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eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 14/11/2005 Mines kill 700 Chechnya civilians in 10 years - UNICEF Almost 700 civilians in Chechnya have been killed by landmines over the last 10 years. More than 3,000 people, including over 600 children, have been wounded, Karel de Roy, head of the UNICEF office in Moscow, said. In spite that the number of cases when landmines and unexploded ordnance are triggered has become fewer, according to him, it is still very high as compared with other regions around the world, Radio Liberty reports. Over 200 kidnapped in Chechnya in 2005 - rights activists MOSCOW. Nov 23 (Interfax) More than 200 Chechen residents have been abducted in 2005, and over 100 are still listed as missing, Russian human rights campaigners said. Chechen officials have claimed that these figures are exaggerated. Memorial human rights center board member Alexander Cherkasov told a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday that 236 people have been kidnapped in Chechnya this year. "Of them, 93 have been released, 13 have been found dead, and eight are under investigation. Another 122 Chechen residents are still listed as missing," Cherkasov said. As many as 152 Chechen residents have been killed in 2005, he said. "Of them, 64 were civilians, 37 security officers, two officials and 39 militants. Ten have not yet been identified," the rights activist said. "Abductions remain one of the most serious problems facing the Chechen republic," he said. Cherkasov offered his comments following a Memorial Center report circulated on Wednesday in the run-up to the November 27 parliamentary elections. "Human rights activists have estimated that up to 5,000 people went missing during the 'second Chechen war'. The overwhelming majority of these crimes have never been solved and the perpetrators remain unpunished," the report reads. The Chechen authorities admitted that although crime rates have been on the decline in the republic, the problem of abduction still persists. "I have set the task of eradicating crimes such as abductions. My opinion is that not enough is being done to resolve this problem," Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said in an earlier interview. "We could start disputes with human rights activists over the abduction rates they have announced only if they first explain to us how they have reached such figures," Chechen Security Council secretary Rudnik Dudayev told Interfax. Chechen People Protest Against Military Oppression in Republic 21.11.2005 MosNews A protest rally against arbitrariness of the military was held by 20 local rights organisations in the Chechen capital Grozny after three villagers were killed by Russian servicemen on November 16, the Interfax reports. Representatives of about 20 human rights organizations, members of youth organizations and Grozny college students took part in the demonstration. Protesters demanded to ban the use of armored vehicles in Chechnya, to remove unnecessary checkpoints and to bring the military servicemen who commit crimes to justice.. Two residents of the Kurchaloi district and one resident of the Staraya Sunzha village near Grozny were killed last week by men wearing camouflage uniform and masks. The killers detained Yusup Usmanov, Khusain Akhmadov and Jambulat Dushayev on the outskirts of Staraya Sunzha late at night, forced them to lie on the ground and shot them in the head. Later the Russian Defense Ministry admitted that its servicemen had been responsible for the incident. They have already been detained and confessed to killing the civilians. “Analysis shows that servicemen perpetrate severe crimes against civilians in Chechnya without fear of retribution,” head of the Chechen president’s department for constitutional rights of Russian citizens in Chechnya Nurdi Nukhazhiyev believes. “Servicemen deployed in Chechnya drink to excess and behave badly. Should they decide to kill civilians, they do so. This situation will not change until soldiers go back to barracks and start training. Any lasting peace is, until then, out of the question,” he said dismissing numerous reports about the “end of the war in Chechnya”. Human Rights Groups Criticize Upcoming Chechen Vote 23 November 2005 (AFP) -- International human rights groups today criticized legislative elections set for 27 November in Chechnya, calling them a mere pretense of a political process. The International Helsinki Federation and the International Human Rights Federation has said in a report presented in Moscow by several groups that assurances by Russian authorities that "Chechnya has returned to a peaceful life is not the case in reality." Chechnya continues to see daily armed clashes between separatist rebels and Russian forces six years after Moscow sent troops to the republic in October 1999 to re-establish control. That followed Russia's defeat in a first war against separatist guerrillas in 1994-1996. Rights activists doubt Chechen vote will be democratic MOSCOW. Nov 23 (Interfax) Russian human rights campaigners said they doubt the upcoming parliamentary elections in Chechnya will be democratic. Measures similar to those taken by British authorities in Northern Ireland should be used to normalize the situation in Chechnya, they said. "It is necessary to allow separatists who reject terror as a method to achieve their political goals to form their own political wing. Such a process is taking place, for instance, in Northern Ireland," Memorial human rights center head Oleg Orlov told a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday. Giving moderate separatists a chance to join the political process in Chechnya is possible, while negotiations with Chechen separatists are unlikely, Orlov said. "Earlier we spoke about the need to hold talks with [Aslan] Maskhadov. He was killed and more radical forces, among them terrorist Basayev and radical Islam ideologist Udugov, are commanding militants now. To put it mildly, it has become more difficult to organize negotiations," he said. Demos human rights center head Tatiana Lokshina said that "the British authorities did a great deal in Ulster to identify those with whom they could have a dialogue. Such people can be found among Chechen separatists as well. People have gotten so tired of the war that the independence idea is becoming less appealing," Lokshina said. Europe could act as a mediator in this process, she said. On Wednesday, Memorial, Demos, the Moscow Helsinki Group and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee presented a report on the situation in Chechnya in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. "Our opinion is that Chechnya lacks the conditions necessary for free and fair elections," the report reads. "A more vigorous dialogue is needed between a wide variety of political forces in Chechnya, including supporters of independence of the republic," it reads. Chechen officials said that preparations for the elections are going as planned, and that the vote itself will be democratic. "No serious violations have been reported during preparations for the elections," Chechen election committee chairman Ismail Baikhanov said. Voter turnout could be up to 70%, he said. Chechen official slams servicemen's behaviour MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax) The murder of civilians by army servicemen in the village of Staraya Sunzha near Grozny is a direct consequence of the servicemen's immunity to punishment for crimes committed during the anti-terrorist campaign according to the Chechen administration. "Analysis shows that servicemen perpetrate severe crimes against civilians in Chechnya without fear of retribution," head of the Chechen president's department for constitutional rights of Russian citizens in Chechnya Nurdi Nukhazhiyev told Interfax. "Claims that the active phase of the anti-terrorist operation is over are nothing but lies," he said. "Servicemen deployed in Chechnya drink to excess and behave badly. Should they decide to kill civilians, they do so," Nukhazhiyev said. He referred to numerous collisions involving armored personnel carriers being driven whilst under the influence of alcohol and the recent artillery bombardment of Starye Atagi village. "This situation will not change until soldiers go back to barracks and start training. Any lasting peace is, until then, out of the question," he said. "The servicemen are confident they will be afforded protection by the army and nobody will punish them," Nukhazhiyev said. "Alas, they give priority to esprit de corps rather than the laws of the region and any claim of protecting of civilians is rubbish." Two residents of the Kurchaloi district and one resident of the Staraya Sunzha village near Grozny were killed on November 16. "Unidentified men wearing camouflage uniform and masks detained Yusup Usmanov, Khusain Akhmadov and Jambulat Dushayev on the outskirts of Staraya Sunzha late at night. They forced them to lie on the ground and shot them in the head," a source in the Grozny district police department said. The Russian Defense Ministry admitted that servicemen were responsible for the incident. Military prosecutor of the combined federal forces in the North Caucasus Maxim Toporikov said that the servicemen had been detained and had confessed to killing three Chechen civilians. A federal unit came under mortar fire near to the village Starye Atagi in the Grozny district at dawn on November 9. Six people were wounded and nine houses destroyed. "The village was not hit on purpose. There was a mistake in targeting. The artillery bombardment was expected to hit a forest where militants were hiding," a representative of the prosecutor's office of the combined federal forces in the North Caucasus told Interfax. "Investigators identified the officer who supervised the targeting and ordered shots to be fired," he said. The episode resulted in criminal charges of weapons mishandling with severe bodily harm being brought. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Russia: Suspects in Caucasus Attack Ill- Treated Lawyers Illegally Removed From Cases of Abused Suspects in Nalchik (Moscow, November 18, 2005)—Russian law enforcement officials have used ill-treatment to coerce confessions from suspects in the October 13 armed attacks in the Northern Caucasus city of Nalchik, Human Rights Watch said today. During a fact-finding trip to the region, Human Rights Watch researchers collected convincing evidence that at least eight persons who were detained on suspicion of participation in the attacks were subjected to ill-treatment that in some cases may amount to torture. “Russian law enforcement routinely uses torture in its counterterrorism operations,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director for Human Rights Watch. “The illegal practice of fighting one human rights abuse with another must be stopped immediately.” On October 13, skirmishes broke out between a group of armed men and police and security forces in Nalchik, the capital of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria. The armed men attacked and briefly occupied several police stations and administrative buildings. According to official estimates, at least 135 people were killed in the ensuing battle, including nine civilians. In the subsequent days and weeks, police and security forces detained dozens of people suspected of having participated in armed attacks. One of the detainees is Rasul Kudaev, a former Guantánamo Bay prisoner whom the United States returned to Russia in March 2004. Local police and security forces arrested him ten days after the Nalchik attacks. Kudaev’s lawyer told Human Rights Watch that her client was severely beaten in detention and could not walk without assistance when she saw him on October 26. Witnesses said that other detained suspects had told them of prolonged beatings both immediately after their arrest and subsequently in detention at the organized crime department of the police. Several of the witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the detainees had clearly visible injuries that appeared consistent with the reported ill-treatment. Lawyers for at least five of the ill-treated detainees told Human Rights Watch that the officials who are investigating the October 13 attacks had illegally barred them from representing their clients. The official document removing Kudaev’s lawyer from his case said his lawyer had “previously been a witness in the criminal case [against Kudaev]” and could therefore, under Russian law, not represent him in the proceedings against him. According to Kudaev’s lawyer, however, she was never questioned but had merely had a conversation with the investigator about her request for a medical examination of her client. In the cases of other detainees, the authorities removed lawyers on similarly spurious grounds. “Removing these lawyers from their clients’ cases is outrageous,” said Cartner. “Instead of investigating the ill-treatment complaints, the authorities are stripping the victims of their only contact with the outside world.” Apart from visits with their lawyers, the detainees have been held incommunicado. Even before being removed from the cases, the lawyers complained that officials had hindered their work on behalf of their clients. They said that they were having difficulties gaining access to their clients and receiving information on the charges against them. Three of the lawyers have appealed the decision to remove them from their clients’ cases in court. The authorities have not opened inquiries into the detainees’ allegations of ill-treatment. In at least one of the cases, however, they have granted the request for a medical examination. From: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/11/18/russia12053.htm eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 21/11/2005 Villager released after torture Abducted by unidentified persons from his own home on 18 November, Khamdulla Abuyevich Naurdinov, b. 1960, resident in Pamiatoi, Shatoi district, was released on 19 November. On 20 November, a correspondent of the Russian-Chechen News Agency (RCNA) met Mr Khamdulla Naurdinov and learnt from him about some of the circumstances of his abduction and subsequent release. It was established that a group of unidentified persons driving several VAZ 2110 vehicles had brought Mr Naurdinov away from his own home in the evening on 18 November. The strangers introduced themselves as officers of the 2nd regiment of the checkpoint and patrol service of the police. At about 6.00 p.m. on 19 November, the abducted man was found outside the Shatoi district, beaten severely. Because of his poor condition, he was not able to recollect the exact place of his release. He told the RCNA reporter that he had been found by residents of some settlement who had helped him to get home. Mr Naurdinov says that he was beaten and tortured with electricity, the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society reports. The Budapest Sun November 24, 2005 - Volume XIII, Issue 47 Excuse to violate rights FERENC Köszeg, chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, said on Monday (Nov 21) that today's fight against terrorism is sometimes used as an excuse to violate human rights. The focus of attention in international politics has moved away from human rights, he claimed, when speaking at the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) conference, held in Budapest. The conference was organized to examine the role of human rights in the preparation of postcommunist transition. IHF executive director, Aaron Rhodes, said that human rights have been pushed to the background "in several countries that signed the Helsinki Treaty in 1975." Köszeg said human rights were a key issue in the last phase of the cold war and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He said it is more difficult to fight for human rights today than 20 years ago. At the conference, the IHF approved a declaration criticizing Russia for a planned law that it believes will hamper the activities of human rights organizations. The violation of human rights in Chechnya "is on the verge of genocide," Rhodes claimed. http://www.budapestsun.com/full_story.asp?ArticleId={23A9E793B6AF425BB80FA1AD0AFAFDDA}&From=News EURASIA DAILY MONITOR Volume 2, Issue 218 (November 22, 2005) INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Hopes for Kremlin dialogue with Kabardino-Balkaria insurgents fade By Andrei Smirnov On November 4, the Kabardino-Balkaria branch of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) summoned Ruslan Nakhushov, chairman of the local Islamic Institute, for interrogation. According to Kommersant, Nakhushov visited the FSB the very day that the summons was served. He returned to his office after the interrogation, but somebody called him from the FSB and asked him to return. Nakhushov complied and, after the second visit, called Susanna Varitlova, his deputy, to say that everything was fine and that he would be in his office in 10 minutes. Nobody has seen Nakhushov since. He apparently disappeared, and his cell phone is not working (Kommersant, November 7). Nakhushov, a former KGB officer who worked in North Africa, became a famous public figure in Kabardino-Balkaria early the 1990s. After the first Chechen war (1994-96) Nakhushov worked for the Peacemaking Mission of Russian General Alexander Lebed. Nakhushov is credited with freeing 180 Russian prisoners-of-war from Chechnya (Kommersant, November 7). Together with Anzor Astemirov and Musa Mukozhev, Nakhushov organized the Islamic Institute, which seeks to protect the rights of the Muslims in Kabardino-Balkaria. Nakhushov sharply criticized the local security officials' repressive actions toward the Muslim population. Unlike Astemirov, who became the leader of Yarmuk rebel group, and Mukozhev, who went underground, Nakhushov had always tried to find legal ways to solve problems, and he preferred to negotiate rather than to use violence. After the October 13 attack on Nalchik, the capital of the republic (see EDM, October 15), Nakhushov offered to negotiate between the authorities and the Islamic rebels. Arsen Kanokov, president of Kabardino-Balkaria, planned to meet with Nakhushov to discuss a possible dialogue with the Muslims. In an interview with Novaya gazeta Kanokov called Nakhushov "a candidate for building a bridge to negotiate with young Muslims" (Novaya gazeta, October 31). Nakhushov's relatives and friends immediately blamed security officials for his disappearance. "We still hope that he will appear again, but such witnesses are usually not left alive. Ruslan had a lot of information on very sensitive issues about the activities of the special services in Kabardino-Balkaria," journalist Orkhan Dzhemal told Kavkazsky Uzel (November 7). The law-enforcement agencies did not like Nakhushov's activity, and his office had been raided several times. On November 11, Nikolai Shepel, the deputy Russian prosecutor-general for the Southern Federal District, hinted that Nakhushov might have gone into hiding because criminal proceedings had been started against him for assisting terrorists. However, Shepel's words only served to fuel rumors that Nakhushov had been kidnapped by security officials. "He did not plan to hide or to be on the run," his lawyer insisted (Kavkazsky Uzel, November 11). Regnum news agency sources linked to law-enforcement agencies also believe that Nakhushov was kidnapped by the local FSB (regnum, November 11). Nakhushov's disappearance from the Kabardino-Balkaria political scene could stymie the last chance to start a peace process in the region. After the raid on Nalchik, President Kanokov was ready for a dialogue. He made a speech on local television and promised to return the bodies of the rebels and civilians killed in the attack to their relatives. However, he had to change his tone after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Kanokov claims that Putin told him that everything should be done by the book, which in practice meant that no corpses would be returned. Kanokov also obliquely indicated in his television interview that the Russian authorities were very hesitant to build new mosques in Kabardino-Balkaria, saying that they would start the process "very slowly and carefully" (Novaya gazeta, October 31). The Kremlin and local security officials did not welcome the measures proposed by Kanokov, including a dialogue with the rebels through Nakhushov, opening mosques, and returning the bodies. According to Kommersant, Kanokov has a problem dealing with the republican Ministry of Internal Affairs, which directly reports to Moscow. On November 11, a group of Russian politicians, public figures, and human rights activists, including Boris Nadezhdin, a deputy chairman of the Union of the Right Forces political party, held a press conference in Moscow at which they blamed the administration of the Russian president and security officials for the "destabilization in the Caucasian republics." The group demanded serious changes in Russia's ethnic minority and religious policies (Kavkazsky Uzel, November 8). However, the disappearance of Nakhushov and the failure of Kanokov to control the law-enforcement agencies suggest that the policy is unlikely to be significantly altered in the near future. RCIA: Various reports Urus-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 859 Three land mines are deactivated On 22 November 2005 the service personnel of a reconnaissance unit detected three charged land mines between the villages of Alkhan-Yurt and Kulary of the Chechen Grozny rural district. All the three explosive devices were deactivated with charges put over them. (From our correspondent) Urus-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 858 A bridge over the Roshnya River is opened On 22 November 2005 a ceremony opening the bridge over Roshnya River was held in the Chechen Urus-Martam district center. This bridge connects Urus-Martan and Achkhoy-Martan district centers. This bridge is especially important for residents of the village of Guekhi and several other settlements situated in the West part of Urus-Martan district. The Urus-Martan road-building department carried the repair works at the bridge. (From our correspondent) Grozny rural district. Chechen Republic Report # 857 Cache has been detected in the vicinity of the village of Proletarskoye On 23 November 2005 the service personnel of Grozny rural district detected a plastic cistern dug into ground at the outskirts of the village of Proletarskoye of the Chechen Grozny rural district. There were two submachine guns, eight charged magazines, a grenade, two vests and a black cloth masks. (From our correspondent) Shalinskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 856 Election station is fired at in the village of Serzhen-Yurt On 23 November 2005 at about 11 am unidentified people launched two missiles at election station #13 located in the building of secondary school #2 in the village of Serzhen-Yurt of the Chechen Shali district. According to the villagers, none of pupils or teachers was injured. The windowpanes were all smashed with the blast wave. (From our correspondent) Grozny. Chechen Republic Report # 855 News from the election committee of the Chechen Republic On 23 November 2005 the Election Committee of the Chechen Republic is being preoccupied with the preparation for the coming elections to the republican parliament that are to be held on 27 November. As of the present moment, the Election Committee has registered 350 candidates, including 27 women. 430 territorial election committees are being working now in the Chechen Republic. Ballot-papers of two different types have been printed: light-grey for voting deputies to the People's Assembly (the low chamber of the parliament) and pink ones for voting the candidates to the Council of the Republic (the upper chamber of the parliament). 156 independent candidates are running for 40 deputies' seats in the People's Assembly. 106 candidates are on the lists made by parties. 88 people are running for 18 seats in the upper chamber of the parliament. (From our correspondent) Grozny. Chechen Republic Report # 854 The results of the meeting held at the Security Council of the Chechen Republic On 21 November 2005 the president of the Chechen Republic Alu Alkhanov held a scheduled meeting of the Security Council of the republic. Members of the Security Council, heads of district administrations, Oleg Shidkov who is the deputy of the omnipotential representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the South federal okrug responsible for the Chechen Republic, as well as the commander of the Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus general Evgeny Lazebin participated in the meeting. The meeting was held in Grozny. The participants discussed several issues connected with the on-going process of preparation for the elections to the parliament of the republic that are to be held on 27 November. General Lazebin pointed to the fact that the situation in the republic remains complicated before the elections. He explained the deterioration of the situation with the fact the Chechen guerrilla groups had become more active and, in his words, “are trying to frustrate the election process”. He also stated in his speech that all the necessary preventive measures had been undertaken to ensure safety during the elections. According to this military official, all the territorial election commissions are being checked by the military with dogs so that no explosive device are hidden there and all polling stations and their staff members are being guarded. Evgeny Lazebin also tackled the problem of several recent crimes that have been committed by the service personnel of the Russian federal forces against the civilian population of the Chechen Republic. The Russian general told that he considered the murder of three peaceful residents of the Staraya Sunzha village on 16 November to be a real massacre. According to the general, one of the murderers, a soldier on a contract, has been twice convicted for committing crimes. The general expressed his complete bewilderment with the fact that a person with such a criminal background has been given an opportunity to serve in the army. Besides, Lazebin admitted that the Russian artillery shelled six private households situated in the village of Starye Atagi of the Chechen Grozny rural district at night from 8 to 9 November 2005 by mistake. We have to remind that five people including a 9-year-old girl were wounded in the shelling. Evgeny Lazebin told that the criminal case has been commenced. The residents of the destroyed houses have received compensations and they are being assisted in the reconstruction of their houses, Lazebin assured. (From our correspondent) http://www.ria.hrnnov.ru/eng/index.php Grozny. Chechen Republic Report # 852 More people are abducted in Grozny On 19 November 2005 unidentified people took away Mukhadiev Vakha Akhmedovich (born 1967) living in Zavodskoy district of Grozny at the address No68 Bataev Street. On 18 November unidentified people who introduced themselves as servicemen of the law-enforcement agencies abducted Abdulkadyrov Rizvan Ramzanovich (born 1978) from his house situated at the address 12 Rosa Luxemburg Street. The abducted man is a student of the informatics college situated in Grozny. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 851 There are plans to name the library in Vedeno district center after the perished woman On 22 November 2005 the central library of the Chechen Vedeno district is going to receive the name of the 50-year-old resident of the village of Dishni-Vedeno of the Chechen Vedeno district Zargan Inasalamova who was burnt alive in her house by unidentified perpetrators at night from 3 August to 4 August 2005 (see our releases #1401 from 05.08.2005 and #1409 from 09.08.2005). The issue is being discussed now at the meeting held at the administration of the district. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 850 New chief of the Vedeno district police office is appointed On 22 November 2005 the Russian-Chechen Information Agency received information about the appointment of a new chief of the Vedeno district police office. This is 37-year-old Shamil Magomaev. Vakha Delkhiev who occupied this position before him has been dismissed. Shifts of the personnel have started as soon as the new chief has been appointed. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 849 The curfew in Vedeno district The curfew has been introduced in the entire territory of the Chechen Vedeno district since 20 November 2005. It lasts since 10 pm until 6 am. According to a correspondent of the Russian-Chechen Information Agency, this measure has been undertaken because of the coming elections to the parliament of the republic that are to be held on 27 November 2005. (From our correspondent) Shalinskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 848 The chairperson of Shali district election committee has perished in a road accident On 14 November 2005 the chairperson of Shali district election commission Bauddin Shamaev (aged 50) perished in a road accident that took place not far from Shali district center. According to the information obtained from a source within the Ministry of the Interior, in the evening of 14 November a 10th model “Zhiguli” car driven by Shamaev collided with a “KAMAZ” lorry. Bauddin Shamaev was severely injured and died on the spot. (From our correspondent) Grozny. Chechen Republic Report # 847 Rally in Grozny: its residents are demanding compensation for destroyed dwellings For two days, on 17 and 18 November 2005 a protest rally was held in Grozny in front of the building of House of government. Some two hundred residents of Grozny participated in it. The main demand of the participants is payment of the compensations for dwellings destroyed in armed actions. On 18 November members of the commission on compensations payment addressed to the people participating in the rally. They explained to the people that a special commission sent by the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation was working in Grozny at that time. Its members' task was, in their words, to check legal availability of all submitted applications. In conclusion the officials promised the people that all those applicants whose documents were found duly made would be able to receive compensations before the New Year. (From our correspondent) Grozny. Chechen Republic Report # 846 Resident of Grozny has been found dead On 20 November 2005 in Oktyabrsky district of Grozny a male corpse identified as Abdulaev Musa Magomedovich (born 1958) was found in Oktyabrsky district of Grozny near apartment building #41 in Tramvaynaya Street. The information was obtained from a source within the Ministry of the Interior of the Chechen Republic. (From our correspondent) Shatoy district. Chechen Republic Report # 845 Resident of Pamyatoy village has been released after being beaten and tortured with electric shock On 19 November 2005 a resident of the village of Pamyatoy of the Chechen Shatoy district Nayrdinov Khamdulla Abuevich (born 1960) was released he had been abducted by unidentified people from his own house a day before. On 20 November a correspondent of the Russian-Chechen Information Agency met Khamdulla Nayrdinov and established some details of what has happened to him. The correspondent of the RCIA reports the man as telling that he was taken away from his own house in the evening of 18 November. He was seized by a group of unidentified armed people moving around in several VAZ 2110 vehicles. They introduced themselves as the service personnel of the 2nd regiment of the patrol police. On 19 November at about 6 pm the man was found beyond the administrative borders of Shatoy district. He had been severely beaten. As Khamdulla's condition was very bad, he couldn't remember the place where he had been released. He told the RCIA correspondent that he had been found by residents of some settlement who helped him get home. According to the testimonies of the released man, he was subjected to beating up and torture with electric shock. (From our correspondent) Grozny rural district. Chechen Republic Report # 844 Two people are abducted in the village of Dolinsky On 9 November 2005 a group of ten unidentified armed people abducted a resident of the village of Dolinsky of the Chechen Grozny rural district Musaev Islam Ibragimovich (born 1982) living at the address 11 Komsomolskaya Street and his friend Asabaev Apty Bisultanovich (born 1977), a resident of the village of Raduzhnoye of the Chechen Grozny rural district. According to testimonies of their relatives, on 9 November Islam Musaev was driving in his VAZ 21099 car when he was stopped by a group of unidentified people in masks and camouflage. Apty Asabaev was in his car too. Having seized both men, the perpetrators took them away to an unknown destination. They hijacked Muzaev's car too. As of the present moment, the whereabouts of the abducted men have not been established. (From our correspondent) Naurskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 843 Disappearance of a schoolgirl in the village of Novoterskoye On 11 November 2005 a resident of the village of Novoterskaya of the Chechen Nair district Chupanova Aminat Jabrailovna (born 1989) disappeared without any traces left. According to a source at the law-enforcement bodies of the republic, the girl went to school that day and has never returned home. (From our correspondent) Naurskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 842 Resident of the settlement of Ischerskaya has been found dead On 12 November 2005 a male corpse identified as Zakharov Oleg Mikhaylovich (born 1972) was found in a house #18 in Pugachov Street in the settlement of Ischerskaya of the Chechen Naur district. The corpse reportedly bore no signs of violent death. The information was obtained from a source within the Ministry of the Interior of the republic. (From our correspondent) Shalinskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 841 Relatives of a disappeared person have reported the abduction to the police On 14 November 2005 the Umalatovs family submitted a written report about the abduction of a resident of Shali district center Umalatov Khamzat Ayendinovich (born 1965) to Shali police office. The crime was reportedly perpetrated by a group consisting of approximately seventy armed people on 27 April, 2005. The man was taken away from his house situated at the address 70 Mozdokskaya Street. As of the present moment, the fate and destiny of the abducted man remain unknown. (From our correspondent) Sunzhenskiy district. Chechen Republic Report # 840 Sernovodsk: three abducted people have been released after being tortured and the third one has been murdered 21.11.2005. Last week three residents of the village of Sernovodskaya of the Chechen Sunzha district were released after their abduction by a group of unidentified people at night from 12 to 13 November, 2005. The corpse of the forth abducted man, Murat Chertoev, was given to his relatives. A correspondent of the Russian-Chechen Information Agency has managed to establish the following details. At night from 12 November to 13 November 2005 a group of unidentified people abducted four residents of the village of Sernovodskaya of the Chechen Sunzha district, including Arsamikov Adam Ruslanovich (born 14.12.1981) living at the address 63 Sovetskaya Street, Gazikhaev Ramzan Vakhaevich (born 03.12.1984), Ibragimov ramzan Bilalovich (born 16.05.1984) living at the address 19 Kashin Street and Chertoev Murat Saltamuradovich (born 1980) living at the address 1 Krasin Street. All the four man was taken away from their houses by unidentified armed men in camouflage and masks. After the perpetrators brought the men to an absolutely unfamiliar place, they subjected their victims to unmerciful beating. While they were being tortured, one of them, Murat Chertoev, started begging their abductors to stop it. In response, the perpetrators forced the other victims to beat him up and later they made them kill him. They made of the men take the charged pistol and fire a shot at Chertoev. Thinking that the pistol could not be charged, the man aimed it at the Chertoev and fired a shot. Chertoev dies on the spot. The other abducted men were later released. The service personnel of Sunzha police office have refused to comment on the case. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 839 Shatoy police office serviceman's death was caused by careless holding firearms On 17 November 2005. The village of Shatoy of the Chechen Republic. A serviceman of Shatoy district police office Sugaipov was killed as a result of the blast of a grenade that he was holding in his hands. That day the entire personnel of Shatoy police office was sent to polling stations and they will have to guard them until 28 November. (From our correspondent.) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 838 Passport checking in Elistanzhi On 16 November 2005, the service personnel of the Russian federal forces carried out a joint operation in cooperation with the local police aimed at checking IDs of residents of the village of Elistanzhi of the Chechen Vedeno district. In the operation Asigiriev Timur (born 1982) was detained but released two hours later. The detention might have been caused by the fact that he has permanent registration in another settlement. (From our correspondent.) http://www.ria.hrnnov.ru/eng/index.php Nizniy Novgorod Report # 836 The tax inspection frustrated consideration of the complaint lodged by the RCFS to the court of arbitration On 16 November 2005 a sitting of the Arbitration court of Nizhny Novgorod region in which the complaint lodged by the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society about the actions undertaken by the tax inspection of Nizhny Novgorod was frustrated as a result of the respondent's failure to appear in court. A young staff member of the tax inspection appeared in court by proxy instead of Rafael Nasyrov and Ludmila Barskova who represented the tax inspection before. He appealed to the judge to postpone the hearing in connection with Nasyrov's illness. The judge Evgenia Belyanina asked him why he was not able to represent the interests of the tax inspection. He explained that he was unaware of the details. Then the judge asked why Barskova hadn't come to court. He answered that he didn't know anything about the reasons and added that she was likely to have fallen ill too. All journalists, representatives of international and Russian human organizations and staff members of the RCFS who were in the court room burst out laughing having heard the last phrase. The RCFS was represented by its executive manager Stanislaw Dmitrievsky and a lawyer of the International Bar of Saint Petersburg Drew Hollinger. Both of them expressed their bewilderment with the situation as the tax body is a juridical person and illness of any of its staff members can't be an obstacle to present the position of the organization in court. To do it, there is a law department at the tax inspection. Dmitrievsky stated that he was sure that the respondent was deliberately trying to retard the consideration of the complaint as their positions in the court of arbitration very weak. The judge was also bewildered with such a situation. After a short break in the court hearing the judge Belyanina made a decision to fix the main hearing of the case for November 30, 2005. She pointed to the fact that she was going to consider the complaint and make a judgment by default if Nasyrov's and Barskova's diseases happened to be lingering. Besides, the judge accepted the claimant's request not to file documents from the criminal case on “inciting to ethnic animosity” to the arbitration case as inadmissible. After that the court sitting finished. It didn't take place as a mater of fact, though. “The epidemic pestilence that has stricken all the staff personnel of the tax inspection having the right to represent it is a quite explainable phenomenon, I think. I suspect that their disease can be diagnosed as a bear's disease that has aggravated all of a sudden when highly-qualified lawyers have got involved into the case and representatives of independent mass media and international organizations have appeared in the court room. I remember that five staff members of the tax inspection attended the previous court hearing whereas I was all alone. At that Nasyrov assured the judge that all the people who came to the court room together with him would be given the authority to represent the tax inspection the next time. The tax officials' position has nothing to do with the law as they are executing the political order. Their attempt to drag the expertise from the criminal case to the arbitration procedure aimed at discrediting me with the judge irrefutably evidences it. Such people have got used to executing these shady affairs avoiding publicity. Besides, it seems that the level of their competence in law has not increased since the time when they studied the Soviet-time textbook on the basic principles of state and law. And the chapter on the revolutionary expediency was the most popular with them. As a result, they have hidden”, commented Stanislaw Dmitrievsky on the situation. We have to remind that on 26 October representatives of the tax inspection appealed to file to the arbitrage case several documents from the criminal case under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in which Dmitrievsky has been declared a defendant. As we reported before, on 15 August 2005 the tax inspection of Nizhegorodsky district made Resolution #25 to bring the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society to tax accountability for alleged breaking the tax law. The deputy chief of the tax inspection M. Yu. Trifonov claimed in this document that the Society has to pay taxes and fines amounting to 1 001 561 rubles for the funds that they had received from international donors to implement their specific projects. On 24 August the RCFS appealed this decision at the Arbitrage Court of Nizhny Novgorod region as unlawful and ungrounded. Besides, on 2 September the chief editor of the “Pravo-zaschita” newspaper and the executive manager of the RCFS Stanislav Dmitrievsky was officially charged with committing the crime under paragraph b of part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“inciting to animosity”). The charges refer to the fact of publication Aslan Maskhadov's open letter to the European Parliament and Akhmed Zakaev's appeal to the people of Russia that contain tough rhetoric against the policy of president Putin in the North Caucasus. (From our correspondent) Nizniy Novgorod Report # 835 “Amnesty International” is going to declare the chief editor of the “Pravo-zaschita” newspaper as a prisoner of conscience 15.11.2005. “Amnesty International” published their public statement in concern with the criminal persecution of the executive manager of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and the chief editor of the “Pravo-zaschita” newspaper Stanislaw Dmitrievsky who is accused of inciting to ethnic, racial and social animosity (Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). “Amnesty International” expresses their concern about the harassment campaign that has been carrying out by different state bodies against the RCFS and states that they are going to declare Stanislaw Dmitrievsky a prisoner of conscience if he is sentenced on these charges. The text of the “Amnesty International” statement follows. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement AI Index: EUR 46/053/2005 (Public) News Service N. 306 15 November 2005 Executive Director of Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, Stanislav Dmitrievskii, possible prisoner of conscience Stanislav Dmitrievskii is facing up to five years' imprisonment for his decision to publish articles written by a former Chechen separatist leader and his envoy. Stanislav Dmitrievskii is Executive Director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS) and editor-in-chief of the Pravo-zashchita newspaper (Rights defence, a human rights-oriented newspaper), which is published jointly by RCFS and another Nizhnii Novgorod based human rights organization. Amnesty International is concerned that the criminal prosecution is a violation of his right to freedom of _expression, and seems to be part of a campaign of harassment aimed at closing down the work of the RCFS. If imprisoned on these charges, Amnesty International would consider Stanislav Dmitrievskii to be a prisoner of conscience. Amnesty International is calling for the charges to be dropped. The first hearing of the merits of the case is on 16 November. The subject of the criminal investigation is an appeal, published in the April-May 2004 edition of Pravo-zashchita, by the late Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov to the European Parliament calling for international recognition of the current Chechen conflict as “an act of genocide by the Russian government against the Chechen people”, and an appeal in the March 2004 edition of Pravo-zashchita by Aslan Maskhadov's envoy Akhmed Zakaev to the Russian people not to re-elect President Vladimir Putin. Stanislav Dmitrievskii faces charges under Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code which criminalizes: "...incitement of hatred or enmity, and likewise demeaning human dignity with regard to indicia of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, attitude towards religion, and likewise affiliation to any social group, committed publicly or with the use of the mass media... and with the use of his professional position." Amnesty International considers that the two articles published do not contain any incitement to hatred or enmity, or any form of violence. The articles are critical of Russian government policy rather than expressing any criticism of ethnic Russians, and contain calls for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The RCFS's general political stance, the editorial position of Pravo-zashchita and the stated personal conviction of Stanislav Dmitrievskii, is one of complete rejection of violent means as a way of solving the Chechen conflict. This is evident from the RCFS's founding declaration, the nature of the articles published in Pravo-zashchita, and numerous statements made by Stanislav Dmitrievskii. Moreover, Stanislav Dmitrievskii told Amnesty International that he had had several motivations for publishing the articles in question: that the articles contained a clear public interest, in that Russian citizens have a right to know the opinion of the other side to the conflict which is not to be found in mainstream media; that both articles concerned a call for peaceful negotiations to end the conflict; and that the articles did not contain any call to violence. A British lawyer who had been due to observe the trial proceedings in Nizhnii Novgorod was denied entry to the Russian Federation on 15 November. Bill Bowring, a barrister and professor of human rights and international law at the London Metropolitan University, was reportedly held without explanation by border officials for six hours at Moscow's Sheremetievo-2 airport before being put on an airplane back to the UK. He was in possession of a valid multiple-entry visa and carried letters of accreditation as a trial observer from Frontline Defenders, a non-governmental organization that campaigns on behalf of human rights defenders at risk, and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales. The RCFS is a non-governmental organization that monitors human rights violations in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus. Staff and volunteers in Nizhnii Novgorod and the North Caucasus produce daily press releases on “disappearances” and other serious human rights violations which are disseminated by the organization's project, the Russian Chechen Information Agency. The RCFS also publishes the Pravo-zashchita newspaper jointly with the Nizhnii Novgorod Human Rights Society and undertakes humanitarian initiatives for individuals affected by the conflict in the North Caucasus, for example organizing medical assistance and holiday breaks in other parts of the Russian Federation for children affected by the conflict. For several months, Amnesty International has expressed its concern at an apparent campaign of harassment and prosecution aimed at members of the RCFS, reportedly in response to the organization's work on human rights. As well as the criminal investigation into Stanislav Dmitrievskii, the organization is simultaneously undergoing legal action by the tax authorities and the registration department of the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, both Stanislav Dmitrievskii and another staff member, Oksana Chelysheva, have been the subject of threatening leaflets which have been distributed this year in Nizhnii Novgorod, where the organization is based. Oksana Chelysheva is deputy Executive Director of the RCFS, editor of the Russian Chechen Information Agency, and editor of the Pravo-zashchita newspaper. The leaflets have accused the human rights defenders of being “traitors” and supporters of “terrorists” Police investigations into the leaflets have been opened but no one responsible has yet been identified. Amnesty International Russia Resource Centre Tel. + 7 095 202 1749 tel/fax +7 095 291 2904 119019 Moscow p.o. box 212 RUSSIA http://www.amnesty.org http://web.amnesty.org/pages/rus-161105-action-eng Gudermes district. Chechen Republic Report # 834 A resident of Kurchaloy has been found with signs of violent death On 12 November 2005 a body of 35-year-old resident of the village of Kurchaloy Elimkhanov Rakhman Shamkhanovich was found at the edge of the village Melchu-Khi of the Chechen Gudermes district. The corpse with signs of violent death was found not far from the Rostov-Baku highway. Elimkhanov had been abducted a day before by service personnel of the Anti-terror center at the Ministry of the Interior of the Chechen Republic (the former security service of the Chechen president known as “kadyrovtsy”). The murdered man was a private entrepreneur. He owned a small workshop in the village of Kurchaloy where furniture is produced. The business was quite successful. Four of Elikhanov's employees were abducted together with him. Three of them were later released. Besides, the perpetrators of this crime subjected three other residents of the village of Kurchaloy to arbitrary detention. As it was established, at about 3 am on 11 November 2005 a group of kadyrovtsy entered the territory of the village riding in several UAZ vehicles and stopped near the house belonging to Rakhman Elimkhanov situated in Sovetskaya Street. The group was headed by Lemi Salmanov. Providing no explanations, the unwanted guests made Rakhman Elimkhanov get up and took him away to an unknown destination. Kadyrovtsy told his family members that they were taking him to the local police office. Three of Elimkhanov's employees were disappeared in the same way, including Shakhtiev Musa Sayd-Magomedovich (aged 27) living in Vostochnaya Street, Abdulmunapov Murat Khasanovich (aged 27) living in the North part of the village in A. Sharipov Street and Kutsaev Arbi Sultanovich (aged 23) living in Sovetskaya Street. Arbi Kutsaev was released at dawn. Some unidentified people took him to the edge of the village in a car and left there. The residents of the village suppose that the perpetrators treated Katsaev in such a merciful way as he lost his wife and two children (aged 1 and 2) in the fire in October 2005. As there had been no information about the whereabouts of the other abducted people, on 11 November their relatives turned to the local police office and the district administration with the request to assist them in searching for them. The same day relatives of the abducted people managed to find two of them, including Musa Shakhtiev and Murat Abdulmunapov. Both of them were being kept by the fighters of the Anti-terror center stationed in the village of Mayrtup of the Chechen Kurchaloy district. Their relatives are reported stating that both men were in a serious condition. There were numerous signs of torture on their bodies. The whereabouts of Rakhman Elimkhanov were not established that day. In the evening of 11 November at about 7.30 pm a group of unidentified people abducted Akhmed Magomedovich Etsiev (born 1949) living in Druzhba Street. The abducted man worked as night watchman in the workshop belonging to Rakhman Elimkhanov. He was taken away from the working place. The following day, on 12 November, the corpse identified as Rakhman Elimkhanov was found at the outskirts of the village of Mekchu-Khi. The man was killed and there were numerous signs of torture on his body. According to the villagers' testimonies, on 12 November at about midday the same group of kadyrovtsy who abducted Elimkhanov and his employees carried out a special operation in the village in which they detained three other residents, including Akhmatov Yakhya Abubakarovich (born 1982) living in Kirov Street, Gabaev Kanu (aged 24) and Vitaev Arbi Alsoltovich (aged 24). At night of November 12 all the abducted workmen of the workshop and other residents of Kurchaloy village were brought to Kurchaloy district police office. Soon after that Etsiev was set free but he was ordered to come to the interrogation in the morning. As of the present moment, it is established that all the detained people are being kept in custody in the investigative prison of Kurchaloy police office. No legal proceedings have been commenced on the fact of Ramkhan Elimkhanov's murder and no investigative measures have been conducted. Lemi Salmanov, the commander of the Anti-Terror unit that perpetrated this crime received a state reward a day before the crime, on 10 November that is celebrated as the Militia Day. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 833 Shelling of Vedeno district At night from 15 to 16 November, 2005 the mountainous and forested area situated in the vicinity of villages of Eshilkhatoy, Elistanzhi, Makhkety and Khattuni was subjected to artillery shelling by the Russian federal forces. The shelling has not caused any casualties among the residents of the villages. (From our correspondent) Nizniy Novgorod Report # 832 The first day of the main hearing of the criminal case concerning charges against the chief editor of “Pravo-zaschita” newspaper Stanislaw Dmitrievsky 16.11.2005. Today at 10 am the court of Nizhny Novgorod Sovetsky district court started to consider the criminal case on charges preferred to the chief editor of “Pravozaschita” newspaper and an executive manager of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society Stanislaw Dmitrievsky under article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (inciting to racial, ethnic and social animosity). Several members and staffers of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights were interrogated today. All of them were summoned as witnesses witness for the prosecution, according to the bill of indictment. At 12 o'clock the judge declared a break in the hearing. The next hearing has been fixed for November 25, 2005. Being questioned, the editor of current newsletters of the Russian-Chechen Information Agency Tatiana Banina, the chairperson of the council of Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights Alexander Lavrentyev and its former chairperson Vitaly Gursky stated to the court that they are absolutely sure that the articles incriminated to Stanislaw Dmitrievsky are aimed at establishing peace in the Chechen Republic as they contain calls to political reconciliation of the armed conflict there. Two lawyers are defending Dmitrievsky in court. They represent nationalities between which Dmitrievsky allegedly incites hatred - an ethnic Russian Yury Sidorov (Nizhny Novgorod) and an ethnic Chechen Leyla Khamzaeva (Moscow). Editor in Chief Stanislav Dmitrievskiy Editor of this release is Oksana Chelysheva Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 831 New disappearances in Achkhoy-Martan district center At night from 10 to 11 November 2005 service personnel of the Russian federal forces carried a special operation in the village of Katyr-Yurt of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district. They opened fire at the abandoned household No13? in Lenin Street. In the operation the military occupied two neighboring households belonging to the Umalotovs and Madaevs families. The Russian military spent the entire night in the houses and they didn't allow their residents to leave them for a safe place. Talking to members of these families, a correspondent of the RCIA established the following details: on 10 November two “UAZ” (“tabletka”) vehicles drove up to the abandoned household No13? situated in Lenin Street. Several people in camouflage got out of the vehicles and spent some minutes and searched the household. Then they spent a few minutes nearby talking over a cell phone and after that they drove away. A few hours after that, a group of the Russian military servicemen approached the same household in armored personnel carriers. Having seized the Umalotovs' and the Madaevs' households, they launched fire at the empty house. They told the people that some Chechen combatants were hiding in the house. All the attempts of the people living in the houses that there was nobody inside the neighboring house failed and the military kept firing. The witnesses testify that there was no fire in response. The military had a few meals in the breaks. To provide them with food, they searched the Umalatovs' and the Madaevs' houses. They brought only vodka with them. The residents of the houses kept asking to allow them to leave the house for a safer place but the military refused to let them out. Besides, they didn't let in the head of the administration of Achkhoy-Martan district when he came to the site to find out the reasons for “the armed operation”. All in all, the military kept fourteen people including a disabled child. Only when service personnel of the Chechen OMON arrived at the scene of the accident, they managed to get all the children out of the households to a safer place. When it was over, the Russian military collected residents of some neighboring houses and showed them a corpse of a man who they stated had been killed by them in the “clash”. According to the witnesses, there were no signs of bullet wounds on the corpse. There was no dirt on it either. Thus, the witnesses assume that the military must have brought the corpse from some other place. After the military had left the houses, members of the Madaevs family found out that a new TV set, gold jewelry and some other valuables had gone with them as well the food supply stored for a coming winter. (From our correspondent) Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 830 New disappearances in Achkhoy-Martan district center On 12 November 2005 at about 9 am unidentified people in camouflage and masks abducted a resident of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district Nadaev Mamed Bauddinovich (born 1975). The man was taken away from his house situated at the address 82 Pavlov Street. The man was reportedly subjected to unmerciful beating by the perpetrators. The same day, according to the information obtained from a source within the Ministry of the Interior, another resident of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district was subjected to enforced disappearance. It was El'murzaev Akhmed Ovkhadovich (born 1972). He lives at the address 41 Orekhovaya Street. (From our correspondent) http://www.ria.hrnnov.ru/eng/index.php