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International
Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)
Minimum Security Conditions do Not Exist For Free and Fair Elections
In a new report
issued today, entitled "Still In a State Of Terror-Chechnya After the
Referendum", the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
(IHF) states that the security situation in Chechnya remains abysmal
and does not provide the minimum conditions necessary for conducting
free and fair elections.
Based on a fact-finding mission to Chechnya and Ingushetia, the report
demonstrates that citizens continue to live in a state of terror, despite
Russian government claims of a "political process" leading to "normalization".
The report concludes that neither presidential elections, scheduled
to take place on 5 October, nor any other elections should be conducted
in Chechnya under such conditions, and calls upon the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to make clear to the Russian
authorities that the prospective elections cannot possibly satisfy OSCE
criteria for free and fair elections.
On 18 August, Chechen human rights organizations issued an appeal, in
which they stated that "[they did] not believe the elections will bring
peace to the Chechen Republic if the supporters of independence, including
members of the Chechen Resistance, are left out of the political process.
The experience in resolving conflicts in many "hot spots" on the planet
indicates that the cessation of an armed confrontation must precede
any election or referendum."
The IHF mission team observed that Chechnya remains a lawless zone,
where violence and human rights abuses are perpetrated by a wide range
of state and non-state actors. The material collected by the IHF team
indicates that the level of grave human rights abuses - such as forced
disappearances, killings, torture, illegal detention, indiscriminate
attacks on populated areas and persecution of human rights defenders
- for the summer of 2003 is higher than in the months preceding the
22 March Referendum.
[11.09.2003
11:14] IHF
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