Chechen human rights defenders against Civic ForumTimur Aliyev, North Caucasus - Chechen human rights defenders do not support the idea of holding a Civic Forum in Chechnya as proposed by the organizers of the Forum two weeks ago. The issue of the Forum was discussed at the meeting of representatives of Chechen and Ingush human rights organizations held on July 31 in the Ingush town of Nazran.
“Referendums, meetings, forums and elections bring nothing. This is not a way towards peace in Chechnya,” said Ruslan Badalov, chairman of the Chechen Committee for National Salvation.
Badalov believes that the Forum would be “just more propaganda aimed at alleging a general consent in Chechnya actually exists.” “The stabilization as proclaimed by the authorities has stretched on for years, yet nothing has changed,” he claims.
Some Chechen human rights defenders were skeptical when they learned that the Russian President's special envoy for human rights in Chechnya, Abdul-Khakim Sultygov, is to participate in the organization of the Forum.
“Such initiatives cannot be put forward by governmental representatives,” says Tamara Kalayeva from the Union of Non-Governmental Organizations. “They don’t do this on behalf of the nation and, consequently, not for the benefit of the nation either,” she said.
At a meeting on July 22 in Moscow, the Chechen Civic Forum Organization Committee resolved to hold the Forum in mid-September of this year. According to the founders of this civic organization, their aim, among others, is “to facilitate general consent in the republic.”
“To bring the positions of all Chechen civic and political organizations together as close as possible and form a consolidated opinion – that is the primary objective of the Forum. This becomes increasingly relevant on the eve of presidential elections in Chechnya,” said chairman of the Civic Forum Organization Committee, Movlit Bazhayev.
The Forum will involve some four hundred delegates. Two assemblies will be working on a permanent basis, namely, human rights defenders and the representative group, while the Forum as such will be summoned when necessary.
(P/V,T) |
