The Human Rights Centre (HRC) `Memorial` has a copy of a letter on the situation in the Urus-Martan region of the Chechen Republic at its disposal. This letter was written on 5 January 2001 by the municipal administrative head in the Urus-Martan region, Sh. Isaev.The following are some of the facts reported in the document...

In December 2000, 33 people were killed in the Urus-Martan region. This is according to the data that the HRC received. The number of murdered people may be higher. Furthermore, all 33 victims were civilians.

Amongst the murdered in Urus-Martan were the following:
4 December - Agaev, Lema; Agaev, Khavazhi; Agaev, Nazhmuddi
13 December - Bagaev, Alkhazur Abujazidovich
from 13 to 15 December - Dubaev, Aslan Akhmedovich; Magomadov, Valid Vakhidovich; Alaudinov, Akhmed; Visitaev, Khusejn Sajd-Alievich,
from 24 to 25 December - Akhmadova, Zarema; Magomadova, Roza; Magomadova, Zulikhan,
28 December - the sisters of Tamil and Laura Dzhabrailov

and 20 more citizens, who died in the village of Alkhan-Yurt as the result of a car explosion on 9 December 2000. The tragedy occurred owing to the felon negligence of members of the military who had removed the cordon of dangerous zone from the area.

In all these murders (except the murder of the Dzhabrailovski sisters) the relatives of the victims accuse members of the Federal Forces or the officials working for RF law enforcement agencies.

In December, unfounded detentions, beatings and the civilian disappearances continued. On 18 December, on the cross-road between Kirov, Andreev and the city of Urus-Martan, 5 young Chechens were arrested. They were beaten up and then taken to Khankadu, where the beating and the questionings continued until the evening of 19 December. Immediately afterwards, the military deposited the detainees on the ground in the proximity of the city of Argun and, after having left 4 of them throughout the night at that location, in spite of the fact that a curfew was in place, drove away, keeping with them the fifth detainee, Dundaev, Aslan, born in 1976, residing in Urus-Martan, Kirova Street No. 40. Dundaev`s relatives have, to this day, been unable to receive information from the Russian government as to the whereabouts of their missing son.

None of the citizens of the Urus-Martan area who disappeared earlier without trace were found during the month of December. However, the lists of missing people during this time did not only include the surname Dundaev A but also the names Zaurbekov, Rizvan Dzhamilovich, born in 1973, resident of Urus-Martan, Pereselencheskaja Street, bulding 24, and Umarov, Ramzan Khamidovich, born in 1969 are mentioned. Both of them disappeared without trace on 11 December 2000.

During December 2000 the Federal Forces conducted a `cleansing` operation in the village of Alkhan-Yurt and in the city if Urus-Martan. It was conducted on 27, 28 and 29 December which constitute a Muslim festival. In addition to this, none of the residents of the area were provided with the procuracy's sanction approving the search.

During the whole month of December populated areas were fired upon as were other locations on the territory of the Urus-Martan region:

On 13 December fire was opened on the Northern suburb of the central part of the Urus-Martan region, as a result of which the 80-year-old Magomadov, Magomed and the 23-year-old Kucaev, Shajkha, both living in Kujbysheva Street No. 9 were injured. As a result the rooves of many houses were damaged.

During the night between 9 and 10 December the artillery of the Federal Forces initiated an attack on the Michurina fruit store. The missiles hit the reinforced-concrete structure directly and the prefabricated building collapsed. This was the only building of the Goskhoz that was had not been destroyed during the previous wars. Since 1996 this has been the location of a wheat farm (a place for the processing of wheat).

In December, troops belonging to a regiment of the ministry for internal affairs stationed on the territory of the former "Selkhozkhimija" (Agricultural Chemical Factory), opened fire on the North-Eastern suburbs of Urus-Martan. The bombardment on the surrounding areas continued with the use of rifles and hand grenades for 40 minutes. The buildings in Sherpinova Street were the most heavily damaged. There were no civilian casualties.

Every day Russian troops carry out attacks in the forests of the area with the aim of frightening the population. Furthermore, missiles also often pass through the following mountainous villages: Komsomol'skoe, Martan-Chu, Tangi-Chu, Roshni-Chu, Gekhi-Chu.

Violence against civilians on the part of the federal troops has not ceased:

On 21 December representatives of Russian federal government made a criminal attack on the family of Soltamuradov, Arbi Isaevich, who lived in the village of Alkhan-Yurt, in the Urus-Martan area. His brother, Aindi Soltamuradov together with his wife were beaten up. As a result of this serious beating, A. Soltamuradov's appendix was ruptured.

The judicial system in the Urus-Martan area does not function, although in the centre of the area the local authorities were given a building, which was renovated and is now ready for use…

The inhabitants of the area are asked to appeal to the court in the city of Gudermes, which is located 80 km away from the centre of the region. This is almost impossible, since they would have to go through many check points, where they would have to stop for hours, exposed to aggression on part of the federal troops stationed at this posts, with the risk of not reaching the town before the next curfew.

In this region, a vast majority of the active population is unemployed. The authorities deny these people any kind of help. Those who work have not received their salaries for several months.

The citizens of the village of Komsomol'skoe are completely abandoned to the arbitrariness of fate. Their village was destroyed at the beginning of the military activity. There is still no drinking water and no electricity. The authorities distributed to the people who were returning to the village (about 117 families) 3 kg of nails. Tents were also distributed by the RF Ministry for States of Emergency but only to approximately one fifth of the population. To some people (the Israilovyj family, for instance) even these tents were confiscated during a cleansing operation, with the justification that it was 'military property'. Apart from representatives of international humanitarian organizations, recently, no representatives of the structures of power (non- military organs) have even visited the village. In the village of Komsomol'skoe, as in all mountainous areas where there is no gas, the problem of lighting stoves has become very serious.

No coal is transported to the Chechen Republic. Owing to the lack of wood in the villages the people are forced to go to the forest, despite the attacks, putting their lives at risk: finding themselves in the middle of an attack or in one of the numerous mined areas in the region.

In spring and summer 2000 the majority of the population who had previously abandoned Urus-Martan returned. However, because of the aforementioned regions and, above all, owing to the lack of security, many of them have been forced to leave the Republic.

The official structures of power have recently evaluated the situation in the area of Urus-Martan with great optimism.