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Jan 6 2005 4:48PM At least 175 Chechens abducted in 2004 still missing MOSCOW. Jan 6 (Interfax) - At least 396 Chechen residents were abducted in 2004, and 175 of them are still missing, the Memorial human rights center told Interfax on Thursday. "According to the latest reports, 396 people were abducted in Chechen territory in 2004, and 187 of them were released, 24 found killed, and 175 have gone missing. Another 10 people who were presumed to have been abducted, are currently under investigation," Dmitry Grushkin of Memorial said. Another 293 locals were found killed in Chechnya last year, according to human rights workers, he said. "Among them are 114 civilians, 101 officers from Chechen law enforcement agencies, 7 public officials, and 36 guerillas. Another 35 people have still not been identified," Grushkin said. Memorial workers monitored the observance of human rights on 25% to 30% of Chechen territory in 2004, having no access to the mountainous regions, he said. "Therefore, the real scale of crimes against civilian population can be several times larger," he said. Meanwhile, the Chechen authorities confirmed that the observance of human rights in the republic is not improving as dynamically as it should. "Improvement of the situation surrounding human rights is our priority, but this problem is not being resolved as quickly as we would like it to, in particular, because of the difficulties in the socioeconomic sector that are still in place," Secretary of the Chechen Security Council Rudnik Dudayev earlier told Interfax. Chechen Prime Minister Sergei Abramov earlier stated that, to uproot abductions, anyone involved in them, be it guerillas or law enforcers, must be punished. "We are all talking about this, and even a single case of disappearance of a person is a very serious and alarming occasion for the region. We take all such cases into consideration," Abramov said at a press conference in Moscow in December. KOMMERSANT News, JANUARY 07, 2005 Reporters Without Borders are Dissatisfied with Freedom of Speech in Russia January 7, Reporters Without Borders have issued a worldwide press freedom index, in which they express concerns about the situation in Russia and the entire world, BBC reports. Reporters Without Borders rank Russia among the worst countries (121st out of 139), where "press freedom is a dead letter and independent newspapers do not exist." The organization notes that in Russia "the only voice heard is of media tightly controlled or monitored by the government. The very few independent journalists are constantly harassed, imprisoned or forced into exile by the authorities. The foreign media is banned or allowed in very small doses, always closely monitored." The independent organization believes it is still difficult to work as a journalist in Russia and several have been murdered or imprisoned. It gives the example of Grigory Pasko, "jailed since December 2001 in the Vladivostok region of Russia, was given a four-year sentence for publishing pictures of the Russian Navy pouring liquid radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan." However, Russia is not the worst among other CIS members. In Belarus (124th), the referendum on President Lukashenko's third term was preceded by closing a number of independent editions. Moreover, the investigation of murdered journalist Dmitry Zavadsky's case was stopped despite or due to the signs of high-ranking officials being involved in it. Uzbekistan (120th) is also conducting a purposive policy to suppress independent press. A journalist was imprisoned for a far-fetched accusation of homosexuality. An attack on freedom of press is taking place in Azerbaijan (101st), especially after October 2003 presidential election. Journalists have no adequate working conditions in the country, an opposition journalist was imprisoned for five years. No freedom of the press can be observed in Turkmenistan (136th). Despite the violations during the presidential election, the situation in Ukraine (112th) is considered better than in Russia. According to the report, the worst situation has developed in eastern Asia, North Korea, Burma, China, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh and Laos – these countries suffer the most from censorship and pressure of authorities. A little better is the situation in the Middle East, however, Syria and Saudi Arabia simply do not presuppose the existence of independent mass-media. Self-censorship is widely-spread in the region. On the whole, as many as 53 journalists were killed in 2004, which is highest since 1995. At least 907 journalists were arrested, over 1,000 were threatened or assaulted. In 2004, the organization registered 622 cases of censorship. As of January 1, 2005, 107 journalists and 70 authors of nonconformist materials were in jail. The most dangerous country, as last year, was Iraq. Over the past 12 months, 31 mass media workers were killed in the country. Most frequently, journalists fell victims of terror attacks or guerrilla's military activities, but the death of four journalists is the responsibility of the Command of U.S. Armed Forces: On March 18 in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers shot mistakenly a camera team of Al-Arabiya TV-channel. A month later, the same lot fell upon journalists of Al-Iraqiya TV channel. In October last year, the organization published a similar rating. Russia was 140th out of 167 countries on the list. Worst-ranked CIS countries were Turkmenia (164th), Belarus (144th), Uzbekistan (142nd), Ukraine (139th), Azerbaijan (136th), Kazakhstan (131st), Kyrghizia (107th), Tajikistan (95th), Georgia (94th), Armenia (83rd), Moldova (78th). Kavkaz Center Poland Became Our Prison On January 5, the refugees from the occupied CRI, now living in the camp “Vinin” near the Polish town of Kalvar, got in touch with the employees of Chechen-Russian Friendship Society editorial office in Nizhni Novgorod. According to the forced migrants, the inhuman living conditions of their families in the refugee camp made them to apply to human rights defenders. Some inhabitants of this camp gave the following information during the telephone conversation. Liana Gashueva, the refugee from Chechnya, former resident of the settlement Komsomolskoe in Urus-Martanovski region of Chechnya: “We were forced to leave our homeland. You know, it was not easy at all. But we hoped to find better living conditions here and security for our children. In order to realize that Russia’s declarations about stabilization of the present situation in Chechnya are not true, one should go to Chechnya and to see the whole truth with his own eyes. When we came here, we thought we would live normally, that we had saved our children. But that did not come true. People have lived here for years. I have got two children. My sister came together with her disabled husband:  his leg is amputated. They have got three children. There are about fifty families living in the camp now, altogether around one hundred fifty persons. People have lived here for years without any chance to leave for another country. The living conditions force the people to leave the camp. Our children cannot eat “the meal” often prepared from rotten food. There are also no conditions for a normal life. Three or four families live in one room. A bathroom and a toilet are public – for all the rooms in one hallway. The same is with the kitchen. We cannot even think of renting a flat. There are many oncological patients. We do not absolutely know, who is ill here and what illness he is suffering from. They do not examine us at all. One doctor comes occasionally. We get only painkillers and no other medications. Children do not go to school they stay at home.  People who live here have no future. It is impossible to live in these conditions. I cannot realize why they deport our people from Europe to Poland. It became our prison. We were settled in the forest…” People living in such conditions try to find a shelter in other European countries. Now the authorities are trying to deport one of such families with four children to Russia because of their attempt to cross the border illegally. Several women, who were deported back to Poland from different European countries, told us what had happened to them. Fatima Akhtmakhanova, 36 years old I came to Poland together with my family one month ago. I am shocked with this Poland and this “refuge”. I have got oncological decease. My sister Zulikhan is 34 years old. She has got two children. I went to see a doctor in the camp. He said for the time being there was no money for medical treatment in the budget. I know that many sick people have been waiting for this money for months. But I have got breasts tumor. I left Chechnya to get some sort of help, some medical treatment. I have no money for medical treatment in Russia. It is known in the whole world that public health service system is totally destroyed in Chechnya. My sister had a tumor in the axillary area; it was cut away last year in Moscow. Now my sister needs medication. There are very many injured persons in the camp with some parts of body who have passed abscission of some part of the body. Some of them have even no place where they can get some roller bandage. All refugees living in Poland do not want to stay there. We want to know why we have no access to Europe. Yesterday we applied to the remedial organizations in Germany. We hope today our declaration will be read in Strasburg. But we do not know whether something will change for the better or not. One month ago there was a similar rebellion in “Demback”. People were starving during a week with no result. UN representatives and journalists came there and gave some promises. But there have been no changes for the better, even in respect to nourishment. I have lived here for a month only, but other people have lived here 9-10 months, and they have no longer any hope. We escaped Russian oppression and found ourselves in Polish captivity. Our children cannot learn, there are no kinder gardens. Children are running along the passages all day long, they have nothing else to do. The administration incriminates us this problem. There is some infection in the camp; we state it to the doctor. All the children are being ill for three – four weeks.  Last night my six years old nephew was speaking deliriously because of fever. Doctors distribute some syrup; no serious examinations of sick people are made. Here in the camp, the adults are in the same poor condition, as their children. No attention is paid to people. Over and above, everybody has indigestion because of the meal in the canteen. We have asked the administration to give us some food. We will cook ourselves. But nobody cares. To my opinion, the manager of the camp hates the Chechens. Whatever we said to him, he turns away. His family name is Lukashenko. Nobody knows his first name and patronymic. To solve all problems we apply to his deputy – Pavel Panchevsky. He is a normal man. But he depends on his authority. Saidova Malkhan Akhmedovna, the mother of two children When we came to Poland my daughter had already suffered from the cardiac insufficiency. She had had her first heart attack when she eye witnessed her elder brother’s abduction last year, in May. Kazbeck was then 18 years old. We bought him out and left immediately. Kazbeck was then beaten heavily. His knee has hurt till now. He receives no medical treatment. We had lived in a tent camp for three and a half years. All my children are ill; I am not myself able to stand on my feet. Constrainedly, when I was refused to receive some medical treatment here, I wanted to leave for Austria together with my children. I wanted my children to be recovered. On crossing the Czech Border I was caught. In Czechia I stayed for one month and twenty days in prison together with my small children. It was unbearable. Now we receive no medical treatment. My daughter is not well every day, she is often sick. When we went to the doctor, we were told: “Everything is all right with her. Nothing terrible has happened”. And she has heart ache every day. Everybody here can  prove, how she faints.” RChFS 2005-01-08 January 7th 2005 · Prague Watchdog Body of detainee found in Serzhen-Yurt Ruslan Isayev, North Caucasus - A male body covered with bullet wounds was found on the outskirts of the village of Serzhen-Yurt in the Shali district. Local inhabitants identified it as Islam Zukhayrayev, a fellow villager who was arrested by Chechen law enforcers on December 28 and whose relatives were then unable to find his whereabouts. According to the relatives, Zukhayrayev was not in contact with any Chechen guerrillas. Itar-Tass: Christmas service ministered in only Orthodox temple of Grozny 07.01.2005, 19.28 GROZNY, January 7 (Itar-Tass) - Many servicemen and police officers on mission in Chechnya from various regions of Russia attended a Christmas service in the only Orthodox temple in Grozny on Friday. The church does not have a priest yet, and Rev. Varlaam visited Grozny to minister Orthodox Christmas services. There are about 100 Orthodox believers in Grozny, and nearly all of them are elderly people. Terek Cossacks built the Orthodox temple in Grozny 112 years ago. The church was semi-ruined in the hostilities, and the reconstruction began several weeks ago. "The reconstruction will be complete by Orthodox Christmas of 2006," Rev. Varlaam told Itar-Tass. Chechen President Alu Alkhanov visited the church several days before the New Year. "The Orthodox church and a mosque are under repairs in the town. Both of them will receive equal allocations from the budget. All the religions have equal rights here," Alkhanov told the press. Jan 8 2005 2:07PM Chechen dancer kidnapped in Grozny GROZNY. Jan 8 (Interfax) - Ibragim Khamuradov, a solo dancer of the Chechen dance company Vainakh, has been kidnapped in Grozny. The dance company's management told Interfax that a group of armed assailants, wearing camouflage, stopped Khamuradov, seized the keys of his new car and abducted the dancer near a market in the city's Oktyabrsky district. The police are looking for the three cars in which Khamuradov's abductors were seen. According to one of the theories, the assailants' goal was to steal the dancer's car. The incident has caused a broad response in Chechnya. Vainakh is a poplar Chechen dance company which continues presenting performances in the republic despite the current complicated situation, and gives concerts in other regions of Russia and abroad.