"We must demonstrate the same resolve to punish a crime against innocent civilians whether it be committed in Washington, Srebrenica or Alkhan Yurt"
Lord Russel-Jonston
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The population is subjected daily to indiscriminate acts of violence by the armed forces and the FSB, notably during cleansing operations and reprisals, but also, and increasingly, to the worst exactions randomly perpetrated by armed groups driving in unmarked cars.
The "cleansing" operations which occurred in July in Sernovodsk, Assinovsaya and in August in Alleroy and Goyskoe amount to real punitive actions targeting all the villagers : surrounded by Russian armored tanks, massive deployment of military men, arrests of the male population, interrogations, tortures, summary executions, pillaging of homes, blackmail and insult.
War crimes and crimes against humanity are still being perpetrated in Chechnya with the highest degree of impunity. If the FIDH takes into account the recent condemnation of 15 military men accused of crimes against civilians, the imbalance between the violations perpetrated by the Russian armed forces in Chechnya and the investigations initiated against their authors is flagrant, especially since these investigations are not followed by any change in the Russian policy in Chechnya designed to stop the conflict. Quite the contrary.
The authorities are using the tragic events that occurred in New York and Washington to justify the continuation of their policy in Chechnya. In no way can the fight against terrorism serve as a pretext to perpetrate serious, massive violations in Chechnya. The present attempts by President Putine to use this as the basis for rallying the international community to its policy, - an attempt spoken up against during the last few weeks even in Russia, - have to be fought with the greatest steadfastness by the European Union. The policy applied in Chechnya was and still is completely contradictory to the universal values that form the basis of the European Union’s foreign policy.
The FIDH requests the EU member states to adopt a firm stance, in accordance with the one previously followed by the Union in other international fora, notably during the last session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Moreover, since the EU members are all members of the Council of Europe, the FIDH considers that they must, during this Summit, publicly support the exigencies formulated by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) which, most exceptionally, in July, published a public declaration condemning the Russian authorities’ lack of cooperation with the CPT. The Russian authorities refused to provide accurate information about the ill treatments given to prisoners and the state of investigations undertaken.
In the present situation, it is urgent for the European Union to underwrite the recent declarations made by the highest authorities of OSCE, in particular the OSCE President, and also the Council of Europe, by publicly reasserting that in no case shall the fight against terrorism serve as a pretext for perpetrating violations against human rights and for increased repression of civilian populations and by condemning all forms of amalgamation.
The European Union has to talk with a single voice and demand respect for the commitments relating to the protection of human rights and humanitarian law, which the Russian authorities endorsed at the international and regional level, and which form the basis of Russia’s partnership with the European Union.
The European Union, moreover, must react to the consequences of crimes committed daily by the Russian forces against the Chechen population by using all possible means, including bilateral political dialogue or relevant international fora.
This conflict can only be solved through political means. The military operations have to yield to political negotiations. The FIDH requests that the European Union condition all economic and security discussions on the effective initiation of political negotiations between the Russian and Chechen governments. The European Union must stand as the guarantor of this process. And, the summit of October 3 must be a major step in this direction.