Murder in Chechnya

Russia: Court Clears Soldiers Of Murder In Chechnya

By Robert Parsons

A jury in a Russian military court has found soldiers from an elite
military unit not guilty of murdering six Chechen civilians at a
checkpoint in Chechnya in 2002. Unusually, the men admitted carrying out
the killings but denied responsibility for them, saying they were acting
under orders. Human rights activists fear the decision will encourage
further abuses in Chechnya.


Prague, 20 May 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Few will be surprised by the verdict of
Russia's North Caucasus District military court. Human rights abuses by
the Russian armed forces in Chechnya are well-documented, but legal
action against the military is rarely taken -- and even more rarely
successful.

The ruling deals a heavy blow to the hopes of human rights activists
that the armed forces might be becoming more accountable.

"A decision like this by the jury can only mean one thing: that on the
orders of their superiors, our special forces, our elite units, and our
policemen can kill freely, can knowingly kill innocent, peaceful
citizens," Oleg Orlov of the Moscow human rights organization Memorial
said. "In my opinion, this is a terrible decision that has set a
terrible precedent."

Nobody disputes the circumstances of the case. In January 2002, Captain
Eduard Ulman and his unit of elite troops were on an
intelligence-gathering mission in the mountainous district of Shatoi in
southern Chechnya. When a minivan failed to stop at their checkpoint
they opened fire, killing one man instantly and wounding two. Three
others, including a pregnant woman, were unhurt.

Ulman radioed his headquarters to inform them of the incident and seek
instructions. Acting on the orders received, the Russian soldiers shot
the survivors, loaded their bodies into the minivan, and set it alight.

The district military court cleared the soldiers of murder and of trying
to cover up the evidence by burning the bodies. The jury, which
relatives of the dead say did not include anyone from the Caucasus,
concluded that they had acted in accordance with their military duties
and the circumstances in which they found themselves.
Memorial's Orlov says the court's decision shows that the Chechen people
have been abandoned by the state.

Speaking to the Interfax agency, Captain Ulman said he welcomed the
verdict and that all the men involved continued to serve in the Russian
armed forces.

It was not the first time that this particular case had been brought to
court. Last year, another jury, this time in the southern Russian city
of Rostov-na-Donu, also found the men not guilty. But the military
branch of Russia's Supreme Court challenged the decision, forcing the
retrial. The Russian military will now hope that the affair can quickly
be forgotten.

That seems unlikely, however. The case has stirred up widespread popular
resentment and a lawyer for the relatives of the victims says they will
appeal against the verdict. Today, an angry crowd gathered in Grozny to
protest the decision. Perhaps even more alarming for the Russian
authorities, the case has outraged even their supporters in the
pro-Moscow Chechen administration. Taus Djabrailov, chairman of the
Governing Counsel of Chechnya, is demanding justice.

"They killed absolutely innocent people. They were on their way home
after work. Not only did they murder them, they even tried to burn their
bodies. It's an horrific crime! And I think they will yet have to answer
for their actions, given the seriousness of what they have done. That's
the view of both the leadership and the people of Chechnya. I hope they
will be punished for killing innocent people," Djabrailov said.

The ordinary people of Chechnya are unlikely to be impressed, though, by
Djabrailov's expressions of concern. The armed units of his own
pro-Moscow administration operate with no less impunity than the Russian
military. Memorial's Orlov says the court's decision shows that the
Chechen people have been abandoned by the state.

"It's obvious the civilian population feels totally unprotected," Orlov
said. "But it did anyway. In truth, this verdict has merely confirmed
what Chechens already knew: that the Russian state does not defend the
rights of the civilian population of the Chechen Republic."

Winning hearts and minds in Chechnya does not appear to figure high on
the list of priorities of the Russian military. President Vladimir Putin
talks of the need for massive investment in the local economy, of the
gradual normalization of Chechen life, and the need for strengthening
local self-government. All very desirable, no doubt, but this trial has
again exposed the reality of Chechen life and it is starkly at odds with
Putin's vision.

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/5/C42FCA79-A056-404C-938C-A555FA55ECD0\.html