Ekho Moskvy, 10 September 2003

Russian rights group says Chechen voters being subjected to pressure

[Presenter] A number of Russia's independent human rights organizations have refused to act as observers at the Chechen presidential elections in October, rights campaigner Lev Ponomarev, managing director of the movement For Human Rights has told our radio station.

[Ponomarev] We cannot take part in the elections as observers because we would thus legitimize the elections in a certain way. The authorities would then say the fact is that rights campaigners acted as observers at the elections, therefore the elections are legitimate. This is our first reason. They are illegitimate to begin with. The second reason goes as follows. We know that enormous pressure is being put on local voters. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is the main convincing argument there. We know what sweeps are about. We know how many people have gone missing. We have become aware that it happens that they come to villages and say your village must vote for Kadyrov. You know what is going to happen to you if you do not vote this way. And they know what is going to happen. Young people of this village will be taken to an unknown destination point and they will die. All decisions have been made in advance. Therefore, rights campaigners are not going to participate in this farce, in this show, and legitimize it in any way.

[Passage omitted]