LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS SEIMAS
SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

PARLAMENTINIŲ RYŠIŲ SU ČEČĖNIJOS RESPUBLIKA IČKERIJA GRUPĖ
GROUP OF THE PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLIC OF CHECHENIA ICHKERIA

Translated from the Lithuanian language

Mrs NICOLE FONTAINE
ChairPERSOn Of The European Parliament

Mrs BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER
President Of The Organisation Of Security And Co-operation In Europe

Lord RUSSELL-JOHNSTON
President Of The Parliamentary Assembly Of The Council Of Europe

Silent banishment from their home and extermination of the Chechen people

National resistance in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Western Ukraine in 1944-1953 was named as “banditry” by Moscow authorities. The world silently permitted to kill over 60 000 “bandits”. Inhabitants were being deported to Siberia along with the looting of their property.Today we encounter the analogous situation in Chechenia. It is already second year that villages have been bombarded, so called “cleaning” have been executed, people have been arrested and persecuted, and day-to-day extermination of Chechen “bandits” and “terrorists” has been continuing. Direct deportation is unhandy, thus, in the Russian colonial war in Chechenia they created such conditions that Chechen people are simply forced to leave their homes themselves otherwise they are vegetating along the line of extinction. It is believed that more than 200 000 Chechens are left in destitute in Ingushiya. According to strongly diminished calculations of Russian authorities today Chechenia harbours 211 000 homeless people, only 20% of which live in tents. The rest live in cellars and dugouts practically without food or medical assistance. Chechen children from the age of 7 are photographed from two angles, they have to leave their fingerprints and are filed down into criminal search. This is a public apartheid.

We strongly believe that the possibility of peaceful and good relations between Russia and Chechenia has been predetermined historically solely by the norms of international law on the recognition of the right of every nation to self-determination. Being leaders of international organisations you have never declared the above. In September this year the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe actually justified the criminal activity against pursued by Russia against the Chechen people. We call you to morally, politically and legally ask Russia to:

·         cease hostilities in Chechenia,

·         start negotiations with legitimate government of Chechenia - President Maschadov,

·         provide an immediate assistance for Chechen people to build anew their homes, to ensure food provision,

·         permit the activities of the OSCE and the Council of Europe missions in Chechenia.

Members of the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania:
Rytas Kupčinskas, Juozas Olekas, Petras Šakalinis, Algirdas Patackas, Vladas Vilimas, Algirdas Petrusevičius, Ignacas Uždavinys, Petras Šalčius, Algimantas Sėjūnas, Liudvikas Sabutis, Vytautas Cinauskas, Saulius Kubiliūnas, Rimvydas Survila, Ona Suncovienė, Mindaugas Briedis