The report refutes claims of the Russian government that the situation in the Chechen Republic has stabilized and returned to peaceful life. There is no authentic conflict resolution. Instead, the policy of the Russian government only intensifies the “Chechen deadlock”. The process leading up to and including parliamentary elections, which will take place in Chechnya on November 27, 2005, represents a cynical and dangerous game, which has contributed to the establishment of a climate of fear.
The first section of the report, “The Essence of the Political Process in Chechnya”, gives an analysis of the dynamics of the “political process in the Chechen Republic” from the Referendum of 2003 to the parliamentary elections of 2005, including the present situation of media and the campaign. The second section, “In a Climate of Fear”, covers activities of the Chechen fighters, as well as activities of federal and local pro-Moscow security agencies such as hostage taking and vendetta through abuse of official power, torture, the fabrication of criminal cases, and abductions. Parliamentary Elections in a Climate of Fear
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Human Rights Center ‘Memorial’, The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), The Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Center "Demos" are today publishing the report "In a Climate of Fear: the ‘Political Process’
and the Parliamentary Elections in the Chechen Republic."