HRW: Russia: St. Petersburg
Summit Should Not Eclipse Chechen Suffering
(New York, May 30, 2003)
World leaders should not ignore human rights violations in Chechnya at the upcoming
summit with Russia, Human Rights Watch said today. “The number of murders
and forced disappearances committed in Chechnya makes the republic one of the
most dangerous places on earth. St. Petersburg’s splendor should not eclipse
this.”
Elizabeth Andersen
Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia Division
The E.U.-Russia summit starts today in St. Petersburg, against the backdrop of
the city’s 300th anniversary festival. Russian President Vladimir Putin
will also welcome leaders from more than forty-five countries to his native city,
hosting a lavish program of events to mark the anniversary. President Putin will
meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on June 1.
“EU and U.S. leaders should look beyond the festivities to Russia’s
appalling human rights record in Chechnya,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive
director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division. “The
number of murders and forced disappearances committed in Chechnya makes the republic
one of the most dangerous places on earth. St. Petersburg’s splendor should
not eclipse this.”
Human Rights Watch said that, despite Russia’s assurances of normalization
in Chechnya, the situation on the ground has not improved. With the Chechen war
in its fourth year, civilians continue daily to be victims of killings, forced
disappearances and torture.
According to recently released official statistics, 1,132 civilians were killed
in Chechnya in 2002, making the murder rate there more than five times higher
than in St. Petersburg and one hundred times higher than in EU countries. Since
the beginning of the conflict, hundreds have disappeared without a trace after
being detained by Russian troops. Official statistics indicate that at least two
people “disappear” in Chechnya every day, and showed no decrease in
the number of disappearances for the first three months of 2003.
Human Rights Watch research in March documented twenty-six disappearances between
late December and late February. This was the highest rate of “disappearances”
Human Rights Watch has documented since the beginning of the conflict. Officials
have also recently admitted the existence of forty-nine mass graves containing
remains of almost 3,000 people on the territory of Chechnya.
According to the Russian procuracy, since the beginning of the operation, only
fifty-eight cases against federal servicemen have reached the trial stage, of
those only twelve were on murder charges. Not a single case of forced disappearance
case has reached the courts.
“To date, Russian authorities have shown no commitment whatsoever to investigating
and prosecuting abuses,” said Andersen. “Summit attendees should strongly
back the need for justice.”
The Russian leadership has blatantly disregarded any recommendations made by the
international community to improve human rights compliance in Chechnya. Russia
has refused to issue invitations to key United Nations mechanisms, including the
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture and the U.N. Working Group on Disappearances,
as required by two prior resolutions adopted by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
Russian authorities have further failed to make available detailed information
about the accountability process, as required by the Council of Europe.
Human Rights Watch strongly urged EU and U.S. leaders to use the summit to seek
commitments from President Putin regarding Russia’s compliance with key
U.N. and Council of Europe requirements and regarding protection and security
guarantees for Chechen civilians.
“If Russia wants to be a respected international partner, it should demonstrate
a commitment to internationally recognized human rights norms,” said Andersen.
“If world leaders fail to raise the human rights situation in Chechnya,
that certainly sends a message too.”