Женщины и дети: право на жизнь

When women and children become victims of the bloody massacre – it is, probably, the most terrible thing… Though the war itself is the monstrous event. The second Chechen campaign was marked with a great number of the victims among the peaceful population, including women and children.

Takhu Eskieva was the first innocent victim and the first terrible news for the people of the village of Alkhan-Kala of Groznenski rural district. She was killed in Grozny at the very beginning of the second Chechen war during the rocket-bomb strike in the central market. Together with her sister she was returning after the hard day at the market when a terrible blast broke out. The younger sister Satsita tried to protect her sister closing with her body. Satsita survived, but Takhu dead because of many fragment wounds. On that day, 21 October 1999 many women, who happened to be at the market at those minutes, died – someone was trading, someone came to buy some foodstuff, and someone was just passing by. None of them even thought that the undeclared war would start here, at the market…

That’s how the “second Chechen “ campaign began for the residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala, one of the most suffered villages during the war activities in Chechnya. From assassination of innocent Takhu…

Then the war took away lives of many women in the village. Majority of them died during the artillery bombardment and air raids in their own village. That is how Malika Elberdova and her mother-in-law Zura Estamirova died. One more woman from the village of Kulary died with them. The day before she had got a toothache. There was no dentist in their village and she crossed the river to reach Alkhan-Kala. When she was walking along the Elevatornaya-street, the central street of the village, the artillery bombardment suddenly started. The woman ran into the house of Estamirovs, which was the nearest house, to wait till the danger would be over. The women with the children were in the kitchen, they did not have time to hide in the basement. Suddenly a shell exploded next to them. Three small children of Malika Elberdova became orphans. Malika was the only daughter in her family. Her father died soon after that, his heart could not endure her death.

Luba Dzhantaeva also died in the yard of her house during the artillery bombardment. Her daughter and son, at that time they were teenagers, were left fatherless and motherless. The same evening, when Luba was killed, another 8 peaceful people died. Among them was Zina Israilova along with her husband and a son. They came to their relatives from the nearest settlement Andreevskaya dolina of Grozny’s Zavodskoi district.

Malika Tagirova arrived to bring her family away from the danger. She did not time to reach a cellar when bombardment started. “She taken up all splinters from a shell», spoke her survived natives. The same thing happened to Kulsum Bersanukaeva. She passed forward to the cellar her children and mother-in-law, and she herself was not in time. A piece of rusty metal took away a life of the mother of three children.

A direct hit of a basement by a bomb took away lives of another two women, one of which was carrying a baby. They were sitting next to each other, in the corner of overcrowded basement. (The name of one of them seems to be Bisultanova). The bombardment of the village was done from a mount “Grad” (Hail). The baby was simply torn into pieces. Men who were taking out the killed people out of the basement did not find the child’s head.

The murder of Malika Umazheva, the former head of administration of the village of Alkhan-Kala, perhaps, was the most shocking crime in the chain of murders of the peace citizens. She was killed not during the artillery bombardment or bomb attacks … She was killed by representatives of that authority which she represented in the village. The villagers knew Malika as a courageous woman. She worked as a chairman of the rural Council during the Soviet times, and she was an active and a social person. The residents of the village came to her seeking for advice, for consultation how to write this or that letter, paper, they came with their problems though she did not work anywhere at that time. But she was competent person and could always help with advice. In 2000-2001 the people started to instigate her to become a head of the local administration. The years were very hard… I remember how we, along with teachers of one of the local schools, went to talk to her. The teachers had problems at work and they wanted to consult with her. There were some people who also came with their own problems. Her old mother, having seen us, said: “For the sake of Allakh, do not persuade her to become a head of the village. It is not necessary to her… She needs to bring up the girls. (Malika was taking care of two nieces, the schoolgirls). I am sick… what shall we do without her.” Then I also have learned that the villagers were persuading Malika to become a head of local administration hoping that she would be able to protect their interests during this hard time. The mother had a presentiment of a trouble. She feared for her daughter, understanding that this work was connected with great risk. The time was fearful. Heads of administrations did not linger longer. The fighters threatened with punishment everyone who dared to represent the official authority. Not smaller danger trapped the heads of the villages and from federal forces.

Malika, not being even the Head of administration, several times rescued her villagers during the sweep operations. Men, as it is known, were absolutely deprived of civil rights. They automatically fell under “gangsters” only because they were men. And the sweep operations were quite frequent and severe in the village stigmatized as “bandit” (“baraevskoe”), even after famous “80-th” order. During such a sweep operation the men were taken away (more or less), then someone, already mutilated, was released after the certain “verifying” procedures, someone disappeared with no trace, someone was found murdered. Ten villagers out of 11 detained during sweep operation in April 2001 still are considered as missing persons. The corpse of Lorsanov, the driver of a fixed-route taxi, who had been detained along with them, after the federals left, was found under the bridge here, in the village. It rarely happened that nobody was taken away. During one of the “moping up operations” apparently, in 2001, the federals had taken away 29 men from the village. The reason for it was the murder of one of the servicemen of the federal troops, which were conducting “mopping up operation”. The serviceman was an officer, as far as we understood. He was killed by his colleagues just by accident. In order to hide the fault the federals tried to “stick” this killing to the “fighters” who were not in the village. The residents of Tsentral Usadba-street where this incident happened witnessed this killing. The villagers whose houses had already been checked up usually came outside when it was allowed, feeling themselves more safe there. It was heavier to sit and wait in the house. The checks passed this time quite “silently”. Suddenly a clap similar to small explosion was heard. It had occurred in the armored personnel’s carrier (APC), a steam had appeared over it. All the residents of this street were witnesses of it. Militaries that were near the APC were frightened, and they began shooting. Frightened by shootings, they were supported also by other servicemen who started “shooting back”. Federals, who seemed saw fighters behind each corner, decided that it was an attack. As a result of chaotic shooting one of their colleagues was killed. When the militaries understood what they had done, they started to exhaust the scared people home and then started checking houses again over saying that fighters were hiding on the roofs, though the houses had been just checked including roofs and attics. People started clamoring about and saying they themselves killed their colleague and they were witnesses to that. But federals were shooting under legs intimidating them, and ordering to be silent. The militaries, which had flown into a rage, started taking away successively all men from each house. They took men not just from this street but also from the neighboring Lermontov and Pushkin streets. They burst into one house, in another saying that the shot was made exactly from an attic of this house. All the detained men were taken to the commandant’s office on the edge of the village. The news about killing of one serviceman and taking away all men from several streets spread around. Everyone understood what consequences could be for the village where during the sweep operation a serviceman was killed.

Women, elders… teachers of the local school pulled to the commandant’s office. The remained men were asked not to go there to avoid any provocation from the militaries as they could be detained as well. It was necessary to do the utmost to return the men. If they would be taken out of the village, nobody hoped that they could return. Surprisingly, the Head of the Administration was not in the village at that moment. No one was allowed to go in and out of the village. The help was not expected from anywhere. Women and elders were not allowed to approach the commandant’s office. The servicemen warned them to move away for about two hundred meters, otherwise they would be “evened with earth”. Only two representatives of elders were allowed to come nearer. They were told that fighters killed a military officer and, until the guilty people would be found, no one was allowed to leave. They did not want even to listen to that the officer was killed by the militaries themselves. It was clear that someone from the detained people was to pay for this crime. Everyone was waiting for Malika Umazheva. The only hope was on her. The column of servicemen coming back from the sweeping operation was tightened to the edge of the village, to the commandant’s office. Angry, gray faces stared at the crowd of women and old people who were seeing them off with curses. Someone in the crowd was asking to refrain from damnations in order to avoid provocation that could bring damage to the detainees. In an half an hour Malika appeared, she was walking very fast as if she was afraid to be late. Along with several elders she immediately went to the commandant’s office. The head officers came out to meet them. We did not hear what they were talking about because we were quite far away from them. But we saw how Malika was arguing with them, swinging the arms. We could just guess that the conversation went in very rigid form from both the side of our representatives and the side of militaries. As the elders told later, Malika behaved very courageously. She had demanded in quite abrupt way to release all the detainees. She shouted at the militaries that they would not be able to hide their crime, “sticking” it to the peaceful people. She would inform their commanders about the arbitrariness that they committed. She called the names of high officials, threatened that she had already passed over the information and very soon the commanders would come to the village.

Soon all the arrested people were released, it happened without using any cruel treatment and beatings.

Next time Malika Umazheva crossed the river of Sunzha with a pregnant woman as if she was accompanying her to the hospital, and brought military commanders from Grozny to help her villagers. After that the cases of arbitrariness committed by the federals during the sweeping operation had stopped.

In June 2001, during the most difficult time for the village, Malika Umazheva headed the local administration. Becoming the head of the administration, Malika started courageously defending interests of her village, “fighting for”, in a literal sense, every single resident of the village. She opposed arbitrariness of the outraged servicemen, refusing to reach a compromise with them. Therefore she had to pay with her own life. None of the villagers doubted who and why killed Malika. Though the military leadership stated loudly that assassination of Umazheva is “another action of intimidation conducted by fighters”. Two of her predecessors, Yusha Utsiev and Ramzan Gasaev, became indeed the victims of such an action, but Malika was murdered by the federals. Information about “half-bucket of diamonds and 600,000 US dollars confiscated from Malika” was ridiculous up to absurd. “They could think up something more plausibly, - the villagers were saying. – And that they think that we are fools here”.

Several times she had been threatened by representatives of federal forces. And it was not a secret. Being the head of the administration, several times she criticized actions of the federal forces during sweep operation. She was openly put pressure by the federal forces. Her home was searched many times. It is known, that she refused to sign the act of having no grudge regarding conducted sweep operation in the village (according to the article 2 of famous regulation no. 80 issued by the Commander-in-Chief of Joint Force Groups (c), head of the administration of the “swept” village together with leaders of the special operation made a statement). In response to her refusal to sign the false act, to accuse innocent people, detained during sweep operation in the village and enrolled by the federals into “vakhabits” group, there were threats by servicemen directed against her.

Her murder on the night from 29 to 30 November 2002, probably, became the result of these threats. She was not any more the head of the administration at that time (decree of the head of administration of Grozny rural district from 9 September 2002 dismissed her from the post due to “systematic non-fulfillment of official duties”). According to the rumors, it was supposed, that she would enter the post in December 2002. On that tragic night the neighbors noticed military vehicles, armored personnel’s carrier (APC) in the village, near the house of Umazhevs surrounded by Russian servicemen. The nieces of Malika who witnessed the murder told that four servicemen wearing camouflage uniform and armed with sniper rifles with mufflers burst into the house. They began to shout: “Where are vakhabits?” In the house there were Malika’s mother, her sick brother Said-Akhmed and two girls, her foster children. They all were told to lie down on the floor; the lights were not allowed to be on. After they turned everything over in the house, Malika was ordered to go to the shed in order to examine it. Her nieces, being frightened by happening, started asking the militaries not to kill their “mum”. Malika tried to calm them down, but unsuccessfully. The youngest embraced Malika’s knees and did not let her go. She was crying and asking the militaries: “Don’t kill my mum!” Then one of them threatened her: “If you won’t shut up, you do not see her anymore!” Malika with a torch in hand went ahead of the militaries. Soon the submachine gun burst was heard. “I thought, - told one of the girls, - that this way they “were opening” the lock of the shed. (This practice was used by federals during sweep operations). More truly, the girls simply hoped for it, not believing in the worst. Malika did not come back. She was killed by shots in the back. First, there was the submachine gun burst. Then the control shot in the ear area was made. A trace of blood of her hand remained on the door of the shed against which she tried to lean when falling down. Hearing the call for help the neighbors run to the shed and found Malika’s dead body.

Assassination of Malika, according to her relatives, is a precisely planned operation. Assassination. A week before that, according to her family’s members, at midnight the federals came and they wanted to take away Malika, allegedly, in order to identify detained fighters. Malika refused to go with them having referred to the fact, that she was not the Head of administration anymore. “They came to kill me, - she told to her relatives. – I can’t understand why did they leave?” Next day they found out that no one was detained, and there were no “special operations” conducted in the village. The murderers returned in a week time. They turned off electricity in the village in order to make their criminal “act” under darkness. “The gates were wide open, - told one of her foster children. – The house was completely surrounded; the yard was full of servicemen. I understood it because of numerous blue lights – lights from torches, on the trunks of the weapons.” The girls heard pure Russian speech without accent of those who entered the house and took Malika away. The girls remembered forever the narrow eyes under the masks, which they managed to see with the help of the gaslight immediately turned off by the militaries. According to her nieces, as soon as the submachine gun shot was heard, the blue lights “run” to the gates. At once they heard the sound, like a whistle, of leaving armed personnel carriers.

A night before that the villagers saw how APCs were driving about the village. Umazhevs saw it as well as their house was near the road and APCs passed by their house several times. Students, who early in the morning were going to Grozny, saw a trace of APC, which led from the village to the settlement of Andreevskaya Dolina, which locates closer to the city. In that settlement one of the military subdivisions was located. Most probably, these APCs came from that location on the night of murder of Umazheva. According to her relatives, she had a presentiment of trouble. On that night she knew why they came to her. But she did not say any single word to her relatives letting them to understand that she was going to meet her death. The old sick mother of Malika died almost two years after her death. Events of that tragic night at the end of the holy month of Ramadan were hidden from her. When she asked about Malika she was replied: “She went to Moscow to work there…” or “she is not back from work…” She has not learned that her daughter was not alive. Though, may be, she felt it…

Eighteen thousand residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala, one of the biggest and the most suffered village in this district, remember that Malika Umazheva, who was neither intimidated nor subdued, was murdered by the federals. She was a person with principals, was not able “to keep silence”, with “loud voice”, and she sacrificed her life saving the others, innocent lives…

In Chechnya there is no list of murdered citizens as a result of military actions, no one kept the exact calculation of the murdered and wounded people. If such a register had been done and today the list of the murdered women and children – victims of the war – had been announced, we would be terrified… Malika Umazheva (1946), Malika Taisumova, Mariam Arsamikova, Zara Kalieva (1963), Е.P.Satina (1944), Petimat Bisultanova (1980), Zura Estamirova (1936), Malika Elberdova (1968), Zalpa Kurbanova (1949), Leila Chapaeva (1949), Kameta Isaeva (1971), Zalpa Garbulatova (1951), Zarema Baisultanova (1975), Madina Musaeva (1984), Tabarik Davletmurzaeva (1979), Kulsum Bersanukaeva (1962), Malika Tagirova (1962), Takhu Eskieva (1958), Roza Umarova (1970), Khalistat Muzaeva (1960), М.Taimaskhanova (1919), Malika Isbakhieva (1958), Satsita Sugaipova (1958), Rukiat Abdulkhadzhieva (1951), Liuba Dzhantaeva (1950), Zina Baimaskhanova (1962), Laila Tepsurkaeva (1958), Zinaida Ismailova (1960), Fatima Ismailova (1980), Kheda Ismailova (1987), Zina Israilova (1952)…

All these women from the village of Alkhan-Kala suffered from the hands of the criminals from both sides. If there were no war they would be alive today.

They are “direct” victims of the war. But there are thousands of “indirect” victims… They are women who in the course of tens years were under the heaviest pressure of the war which is fraught with serious consequences. According to gynecologists, every second Chechen woman who experienced the war is sick. Consequently, it is unfortunate pregnancy, difficult birth, and congenital pathology of children. The catastrophic increase of oncological diseases, tuberculosis and other types of serious diseases unknown earlier are the consequences of the war.

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