Click to go Home

December 1999

1) Diederick Lohman

One type of human rights violation that has often occurred over the past eight months of the conflict has been the failure to provide safe exit routes allowing civilians to flee the war. On Dec 6 Russians dropped leaflets from planes flying over Grozny, telling civilians to leave before Dec 11. Those staying in the city were to be regarded as terrorists and bandits and destroyed by artillery and air force. However, there was no clear indication of the safe routes, no transport and the shelling had not stopped. Moreover, checkpoints along roads were turned into places where Russian soldiers would abuse Chechen civilians and force them to pay bribes which severely hindered the fleeing. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented an incident in which a safe exit route was attacked. On Oct 29 the Russian air force carried out a rocket attack on a large convoy of refugees who were using a safe exit route after it was officially announced that the border with Ingushetia would reopen following a week’s closure. The casualties are estimated at 50-100, including several Red Cross workers, two journalists and many women and children.

Summary executions were also carried out. HRW collected evidence of 4 incidents where Russian soldiers executed numerous Chechen civilians. HRW has so far confirmed 130 people were killed in this manner and documented dozens of allegations of further summary executions in various parts of Chechnya. Typically, these summary executions occurred after the Russian Ministry of Defence had established control over a town or village. Riot troops of the Ministry of Interior would then arrive to carry out so-called mopping-up operations - but they were often drunk, burning houses, looting and killing local civilians. One example is a massacre that occurred in the Grozny district of Novye Aldi on February 5 where 60-80 people were shot dead.

Chechens have committed abuses as well, with the most serious ones occurring between the two wars and during the attack on Dagestan. However, during this war the abuses committed by Chechens have been generally much less serious than Russian abuses. Chechen fighters often exposed towns and villages to Russian shelling by not leaving them despite being asked by village elders. They would also position themselves in or near areas populated by civilians, often opening fire from these areas and then quickly retreating, drawing Russian counterfire there.

The international community has failed to respond appropriately to violations in Chechnya. This raises serious questions. If Russia can get away with a brutal war this easily, how bad do things have to get before the international community is willing to respond appropriately? Or is the lesson that follows: if a country is as powerful as Russia, it can murder, torture, detain, rape its own citizens, and bomb, burn and loot their houses, at will? The international community must act firmly.

Next >>