CHECHEN REPUBLIC OF ICHKERIA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

URGENT PRESS RELEASE: OUMAR KHANBIEV WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENSE IN STRASTBOURG.

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Chechen Minister of Health Dr. Oumar Khanbiev will hold an urgent press conference in the European Parliament’s building in Strasbourg tomorrow (March 10) at 11.30. A.M. local time. (Room N-1/201).

Press office Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.chechnya-mfa.info

CONFERENCE OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, UMAR KHANBIYEV, ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Strasbourg, March 9, 2004. Mr. Umar Khanbiyev, minister of health in thegoverment of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, will explain at a pressconference in the presence of a number of members of the EuropeanParliament how the militia of the pro-Russian puppet president Khadyrovwith the complicity of the Russian armed forces kidnapped 17 members ofthe Khanbiyev family and exerted a vicious blackmail on the ministersKhanbiyev in order to make them surrender.

The press conference will take place on Wednesday, March 10, at 11.30a.m. in the press room of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (roomN-1/201)

Journalists who want to talk with Mr. Umar Khanbiyev please contact Mrs. Silvja Manzi. Phone: 03-88-17.71.98

===== Olivier Dupuis Member of the European Parliament http://www.radicalparty.org/

The relatives of Umar Khanbiev have been arrested by the russian forces and the Kadyrov Militia.

- in Benoi : 700 soldiers, Russian and Chechens, with masks and armed, in Ouazik armoured [armoured VAZ vehicles, N.S.], entered in the houses. Have beaten, humiliated, have said « all those who are not with Russia, we will kill them. We will not let you think in a different way ». Soldiers with a lot of guns are now occupying the houses, after they have broken everything; they have robbed the money they have founds.

On monday 1 march 2004, Kadyrov's son, Ramzan, arrived and said : « we will exterminated all the Khanbiev, we will do a family genocide, only the smoke (« urbe » in Chechen ») will remain of your house).

Two of the persons were beaten and are now in a serious situation in an hospital.

The conditions of those people are that Magomed, Defence Minister and Umar Khanbiev, surrender. If not they will kil all the Khanbiev. On March 6 they are still occupying the houses. (*)

« Every Khanbiev who will come back here will disapear»

List of the persons arrested, members of the Khanbiev family, on the 29 february in Benoi: - Velid Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev - his son Amroudi Khanbiev - Daoud Khanbiev : cousin of Umar - Issa Khanbiev : cousin of Umar - Amroudi and Zaindi, cousins of Umar - Vakhidat Khanbieva, cousine of Umar Khanbiev and her husband Ousman. Their son (aged 12 years) has been wounded.

They have been brought in an unknown place. Some think it could be Tsentoroi.

One man aged 70, uncle of Umar has asked to Kadyrov's son "why are you attacking our young boys if you that they haven't participated in the fight". Answer of Kadyrov son « we are here to kill all the Khanbiev ».

3 Chechens who were kidnapper between the two wars have been recognized by people of the village « Akhkark » (nick name), Charoumov and Aboukhanov.

Monday 1er march 2004

Aslambek Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev, arrested in the Medecine faculty of Grozny. (v site memo.ru). could have been released because of a strong reaction of the studends.

In Grozny : Chiita Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev, brother of Aslambek, also student in the faculty of medecine.

At the same time, in other places in Chechnya people belonging to the village of Maskhadov (many woman and young people) have been arrested. In Alleroi, Ojei-Iourt and Koren-Benoi, all families were kidnapped. There are now probably in Tsentoroi, natif village of Kadyrov, in prisons and camps where Kadyrov's son torture, kill, ...

=====

Olivier Dupuis Member of the European Parliament http://www.radicalparty.org/ tel. +32 2 284 7198 fax +32 2 284 9198

EU-Russia: Foreign Ministers Meeting Thursday - First Test for the EU's "New" Approach to Russia Feature

09/03/2004       AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EU OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

(Brussels 9 March 2004) Amnesty International today called on the Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, representing the EU Presidency, to put into practice the EU's recently stated objective to make the EU's relations with Russia "more effective", by demanding concrete answers on human rights protection in the Chechen Republic from Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov during Thursday's talks in Dublin.

In the past few weeks alone, Amnesty International has sent out three urgent appeals to the Russian government regarding "disappearances" and abductions of Chechen civilians reportedly carried out by Russian federal forces.

(See: Amnesty International Urgent Appeals - Chechnya. January-February 2004).

These involve a driver working for a US journalist, two Chechen women, one a widow, and the other whose husband has "disappeared". In addition, a prominent Chechen human rights defender was recently arrested and ill-treated by police in neighbouring Ingushetia in a long standing campaign of persecution by the Russian authorities.

"Following the failure of the outgoing Italian EU Presidency to address the Russian President over the continuing grave violations of human rights in Chechnya, and the consequent loss of credibility for the EU's foreign policy, Amnesty International expects the Irish EU Presidency to take a tougher stance with Russia this time around," Dick Oosting, Director of Amnesty International's EU Office said.

Amnesty International recalls that the European Commission recently proposed that in all talks with Russia, "recent political developments, which demonstrate discriminatory application of the law, or the non-respect of human rights should be raised vigorously and coherently by the EU and its Member States."

"We hope that this time, the Irish foreign minister will not be satisfied with empty assurances that things are improving in Chechnya. Europe cannot ignore this ongoing human rights crisis which is now on the EU's own doorstep."

"We are also calling on the EU to take a stronger collective stand on Chechnya when the new session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission opens in Geneva next week. This year, the EU should propose and lobby hard for a resolution which calls on Russia to face up to its responsibilities under international law," Dick Oosting said.

The situation in Chechnya

Despite the insistence of the Russian government that normal life is resuming in Chechnya, Amnesty International continues to receive credible reports of grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law.

These reports indicate the existence of secret, illegal places of detention where Chechens (mostly men, but also women) detained during raids are held and often tortured. The number of these centres appears to be growing and there are additional reports that such detention centres exist outside Chechnya as well.

Chechen civilians who have petitioned the European Court of Human rights, as well as those defending victims, are reportedly subject to torture, ill-treatment and even extra-judicial execution. Russian security forces in Chechnya continue to enjoy almost total impunity for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

At the same time, Amnesty International has unreservedly condemned the indiscriminate killing of civilians in the bomb blast in the Moscow metro on 6 February that killed up to 41 people and injured more than 100. Indiscriminate killing of civilians can never be justified. Amnesty is concerned however about the reported wave of hostility towards Chechens and other people from the Caucasus region in the wake of the metro blast including arbitrary document checks and searches, discriminatory rhetoric and racially-motivated revenge attacks.

Three questions for the EU

Before the EU-Russia summit in Rome in November last year, Amnesty International called on the EU to put three specific questions to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. No response from the EU was forthcoming.

Amnesty International repeats the same three questions for the Irish foreign minister to put to his Russian counterpart, in the hope that this time, the EU will attain some concrete results from its "new" relationship with Russia.

Questions:

o Will the Russian government allow unfettered international human rights monitoring in Chechnya, including international organizations, and provide dates for the visits to Chechnya of experts from the UN Commission on Human Rights (the Special Rapporteurs on Torture, on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, and on Violence against Women)?

o Will Russia commit to immediately halt attempts to forcibly return Chechen internally displaced persons until they can return voluntarily in safety and dignity to their place of origin or choice, and ensure adequate protection and humanitarian assistance?

o Will the Russian government ensure immediate action to bring to justice those responsible for the grave abuses committed during the conflict in Chechnya

For further comment/background and interviews: Amnesty International EU Office (Brussels): Tel: 32-2-5021499 Fax: 32-2-5025686 Email: amnesty-eu@aieu.be Web-site: www.amnesty-eu.org

Nettavisen [Norwegian TV]

http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article196415.ece IMMIGRATION POLITICS: Norway criticized for deporting Chechens Carin Pettersson 08.03.04 13:30

Norwegian authorities are criticized for deporting Chechens to Russia.

Because the number of asylees from the breakaway republic increased greatly last year, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) wants to send Chechen asylees to Russia, according to the Norwegian television channel NRK.

«We are evaluating it so that Chechen asylees can take up residence in other places in Russia than in Chechnya,» said Paula Toloen, assistant director general at UDI.

Anne Marit Austbø at the Norwegian Refugee Council warns against deportation, and said that Chechens will not get any protection by Russian authorities.

«They have problems getting housing and problems being allowed to settle in other places within Russia,» Austbø said.