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EXILED CHECHEN STUDENTS SEEK US SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (AFP) - Chechnya will slide into Islamic extremism unless the West steps in to stop Russia's human rights violations in the tiny republic and backs democracy initiatives, two exiled Chechen students warned here Monday. "I don't think anyone knows what is going on there and the silence of the international community is killing the Chechens," said Aslan, 23, who asked that his family name not be used for security reasons. Aslan, as well as fellow student Milana, 25, spoke at a forum in Washington as part of a trip to the United States to raise awareness about Russia's ruthless campaign in the Caucasus republic. Both students, who are exiled in Paris, were also seeking support for "Marsho", a youth organization they have created to promote democracy values in the republic, and for Etudes Sans Frontieres (Studies Without Borders), an organization founded by a group of French students in 2003 to help their counterparts from war-torn countries. While in Washington they were to meet with officials from the State Department and National Security Council as well as members of the Senate foreign relations committee and media organizations. "Our objective is simple," said Raphael Glucksmann, one of the founders of Etudes Sans Frontieres, which hopes to open chapters in the US and other countries. "Perhaps by bringing students out of Chechnya it would open up this ghetto. "If the Russian army is all they see of the outside world then that's a good breeding ground for terrorism." Bruce Jackson, director of the Project on Transitional Democracy, which sponsored the students' visit here, hailed their project. "This is a private sector French initiative at the cutting edge of rebuilding democracy by peaceful means," he said. "Why can't America also provide educational opportunities?" "It's not only in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan that we believe in democracy, we also believe in democracy in Russia." He said it was ironic that a group of French students were in Washington "to remind the United States about democracy and human rights and what responsibilities are in the international system." Russian troops stormed Chechnya in October 1999 to re-establish control after a defeat in a first war against separatist guerrillas in 1994-96. Center for Strategic and International Studies Author: Sarah E. Mendelson Date of Publication: September 29, 2005 Related Research Focus: Russia & Eurasia Experts : Sarah E. Mendelson Anatomy of Ambivalence: The International Community and Human Rights Abuse in the North Caucasus Dr. Sarah E. Mendelson Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies September 29, 2005 The author is grateful for the support of the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, under authority of a Title VIII grant from the U.S. Department of State. The author thanks Jessica Scholes, Nancy Lord, Dmitry Ivanov, Pavel Vasilev, Alina Tourkova and Karina Mashuryan for research assistance. The paper draws on an international conference co-sponsored by the author and Fiona Hill held in May 2005 in Berlin. The author thanks Fiona Hill, the Bosch Foundation, the Open Society Institute and the Glaser Progress Foundation, the Brookings Institution and the participants in the Berlin meeting. The author is also grateful to numerous activists, policy makers and officials for making time to discuss this issue in depth, many of whom wished to remain anonymous. Abstract: This paper advances explanations for the relative lack of international response to gross human rights abuses in Chechnya. Findings contrast starkly with scholarship that touts the power of human rights and instead highlights a crisis within the international human rights community. Regarding the responses to abuse in the North Caucasus, we find a lethal mix of residual superpower influence, coupled with widespread organizational dysfunction and high tolerance for noncompliance with human rights norms -- precisely within the very organizations that have as their mandate monitoring compliance. Russian and international human rights activists are profoundly discouraged about the international community and their inability to affect change. Despite official rhetoric on the importance of human rights, many government officials and senior members of international organizations betray a superficial knowledge of and an ambivalent relationship to human rights norms and laws. Interviews suggests that inside some policy communities in Europe and the United States, compliance with human rights law and norms is viewed as an overly expensive luxury and, rarely, if ever a necessity. Those who recognize the security implications of abuse and impunity are a minority. ... Continues.... From a PDF document at: http://www.csis.org/ruseura/caucasus/media/csis/pubs/index.php option=com_csis_pubs&task=view&id=1911 Germany: New Government Should Bolster Global Human Rights 26 Oct 2005 14:25:49 GMT Source: Human Rights Watch (Berlin, October 26, 2005) The incoming German government should become a force for human rights protection worldwide, Human Rights Watch said today. Germany must take a stronger position against human rights abuses in major countries like Russia and China. To encourage the German government to expand its role as an advocate for human rights, Human Rights Watch has opened an office in Berlin. "Germany has a special role to play in defending human rights all over the world," said Marianne Heuwagen, Germany Director of Human Rights Watch "The German government needs to use its close relationship with countries like Russia to promote respect for human rights." In particular, the German government should focus on protecting human rights in countries like Russia, China, Uzbekistan and Sudan. Russia: The incoming German government should use the special German-Russian relationship to pressure Moscow to end the forced disappearances, rape, torture and extrajudicial executions by its federal troops in Chechnya. Such atrocities are committed on a daily basis there. Chechen forces are also committing grave human rights abuses in the region. As part of the European Union, the German government should press Russian authorities to undertake credible and transparent investigations of atrocities in Chechnya, and institute a genuine accountability process for crimes committed by Russian forces in the region. Germany should also closely monitor the threats to freedom of _expression and other basic human rights in Russia today. Uzbekistan: As part of the European Union, Germany has insisted that the Uzbek government halt its campaign of increasing repression against human rights defenders and civil society activists in the wake of the May 13 massacre in Andijan. Germany has also demanded an international inquiry into the Andijan violence and imposed a set of EU-wide sanctions in response to President Islam Karimov's refusal to conduct such an inquiry. Today, Berlin should seek political support from key non-EU countries like Russia for an independent international investigation into the Andijan massacre. In addition, the German government should conduct continuous monitoring of post-Andijan trials. China: Germany should increase its efforts to improve human rights conditions in China. In particular, the German government should convey the message that economic progress and respect for human rights and the rule of law go hand in hand. Independent courts are crucial for the resolution of business disputes, and a free press is essential for tackling corruption and as well as health crises such as SARS, HIV/AIDS and avian flu. The Chinese government routinely harasses, imprisons, mistreats and tortures its political opponents, including activists from ethnic groups who call for greater autonomy. Freedom of _expression on the Internet is under growing threat. When Chinese President Hu Jintao visits Berlin in mid-November, the German government should raise the issues of protecting freedom of religion and _expression, strengthening civil society, and ending censorship of the Internet. In addition, Germany should not advocate for an end to the EU arms embargo put in place after the 1989 Tiananmen massacre until the Chinese government undertakes transparent, credible investigations into the killings and holds those responsible for the massacre accountable. Afghanistan: As part of the International Security Assessment Force in Afghanistan, Germany should enhance its political, technical and financial support to improve security conditions in the country even further. Warlords and armed factions dominate most of the country and routinely violate the human rights of the most vulnerable groups: women and girls. In the south of the country, civilians are increasingly caught in the middle of the conflict between Taliban and the U.S.-led coalition that supports the central government. The German government should work to establish a Special Court in Afghanistan to hold perpetrators of grave human rights abuses accountable and remove them from positions of power, especially as more than half of the newly elected members of Afghanistan's parliament have links to armed factions or records of human rights violations. Germany should also use its position of influence to press the United States to comply with the Geneva Conventions and basic human rights standards in its treatment of Afghans. Sudan: Germany was instrumental in securing the Security Council's groundbreaking referral of the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court in late March. At present, however, the situation in Darfur remains grim, with more than two million people displaced and violence growing in recent weeks. Germany, together with the European Union and like-minded states such as the United States and Canada, should embark on a comprehensive effort to reverse the campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Germany should help expand EU and NATO support to the African Union mission, particularly the civilian police component. It should demand that the Sudanese government cooperate fully with the African Union and remove obstacles to AU civilian protection efforts. Germany also should consider calling on the European Union to impose sanctions such as travel sanctions and asset freezes on individuals who have committed gross violations of human rights or international humanitarian law.