Chechnya Fighting In
Russia
Various abuses against military servicemen, including, but not limited to, the practice of "dedovshchina" (the violent, at times fatal, hazing of new junior recruits for the armed services, MVD, and border guards), continued during the year. Press reports cited serving and former armed forces personnel, the Main Military Procurator's Office (MMPO), and NGOs monitoring conditions in the armed forces, which indicated that this mistreatment often included the use of beatings or threats of increased hazing to extort money or material goods. On September 3, the chief military prosecutor announced that approximately 2,000 hazing incidents had been reported in the military in the first half of the year, an increase of 30 percent from the same period in 2002. According to the chief military prosecutor, over 300 criminal cases were opened regarding hazing incidents in the army during the year. He estimated that 1,200 solders had died in non-combat situations in the first half of th ... [Read More]
Russia
Authorities attributed bombing incidents in Dagestan and several cities in southern areas of the country to Chechen rebels.Government forces and Chechen fighters have used landmines extensively in Chechnya and Dagestan since August 1999 (see Section 1.g.); there were many civilian landmine casualties in Chechnya during the year. b. Disappearance There were reports of government involvement in politically motivated disappearances in Chechnya; however, there were fewer reports of kidnapings than in previous years. The NGO Memorial claimed that federal military forces detained thousands of persons from Chechnya. Some of these persons disappeared, but most were released, often after their relatives paid a bribe. Memorial estimated that the number of individuals unaccounted for was somewhere between several hundred and a thousand. Former Presidential Representative for Human Rights in C ... [Read More]
Terrorist Designation Under Executive Order 13224
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2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Russia
Government officials stated publicly that they would not pressure or compel IDPs to return to Chechnya, and Ingush President Zyazikov promised that accommodation would be found for those remaining in Ingushetiya. Federal and local authorities consistently stated their determination to repatriate all IDPs back to Chechnya as soon as possible. Representatives of the Chechen administration visited camps in Ingushetiya to encourage IDPs to return to Chechnya, usually to temporary IDP facilities. In addition, during the year, the authorities closed the last remaining three tent camps in Ingushetiya; they had housed 5,978 persons. Although some of the inhabitants chose to remain in Ingushetiya, the UNHCR estimated that 70 to 75 percent chose to return to Chechnya. Following the June attacks by Chechen fighters in Ingushetiya, security forces conducted raids at several IDP settlements. Human rights NGOs reported that some of these raids resulted in IDPs being beaten or otherwise mistreated (s ... [Read More]
Russia
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, government pressure on the media persisted and in some respects increased significantly, resulting in numerous infringements of these rights. The Government exerted pressure on journalists, particularly those who reported on corruption or criticized officials, by: selectively denying journalists access to information including, for example, statistics theoretically available to the public and filming opportunities; demanding the right to approve and censoring certain stories prior to publication; prohibiting the tape recording of public trials and hearings; withholding financial support from government media operations that exercised independent editorial judgment; attempting to influence the appointment of senior editors at regional and local newspapers and broadcast media organizations; removing reporters from their jobs; bringing libel suits against journalists; and intimidating and harassing journalists. Fac ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: United Nations Report, Wednesday, November 3, 1999
UNHCR continues to be concerned about the dramatic situation at the main border crossing between Chechnya and Ingushetia where those fleeing Chechnya are allowed to cross at an alarmingly slow pace. UNHCR says it is alarmed by continued civilian casualties of Russia's military actions, including the reported rocket attack on a convoy of people fleeing Chechnya last Friday. ... The border between Chechnya and Ingushetia opened at 9 a.m. local time this morning but only a small trickle of people were allowed through during the first hour. On Monday, a mere 164 people were allowed out of Chechnya and 400 back into Chechnya. Before the Russian clampdown on the border, the rate of processing was 5,000 to 7,000 a day. The latest reports speak of some 5,000 people massed on the Ingush side of the border either waiting for their relatives to arrive or trying to get back into Chechnya to collect the relatives they had left behind. At least 10,000 are stuck on the Chechen side of the border. ... [Read More]
G - Eurasia Overview
Throughout 2002, Dushanbe continued its investigations into a number of incidents of domestic and international terrorism that had occurred in Tajikistan in 2001. In August, the Government announced the formation of a special investigation and prosecution unit to look into the assassinations of a number of high-ranking officials in 2001 and previous years. The effort included the killings of the First Deputy Minister of the Interior, the State Advisor to the President on International Affairs, and the Minister of Culture—as well as the Independence Day suicide bombing (which injured one other person) in September 2001 and the murder of two members of the Baha’i faith in Dushanbe in late 2001. According to public statements by the Deputy State Procurator-General (head of the special unit), arrests were made in several of the cases. The investigations continued. Convictions were obtained in some of the cases, including the murders of the First Deputy Minister of the Interior ... [Read More]
USIS Washington File: Text: UNHCR Briefing on E. Timor, Daghestan
1. East Timor: UNHCR's top Geneva -based official in charge of Asia, Francois Fouinat, and another UNHCR staff member were slightly injured Tuesday by an angry crowd of displaced people in an encampment housing thousands of East Timorese near Kupang, West Timor. The UNHCR staff were punched, kicked and had stones thrown at them by opponents of East Timor's independence who fled to West Timor in the wake of the independence referendum. The windows of their vehicle were smashed. A third UNHCR staff member also present on the scene was not hurt. The three UNHCR officials traveled to West Timor to look at the displacement situation there. ... [Read More]
Russia
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and numerous national and regional media reflect a multitude of opinions; however, government pressure on the media persisted and in some respects increased significantly, resulting in numerous infringements of these rights. The Government exerted pressure on journalists, particularly those who reported on corruption or criticized officials, by: selectively denying them access to information (including, for example, statistics theoretically available to the public) and filming opportunities; demanding the right to approve certain stories prior to publication; prohibiting the tape recording of public trials and hearings; withholding financial support from government media operations that exercised independent editorial judgment; attempting to influence the appointment of senior editors at regional and local newspapers and broadcast media organizations; removing reporters from their jobs; and bringing libel suits aga ... [Read More]
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