From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 12/23/2005 8:35 AM
22.12.2005 20:45 MSK
Chechen public demands to quash war criminals' 'not-guilty' verdicts
CHECHNYA, Grozny. (Chechen Committee for National Salvation regional public movement). Hundreds of people, mainly the loved ones of the Chechens killed by Russian military (cases of Ulman, Arakcheyev-Khudyakov and other) gathered for a rally in the centre of Grozny on 19 December, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The protestors' main demand was to prevent acquittals of the Russian military who, in effect, committed war crimes in Chechnya citing acting on orders from their superiors.
The rally was attended by press and television journalists, members of human rights organisations, including Optimum, Vybor Molodyozhi (Youth's Choice), Dialog, Chechen Women's Union, Chechen Human Rights Centre formed on 10 December 2005, as well as Khizir Mezhidov, Ombudsman's representative in the Chechen Republic, and Ibraghim Zoubairayev of Chechen President's Office for Constitutional Rights of the Russian Citizens Living in Chechnya.
Speakers at the rally included Rouslan Akhmayev of Optimum human rights organisation; Malika Umarova of Chechen Women's Union; Minkail Ezhiyev of Russian-Chechen Friendship Society; Luiza Ayubova of Dialog; Abdula Istamulov of SK-Strategii; Rouslan Maashev of Vybor Molodyozhi; Shirvani Gunayev of Joint Council for Internally Displaced Persons and Forced Migrants in Chechen Republic, and others. All speakers focussed the public's attention on the fact that by returning the verdict of 'not-guilty' in the case of the Chechen civilians' killings, North Caucasus District Court, in effect, encourages perpetrators to commit new crimes and reinforces in public the sense of injustice and distrust in the powers of law.
The relatives of the killed civilians from the village of Dai, Shatoi District, travelled to Rostov-on-Don where on 21 December court hearings will resume in connection with Ulman case.
On 11 January 2002, near the village of Dai, Shatoi District, innocent civilians were killed as a result of a special operation carried out by members of a special military intelligence unit. On 29 April 2004, the jury returned the verdict of 'not guilty' in the case against Eduard Ulman, Alexander Kalagansky, Vladimir Voevodin and Aleksei Perelevsky, who were accused of exceeding their official authority.
On 15 January 2003 three Chechens, who worked on a military construction cite, were killed near Severny airport. The news of the crime was widely reported, and on the same day commanders of the reconnaissance group, senior lieutenant Yevgheny Khudyakov and junior lieutenant Serghei Arakcheyev, were arrested on suspicion of murder. The results of the investigation suggested that after shooting dead the Chechen builders, who drove a KamAz vehicle, the military doused it in petrol and set it on fire. Then they stopped Gaz-3110 vehicle and shot the driver in the leg after robbing passengers' valuables. At the time of the crime the servicemen were drunk. They have been acquitted on two occasions by North Caucasus District Court on the basis of the jury's verdict.
Translated by Olga Sharp
PRIMA-News Agency [2005-12-20-Chech-36]
http://www.prima-news.ru/eng/news/news/2005/12/22/34473.html
