Russian-Chechen Friendship Society

Last updated

The Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS) is a Finland-based non-governmental organization monitoring the human rights situation in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus. The society produces daily press releases claiming serious human rights violations. At its former main office Nizhny Novgorod, where it produced the Rights Protection newspaper jointly with the Nizhny Novgorod Human Rights Society. The RFCFS received the 2004 Recognition Award by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. [1]

In February 2006 the society's director, Stanislav Dmitrievsky, was convicted of incitement to ethnic or racial hatred for publishing articles written by Chechen separatist leaders. [2] In one, Aslan Maskhadov called on the international community to broker negotiations to stop the conflict in Chechnya. In another, Akhmed Zakayev appealed to Russian voters not to reelect President Vladimir Putin and claimed the conflict benefited only Putin. [3] The Society was formally closed by Russian authorities in October 2006 [4] [5] but it continued some of its activities. In January 2007 the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the decision to liquidate the society as an "extremist organization." [2] The organization now maintains its legal presence in Finland. [6]

In January 2007 the society had planned to start hearings on war crimes and human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated in Chechnya, claiming historical precedents for its action, such as the Nuremberg Trials, the U.N.'s International Court of Justice, the international criminal tribunals investigating charges of war crimes committed in Yugoslavia, the Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Iraq. [7]

In September 2007 the United States boycotted an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe conference in Vienna on the victims of terrorism after the RCFS was barred from taking part. A U.S. representative referred to the group as "reputable" and lodged a formal protest over its exclusion. [8]

The society is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy. In 2010 it received a grant of US$49,980 for "expanding and developing a web site". [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chechnya</span> Republic of Russia in the North Caucasus

Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with Georgia to its south; with the Russian republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia–Alania to its east, north, and west; and with Stavropol Krai to its northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Chechen War</span> 1994–96 Russian invasion of Chechnya

The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the Russian Federation from 11 December 1994 to 31 August 1996. This conflict was preceded by the battle of Grozny in November 1994, during which Russia covertly sought to overthrow the new Chechen government. Following the intense Battle of Grozny in 1994–1995, which concluded with a victory for the Russian federal forces, Russia's subsequent efforts to establish control over the remaining lowlands and mountainous regions of Chechnya were met with fierce resistance and frequent surprise raids by Chechen guerrillas. The recapture of Grozny in 1996 played a part in the Khasavyurt Accord (ceasefire), and the signing of the 1997 Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Chechen War</span> 1999–2009 conflict in Chechnya and the North Caucasus

The Second Chechen War took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 to April 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramzan Kadyrov</span> Head of Chechen Republic since 2007

Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov is a Russian politician and current Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated with the Chechen independence movement, through his father who was the separatist-appointed mufti of Chechnya. He is a colonel general in the Russian military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Russia</span>

Russia has consistently been criticized by international organizations and independent domestic media outlets for human rights violations. Some of the most commonly cited violations include deaths in custody, the systemic and widespread use of torture by security forces and prison guards, the existence of hazing rituals within the Russian Army—referred to as dedovshchina —as well as prevalent breaches of children's rights, instances of violence and prejudice against ethnic minorities, and the targeted killings of journalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alu Alkhanov</span> 2004–2007 President of Chechnya

Alu Dadashevich Alkhanov is a Russian politician and the former president of Russia's Chechen Republic. He is a career police officer who fought within the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces during the First Chechen War. He was elected as president on 30 August 2004. On 15 February 2007, Russian president Vladimir Putin dismissed Alkhanov as Chechen president and appointed him a Deputy Justice Minister of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Politkovskaya</span> Russian journalist (1958–2006)

Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian investigative journalist who reported on political and social events in Russia, in particular, the Second Chechen War (1999–2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Shamanov</span> Russian former colonel general and politician

Vladimir Anatolievich Shamanov is a retired Colonel General of the Russian Armed Forces who was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) from May 2009 to October 2016 and a Russian politician. After his retirement in October 2016, Shamanov became head of the State Duma Defense Committee.

Black sites are clandestine detention centers operated by a state where prisoners who have not been charged with a crime are incarcerated without due process or court order, are often mistreated and murdered, and have no recourse to bail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kadyrovites</span> Chechen paramilitary and protection unit

The 141st Special Motorized Regiment, colloquially known as the Kadyrovites or the Akhmat special forces unit, is a paramilitary organization in Chechnya, Russia, that serves as the protection of the Head of the Chechen Republic. The term Kadyrovtsy is commonly used in Chechnya to refer to any armed, ethnically-Chechen men under the control of Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, although nominally they are under the umbrella of the National Guard of Russia. As of 2023, the regiment's official commander was Adam Delimkhanov, a close ally of Kadyrov.

Russia incurred much international criticism for its conduct during the Second Chechen War, which started in 1999. The governments of the United States and other countries condemned deaths and expulsions among civilians. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) passed two resolutions in 2000 and 2001 condemning human rights violations in Chechnya and requiring Russia to set up an independent national commission of inquiry to investigate the matter. However, a third resolution on these lines failed in 2004. The Council of Europe in multiple resolutions and statements between 2003 and 2007 called on Russia to cease human rights violations. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) between 2005 and 2007 conducted legal cases brought by Chechens against the Russian government, and in many of these cases held Russia responsible for deaths, disappearances and torture.

The International Foundation for Civil Liberties is a non-profit organization established by the Russian-British oligarch Boris Berezovsky in November 2000. The foundation is headquartered in New York City and headed by Alexander Goldfarb. The stated mission of the foundation is "to provide financial, legal, informational and logistical resources to secure human rights and civil liberties in Russia."

Mikheyev v. Russia was a 2006 court case involving Alexey Mikheyev and the Russian Federation. The case became notable as "the first serious victory in a case of torture" brought to the European Court of Human Rights against the Russian government. The case was brought forward by the Russian NGO Committee Against Torture and submitted to the European Court of Human Rights on November 16, 2001.

Estimates of casualties in the Second Chechen War vary wildly, from 25,000 to 200,000 civilian dead plus 8,000 to 40,000 Russian military.

The phone call to Putin is a slang term used by some Russian police departments for torture method which consists of administering electric shocks to the person's earlobes, nose, and/or genitals. According to Amnesty International, torture with electric shocks by security forces and prison, jail, and penal colony guards is common in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Chechnya</span> Human rights in Russian territory

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Chechnya have long been a cause of concern for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. As a member of the Russian Federation, Russia's LGBT laws formally apply. De facto, there are no protections for LGBT citizens, and the Chechen authorities allegedly encourage the killing of people suspected of homosexuality by their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalya Estemirova</span> Russian human rights activist (1958–2009)

Natalya Khusainovna Estemirova was a Russian human rights activist and board member of the Russian human rights organization Memorial. Estemirova was abducted by unknown persons on 15 July 2009 around 8:30 a.m. from her home in Grozny, Chechnya, as she was working on "extremely sensitive" cases of human rights abuses in Chechnya. Two witnesses reported they saw Estemirova being pushed into a car shouting that she was being abducted. Her remains were found with bullet wounds in the head and chest area at 4:30 p.m. in woodland 100 metres (330 ft) away from the federal road "Kavkaz" near the village of Gazi-Yurt, Ingushetia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Against Torture</span> Russian non-governmental organisation

The Crew Against Torture is a Russian non-governmental organisation in the field of human rights based in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. CAT provides assistance to victims of torture and conducts independent investigation of torture cases. In addition, CAT publishes reports on systemic problems regarding the ineffectiveness of official investigations and prosecution of torture in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-gay purges in Chechnya</span>

Anti-gay purges in Chechnya, a part of the Russian Federation, have included forced disappearances, secret abductions, imprisonment, torture and extrajudicial killing by authorities targeting persons based on their perceived sexual orientation, primarily gay men. At least 2 of the 100 people, whom authorities detained on suspicion of being gay or bisexual, have reportedly died after being held in what human rights groups and eyewitnesses have called concentration camps.

References

  1. ↑ Russian-Chechen Friendship Society is under severe risk of being destroyed by Russian authorities, Prague Watchdog human rights monitor, 2 November 2005 Archived 17 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed: 07-22-2009.
  2. 1 2 All-Russian Civil Congress (30 January 2007). Верховный суд ликвидировал общество Российско-Чеченской дружбы. Арсеньевские вести (in Russian) (5). Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  3. ↑ "Russia: Activist's Conviction Hurts Freedom of Expression, Human Rights Watch, New York, 4 February 2006". Archived from the original on 11 December 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
  4. ↑ Jamestown Foundation Archived 20 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed: 07-22-2009.
  5. ↑ "Russian-Chechen Friendship Society Closed". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 14 October 2006. Archived from the original on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Statement from the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society following its forced closure, Front Line, 24 January 2007". Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  7. ↑ Chechnya Tribunal, A Step at a Time blog, quoting Russian-Chechen Information Agency editor Oksana Chelysheva, 4 January 2007 Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed: 07-22-2009.
  8. ↑ "Vienna: United States leaves high level OSCE meeting in protest at exclusion of Russian Chechen Friendship Society". Front Line Defenders. 14 September 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Russia – 2010 Annual Report". National Endowment for Democracy. August 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.