| Kavkaz Center The Remains of President Aslan Maskhadov To the speakers of the Parliaments of the European countires TO THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT A P P E A L The world cannot but condemn the policy of assassination of legitimate presidents followed by the government of Russia. The relatives of the killed president Maskhadov have appealed to the world conscience for help. They are asking to give them the body of the deceased for proper burial. We would like to respond to their request. The photographs of the half-naked body of the murdered president, degrading his human dignity, have been demonstrated on the Internet and on television. According to some reports, there are plans to display his body publicly in Chechnya, then to bury it secretly. Therefore we declare that: 1. According to the Chechen customs and beliefs, to defile the body of a deceased person by displaying, undressing, showing it publicly, mutilating or not allowing to bury shall be a major offence as well as the ultimate insult to and the _expression of contempt for the deceased and his relatives. 2. According to European customs, the deceased shall not be touched and shall be buried according to the will of the relatives. 3. According to the inhumane position of the Russian government, the body of Mr Maskhadov will not be returned to his relatives because Mr Maskhadov, allegedly, was a terrorist. Even supposing that such a position of Russia could be logical, it is still unfounded as: - Mr Maskhadov never claimed that he carried out acts of terrorism, on the contrary, he always spoke against terrorism and proposed to seek compromises by way of negotiations and peace plans; - No court ever convicted Mr Maskhadov or brought charges against him on the grounds of terrorist activities; - This represents an open breach of the provisions of international law on inhumane treatment. The arbitrary accusations of terrorism against Mr Maskhadov by the Russian authorities are a way to justify Russia\'s military policy in Chechnya and reject, groundlessly, the legitimacy of the president of Chechnya and all customs and law. Adhering to the principles of humanism and law, may we appeal to you to convey your opinion on this matter, promptly, to the Federal Assembly of Russia - the Federation Council and the State Duma. If possible, could you please respond to this appeal of ours. Members of the Lithuanian Seimas 53 Gedimino Ave., LT-01109, Vilnius, Lithuania Tel.: +370 698 42152, e-mail: rykupc@lrs.lt |