The report of dismissal of the Chechen President is a deliberate inversion of the truthDear readers, in view of the fact that Russian media reported today about an alleged dismissal of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, we decided to re-publish a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria on the issue because Russian media failed to report about it. The editors.
Press release:
Russian news agency “Itar Tass”, referring to a former Chechen MP Isa Temirov, claimed today that Parliament of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria dismissed the democratically elected Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. This is a deliberate inversion of the truth, designed to mislead the international community, and support Russian plans to stage presidential election in October.
Firstly, Mr. Isa Temirov is not an acting chairman of the Chechen Parliament. After the murder of the Speaker of the democratically elected Chechen Parliament Ruslan Alikhadjiev in August 2000, the acting chairman of the Chechen Parliament, in accordance with Article 66 (Clause 6) of the Chechen Constitution, is the first deputy and vice speaker of the Chechen Parliament Mr. Seilam Bechaev.
Secondly, Mr. Isa Temirov is not even a Member of the Chechen Parliament. The Chechen Parliament deprived Isa Temirov of its mandate in May 2003 for collaboration with the Russian authorities through an agent of the Russian Secret Service Mr. Khanpasha Terkibaev, who is one of the main organizers and direct participant of the hostage taking in the Moscow Theater Center at Dubrovka in October 2002. Both Temirov and Terkibaev are wanted by the Chechen authorities in relation to investigation of the hostage taking and acts of treason.
Thirdly, in accordance with Article 74 of the Chechen Constitution, the Parliament is entitled to make the decision on institution of proceedings to dismiss the President only by “the majority of not less than two third of votes” of the total number of Chechen MPs, which means that the very few former Chechen MPs that have committed treason hoping to avoid torture and death at the hands of the Russian state agencies, have no authority to initiate such actions.
Finally, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is fighting a just war of self-defense against the genocidal Russian aggression that has already killed around a quarter of the Chechen population. Legislature and executive procedures of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in times of war are regulated by the law “on the state of war”, which bans dismissal of President during a war. Aslan Maskhadov, as the freely elected Chechen President and the Supreme Commander-in-chief, is leading the Chechen national resistance, which is fully confident that his leadership will once again liberate the Chechen nation and the Chechen land.
September 12, 2003
Press Office
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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