Женщины и дети: право на жизнь

In 1999, when the ‘second’ war started, just like representatives of other public organisations, I had to leave the Chechen Republic. We all gathered in Nazran (the Republic of Ingushetia), and there we began to decide, what to do next, how to help the tens and hundreds of thousands of our compatriots, who became victims of this bloody war and violence. The mission of our organisation – it is culture, research and popularization of the Chechen culture – but as soon as the war started, we had to deal with completely different issues. It seems we were drawn into this war and politics.

Nevertheless, providing humanitarian assistance to those who needed it, I did not record this on video or engage in self-advertisement, as some NGO representatives of human rights and public organizations did, who were more concerned about their own image. Most importantly – I photographed these people, and we gave these photos to those organisations that could provide them further assistance. So, all of the facts we gathered we passed to humanitarian organisations. And we saw many tragic situations, because I frequently drove to Grozny, and there I found out the reality of the horrors of the war. I, probably, could have gathered a lot of different documents and stories, but I was simply ashamed to question these women, children and old people, while they were wracked with such grief. Especially, during that terrible time.

In this period, I worked on providing financial assistance to the most needy families. This was not a very large amount of money – $100 each. But with this money, people were able to buy some food products for themselves – flour, sugar, etc. Of course, this was not my money. It was from Ed Klein, the head of the Sakharov Fund, from New York. He has been providing assistance to Chechen children during ten-year period, from the First Chechen war. Every month, Ed Klein sent $1,000 and this money was distributed by our organisation to the suffering people in Chechnya. Of course, we adhered to set of procedures: we wrote down addresses, took photographs, etc. So, we have all the documents confirming that this money was given to the most needy. And I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr. Klein for what he did for our compatriots during this time. And it was gratuitously, sincerely and from the whole heart.

I would also like to thank Vanessa Redgrave, who contributed $10,000 to assist our children.

When I was proposed to be engaged in the mission of providing humanitarian assistance to the people, I immediately refused to distribute humanitarian aid as food products and the tuff, because that would give rise to suspect in price frauds. Very many of those, who were involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid, were suspected (frequently without any basis) in almost all terrible offences, that they did nothing except getting benefit from it. It happened sometimes that they were killed. That is how, for example, Victor Popkov died. He was taking the humanitarian aid into the Chechen Republic. He often visited our republic, taking food products, medicine and many other things.

I refused this. The only thing that I agreed to do was to deliver money to people. This is what I said: “I can only give the money you have given to me in envelopes, write down the details of the recipients and collect their signatures of receipt.” Later on, it also became necessary to take photos of the people to whom I gave money.

In the process of this work, I became acquainted with many people, many adults, and many children, some of whom were crippled for their entire life by this war. For the most part, our assistance went to women, children and people who became disabled in landmine accidents. And during this time, during these trips and meetings with these people, I found out, what war means in reality. Everything that we learned from films, books, documentaries about the violence of the fascists in the Soviet Union – before it seemed unbelievable and like fairy tales. But these ‘fairy tales’ became horribly real for me in the course of this war.

Much of it, of course, I have already forgotten, it worn off my memory. But the stories that some survivors told me – I will never forget them. We spoke a lot with people, including those, who had been in the infamous Chernokozovo concentration camp. I want to tell you only one story, I will not speak about all of them.

Among the people we helped were two young Chechen sisters. One of them was married. They were very beautiful young women, I would say, very lovely. They were taken during the ‘zachistka’ (mopping-up operations) of the village of Alkhan-Yurt.1 When the soldiers took the men, some women, together with their husbands, brothers and sons also got in the same cars, and that is how they came to Chernokozovo. I am telling their story because they are now out of danger and are out of the Chechen Republic.

I did not ask them to tell me what they saw there. But they told me. It was frightening and terrible. There, in Chernokozovo, the jailers were some kind of inhuman people, most likely criminals who were released from jail, let us say, to destroy our city. They raped their victims, both women and men. The eldest sister told me that her younger sister underwent the group rape in front of her more than once. And during it she was forced to go on all fours with a packet in her mouth and act like a dog. What could be filthier and more terrible? Each time they jeered at them until the younger sister lost consciousness, and then they threw them into the cell. They gave them no food and no water, nothing. And the eldest sister pricked her finger in order to feed her blood to her younger sister so she could have something to drink. There was no other option, no other way, to save her sister.

But that was not the only torture that they had to undergo…

Very often, after severe mockeries they were dragged out by the scruff of the neck onto the street and forced to watch, as watchdogs tore Chechen men into pieces. There were many wounded young men, without arms, without legs, who were detained at the ‘zachistki’. No one looked after them, no one gave them any medical treatment, and no one gave them any help. And these wounded people, already suffering from gangrene, were thrown alive by these beasts to the mercy of their dogs. And these young women were forced to watch this. Can you imagine?

I have never spoken to anyone about this. That was the horrible story of these two sisters. They were released in 2000, when the bombing and the large scale fighting ended. Both received certificates called “wolfish ticket”. They worked in Grozny, sorted out the destructed bricked buildings in order to make enough money to leave, because it wasn’t possible for them to live there anymore. What happened to them, they considered as a shame. We also tried to help them to leave.

Most of all, I was surprised that, after all the horrors they endured, they did not lose their humanity, they did not lose their taste for life and belief in people. After I heard their story, for several weeks I was broken-hearted, but they managed somehow to suppress and hold on themselves, to overstep this line.

And I remember so many wounded children as well as disabled people. Somewhere in the Zavodskoi district there was one boy, whose half of the body was burnt over, and his face distorted with pain still stays in front of me.

Then there was one little girl, whom I brought to Poland. I forget her name. Half of her face was burnt from a flamethrower, but the other half of the face was undamaged. And this clean part of her face and the blue eye were impossible to forget. She was very beautiful. She was always shy and covered the disfigured half of her face. And then I told her ‘You do not have to do that. That is not you, but we should be ashamed that this happened to you.’ After that, she began to leave the other half of her face uncovered. She was such a beautiful girl. Then the Polish physicians paid attention at her and operated her. They say that even one Polish doctor fell in love with her. Unfortunately, I have lost her contacts.

There was a young boy whom we also helped. His genitals were torn away in explosion. He was also very handsome – his figure and his height… In general, they said that it was a unique case that he survived in the explosion. In spite of such a difficult injury, he wanted to live. He was brought to Turkey. I have heard that there an English man agreed to become a donor to support him, but I don’t know what happened afterwards.

Then there was a boy in the village of Michurina, whom I helped twice. During the ‘first’ war, when Grozny was being bombarded his spine was broken by a wave of explosion. And for more than 10 years, he lays in bed under intravenous injection. His mother has cancer, his brother and sister could not marry because they need to take care of him. All money that they managed to gather or receive, or somehow earn – all of it goes for his treatment. That little boy became a youth, and they already started shaving him. He grows up, but all these years, during all this time, he is constantly in bed under medication. He cannot speak. I can only imagine how it is difficult to his relatives.

Then there was one more similar case with another young man. He was also practically completely paralyzed, and also since the ‘first’ war. He was a very handsome young man. His family also looks after him. He also always needs medication. I met his mother in Nazran. She walked around the city, asking for money to help her son. She was ashamed to beg, but for the sake of her son she did it. Because the intravenous medicines are very expensive. I visited this family. His wife is Russian. She is a very lovely, sweet woman. I would like on behalf of all of us to bow down to the ground not only to this man’s mother, but also to his wife, this Russian woman. They had children. And still I am astonished how these women – wife and mother – were able to bring him to Nazran?

I think that parents, sisters, brothers, wives and children of those are also doomed to constant sufferings, doomed to an even greater degree than the sick and mutilated people. That is why they cannot offer the assistance which they need.

And this is our life, the reality. Crippled, disfigured, morally and spiritually damaged people, who, in spite of everything, lived – and still live – and I hope, will continue living further in spite of everything. And who is responsible for what has happened? Certainly not us, the simple citizens. And we do not need to wander all over the world, gathering money to assist those who have suffered, and the Europe is not obliged to help them – this is the responsibility of those who are guilty for this tragedy. The guilty ones are those who take the very high positions, deal with government duties and take decisions. The decisions, which then turn to such tremendous disaster, war, blood and destructions.

1 The term ‘zachistka’ literally means a military cleansing operation.

English

Russian