European Parliament resolution on the situation in Chechnya
(The following resolution was adopted by the European Parliament on April 10, 2002. Prague Watchdog editors.)
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Chechnya,
– having regard to recent reports and statements on Chechnya made by various NGOs, the
UN Commission on Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the US Department of State
and the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation,
A. whereas recent reports and statements on Chechnya present conflicting views on the
human rights situation in the republic,
B. whereas at its winter session on 23 January 2002 the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) did not consider sanctions against Russia for violating human
rights in Chechnya, and the rapporteur of its special commission, Lord Judd, said that
although the situation remains difficult, he had witnessed 'tangible improvements' during
his recent fact-finding visit to the territory,
C. whereas the annual report on human rights from the US Department of State, released on
4 March 2002, describes the Russian government's human rights record as 'poor' in
Chechnya, where, according to the report, the federal security forces demonstrated 'little
respect for basic human rights' and 'there were credible reports of serious violations,
including numerous reports of extrajudicial killings by both the Government and Chechen
fighters',
D. whereas the report of Médecins Sans Frontières published on 4 March 2002 accuses the
international community on the grounds that in the fight against terrorism following the
events of 11 September 2001, 'no international power is prepared to stop the Kremlin and
protect Chechens' lives or even their most fundamental human rights', stressing that close
to 200 000 Chechens are living in increasingly precarious and dangerous conditions and
asking the UN agencies and donors to 'do their utmost to bring about concrete
improvements in terms of assistance', notably by reinstating the registration of new
refugees so that aid supplies match the number of recipients, and taking immediate
account of the most urgent needs, i.e. housing and heating,
E. whereas a statement made on 28 February 2002 by the New York-based Human Rights
Watch group says that Russian military brutality in Chechnya has 'fallen off the map'
since 11 September 2001, and that 'the carte blanche for violence against civilians' given
to Russia as a key partner in the US-led campaign against terrorism 'is shattering
whatever trust Chechens have had in Moscow, torpedoing peace efforts and ultimately
undermining Russia as a credible partner in the international war on terrorism',
F. whereas Aslambek Aslakhanov, the State Duma deputy representing Chechnya, declares
that he does not believe that the Russian authorities have done anything to restore the
quality of life in Chechnya, claiming that close to 80% of the 2001 budget funds allocated
for Chechnya disappeared and stressing that 'human rights are not respected at all',
G. whereas, in her report on Chechnya presented at the ongoing annual session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mary Robinson stresses that, despite the fact that some positive changes are taking place
in Chechnya, 'the situation regarding the economic, social and cultural rights of the
Chechen people remains a serious concern' and that reports continue to come in of
kidnapping by the rebels as well as of human rights abuses by Russian government forces,
adding that Russia had failed to investigate these abuses in a credible way during the past
year and calling upon the Russian authorities to increase their efforts in this field,
H. whereas the PACE spokesman on Chechnya, Lord Judd, announced on 21 March 2001, in
the course of his recent visit to Moscow, his intention to raise, at the forthcoming PACE
session, the issue of setting up a special consulting group on Chechnya dealing with the
main issues which attract attention as far as Chechnya is concerned: the human rights
situation there, and the situation concerning the prosecution of those individuals who have
been found guilty of violating human rights on the territory of Chechnya,
1. Reaffirms its position that there is no military way to solve the problems in Chechnya and
calls on all parties involved to seek an immediate ceasefire and a political solution to the
conflict;
2. Urges the Russian special representative for Chechnya to step up the commitment to
pursue any perpetrators of human rights abuses, be they members of the Russian federal
forces or Chechen terrorists, and to bring them to justice;
3. Recognises the fact that Russia has taken some constructive measures in Chechnya in
order to investigate human rights abuses, but deplores the fact that a huge gap remains
between the number of complaints of human rights violations and the number of criminal
proceedings into such cases and prosecutions of people found guilty of criminal offences;
the same unacceptable gap exists between the number of criminal proceedings started and
the number of cases that actually reach the courts;
4. Calls on Russia to provide adequate assistance to victims of the conflict, both in
Chechnya and in the neighbouring Russian republics;
5. Calls on Russia to create conditions conducive to the displaced people's return, including
security guarantees and appropriate social and economic conditions;
6. Urges Russia to cooperate fully with EC-funded humanitarian aid agencies and facilitate
operating conditions, including a transparent permit system for Chechnya and access for
aid organisations to VHF radio communication;
7. Urges its Delegation for relations with Russia to set up, with its Russian counterpart, a
Joint Working Group on Chechnya with the aim of monitoring the situation and
investigating reported human rights violations and to report back to the European
Parliament;
8. Refers to its resolution of 16 March 2000 on violations of human rights and humanitarian
law in Chechnya 1 advocating the creation of an ad hoc delegation of five Members to visit
the Northern Caucasus region in order to discuss with the Russian authorities and
Chechen representatives all issues relating to the current conflict as contained in that and
previous resolutions;
9. Calls on ECHO to continue its work in the zone and to cooperate with other international
organisations in order to give specific assistance to victims of landmines, by providing for
physical therapy, prosthetics and psychological counselling;
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue their efforts to convince the
Russian authorities to facilitate operating conditions for international aid agencies and
especially ECHO and independent Russian and international media in Chechnya;
11. Welcomes, in this respect, the initiative of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary
Assembly and the Duma to organise a forum called the Chechen Consultative Council,
which had its first meeting in Moscow in March 2002, with a view to creating a
framework for the resumption of direct contacts between the Russian government and the
Chechen separatists;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the
parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the UN Secretary-General,
the Russian State Duma and Federal Council, the government of the Russian
Federation and the authorities in Chechnya.
Source: European Parliament (a PDF file)
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