(the issue prepared by HRC «Memorial» in Nazran)
Dear colleagues,
Human Rights Center «Memorial» offers its ensuing information bulletin based on the results of monitoring the human rights situation in the Chechen Republic and the process of overcoming consequences of 1992 conflict in Prigorodny district of North Osetia.
Your questions and comments, please,
send to:
386100 Republic Ingushetia, Nazran, Mutalieva, 46 Human Rights Centre
«Memorial»
e-mail: memorial@southnet.ru
phone/fax + 7 (8732 ) 22 23 49
The Situation in the Chechen Republic and Republic Ingushetia: December 2003
I. Statistics
According to the data of HRC «Memorial» (We are able to carry out monitoring over a limited territory, 25-30 % of Chechnya, thus, the data below are incomplete) in December 2003:
1. Killed: 14 residents of Chechnya,
(including 7 civilians, 2 representatives of Chechen power agencies, 4 members of separatist arms formations, 1 unidentified)
According to «Memorial» records:
- In December 2002, 95 civilians were killed (including 72 in the bomb blast at the House of Government in Grozny on 12.27.03).
2. Kidnapped: 26 civilians
subsequently released -- 9
subsequently killed- 3
subsequently «disappeared»- 14
According to «Memorial» records:
- In December 2002, 60 persons were kidnapped
NB! Due to the specificity of human rights monitoring in the Chechen Republic, it is important to take into consideration the fact that data for the two most recent months are usually incomplete and then updated the following months. Therefore, unfortunately, the figures for murdered and disappeared in December 2003 are likely to grow.
II. From the «Chronicle of Violence»
On December 1, Gaitamirova Elza, born 1973, the resident of village Gekhi, Urus-Martanovsky district of Chechnya received a subpoena to come to Urus-Martanovsky ROVD on December 2, 20003. On the appointed day she arrived at Urus -- Martan but did not return home. On December 3, the head of the criminal investigation department confirmed to her mother that Elza had been detained, however, he refused to specify the grounds for detainment or the expected time she had to spend in the preliminary detainment. A few days later it turned out that Elza Gaitamirova was not in ROVD. According to the same head of the criminal investigation department, she had been transferred to Grozny. As of today, the whereabouts of Elza Gaitamirova are unknown, no criminal charges have been brought against her. Gaitamirova is the mother of 4 children, in 2000 her husband went missing.
On December 5, in the village Zumsoj, Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation were organized, two days before the official date. According to the special security scheme before the elections, a unit of local militia was sent to Zumsoj. The electoral poll was located in the building of the local school, which was badly damaged during a mop-up operation carried out by the military servicemen on October 19-21. Due to the war, there were only few residents left in the village, thus, the elections were finished soon, and the militiamen left. However, on December 7, the unit received an order to return to Zumsoj and to spend a night in the school. The militiamen returned, but they stayed overnight in the nearby houses, since the unheated school building was too cold to sleep in. At midnight the building exploded.
The flame of the fire was so strong that it made no sense to try put it out. In the morning the militiamen arrived to the site by car. The commandant of the district with the military servicemen had already been there. For unknown reasons the military servicemen opened fire at the approaching car with militiamen, as a result, one of them received a light injury. Without opening retaliatory fire, the militiamen left for Itum-Kale. In the morning the Russian NTV channel reported that a unit of militiamen in Zumsoj was caught in an ambuscade by the Chechen fighters. NTV reported casualties.
The militiamen, who by a lucky coincidence have stayed alive, are now afraid to return back to work. After this incident several families left Zumsoj.
On December, 7 in the village Prigorodnoje, Groznensky district of Chechnya two teenagers, Yanars Mutaliev (born 1989) and Islam Khabuev, born 1988 were killed in a landmine explosion. At about midnight Yanars and Khamzat asked their parents if they could go for a walk. At about 15.00 close to the village, in a place called «Basi», a sound of explosion was heard, which no one paid much attention to. Closer to the dusk the relatives of the children, worried by their absence, started to search.
On December 8, the dead bodies were found in the place where the explosion was heard,. The teenagers were killed in the area, land mined by the federal forces in the beginning of the second Chechen war. After planting the land mines no security measures to protect non-combatants had been taken, i.e. the area had not been fenced or demarcated by special signs. Several times the village cattle was killed in the zone. Thus, once 32 cows were killed, who incidentally entered the area. The local residents had repeatedly turned to the authorities asking them to fence the mined area, however, their appeals had been left with no response.
The local militiaman and the parents of the deceased asked the military servicemen dislocated near the village to help them safely approach the site of the tragedy. The military servicemen refused. The relatives accompanied by the local militiaman with high risk to their lives reached the site and brought the dead bodies home. Yanars and Islam were buried in the local cemetery after the investigation group, called on by the militiamen had fulfilled all the necessary investigating procedures.
On December 11, several news agencies reported that Abuev and Mutaliev were killed when they tried to plant a fougasse. Thus, Russian News Agency RIA «Novosti» reported:
According to the representative of ROSH», the bomb for the terrorist act was provided to teenagers by the fighters from the Dadaev band. «The bandits demanded that the children plant the «death car» at the Grozny-Prigorodnoye sector of road .
A criminal case has been instigated into the fact of death of teenagers, the bandits who recruit children for crimes are currently in search, noted the interlocutor of the agency.
The relatives are indignant by the shameless lies of the Russian news agencies, which besmear the memory of their children. First, the site of their death is located at a significant distance from the road Grozny-Progorodnoje, and it made no sense to plant explosives there. Second, no evidence supporting the accusations verbalized by RIA «Novosti» has been provided. Moreover, taking into account the situation in the Chechen Republic, the accusations against the children, can serve as a pretext for persecution of their families in the future.
On December 13, 2003 Asyat Makhmaeva, born 1996, was delivered to the hospital =B9 9 of the Chechen capital Grozny. The girl had severe injuries (avulsion of both hands, injury of the left eye-ball, multiple injuries of soft tissues of face and chest). According to the mother of the injured girl, Asyat was wounded in the explosion of a lighter, which the girl found in the street.
From the evidence by mother:
In the morning Asyat with her younger sister Ajshat, 2,5 years old, went outside for a walk. At about 11 a. m. I called them back home for lunch. I wanted to warm up the food and noticed that there were no matches. It slipped from my mouth: «You can never find matches in this house!». In response, Asyat shouted from the next room: «Mummy, I will bring you a lighter, I found one in the street ». The moment she said it, was the sound of the explosion. I dashed into the next room and saw Asyat, all in blood. The same moment my brother ran into the room (he had been in the yard). He grasped Asyat and did not let me approach to her, but I noticed she had no hands and no left eye.
We first took her to the local hospital and then to the 9th municipal hospital in Grozny. In the local hospital the doctors, who did first aid to Asyat told us that it was the third case when people picked up lighters in the streets, and when trying to use them the lighters exploded.
On December 16, at night in the village Mesker-Yurt, Shalinsky district of Chechnya, on the highway Grozny-Shali were dropped out Said Khusein Bersanov, 1978, and Sultan Khadzhimuradov, 1964. Both were kidnapped on December 5, at about 4 p.m. by the representatives of Russian law enforcement agencies. They were detained in an unidentified place and subjected to severe torture and beatings. The victims are afraid to talk about their experience.
On December 29, at about 9.30 p.m. the center of Sernovodsk town, Sunzhensky district of Chechnya, was blockaded by masked military servicemen (40-50 persons), who arrived in an armored car «Ural» and several cars YAZ-452 without identification signs.
All the young men, who happened to be nearby were detained and forced into the building of what used to be a convenience store, where now was the hall with games machines with people playing. All those who were in the room and those who had been brought from the outside (about 30 persons 10-40 years old) were forced on the floor faces down.
Having body searched each of them, the military servicemen started to check identification documents. Those who raised their heads or moved were kicked or beaten with the butts of machine-guns. The locals started to gather around the entertainment hall, among them were the parents of the teenagers, who happened to the in the playroom. The military servicemen did not allow the parents to enter the hall, shooting above the heads of the people.
Having carefully checked the papers, after interrogation and beatings, the military servicemen released all the detained. According to them, the military servicemen asked the same questions to everyone: if they knew any vakhabites, if they knew those, who sold drugs, and those attacked trade kiosks and pharmacies.
On December 31, after 9 p.m. at the federal highway «Kavkaz» (Rostov-Baku), near the curve to Novyy Engenoj, happened an armed clash between the Russian military servicemen and the personnel of Akhmad Kadyrov's security service.
In the evening of December 31, Solmuradov Ousman, the resident of Dzhalka village, Gudermes district of Chechnya, was driving home in his personal car «Gazel». At the turn to the village Novyy Engenoj, Ousman's car was overhauled by a military car «Ural» with the military servicemen. «Ural» pushed «Gazel» to the sidewalk and then hit it on its side, knocking «Gazel» off the highway. Incidentally, at the same time the group of Kadyrov's security servicemen, was driving by. Kadyrov people stopped the «Ural» with the military servicemen, which was followed by a row between the two groups. One of the military servicemen shot at a Kadyrov man and wounded him, in response, the comrades of the wounded Chechen opened fire from a military pistol and beat up everyone in the car. Both wounded men were then delivered to a hospital in Gudermes, where Kadyrov's man passed away. The Russian military servicemen is in a critical condition in the intensive care ward.
Having learnt about the death of their colleague, the men from Kadyrov security unit, for unknown reasons, attacked the Gudermes ROVD and beat up the militiamen. ROVD called for a special assignment military unit (spetznaz) to settle the row, however, Kadyrov men resisted this special unit as well. The criminal case was instigated into the fact of the accident.
For full version of the «Chronicle of Violence» for December, please, consult our web site at http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/rubr/2/index.htm
III. Peacemaking in the conflict area
In December 2003, HRC «Memorial» in Nazran and Grozny organized a peacemaking action «Peace to Our Planet». The aim of the action was to attract attention to the problems of Chechen youth, to make a step forward in overcoming alienation and isolation of the Chechens. The potential participants were offered to send books and/ or New Year's greetings to the students and professors of Chechen State University (CSU) in Grozny. A similar action with the slogan «Peace to Our Home» was organized in the Russian cities and towns. Thanks to the action, as of January 15, 2004 the University library resources (the library of CSU burnt down fully in the beginning of the 1st Chechen war) were enriched by specialized literature and fiction in 6 foreign languages, an exhibition of New Years Greeting's from more than 20 countries of the world will open on the first day of the spring semester. The collection of books for CSU will continue in 2004.
The Situation in Prigorodny District of North Osetia: December 2003
In the fall of 1992 in Prigorodny district of North Osetia-Alania broke out a short but very ferocious armed conflict between the Ingushis and the Osetians. The active phase of the conflict lasted from October 31 to November 6, when, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, 583 persons were killed, 939 injured, 261 went missing, 1093 taken hostages. According to different estimates 35-60, 000 Ingush were expelled from their historic homeland in Prigorodny district of North Osetia-Alania and the capital city of Vladikavkaz; the majority of them fled to the neighboring Ingushetia. For 11 years now Ingush forced migrants waiting for the chance to return home have been fighting for survival in tents, trucks and barracks of the refugee camps.
The destructive war, which broke out in the neighboring Chechen Republic, pushed the Ingush-Osetian conflict to the background of events. The Federal government, humanitarian organizations, Russian and foreign journalists left thousands of Ingush families without attention. On October 11, 2002 the Presidents of Ingushetia and North Osetia signed The Agreement for Promoting Cooperation and Neighborly Relations between the republics, in which Ingush refugees and human rights advocates invested much hope. HRC «Memorial» monitors the implementation of the agreement and will inform you on the developments in the region.
V . Education in Post-Conflict Setting: Separate Schooling for Children in Chermen
Chermen (Bazorkino) is one of the largest settlements in Prigorodny district. The village suffered significantly during the conflict, but it was one of the first settlements, where Ingushis started to return after the tragic events of 1992. According to the data by the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on the Issues of Overcoming the Consequences of the Ingush-Osetian Conflict, as of today about 5,500 Ingushis have returned to Chermen.
There are three schools in Chermen. In school # 1 and # 2 study children of the Osetian nationality, while all Ingush kids attend school #3. Due to the overload of school # 3 and its distant location from the place of compact residence of Ingush families, Ingush parents have repeatedly raised the question of granting their children the possibility to study at school # 2. Last year, at the level of governments of both republics with the mediation by the Office of the Special Representative, was achieved the agreement that in 2003 Ingush schoolchildren (1st grade elementary school) will study in school #2.
However, the agreement was not implemented, and the applications of Ingush parents, submitted to school # 2 were declined. The reason, as explained by the school principle L'yana Bekoeva is in the fact that some Osetian parents are not yet ready for common education of their children with the Ingush kids.
To resolve the problem of transportation for Ingush children, a few months ago the local authorities catered a school bus. However, the insufficiency of this decision is felt very strongly. The classes in the «Ingush» school run in two shifts, while in the Osetian school conversely, due to the small number of students, the teachers cannot have full-time schedule, which unfavorably effects their anyway small salaries. Moreover, today's schoolchildren, most of whom do not remember the conflict, are growing up in the atmosphere of isolation and hostility.
Separated education is practiced in other settlements of North Osetia. Positive examples, however, are likewise existent: in schools in the settlements Kartsa and Kurtat children study together. HRC «Memorial» hopes that in 2004 the decisions by republican governments are implemented and Chermen school # 2 accepts Ingush kids, while the school's nickname «Osetian» turns into anachronism.