Pursuant to his denounciation of the acts committed by Chechen terrorists, Mr Blair’s attitude, indirectly, but clearly supports the Russian policy in Chechnya and sanctions the crimes committed against Chechen population. As a result, this visit constitutes an encouragement for the Russian government to pursue, in a complete impunity, its murderous politics towards Chechens.
Grave violations of International Humanitarian Law in Chechnya have been established : massive and indiscriminate bombings, summary executions, torture, inhuman treatment, false arrests and arbitrary detentions, absence of humanitarian corridors, plunders, extorsion...
On the 3rd of April, the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and Memorial Human Rights Centre published a report - now available on the FIDH website : htttp://www.fidh.org - resulting from an international mission of inquiry, which took place in Moscow and in Ingushtia from the 5th to the 13th of February. This mission’s main objectives included establishing legal definitions of the crimes committed and their criminal responsabilities.
This mission collected numerous testimonies of displaced persons in Ingushtia (majority of whom fled bombings of the following Chechen villages : Zakan-Iourt, Chaami-Iourt and Katyr-Iourt, and the « cleansing » of Grozny in the beginning of February) and of Chechens
living in Moscow.
The testimonies attest that the primary victims of the Russian operations in Chechnya have been civilians. They are indeed constantly assimilated to Chechen terrorists against whom Russian soldiers are officially waging repression. As Mr Iouri Diomin, General Prosecutor of the Armed Forces, declared to the mission : « any strong and recently shaved man between 25 and 40 years old, and/or showing indirect signs of carrying weapons, is suspected to be a terrorist .»
Considering the definitions of several international instruments and of international customary law, all the violations registered in the report, because of their massive, widespread and systematic nature, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report underlines the criminal responsabilities of several military authorities, including the two successive Russian Presidents, Mr Boris Eltsine and Mr Vladimir Poutine. It insists that the two Presidents are to be considered as the main responsibles for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Chechnya.
Moreover, the report includes 25 recommendations adressed to the Russian authorities, to the Chechen authorities and to the international community. FIDH and Memorial notably request the Russian authorities to immediatly stop massive and indiscriminate bombings, put an end to torture and inhuman treatment, guarantee access to medical care for civilians and grant independant media and NGOs free acces to Chechnya. They also urge the Chechen authorities to protect civilians in all circumstances.
Some of these recommendations have already been followed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. On the 6th of April, the Assembly voted the immediate suspension of the Russian delegation voting rights and asked the Committe of Ministers to invoke a procedure for the suspension of Russia’s membership. Moreover, the Parliamentary Assembly called upon the member states to introduce an interstate complaint before the European Court of Human Rights.
It is to be hoped that the cynicism of the international community, which has hastened to congratulate the new President, will not conceal the fact that crimes against humanity are being committed in Chechnya and that their authors will have to be tried.