APPLICATION TO MR. RICHARD SULÍK, A SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, FROM Algirdas Endriukaitis and Rytas Kupcinskas
MR RICHARD SULÍK
SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
ON THE EXTRADITION OF CHECHENS TO RUSSIA
15 November 2010
We have received information that, on a demand from Russia, the Slovak Republic is going to extradite young Chechens Ali Ibragimov and Anzor Chentiev. We believe that such a move should be thoroughly evaluated from a legal, political and moral perspective. We have received similar requests from Russia, however, due to our systematic valuations, Russia’s requests have not been satisfied by Lithuania.
It is, first of all, a known fact that in 1994 and 1999 Russia started two wars against Chechnya using all types of military forces. During the wars, human rights were being violated on a mass scale, war crimes and crimes to humanity were being committed and over 200 000 people were killed.
A harsh and unlawful regime is currently imposed there. Russia is not considered to be among those countries which are acting in a lawful manner – people who do not support the regime are being maltreated and international terrorist acts are being organized by the Russian special agencies.
May I recall the practice of the United Kingdom. On 13 October 2010, the UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague came to Russia. When Russia refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, who was suspected of poisoning the Chechen rights activist Alexander Litvinenko in London, and thus, prevented his possible trial in the UK, cooperation between the two countries was frozen in the areas of fight against terrorism and visa facilitation. The issuance of British visas to Russian officials was also made more rigorous. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary announced that the cooperation in the fight against terrorism, which was frozen four years ago, was not going to be resumed. This shows how the UK defends its rights and sovereignty, and how it treats the Russian legal system.
Were Ibragimov and Chentiev extradited to Russia, they would definitely face torture, falsification of evidence, a biased trial and, as it is common, death in a place of imprisonment. Justice and humanism does not allow to trust Russian charges and justice. Therefore, the extradition of these persons would simply mean victimisation of the people of the devastated country. We hope that the international law as well as yours will not support obvious lawlessness and injustice.
Yours sincerely,
Rytas Kupcinskas
Chairman of the Group
Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Richard Sulík
Speaker of the National Council
Slovak Republic
Appeal 15 November 2010
On Chechen refugees Ali Ibragimov and Anzor Chentiev
The information available suggests that the authorities of the Slovak Republic are going to extradite young Chechens Ali Ibragimov and Anzor Chentiev to Russia. If Russia observed the rule of law, its request for extradition of these people would be comprehensible. After the Russia-Chechnya wars in 1994 and 1999, where 100 000 Russian troops, including aviation, were deployed and great numbers of people were killed, a harsh and unlawful regime was imposed in Chechnya; therefore, there is no sense to refer to law and justice.
International human rights organisations accuse Russia of severe human rights violations in pre-trial investigation institutions that use intimidation and torture, falsify evidence and witness testimony and in courts that follow the instructions of the special services. People are persecuted, humiliated, tortured, and murdered in prisons.
Today, the Russian Federal Security Service is following the course of brutal Stalinist political persecution, intimidation, and murder vis-à-vis Chechnya. Ruslan Alikhadjiev, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, was tortured to death in Lefortovo prison in 2000; Magomed Kariyev, Chechen field commander, was killed in Baku in 2001; Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev, Chechen Deputy Prime Minister, was murdered in a camp in 2002; Vakha Ibragimov, Advisor to the President of Chechnya, was killed in Baku in 2003; Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Chechen Vice-President, was assassinated in a bomb explosion in Qatar in 2004; Lecha Ismailov, Chechen field commander, was poisoned in a Russian camp; Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen President, was killed in Chechnya in 2005; Ana Politkovskaya, Chechen rights activist and journalist, was murdered in Moscow; and Alexander Litvinenko, Chechen rights activist, was poisoned in London in 2006; Magomed Yevloyev, human rights activist, was murdered in Ingushetia; Islam Djanibekov, Chechen field commander, was assassinated in Istanbul in 2008; Natalya Estemirova and Zarema Sadulayeva, human rights activists were killed in Chechnya in 2009, as were Umar Israilov, member of the resistance movement (in Austria); Gilani Shepiyev, Vice-mayor of Grozny; Stanislav Markelov, lawyer and Chechen rights activist; and Anastasia Baburova, journalist and Chechen rights activist (in Moscow); Muslim Atayev, Chechen field commander (in Istanbul); and a number of other people.
In 2009, Ruslan Khalidov, former Kadyrov’s supporter, came to Norway, where he confessed that he had been sent there to murder Magomed Ocherhadzhi, leader of the Chechen diaspora. Mukhamadsalakh Masayev, who initiated litigation against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights, has disappeared without a trace. Irina Maskolenko, lawyer of Politkovskaya’s family, started complaining of health problems, subsequently, mercury was found in her car. This is a realistic every-day practice of international terrorism pursued by the Russian state.
We continuously receive information from Chechnya on mass human rights violations, violence, and disappearance of people. Therefore, we believe, that the legislation of the Slovak Republic and the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees adopted in 1951 and its Protocol of 1967 allow for common justice, on legal and moral basis, for Ali Ibragimov and Anzor Chentiev, nationals of the war-torn country.
Sincerely,
Algirdas Endriukaitis
Secretary General of the Group
http://www.chechenpress.co.uk/content/2010/11/18/main03.shtml
