PETITION by Women of the world for Peace in Chechnya
For the last three years we have been witnessing the most brutal type of slaughter in Chechnya, and we have decided to appeal to the women of the world to protest this tragedy. Of course, we would like men to join us as well.
Please read the petition below and sign it if you wish to add your voice to the protest, then return it to us via mail or e-mail, or fax. Don't forget to include your city/town and your country.
When enough signatures are collected, the signed petition will be sent to both the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the president of the Chechen Republic, Aslan Maskhadov.
Thank you for your time and attention in this important issue. If you have any questions concerning the facts behind the issues raised in this petition, please do not hesitate to contact us at the address below and we will be happy to share supporting documents with you.
Victoria Poupko
Boston Group Against Ethnic Cleansing
Nadezhda Banchik
Amnesty International: Group #35
Women of the world -- for peace in Chechnya
We, the undersigned -- women of diverse races, religions, nationalities and occupations -- stand ready to take the initiative for peace in Chechnya. The pleas of both Chechen and Russian mothers have been left unanswered by the world community. Although few of us have loved ones among the hundreds of thousands of victims murdered or maimed in Chechnya, we empathize with their terrible tragedy. We are grieved about mothers of thousand perished Russian soldiers, the mothers, who even don't know the circumstances of their sons' deaths, covered with a large curtain of lie.
We are lodging our protest against selfishness and indifference of the world that encourages world leaders to ignore the ongoing genocide of the Chechen people.
Under the pretext of fighting terrorism, the Russian military is carrying out the physical extermination of the male population and the moral extermination of the Chechen population as a whole. In the first war alone (1994-1996), Chechnya lost 80% of its industry. Now the devastation of the second war is approaching 100%. Everyday reality in Chechnya includes mass humiliations, torture and beating of civilians during "clean-up operations"(zachistka), the murder and mutilation of the adult male population (ages 12 to 60), the rape of women and girls; looting; hostage-taking, and the solicitation of bribes to release prisoners falsely accused, or even the corpses of murdered family members.
Chechens are being persecuted not only in Chechnya, but also throughout the entire Russian Federation. The Russian authorities claim that Chechnya is part of Russia, but the Russian law doesn't protect them. Russian courts presume any Chechen charged with a crime against the military to be automatically guilty. And those Chechens who have succeeded in escaping to other parts of Russia are humiliated at every step by not being allowed to register for housing, jobs or medical care as is their right as Russian citizens. They are being deprived of the basic means to survival; their children are often denied admission to schools and colleges.
Recently Moscow organized the forced return of refugees from Ingushetya, the Republic bordering Chechnya, back to a completely devastated Chechnya, where from time to time the Russian forces still bomb some areas and conduct "cleansing operations," rounding up what's left of the population -- mostly women, the disabled and the elderly. Those refugees had stayed in tent camps in Ingushetya for three winters: crowded, frozen, and malnourished; but at least they had escaped the bombing and killing in Chechnya. Their return to Chechnya means a return to minefields, bombed-out houses and roads, military checkpoints and "cleansing operations," atrocities and constant fear.
The atrocities in Chechnya are being followed by reprisals against those in Russia who have raised their voices against them. The Chechen war will soon overflow from Chechnya into other Russian territories as ex-soldiers and mercenaries (kontraktnik), schooled in murder, kidnapping, bribery and looting, bring their crime wave back home with them after their return.
As a way out of this deadly morass we propose a summit meeting between Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and Aslan Maskhadov, president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, taking place in a neutral territory, e.g. in one of European countries under the international observers. During this dialog, we propose a moratorium on all military activities by both Federal troops and Chechen rebels. This, in our opinion, may be the only opportunity available to break the chain of hatred, violence, and death in Chechnya and Russia.
Victoria Poupko,
Boston Group Against Ethnic Cleansing,
Boston, Massachusetts USA.
Tel/Fax: 001 617 232-9613
E-mail: vpoupko@speakeasy.org
Nadezhda Banchik,
Amnesty International: Group #35
San Jose, California USA.
Tel/Fax 001 408 243-8727
E-mail: n_banchik@hotmail.com
The following women have already signed this petition:
Alla Dudaeva, widow of the first Chechen
president Jokhar Dudaev; artist, writer; Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Yelena Bonner, President of Sakharov Foundation in Moscow; prominent Human
Rights defender; Moscow, Russia
Svetlana Gannushkina, Chair of Committee Grazhdanskoe Sodejstvie (Civil Assistance);
Moscow, Russia;
Margaret Petrosyan, law counsellor of the Program Migration and Law, HRC Memorial;
Moscow, Russia.
Ella Polyakova, chair of Soldiers' Mothers in S.Petersburg; S.Petersburg,
Russia
Tatyana Yankelevich, vice-president of Sakharov Foundation in Moscow, Brendeis
University; Waltham, MA USA
Bozhena Olshaniwsky, president of international organization Americans-for
human Rights in Ukraine; New Jersey USA
Aleksandra Shaikevich, a member of Rescue Global Neighbors, San Francisco,
CA USA
Zarema Masaeva, former director of the Foreign Relations, department of Arkhiv
of Chechen republic of Ichkeria; Member of Chechen organization Refugees Against
Landmines. Now employed at the USA Congress Library; Washingtom DC USA.
Carol Vesecky, Director, Biointensive for Russia; San Francisco, CA USA.
Nadiya Svitlichna, Chair, Twentieth Century Human Rights, Irvington NJ USA
Ruth Daniloff, writer; Cambridge, MA, USA;
Zura Shishani, president, New Generation of Chechnya; New Jersey. USA
Janet Riley, peace activist and supporter, Friends House Moscow; California,
USA
Julie Harlow, quaker, a supporter, Friends House Moscow; Davis, California,
USA
Shirley Lin, member, International Women League for Peace and Freedom, San
Jose branch; San Jose, California, USA
Janeen Jones, Senior Research Assistant in the San Francisco Bay Area; California,
USA
Barbara Taft, member, International Women League for Peace and Freedom, San
Hose branch; San Jose, California, USA
Irena Sugano, Chair, Union of Ukrainian women in the USA, division 107; San
Jose, California, USA
Rose Marie Berger, Associate editor Sojourners Magazine; Washington D.C.,
USA
Cynthia Martens, Sojourners Magazine; Washington D.C., USA
Esther Sokolinskaya, Senior computer engineer, Massachusetts, USA
Novella Jafarova, President, Protection of Women's Rights in Azerbaijan, named
by Dilara Alieva; Baku,Azerbaijan,
Zalikha Tahirova, Coordinator, League of Women in Caucasus; Baku, Azerbaijan
Sevda Shikhieva, Senior teacher, Azerbaijan Oil State Academy; Baku, Azerbaijan
Guranda Gvaladze, Prof. of Biology, member of Academy of Science (USA), and
Board of directors of Georgian Branch of Euroscience, Chair of a sector in
the Institute of Botanic at the Academy of science; Tbilisi, Georgia (Gruzia).
Izolda Chkhetiani, Biologist, PhD; member of Board of directors of Georgean
Branch of Euroscience , Chair of a sector in the Institute of Botanic at the
Academy of science; Tbilisi, Georgia (Gruzia).
Nana Kotetishvili, Philologist, Ph.D; segnor scientist of Institute of History
of Georgian Literature at Georgia Academy of Science.
Maia Imedadze, ; member of the International Council of the International
Association Kavkaz: Ethnical relations, Human rights, Geopolitics; Tbilisi,
Georgia (Gruzia)
Eliso Bilanishvili; member, International Council of the International Association
Kavkaz: Ethnical relations, Human Rights, Geopolitics; Tbilisi, Georgia;
Tsisana Rapava, member, Council of the Georgia branch of the International
Association Caucasus: Ethnical relations, Human Rights, Geopolitics; Tbilisi,
Georgia,
Nana Ninua, member, Council of the Georgia branch of the International Association
Caucasus: Ethnical relations, Human Rights, Geopolitics; Tbilisi, Georgia,
Maria Pulman, law counselor, Kazakh International Bureau on Human Rights;
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan.
Libkan Bazaeva, - Chair, The Union of Women of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria,
co-Chair of a public, philanthropic and charity organization Woman's dignity;
Nazran, Ingushetia
Malika Umazheva, head of administration of the village of Alkhan-Kala; Alkhan-Kala,
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Zainap Gashaeva, co-Chair, Echo of War; Nazran', Ingushetya
Alexis Gilmore, Executive Director, Antiwar.com. Project of Randolph Bourne
Institute; Menlo Park, CA, USA
Lucian Siedler, Grizzly Island Trading Co, Suisun, CA, USA
Karen Risdon, Sergio Lub Handcrafted Jewelry; Martinez, CA, USA
Glen Lindenstadt, Founder, The Lindenstadt Co, Newport Beach, CA, USA
Jan Slakov, Salt Spring Island, BC (Canada)
Linda Shakoor, World Life Institute, Waterport NY, USA
Mariana Stoimenova, (Bulgarian) Administrative Assistant, American University
in Bulgaria; Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Simla Altunbay, Industrial Engineer; Istanbul,Turkey
Nur Dolay, Journalist, France
Julie Wornan, member of Comité Tchétchénie de Paris,
France
Anya Lauchlan - Children of Chechnya Support Group, UK., Granddaughter of
Ahmetkhan
Mutushev, head of the first Chechen Trans-Caucasian Mountain Government, 1917
Peter Rolland Lauchlan (Children of Chechnya Support Group, UK.)
Julia Gousseva, coordinatrice de la Campagne "Solidarite contre la guerre
en Tchetchenie" (Russie)