| Appeal from the
President of the ChRI A.-H. Sadulayev to the heads of foreign states, in
connection with the celebrations in Moscow of the 60th anniversary of
"Victory Day". In the name of Allah the Gracious and Merciful! You have gathered today for the holiday celebrations, organized by the Kremlin regime, on the occasion of the so-called "Day of Victory" over German Fascism. I would be happy to greet your "representative forum", if all the issued declarations and assertions in connection with this event would correspond a little with reality. There are many peoples in the world, among them the Chechens in the first line, which have themselves experienced all the horrors of the real Fascist regimes of the Russian empire during the four-century-long history of their struggle for freedom and independence. The truth for many peoples, including the Chechens, lies in an objective evaluation of the results of World War II, which is basically different from the Russian interpretation. 60 years ago, one form of Fascism (Hitler's Nazism) was forcibly crushed by another form (Stalin's Socialism), which was no less inhuman and brutal towards the "liberated" peoples. The occupation of the countries of Eastern Europe for almost half a century, the deportation of the native peoples of the Caucasus and the Baltic countries to the northern regions of the Soviet empire and the massive repressions against its own citizens have placed the USSR and its Communist leadership headed by Stalin on the same level as the Nazi government of Hitlerite Germany. Therefore it would be blasphemous today to turn with greeting words to you, who have come to Moscow for Putin's propagandistic celebrations in honour of the victory of the Soviet occupiers, who considerably surpassed Fascism with regard to refined methods of violence and terror. By pronouncing elevated words about the "historic victory" over Nazi Germany 60 years ago, you pretend that you do not notice the monstrous crimes against humanity, which the terrorist Kremlin regime is committing daily on the territory of the tiny Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Your greeting words in the capital of an aggressor state sound like justifications of the murder of more than 25% of the population of Chechnya. Your handshakes with Putin and other Russian leaders signify your approval of the experience of the Fascist concentration camps at Buchenwald and Auschwitz, which is today applied to the Chechens by the Russian occupiers. And your applause at Putin's parade is received as raptures over the murder of 45 thousand Chechen children. I do not direct my words of greeting to you, but to those members of the peoples of the world, including Russians, who, in spite of the turns of the Fascist regimes, stood firm, preserved human dignity and showed their sympathy to the Chechen people, which by the will of fate got under the millstones of Kremlin Neo-fascism. The Chechen people is grateful to the people of good will, who continue to show their moral support, in spite of the desire of the heap of hypocritical rulers, an also for their understanding of the fact that the freedom given to the people by the Most High cannot be taken away by any regime. For our and your Victory! May Allah bless his true servants who rose against disbelief and dishonesty on this culpable earth! Abdul-Halim Sadulayev, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Amir of the ChRI State Defense Committee - Madjlisul Shura 2005-05-09 http://kavkaz.org.uk/russ/content/2005/05/09/33702.shtml [My unauthorized translation] For Immediate Release: May 9, 2005 Contact: Jillian Gladstone (212) 845 5245 Bush Avoids Raising Human Rights Abuses in Chechnya during Visit to Moscow New York – During meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday in Moscow, President Bush sidestepped the ongoing conflict in Chechnya, where Russian forces continue to commit serious human rights violations. In February, President Bush did raise the need for democratic reforms in Russia while meeting with President Putin in Bratislava, and during a short visit to the Netherlands on May 9 again stated that "there is no power like the power of freedom." President Bush is flanking his visit to Moscow with stops in Latvia and Georgia, where democracy is central to his message. However, the Bush administration's reluctance to comment specifically on the escalating conflict in Chechnya and mounting repression of those who monitor and comment on the human rights situation in the region is disappointing. "President Bush should not substitute generalities about freedom and democracy for objections to specific violations," said Neil Hicks, Director of International Programs at Human Rights First. "This is especially vital since those in Russia who expose violations of human rights have themselves become the target of government attack." Human rights defenders are accused and investigated under counterterrorism laws, criticized for their supposed lack of patriotism, and of being fifth-columnists in a country at war. Another important opportunity for Bush and other G8 leaders to pressure Putin to stop human rights violations in Chechnya will come at the G8 summit scheduled for July 6, 2005 in Scotland. Russia is scheduled to host the G8 in 2006. Background Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the Putin government has described its violent conflict with separatists in Chechnya – which has resulted in grave abuses against civilians, including torture, disappearances, and killings – as part of the international fight against terrorism. Today, while remembering those who lost their lives in the conflict with Nazi Germany, President Putin again alluded to the current global conflict with terrorism. Through such allusions, the Russian leader seeks to divert global attention from continuing violations in Chechnya and the North Caucasus. Since September 2001, international criticism of the Russian government's human rights abuses in the name of counterterrorism, especially in Chechnya, has diminished. After President Putin refused to allow the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Chechnya to continue its human rights monitoring activities in late 2002, and the OSCE closed down its office in the region. At this year's 61st meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, the United States joined other governments in announcing its intention to not introduce resolutions critical of the Russian Federation's practices in Chechnya. More on Human Rights Defenders http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/defenders/hr_defenders.htm |