while ago and is now gaining pace. Examples are numerous. Such are the hostage-taking of around 40 relatives of the former Ichkeria defence minister, Magomed Khambiyev, and the abduction of close relatives of Aslan Maskhadov and field commander Doku Umarov. However, cases of hostage-taking of relatives of ordinary members of armed groups are not as well-known because people are afraid to speak about that openly." An activist with a Chechen human rights organisation says relatives of detained local residents are usually told that the detainee will be released only if some or other rebel surrenders. Sometimes, detained relatives of rebels are released after many days' custody and interrogations, but cases are also frequent when people disappear without trace, their only guilt being that they were relatives of members of illegal armed formations in Chechnya. In October 2004, one month after the tragedy in Beslan, Russia's Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said practice of "counter hostage-taking" should be used in order to reinforce measures to combat terrorism in Russia. The meaning of this was taking hostage relatives of terrorists with a view to their exchange for people seized by the terrorists. An activist with a Chechen nongovernmental organisation says such measures had been taken long before the notorious suggestion of Russia's Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov though. "Officers of the military commandant's office detained Vakha Idigov, 55, in Valerik, Achkhoi-Martan district, in March 2003. The military men announced he would be released only if his son Ramzan who was with a rebel unit gave himself up," says the activist. Zura Israpilov, a 40-year-old mother of four small children, the wife of a former district prefect, was abducted by officers of a law enforcement or security agency in Siuzhi, Shatoi district, on 5 May. She was only released on 2 June. They demanded that she should indicate where her husband's brother was, says the interlocutor. According to him, civil society and human rights organisations are especially concerned over the fact that the number of such cases has been growing lately. "Even women and small children are taken hostage. Local law enforcement and security agencies use such tactics more and more often. Such inhuman practice can have the worst implications: incessant blood feud and mutual mass extermination of Chechens." Officers of a law enforcement or security agency detained and brought away Duk-Vakha Balakhovich Dadakhayev, b. 1980, in Gekhi, Urus-Martan district, on 2 April. The reason for his abduction may have been his cousins' participation in armed resistance to federal forces: one of them has been killed and the other is on the wanted list. Unidentified armed people in camouflage uniforms abducted a 13-year-old boy, Khamadov (Khamidov), in Novye Atagi, Shali district. His elder brother had been missing before. It turned out later Khamadov had been taken hostage by officers of Kadyrov's security service. In doing so, they sought to make his cousin surrender. Officers of a law enforcement or security agency detained Maret Khutsayev, 70, and her granddaughter Lipa Tsayev, 16 or 17, in Gekhi, Urus-Martan district, on 10 May. The two women came back home on 11 May, released on condition that Maret's son Arbi Khutsayev would surrender. Otherwise, the military promised to detain Maret again. Unidentified armed people abducted Charon Saidulayev and his son Apti in Grozny's Oktiabrskii district in the morning on 11 May. The reason for Charon's abduction was an allegation that he was associated with separatist groups. Apti was taken together with his father in order to exert psychological pressure on Charon to obtain required information. Ninety-seven people were abducted in Chechnya over several months in 2005, according to the Human Rights Centre Memorial. Fifty-three of them have since been missing. Some of these people were relatives of members of Chechen armed groups. http://eng.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/engnews/id/816201.html |