The Chechen Times

"Put an end to arbitrariness!"

That was the main demand of the participants of a mass protest action which took place on June 30 in front of the building of the pro-Moscow government in Grozny. More than 200 participants from different villages arrived in the Chechen capital before noon. They blocked the Staropromyslovsky road leading from the house of the pro-Moscow government. The protesters, the bulk of whom were women, demanded to give out their relatives and family members who were detained by representatives of different force structures and then disappeared, and to put an end to arbitrariness from the side of the military.

The participants brought slogans saying: "Stop genocide!", "Give us back our sons!", "Put an end to terror!", etc. Many women held the photos of their disappeared sons, relatives, family members.

Later local police arrived, they forced the protesters from the road and unblocked the road for traffic. However, they failed to disperse the crowd. The protesters lined up on the roadside and continued the action. They demanded an official from the pro-Moscow government to come out to listen to their demands.

- The authorities do not hear us today, although we do not demand impossible, - an old woman, who arrived from Kurchaloi, said. - We ask, beg: do not take our sons away, do not kill them! Stop the terror against the civilian population! Stop the violence against people! How many Chechens shall be exterminated in order to finish the so-called "counter-terrorist operation" ?

So far the authorities have remained deaf and blind to those who come up with these slogans. It seems they have, as they believe, more important problems - an election campaign is coming.

Therefore we want to remind of the following. During the years of hardships many want to avoid the responsibility: "We do not care." The prominent Protestant theologian Matin Nimeller, who fell the victim of the Nazi, pinpointed the danger of such position. "When the Nazi began killing Jews I kept silence because I am not a Jew. When the Nazi began persecuting Catholics I didn't lift a finger, because I am not a Catholic. When they began suffocating workers, I did not protest, because I am not a worker. When they harassed the Protestant clergy, I raised the voice of protest, but it was too late."

[29.07.2003 15:23] Adani Sugaipov, our correspondent