Danish Support Committee for Chechnya

Press Release

Protest against the genocide in Chechnya - the international community must act now!

One year has gone since the mean Russian murder in 8 March, 2005, of Chechnya's last democratically elected President, Aslan Maskhadov.

The worst ongoing war and forgotten genocide in Europe still shows no signs of ending. "Everyday" in the Chechen war ghetto is horrible: military clashes, terror, murder and kidnappings. Putin's allegations about a "normalization in Chechnya" are an insult to all who can watch and read free media.

Since the cowardly murder of Maskhadov, many more killed Chechens have been added to the terribly long list of people lost during more than 10 years of war. Almost 1 of every 4 Chechens has been killed - 250 000 people, a startling number. The life and health of Russian soldiers, too, is destroyed in a criminal way by the continuing bloody and pointless colonial war in Chechnya, waged by the Putin regime.

Maskhadov was murdered at a moment when he had declared a unilateral ceasefire without any preconditions.

Instead of negotiations, Maskhadov was deliberately murdered. The Kremlin rulers thus killed an adversary who always condemned terror against innocent people and constantly offered negotiations about an armistice. One can doubt in this context if peace is a priority for Putin at all.

Recently a number of former political leaders, headed by former President of Czechia, Vaclav Havel, issued a strong appeal to "break the silence on Chechnya". 10 years of war and genocide can never become an "internal affair", something which UN Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed after the barbarism on the Balkans.

The suffering Chechen people deserves all possible help to break this silence. The current leaders of the international community must take effective action and become involved in order to guarantee the Chechens' right to live.

Denmark is a member of the UN Security Council. When will the Danish government present Vaclav Havel's message to that forum - and break the unbearable silence?


8 March 2006

DANISH SUPPORT COMMITTEE FOR CHECHNYA

Thomas Bindesbøll Larsen


Chairman

Contact info:

Mobile phone +45 26 64 24 00