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INTERNATIONAL  GROUP
OF  PARLIAMENTARIANS
ON  THE  PROBLEM
OF  CHECHENIA

TARPTAUTINĖ  PARLAMENTARŲ  GRUPĖ
ČEČĖNIJOS  PROBLEMOMS

Gedimino pr. 53,

Vilnius, Lithuania,

Tel./fax.: 370 2 39 64 97

Tel.: 370 2 22 01 07

E-mail: [email protected]

МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ  ГРУППА   ПАРЛАМЕНТАРИЕВ
ПО  ПРОБЛЕМАМ  ЧЕЧЕНИИ

Mrs  BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER
CHAIRMAN OF THE ORGANISATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE

LORD RUSSELL-JOHNSTON
PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

CONCERNING POSSIBLE ASSASSINATION OF CHAIRMAN OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC ICHKERIA

                On 17 May this year Russian soldiers surrounded the house in Shali town in which the Chairman of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria Ruslan Alichadhijev lived. He was arrested together with his five relatives. The relatives were released the following day, however, as they were taken to and from the place of arrest blindfold, they did not know where arrested Ruslan .Alichadhijev had been left

Ruslan .Alichadhijev was elected to the Parliament on 27 January 1997. He did not take place in the second Russian war and did not hide. He looked for the possibilities to put a stop to the war. Soon it is four months already since his arrest. His family fears that conditions in prison and, perhaps possible torturing, psychological and other treatment known to the Chechens can be fatal to his health. His relatives from Russian military authorities demand that his body should be returned

                Nobody gives any explanations about his whereabouts. There is no sense to speak about any help of the lawyer.

Our group addressed you on 5 July 2000 concerning Ruslan Alichadhijev. On 14 July 2000 forty members of the Lithuanian Parliament and twice – the Chechen parliamentarians appealed to you. Nobody received any answer from you and we think that you did nothing about this matter. These days unconfirmed information from Russia reached us that Ruslan Alichadhijev, aged about 40, died in Lefort prison in Moscow. We ask you to take urgent measures to elucidate Russia’s actions against Ruslan Alichadhijev.

I express a strong protest against your not fulfilling your functions and the human act, which is mandatory to you, and against your not taking any interest in the parliamentarian whose democratic election in 1997 was confirmed by the mission of the OSCE observers. Your indifference and delay may be assessed as your and your Organisation’s fawning to Russia, which by its imitation elections and massive and absolute violations of the human and nation’s rights further mocks at the Council of Europe, the OSCE and personally at you.

Sincerely yours,

Secretary General                                                                                                                           Algirdas Endriukaitis