Contribute to the establishment of peace and respect for human rights in Chechnya

"The Republic of Chechnya-Ichkeria has filed suit with the International Court of Justice accusing the Russian government of conducting a genocide against the Chechens, according to the American lawyer who is handling the case for the Chechens." [Radio Free Europe]

In a new book, "The FSB Blows Up Russia," former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Aleksandr Litvinenko and historian Yurii Felshtinskii say that terrorist explosions in Moscow apartment blocks in September 1999 were orchestrated by the FSB, according to excerpts of the book published by "Novaya gazeta" on 27 August. The authors report that the FSB is now "a secret syndicate that controls organized crime and orchestrates paid killings of journalists, businessmen, and politicians." rferl mt in russian

Please have a look at the petitions given below and make your voice heard. The goal is to promote a ceasefire, by emailing petitions to those who might have a weight in this issue.
Chechnya news:
Yahoo! rferl bbc cnn

Chechen government: news
Chechnya discussion group

All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (August 06, 2001)
Are peace talks needed to settle the situation in Chechnya?Yes-53%
How has situation in Chechnya changed in the past 2 years?Improved-36%, No improvement-40%, Worsened-14%
Who controls most of Chechnya? Nobody-29%
Undecided-23%
Russian army-21%
Chechen resistence-18%
pro-Moscow Chechen administration-9%

Echo of Moscow (August 03, 2001)
Would you like to stop the "anti-terrorist campaign" in Chechnya?Yes-69%
Are you prepared to see Chechnya given its independence?Yes-77%

All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (September, 2000)
Do you believe that the conflict has reached an impasse and will continue indefinitely?Yes-80%
Are you prepared to see Chechnya given its independence?Yes-48%
No-27%

Support for the war (published by bbc)
November: 70+%
March: 64.7% (av. -1.33% per month [editor])
June: 51.7% (av. -4.33% per month [editor])
Source: Romir independent research centre

All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (June 30-July 04, 1,600 respondents) (published by gazeta.ru)
Is Russian army successful in Chechnya?Yes-39%
Is there a real guerilla war in Chechnya in recent months?Yes-55%
What to do if the army keeps suffering big losses:43%-start negotaitions
42%-continue the operation
15%-uncertain

As of April 29, 2000 KilledWoundedTotal disablement
Russia Losses
(military only, Interior troops excluded)		 Official2,1816,3888,569
Russian Mothers' Committee4,500
Daily: 25		8,000+
Daily: 44+		12,500+
Daily: 69+
Chechnya LossesTeritory totally destroyed, nation nearly exterminated but still firm
Help Chechen refugees: mercycorps global relief foundation

Suggest other emails: chechenistan@yahoo.com

If you are not convinced...

"Not only are the [Russian troops] unprofessional, but they're also corrupt. I believe, in the end, widthdrawal is inevitable."
(Pavel Felgenhauer, independent military analyst, Moscow, July 2000)