Human Rights in Chechnya

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CHECHNYA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT OF THE CAUCASUS FOUNDATION. OCTOBER 2001

by Fehim Tastekin

The people of Chechnya are driven into a second disaster on 23 August 1999 before they could have got rid of the huge destruction caused by the military operations of Russia that carried out in Chechnya. This small Republic of the geography of 16,000 km2, as it has highly strategic importance owing to its high quality oil reserves and being transit routes of pipelines, was subjected to the invasion of Russia again.

Activities of some individual groups in Dagestan, who do not represent the Chechen people officially and are not approved by the legitimate government, which has come to power by an election, are used as justification for the entrance of the Russian Army into Chechnya.
The terror activities that took place in Moscow on 31 August, 9 and 13 September 1999; in Buynaksk region of Dagestan on 4 September 1999 and in Volgadonsk city on 16 September 1999, were used to pave the way for the Chechnya operations in order to manipulate the public opinion. However, those who are arrested by the Russian authorities with the claim of being connected with these activities, still have not been showed to the public opinion. Besides, while Russian intelligence service FSB has not been cleaned up from the accusations of being "organizer of activities", legal process continues without allowing the media to record proceedings.

The name of anti-terror operation is given to this military movement in order to suppress the reactions of world public opinion. As a result of what happened in Chechnya until now, it will be no exaggeration to say; What the war in Chechnya targets is not terror as Russians claim, but the civilian people as a whole are under attack. To call a name for these operations in Chechnya, it doubtlessly fits the definition of Genocide!

In addition to this, it is also added as a ground for this new war that Chechnya has become a centre for the terrorist activities like "kidnapping humans for ransom". Such terrorist activities that on no account can be approved, could be a ground for total destruction of a nation. However, Russia continues to run massacres in Chechnya and violating the fundamental human rights principles, international treaties of which Russia is also party to them and the bilateral agreements signed together with Chechnya.

Moreover Russia, by starting such an aggressive attitude towards this area, has disregarded the treaty signed in Khasavyurt by Russian President Boris Yeltsin in one side and the President of the Republic of Chechen-Ichkeria Aslan Mashadov in another side as two separate heads of the state in 1996 and other bilateral treaties.

Chechnya has lost 120,000 casualties in the war out of its nearly one million population during 1994-1996. Within this process, it is known that 25,000 humans are tortured in the concentration camps. It is also stated that the number of whom lost their lives after they have been tortured in these camps reaches to 17,000.

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The Chance That Chechens Not Granted

It is one of the most important points that is ignored, is Russia gave no opportunity to the Chechens to recover from its disastrous position put by Russia itself. This land, which is completely surrounded by the imposed embargos of all kinds since 1996, was pushed by force into the state of instability and planned to be the nest of the evils. Certainly, Russia is the biggest party to be blamed for this instability.
After the declaration of independence in 1991, president elections are done in Chechnya under the supervision of international bodies and observers from 42 countries and legal government started to perform its duties.

Russia had undertaken in the treaties signed in 1996 and 1997, to contribute to the reconstruction of Chechnya, which lost %80 of its industry in the first war, but realized nothing.
Chechnya that can handle its levelled infrastructure and disrupted economy only if Russia has satisfied its undertakings after causing the destruction there, is forced to pay new prizes with the second operations.

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The Invisible Side of the Disaster

Although the plight of Chechnya is many-fold when compared to what has been perceived and reflected to the World, it has escaped the attention of international community.
It is explained that the number of people who have died because of the torture and ill treatment at the concentration camps alongside those who died during raids and land operations has reached 100,000. The facts such as 78, 000 people being drawn into the concentration camps, their being tortured there and many of them being unable to break the circle of death surrounding them during the attempt to create a Chechnya without Chechens and trying to frustrate people through a vicious war are hidden from general public.


Unless there is permission provided for the media and the international organisations to roam freely in the area, there is no likelihood for the whole world to see the picture as it is. Even the Russian community who have now had access to information and had been denied it before have started taking a position against war. Some NGOs like Memorial, the human rights organisation in Moscow, and the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers reflect the sensitive reactions of the Russian society by means of signature campaigns, protest demonstrations and reports. Even the extent of what is seen by the whole world is enough to reflect the ruthlessness and the magnitude of the human rights violations and that the military operations go to the level of genocide. The world media have not had the chance to reflect what has been going on at concentration camps in Urus-Martan, Chernokozovo, PAP1, PAP5, Doykar-Oyl, Khan-Kala, Naur and Mozdok, because of the monitoring of Russia's internal intelligence service FSB.
The Gift of the Wild War to Humanity: Refugees


Another tragedy the war has left us with is the case of refugees. More than half of the Chechen population is now in this situation and expecting their future which is being doomed in their own native land to be returned to them.

It is impossible to express the tragedies experienced in the refugee camps in Ingushetia, Georgia, Adygei, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey and Stavropol. Also, thousands of refugees living in difficult conditions in places like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, North Ossetia, Karachai-Cherkessk, Daghestan and Kabardino-Balkaria and other places people are waiting for the war to end as soon as possible.

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Missing People

Another big disaster people have been living in Chechnya is that the number of people who are missing has reached thousands. People are getting lost during the attacks on civil settlements and also those who are being kept at military check points. The number uttered concerning missing people is about 10,000 of whom nothing has been heard. The number of people under captivity in camps at present is 15,000.

Corpse Trade

There are people among us who have witnessed cases like the ransoms being claimed to free the people who have been captivated or corpses being sold to their relatives at prices ranging between $ 100 to 3,000.

Omar Khanbiev himself, the minister of Health in Chechnya, is one of the leading testifiers of the ransom circuit. He was one of the lucky people who was rescued from the torture camp in Chernokozovo as his relatives had paid the amount claimed.

The system works like this: Depending on how well-off the family of the kidnapped or arrested person a certain amount in asked between $100 - 3,000. If the amount is not paid what awaits is the death cave which is a torture area. Those who die under torture are also sold to the families.
The Russians who are aware of the fact that it is traditionally vital for the dead body to be buried with a funeral for the Chechens under whatever conditions they have died, have turned it into trade. The Russians are certain that the relatives will pay so that they can fulfil their final responsibility to the deceased. Khanbiev explains that the details are like this: "If the Chechens die when under arrest, they issue papers showing they were released while still alive. If you are among the 10% who have survived it then you will be sent to a concentration camp in Chernokozovo. There the cycle restarts. If they cannot get the ransom, then the torture starts again. These go on until all the captivated people die."

Furthermore, the corpses found out at mass graves are displayed in a field so that the relatives can identify them for which they have to pay $100-200, which is called 'corpse identification payment', in fact a confiscation.

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Mass Graves

It is surprising that the world community has not paid as much attention to the ditches where lots of bodies are buried together as they do in other parts of the world when they were found out in Chechnya. The dead bodies of people who had been lost since the beginning of 2001 have started to emerge in mass graves and the world has started to question Russia about them, but the 'inquisitive mind' has again gone out of the cycle. 25th February 2001 is a very important date in that, it was the revelation of the first mass grave. 200 corpses mass grave is found in Khan-Kala where there is a Russian military base , near Grozny. The legs and arms of the bodies were tied up and they were blindfolded. Before they could recover from this shock the Chechen people faced the second mass grave of 50 people. There was even the dead body of a one-year-old baby in that in Roshni-Chu.


There were more to add to these which should be considered as crimes of war on 14th April, 2001 in a district of Grozny: Avtorkhanovsky, of three people, and on May 1st, 2001 in Dachni, Grozny with dead bodies all internal organs removed, and yet another one containing 35 people's bodies on May 4th 2001 in Khan-Kala.
On 5th May, 2001 when an explosion led to the death of two children at the entrance of a building used as headquarters this event revealed another mass grave of 70 people in the basement of that building.

In May, in Oktyabrsky, Grozny in the yard of a building which had been used as headquarters again a mass grave of 17 was found. On August 30th the bodies of 56 people were dug out near the village Aleroy, and on 15th October in Avtorkhanovsky area a mass grave of 50 people was found.

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Graves Proving Organ Mafia

Mass graves enabled another truth to be known in public. After the post-mortem practised on the corps took out, it revealed another fact beside there have been brutally tortured before they were killed; their internal organs were also missing. Then what happened to these organs?
Claims of which the organs of humans are sold to the international organ mafia and some organs were studied at laboratories as medical experiment materials, have come up. Being most of the people especially youngsters whose bodies were found in the mass graves after they have been arrested and put in the concentration camps after they are arrested or been lost, made the claims' credibility stronger. Because the mafia is after the organs that are younger.
Only after an international independent commission to investigate those claims is set up, public opinion will be able to be enlightened.

Let alone the investigation of the independent organizations in the mass graves, even the requests of entrance to Chechnya from OSCE, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, UN and international human rights organizations have always been neglected. At last, OSCE managed to open an office in Chechnya on 16 June 2001. But still its carrying out independent activities completely depend on the establishment of secured environment.

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Land Of Ruins

Russian bombardment have destroyed 50,000 houses in Chechnya. 270 out of 424 villages are completely destroyed. 68 are partially destroyed. Some of the destroyed settlements were housing about 10 thousand population each. 14 of the 23 cities are heavily destroyed. End of war will require huge amounts of finance and time to reconstruct the country.

Hundreds of thousands of land mines being planted all over Chechnya, is the threat for the future generation. Russian Internal Forces Chief, Sergei Aranin have admitted on 09 January 2001 that "Russia planted over 500,000 land mines all over Chechnya." Children are the victims of these mines. Association of Concentration Camp Victims details that 2,300 children are crippled from mines, alone in year 2000.

Land mines and air/surface bombardment have poisoned the agricultural lands of Chechnya and have destroyed the future of a nation. Communication of Chechnya is destroyed in the beginning of the war and all possibilities of reach are cut. Industry is levelled. Oil wells are bombed.
Chechnya Question after 11 September 2001


Chechnya declared its independence at the dissolution of the Soviet Union in year 1991 and abstained to join The Russian Federation? on 31 March 1991 and furthered its will by staying away from 12 December 1993 Russian Constitutional Elections. Russians in turn claimed Chechnya as its "internal matter" and shed blood since then. Status of Chechnya depends on agreement with the Russian Federation per free will of The Chechen People. This agreement will be observed by international community.

In view of the continuing war in Chechnya and with all the sufferings, this is not an internal matter of Russia. Russian Federation is trying to take advantage of USA terrorism of 11 September and exploits the feelings of the world community against the conflict in Chechnya.
President Putin said on television that "The Russian war in Chechnya should be considered as international terrorism." An obvious covering effort of Mr. Putin to launder the crimes of the Russian military invasion of Chechnya. President Putin's laundry efforts have caused reaction in Russia itself and Russian human rights organization Memorial and Helsinki Moscow Group and Russian Soldiers Mothers' Committee and Sakharov Foundation collectively reacted to the

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Kremlin intrigue.

Caucasian struggle of independence for the last 400 years can not be diverted by empty terror talk of Kremlin Lords. Time again Mr. Putin pops up and remarks peace thru his envoy Viktor Kazantsev and mentions of the historical background of the Chechen conflict and thereby admitted that Wahhabism is not enough to explain the conflict in Chechnya.

In conclusion, Chechnya was the Caucasian barrier for Russia for 400 years. Russian Secret Services' terror perpetrations in Russia never proved to be the work of Chechens. Any effort to relate Chechnya with terrorism is a lie against History and will never explain the horrors of Russian massacres and total genocide of a nation. Any deviation may produce uncontrollable reactionary centres. Settlement of the Chechen conflict will always require the realities of the region and the History. The solution depends on acceptance by The Chechen People.