July 19, 2001
ACPC PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Catherine Osgood, Tel. (202) 296-5101 ext. 134

G-7 LEADERS MUST HOLD RUSSIA ACCOUNTABLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN CHECHNYA

The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya urges the G-7 leaders to hold Russia accountable for continued human rights abuses in Chechnya and to make Russia's membership in the G-8 contingent upon its adherence to democratic norms and genuine efforts to initiate negotiations for a cease-fire in the war-torn republic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet President Bush for the second time at the G-8 summit on July 20-22 in Genoa, Italy. After their first meeting in Slovenia last month, President Bush was criticized for endorsing Putin as "an honest, straightforward man" and a "remarkable leader" despite the Putin Administration's ongoing, brutal military campaign and efforts to conceal the magnitude of suffering and human rights abuses against civilians in Chechnya.

"It is imperative that the Bush Administration make Chechnya a top priority in U.S.-Russia relations," said Glen Howard, Executive Director of the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya. "A protracted war in Chechnya undermines the chances for stability and progress toward democracy in Russia."

The war in Chechnya is approaching its third year and has taken a heavy toll on both the Russian and Chechen sides. The Russian government has spent approximately $4 billion on the war since its forces invaded Chechnya in September 1999. In a Senate hearing on July 18 to examine "The Putin Administration's Policies Toward the Non-Russian Regions of the Russian Federation," the Committee on Foreign Relations contrasted the brutality of war in Chechnya with the war in Kosovo. While 10,500 died in Kosovo, at least 3 times as many civilians have been killed in Chechnya (approximately 30-35,000). More than 2,000 people were detained during the war in Kosovo, while 10 times more (nearly 20,000) have been detained in Chechnya. The Mothers of Russian Soldiers Committee estimates that 10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. Over 400,000 people have been displaced as Chechen civilians are subjected to arbitrary arrests, bombings, mines, shootings, and torture. Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch and the Russian NGO "Memorial" reported the discovery of mass graves containing the mutilated bodies of Chechen civilians. Human Rights Watch also reported that autopsies performed on the corpses from a mass grave near Khankala were botched by Russian investigators to purposely destroy evidence that could be used to hold the perpetrators accountable.

After the cleansing operations carried out by Russian troops in Sernovodsk and Assinovskaya on July 3-4 in which over 1,000 civilians were rounded up and many were beaten and tortured, a Russian general, Vladimir Moltenskoi, for the first time admitted that his troops committed "widespread crimes" during the sweeps. The Russian Interior Ministry issued a statement to warn officials against making such pronouncements. Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov called the sweeps "tough but necessary special operations." Gen. Moltenskoi then retracted his earlier statement and said that only a few individual violations were committed.

"It would appear that the Russian government is again attempting to conceal abuses by its troops in Chechnya," said Glen Howard. "The international community must not turn a blind eye to atrocities in Chechnya or accept that repeated crimes against civilians are a 'tough but necessary' part of a so-called 'anti-terrorist operation'. These issues must be raised at the summit in Genoa."