Summary of the main news related to the conflict in Chechnya. Compiled by Prague Watchdog.
Monday, October 28
A two-day World Chechen Congress, whose aim was to find a solution to the conflict in Chechnya, started in Copenhagen in spite of Russia's pressure to thwart it. Russian officials accused Denmark of providing support to terorism. The participants in the congress included representatives of the Chechen diaspora, Chechen, Russian and European politicians, human rights activists and journalists.
Tuesday, October 29
Chechen fighters shot down Russian Interior Ministry's Mi-8 helicopter near Khankala. All three crew members and one passenger died in the crash.
The two-day World Chechen Congress adopted a resolution that, among other things, stresses the necessity to recommend the peace plan proposed by professor Ruslan Khasbulatov to the warring parties as a compromise basis for beginning negotiations.
Amnesty International launched its worldwide campaign focused on the human rights situation in Russia. The aim of the campaign is "to highlight the discrepancy between the human rights protection which those living in the Russian Federation have in international and national law, and the reality of widespread human rights abuses committed in a climate of impunity".
The United Nations World Food Programme announced that it will continue its emergency food assistance to over 290,000 refugees and economically vulnerable people in Chechnya and Ingushetia also in 2003. A total of 34,000 tons of food should be distributed within the new operation worth USD16 million.
Wednesday, October 30
The Danish police arrested Ichkerian Vice-Premier Akhmed Zakayev, who was taking part in the World Chechen Congress in Copenhagen. The police said that it acted at the request of Russian authorities, which claimed that Zakayev was involved in the recent hostage-taking in a Moscow threatre and that he committed crimes in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Later on the same day, a Danish court decided that Ichkerian Vice-Premier Akhmed Zakayev will remain in custody till November 12. The Russian Foreign Ministry sent to Denmark an official request for Zakayev's extradition to Russia.
Thursday, October 31
No major events.
Friday, November 1
News server Kavkaz-center published a statement of Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev in which Basayev takes on the responsibility for the hostage-taking in a Moscow theatre on October 23-26. In the statement Basayev says that he asked Aslan Maskhadov to strip him of almost all of his official posts, Kavkaz-center reported.
Russia's State Duma passed in the third and final reading amendments to the media law and the anti-terorism law. The amendments curb media coverage of anti-terrorist operations and ban "anything which can promote or justify extremists' activities or dissemination of statements which promote or justify such activities". The bill must be approved by the Federation Council to become a law.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russia's Federation Council Mikhail Margelov sent to several US high-ranking officials a letter with a request to add Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev's batallion "Riyadus-Salikhin" to the US State Department's list of terrorist organizations.
Saturday, November 2
No major events.
Sunday, November 3
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the Russian military has started a large-scale "special operation" all over Chechnya. Russian daily Nezavisimaya gazeta later said that large-scale special operations in Chechnya were launched already on November 1. Ivanov added that he ordered "to suspend the implementation of plans for the reduction of [Russian] troops in Chechnya". A few days earlier Ivanov claimed that the plans to withdraw part of troops from Chechnya will be maintained despite the hostage-taking in Moscow on October 23-26.
Chechen fighters shot down Russian military helicopter Mi-8 near Grozny. All three crew members and six army officers and soldiers on board, including the Deputy Commander of the 58th Army Stanislav Morzoyev, died in the crash.
The views expressed on this web site are the authors' own, and don't necessarily reflect the views of Prague Watchdog, which aims to present a wide spectrum of opinion and analysis relating to events in the North Caucasus.
