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TITLE: Russia Acknowledges Crimes Against Humanity |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: Qoqaz.net |
DATE: December 31, 2000 |
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The Russian government has acknowledged that 200 of its soldiers committed crimes against humanity in Chechnya. This acknowledgment comes after the government itself ordered and managed crimes of destruction, murder, rape, and looting. Whilst on the one hand, these statements serve to please the critics, on the other hand they place the blame solely on 'independently acting' soldiers, totally sidestepping and concealing the original criminal and unjust act of invading Chechnya in the first place. This was undoubtedly, the crime against humanity, which resulted in all the other crimes that followed. A number of questions may be raised: Will this acknowledgment stop the current crimes, and prevent future ones, or will that require another acknowledgment? What purpose does such acknowledgment serve, if they do not stand as an obstacle in the path of such crimes? Crimes Against Civilians Continue Meanwhile, the bodies of two more civilians have been discovered in Kashpino, raising the number of people murdered in this village alone, to seven. Most of these murders are the result of booby traps which the Russian forces say they have set for the Mujahideen. Russian forces in Urus-Martan also bombed a house, occupied by civilians, in the middle of the night, after they failed to find a Mujahid who was allegedly hiding in it. Russian Forces Turn Against the Chechen Police Russian forces are making further efforts to bring civilians into the conflict, this time arresting and torturing the Chechen police commissioner, and killing two police officers. Their attempts have backfired as usual, with many members of the Chechen police discarding their duties, and promising to join and support the Mujahideen. Eid Spells Misery for the Russians Russia severely tightened their security measures in preparation for the Mujahideen Eid attacks, adding to the misery of its forces, who were forced to perform extended guard duty lasting for up to 24 hours, in the freezing cold weather. The Russian forces also completely closed out and surrounded the capital, not allowing anyone to enter or leave. The large number of guards who stood in the snow, sleet and rain, did not deter the Mujahideen, who continued to escalate their operations, assassinating three intelligence officers in Urus-Martan. Russian Commander Announces Beginning of Negotiations The commander of the Russian forces in Chechnya, Bernov, announced that he has started negotiating an end to the war, with the Chechen president Maskhadov. Bernov added that he has made only one condition for proceeding with the negotiations - that Maskhadov acknowledge and declare Shamil Basayev and ibn-ul-Khattab to be terrorists, who are performing terrorist activities. These are Russia's final attempts not only at proving to the world that the Mujahideen are terrorists, but also at creating internal fighting amongst the Mujahideen. END |