PRESS RELEASE

The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC) calls upon the Bush administration and the State Department to support and immediately begin broadcasting the proposed RFE/RL North Caucasus news service.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, recently decided to delay the RFE/RL's proposed North Caucasus service for one month. The delay is a result of pressure from the State Department, which is concerned that the service will show American partiality towards Chechnya in the current Russo-Chechen war. "Although the U.S. government is concerned about remaining impartial in the current conflict, delaying or canceling the service could be viewed by some as an act of partiality favoring Russian actions in Chechnya," said Glen Howard, the Executive Director of ACPC.

In light of recent reports by Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and the Russian NGO Memorial, the delay is significant. These reports confirm the continued occurrence of looting, killing, tortures, "cleansing operations", and forced disappearances by the Russian military in Chechnya. The reports also state that many of the 400,000 Chechen refugees live in caves, abandoned warehouses, and camps in Chechnya and neighboring Ingushetia. "The decision to delay broadcasting will dishearten the thousands of Chechen refugees made homeless by the war," said Howard, adding that the "Chechen language and culture are on the brink of extermination."

The service was scheduled to begin this Thursday, February 28, 2002 and would have been broadcast from Prague in Avar, Chechen, and Circassian languages for only 15 minutes a day in each language. At the moment, news about the North Caucasus is broadcast only in Russian language and the proposed RFE/RL service was intended to reach a broader audience among local ethnicities. "The RFE/RL news service would not have been partial, or excessive in light of the limited media coverage in the North Caucasus. The daily broadcasts would have been a singular source for outside news and a signal that the United States remains committed to assisting the citizens in Chechnya find a resolution to their suffering and a peaceful end to the war," said Howard.

- The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, private organization chaired by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and Ambassador Max M. Kampelman, represents nearly 100 distinguished Americans including academics, journalists, politicians, and foreign policy experts, and is dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict.