Lord Russell-Johnston on the latest developments
In August 1999, a group of armed Chechen combatants, led by Shamil Bassaev, stormed into several villages high in the mountains of Dagestan. They pillaged, plundered and killed. In September, two apartment houses, in Moscow and Volgodonsk, were blown apart, killing several hundred people. Russia was under attack. It had not only a right, but also a duty to fight against the terrorist threat. The second Chechen war has begun.
Two years later, Shamil Bassaev lost a leg, but he is still around. The perpetrators of the terrorist attacks in Moscow and Volgodonsk have never been identified. Grozny, a city of 400 000 people, was bombed to ruins. The list of Russian casualties is steadily growing, matched in length only by the list of human rights abuses, committed by the Russian security forces. Very few, if any of the perpetrators, have so far been brought to justice. After all the destruction and loss of lives, on both sides, only the threat of terrorism is alive and well, and more menacing then ever.
This is a lesson that those carrying out the riposte to the attacks in the United States should bear in mind.
In its recent debate on democracies facing terrorism, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe accepted the possibility of a military action against the perpetrators and organisers of the attacks in the United States, provided that any such action was approved by the UN Security Council, that it clearly defined its objectives, that it avoided targeting civilians, and was generally conducted in conformity with international law.
The message of the Assembly is simple and straightforward. Yes, we must act against terrorists, swiftly and decisively. Yes, we are entitled to use force, if necessary. But using such force in a disproportionate and indiscriminate manner, as it has been done in Chechnya, will only make things worse. If, in facing terror, we give up on humanity, the terrorists have already won.
The support to the international campaign against terrorism is crucial, but in obtaining it, we should not trade our values and principles. We cannot accept the notion that the fight against terrorism is not compatible with the respect for human rights. If, after 11 September, there is anything that requires a "differentiated evaluation" in the world opinion on Chechnya, it is the world leaders half-hearted, soft-pedalling attitude with regard to the Russian conduct so far.
I was extremely impressed by the President's Putin performance during his recent tour of European capitals. He showed great diplomatic skill and political brilliance. His decision to associate Russia to the international campaign in such a resolute and unequivocal manner is certainly historic. Now, instead of engaging in oratory acrobatics, it is time to ask the Russian President to match his words with action. Russia, can make a decisive contribution to the lasting victory against terrorism, not so much by offering its military capacities, but first and foremost by cleaning its act in the Caucasus, by ending human rights abuses and prosecuting those committed in the past, and by pressing for a peaceful political solution with moderate Chechen leadership.
Millions of moderate, peaceful Muslims around the world will consider our attitude with regard to Chechnya, the Middle East, and other conflicts where their fellow Muslim are involved, as a test of whether the west is sincere in its message of justice, equality and human rights, or it is all merely a charade, and we are ready to condone injustice in the name of our own, selfish, short-term and short-sighted interests. The stakes are enormous. We shall either win their trust, and with it the battle against the extremists, or fail, and sow seeds of new despair, hatred, and violence.
Winning the war may turn to be the easy part. But if we want to make this world really safe, we need to win the peace. And to do that, we should be very careful not only in what we do, but also in what we say.
Lord Russell-Johnston, President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly |
