Женщины и дети: право на жизнь

According to the database of non-governmental human rights organizations and the state legal protection system since the beginning of «anti-terrorist operation» on the territory of the Chechen Republic the number of missing, abducted and violently taken away citizens have been aggregated about three thousand people. At the same time neither the Office of the Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic, nor other law enforcement bodies have ever counted the violent actions undertaken against women and children. It is the first time we turned our attention to monitoring of this kind of crimes because we were absolutely certain about that during each abduction of a person all members of his or her family, as a rule, were exposed to violent actions - robberies, violence, assault. We have about 740 of such significant cases of direct violence.

If we recollect all villainies committed, let’s say, by pirates in Middle Ages, or fascists in concentration camps, we can try subconsciously to understand and comprehend it. Usually it occurred between any conflicting parties, states, and absolutely different cultures or, let’s say, religions. But what has been done to the residents of the Chechen Republic baffles any logic explanation. Citizens of our republic were regularly, severely destroyed and mocked, though it was their own authority, their own country. What occurred here was done on behalf of that state, the citizens of which we are.

That is why it was much heavier to withstand, morally, mentally and physically. Under the slogan of release from religious extremism, terrorism and gangsterism the federal authorities stroke the residents of the Chechen Republic a violent, unjustifiable and unmerited blow.

Why did it happen? In fact, it is not necessary to give the written or oral order to commit the villainies on the territory of Russia. It is possible simply not to punish the guilty people and it will create an adequate spirit and feeling of permissiveness of those who conducts “constitutional order» or «anti-terrorist operation». Actually, from the very beginning of military operations in the Chechen Republic impunity has been made the corner stone. That is to say, representatives of authorities, whether they are militaries, employees of law enforcement bodies or special services, could commit here any crimes, jeered at people, kill, illegally detain and torture the residents of the republic, including women and children. And they did not carry any punishment for their actions. It is the most terrible thing. When militaries feel absolute permissiveness and impunity.

In winter of 2000 the «federals» made massacre of the residents of the settlement of Aldy. Tens of innocent people, including old men, women and children became their victims. And nobody has been punished for it. The similar crime was committed in Samashki in the course of «the first Chechen war». Thus, there was a precedent when mass punishment of the unarmed population had no consequences for those who supervised this «operation», gave or executed the criminal orders.

Most likely, it was the reason that they quietly, especially within the first two-three years of the «anti-terrorist operation» on the territory of the Chechen Republic, abducted people, committed extrajudicial executions and tortured. And fascists could envy the methods used, because, the wildest, most refined and horrifying tortures were applied to the residents of the republic

The result of this impunity is that today we have the grave crimes committed towards the civil population. We have the egregious violations of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and norms of the international law because Russia is the member of the Council of Europe, and it undertook some certain obligations. It is necessary to note, that if in autumn of 1999 it were recognized, that there was a war ongoing in the Chechen Republic, the international law would be applied. But what occurs on the territory of one country usually is not recognized as a war. According to the law «About fighting against terrorism», an «anti-terrorist operation» cannot be conducted with application of rockets «Earth-Earth», aircraft, or, let’s say, heavy armament. In this context we have the following concepts as «apartment», «house», «street», but not more. The most severe war took place in the Chechen Republic, and it was the war without any rules. The armed person could do here anything he wanted, and was not responsible for the actions of arbitrariness.

The case of «colonel Budanov» arduously taken to the court is well known. Actually, this beast in the military uniform has escaped with light fright. Actually, we all understand, what had happened there, in Tangi-Chu. Budanov should receive at least life imprisonment as the moratorium on a death penalty is in place in Russia.

Or «Cadet» – Lapin, for example. In fact, the body of Zelimkhan Murdalov, kidnapped and brutally killed by him, is not discovered so far. And Lapin was not tried for abduction and murder of the person. He was condemned «for misfeasance». In the temporary police department of Oktiabrski district of the city of Grozny where this «Cadet» served horrifying things took place. There is also information received about the cool-headed execution and the subsequent burning of corpses of shot victims, including a body of a woman with obvious signs of pregnancy. There are also facts, that detained people were cut ears, and many other things. But only Lapin had been punished.

Let us see the case of criminal group of the captain Ulman. Members of special task force under his command had shot a group of unarmed peace residents, including a pregnant woman, the mother of several children. Then they burnt their corpses. And nobody can bring this case to the court. We need to note the fact that the people of the Chechen Republic, the President of the republic and the Chairman of the Government addressed this issue to almost all federal instances, including the Constitutional court of Russia. For example, we, along with the NGO (non-governmental organizations), have collected about 50 thousand signatures requiring to judge Ulman according to the Law.

But, surprisingly, as soon as the question of punishment of militaries or employees of law enforcement bodies of Russia, which have committed grave crimes against residents of the Chechen Republic, raises, and press on the court starts, «the telephone right» is triggered; all kind of “skinheads”, chauvinists and nationalists lift their heads. And how must we accept what these beasts in masks had done to our old men, women, and children? Speaking about general situation in the Chechen Republic, we need to admit the fact that we are dealing with well-run killing war machine on the part of the territory of the Russian Federation.

During these years thousand people have approached us. Both victims and their relatives approach us as well. We heard so many shocking stories in the course of this time! I was shaken with a story about one of prisoners of the camp in Chernokozovo, a 14 years girl (I will not tell her surname due to the ethical reasons). Militaries who used to «work» there took her regularly with themselves to their «operations». They forcedly set her into in an armored troop-carrier and left. Upon their return, they again threw this little girl, beaten, raped, bleeding profusely, into the cell. It had happened, if my memory does not fail me, in winter of 2000-2001. There were many cases when women were raped by soldiers in front of husband or father. There was a case in Mesker-Yurt, for example, an old man witnessed how a woman was jeered at by beast in uniform. He died from cardiac rapture, because he could not stand such shame, his own feebleness and powerlessness. There are not tens, but hundreds of cases of violence over women. But there are things, about which people do not speak due to our mentality. In fact, the «Budanov’s case» became property of the wide public on occasion. And the complaint on rape of the girl, the victim of the colonel-sadist, was removed from the case. And a great deal of what is happening here, we will never learn.

We have even cases of violence over men. It is terrible, really terrible. But it had happened as well. It happened in temporary departments of the town of Gudermes; such cases took place in other temporary departments of MOI. Thus, people were humiliated here so much. I do not exclude, that there was a task - to break the spirit of people. Completely. That people would turn to weak-willed and obedient animals. That did not dare to think about protesting, resisting to violence and an arbitrariness.

And what kind of resistance could peaceful citizens, women, children render to militaries? They could just demand observance of the Constitution of the country on the part of the territory of the Russian Federation. If the federal authority considers, that we are citizens of the Russian Federation, both norms of domestic and international law should be observed towards the Russian citizens of the Chechen nationality.

If someone’s son, brother, father, daughter or mother have been detained, nobody demanded to immediately release him or her, nobody spoke that the detained person was not guilty. Relatives of these people usually tried to achieve that they would be informed, who detained this or that person, what the reason of detention was, his or her whereabouts and what he or she was accused of. The injured party has a full right to know about it. It is the standard practice all over the world, even during such wars like on the territory of the Chechen Republic.

We still have hundreds people to be considered as missing persons, as disappeared without trace. Nobody knows, that happened to these citizens, where they are now, whether they are still alive or not. 5, 10 or 15 years will pass, but mother will always wait for her son. Children – for their father. Wife - for her husband. Therefore the war will end in the souls of the people only in case if the person which is registered as missing either will be found alive, or will be buried according to our customs in the place where the relatives want.

I would like very much, that the truth about what had been happening here during all these years, about violation of the rights and freedom of a person, violence over the peaceful population, became property of the society. That the rising generation knew what had happened to the residents of the Chechen Republic. That traces of many severe crimes have not been covered up, as some high-ranking officials from various authorities, including the Prosecutor-General’s Office would be wishing. That no any crime would remain unpunished. Otherwise something can occur here again. It will turn out, that everything that happened here had been done correctly. And we will never manage to erase the label that Chechen is a gangster, this shameful label, which had been «hung» on us during last years.

I, as the Representative on human rights in the Chechen Republic, have prepared the special report «Violence toward women and children». When the parliament will return after the holidays, I will read it out, most likely, at the session of both chambers. We should set one task for bodies of the government – we need concrete charges directed against concrete people. Either the charges should be dismissed from the person, or his guiltiness should be proved. The third it is not given.

The main thing now is to get that the federal authorities to establish the state commission aimed on searching for missing people, revealing the whereabouts of violently taken away citizens of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Chechen Republic, identifying of those who committed crimes and their punishment. We need a decree of the president of Russia on establishment of the inter-departmental commission, which will be engaged in investigation of the reasons led to mass kidnappings and extrajudicial executions of citizens as well as calling to account of all those guilty for committing the crimes. Only in this case we can be confident that nothing similar will happen again.

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