Protest to the Russian government & President

We protest the Russian government's genocidal policies in Chechnya and ask you to exert all possible influence in bringing peace to the Chechen land.

Since the beginning of the conflict in September 1999, the Russian government has become directly or indirectly responsible for the following violations of human rights, international law, and war crimes:

• Falsifying terrorist acts exploding its own people and then blaming the Chechens (this is stressed by many observers on the basis of the following facts:
  1) The rubbles after the explosions were quickly "cleaned up" without any detailed investigation (obviously to ensure that the real criminals are not found out);
  2) A KGB agent captured by the Chechen secret service acknowledged that he himself participated in putting bombs in some regions and was aware of KGB's operation in Moscow;
  3) Finally, the Russian secret service itself announced on Jan. 27, 1999, that among suspects of the bombings there were no "ethnic Chechens" (trying to recover credibility).
• Indiscriminate bombing of civilian territories
• Leveling the entire villages and cities
• Refusing to provide refugees with food (despite the fact that most of it is provided by International agencies)
• Forcing refugees to return to the war zone
• Detention of all Chechen males between the ages of 10 & 60, without any legal basis therefore
• Murders of civilians, mostly the elderly and women (Alkhan-Yurt tragedy, as well many others including those that resulted from indiscriminate use of aviation and artillery)
• Rape of Chechen women in occupied territories
• Establishing concentration camps (one of them is reported in Naoor region of Chechnya, in which children 10-15 years old are being kept in a former zone for the imprisoned)
• Denial of international organizations' access to imprisoned Chechens
• Torture of captivated Chechen fighters (there have been numerous reports on it)
• Preventing journalists' coverage of the conflict (probable reason: to hide atrocities done all around Chechnya)
• Intimidating and detaining journalists without any legal basis

Given this, we decisively protest the Russian government's genocidal policy and actions in Chechnya and demand that the Russian government immediately declares ceasefire and starts peaceful negotiations with the elected President of Chechen Republic, Mr. Maskhadov.