"Peace and Human Rights for Chechnya!" Statement of the Japanese People Regarding the Killing of Chechen Human Rights Defenders

Chechen Liaison Committee Japan
2009.08.14

Recently, killings of human rights defenders and ordinary citizens have been reported one after another from the Chechen Republic.

On 15 July, prominent human rights defender and Chechen national Ms Nataliya Estemirova was kidnapped, and her dead body found on the roadside soon after. On 10 August, Ms Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband Mr Alik Dzhabrailov were kidnapped together in the Chechen capital Grozny. They coordinated the non-governmental organization Save the Generation, which worked to help war-damaged youth and orphans. Their bodies were found the following day in the trunk of their car. Many ordinary citizens have also been abducted and murdered in the same way, with the number of cases increasing this year.

We feel deep grief and anger at these killings, and at the fact that courageous individuals who bravely worked for human rights amid the ongoing conflict in Chechnya have been murdered in such a brutal manner. Our heartfelt sorrow and sympathy goes out to the Chechen people for their great losses.

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The Chechen Republic declared independence from the Russian Federation in 1991. Since then, it has suffered two Russian military invasions, and currently most of its territory is ruled by the Kremlin-installed Ramzan Kadyrov regime. President Kadyrov has been accused of many grave human rights abuses by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations.

President Kadyrov's party (Kadyrovti) is strongly suspected of involvement in the killing of Ms. Estemirova. On the day she was murdered, Ms. Estemirova was scheduled to speak at a conference about past human right abuses by Kadyrovti. Furthermore, Memorial, the human rights organization to which Ms. Estemirova belonged, has released a statement accusing President Kadyrov of having directly threatened Ms Estemirova.

President Kadyrov has denied involvement in Ms. Estemirova's murder and has criticized her in the media as a "woman who was useful to no-one" and who had no "honor or sense of shame." Such comments damage the image of human rights defenders and encourage further killings.

Considering this situation, the Russian government has the responsibility to prevent more abuses by carrying out thorough and fair investigations into the killing of Ms. Estemirova and other victims, including any involvement in the crimes by President Kadyrov. If it fails to carry out such investigations, it will itself become responsible for approving or supporting these atrocities.

Instability in North Caucasus is on the rise. In Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya and has been subject to numerous military incursions by Russian and Kadyrovti, residents fear that President Kadirov is planning a further cross-border "security operation." Russian authorities and President Kadirov must stop exporting violence in this manner.

We call on Russian authorities and the international community to take the following actions:

• Russian authorities must investigate the killings of Ms Estemirova, Ms. Sadulayeva and Mr. Dzhabrailov, along with those of Ms Anna Politkovskaya and Mr Alexandr Litvinenko, and punish those responsible.

• Russian authorities must change their anti-Chechen policy, which is the root cause of all these tragedies. It should guarantee the fundamental rights of the Chechen people, and assure the safety and freedom of activity of the media, NGOs, and international organizations in the Chechen Republic.

• Foreign governments, including the Japan government, must investigate serious abuses of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in North Caucasus on the basis of universal jurisdiction.

We also call on ordinary people around the world reading this statement to be aware that Chechen human rights activists and ordinary people are living in a situation of ongoing terror. Please consider adding your signature to this statement, as the more people who raise their voices in support of a non-violent solution, the more likely it is that peace will be achieved in Chechnya.

Peace and human rights for Chechnya!

AOYAMA Tadashi (Citizen's Fund for Peace, Peace Net News)
OOTOMI Akira (Chechen Liaison Committee Japan)
OKADA Kazuo (Japanese Committee for the Children of Chechnya, Film Maker)
other 88 of signatures.