Appeal to Ahmed Zakaev

Appeal of Non-Governmental Public Organizations of the Chechen Republic and Caucasus to Vice Premier of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria Ahmed Zakaev

We hopefully appeal to the public figures of Europe to recognize that all that is happening in Chechnya is genocide. In your person we call for help the political leaders of Europe - Stop them! If it is not genocide, so what is genocide?! The world cowardly keeps silent watching how the whole nation is vanishing.

Nevertheless it is so - all is interrelated. Humanity is a single organism, which cannot function normally if it has a pain. All that is happening in Chechnya today cannot pass by the mankind. One cannot be in silent when people are dying. History never forgives treachery. The humanity has reached a morale deadlock. That is why there were Gulag, Holokost, Chechnya.

Today's Chechnya (one of the most bleeding point of the planet) is one more link of this terrible chain. If only the world could rise in protection of the Chechen people, it would serve as a breach of the century-old chain of evil leading to the future where there is no place for wars and violence, where interest of any State is subordinated to the interests common to all mankind.

Dear Ahmed, we know that you will meet Mr. Bart Styse, Head of Parliamentary delegation on the affairs of Russia. We ask you to tell him that from March 11 to 14, 27 peace people have been killed and burnt in the cities and villages of Chechnya.

We, citizens of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria ask you to make every effort to the following:

1. Attainment of peace in Chechnya;

2. Convocation of International Tribunal in order to prosecute the authorities of the Russian Federation not only for genocide of the Chechen people but also for genocide of the Russian people (27 000 ethnic Russians living in Grozny were killed as a result of air-strikes and artillery shelling delivered by Russian militants in 1994-1996);

3. Achievement of peace negotiations between Presidents A.Maskhadov and V.Putin

The Appeal is approved at the joint session of the non-governmental organizations of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria and Georgia with the participation of the following organizations:

Shirvani Gunaev - Executive Committee of United International Committee of the Refugees from Chechnya (196 000 citizens of ChRI)

Aslanbek Abdurzakov - International Committee for Human Rights

Malika Sadikova - International Committee of Mothers (ChRI)

Hizir Aaldamov - Chechen-Kist Diaspora in Georgia

Ramzan Goitemirov - Green Movement of Chechnya

Ibrahim Yahyaev - Chechen Department of "Memorial"

Abdula Dzuguev - Caucasus Committee for Human Rights

Zaal Kasrelishvili - Secular Confederation of the Caucasus (94 NGO of Georgia)

Secretary of the session, Ruslan Akaev

March 14, 2002, 15:52 Tbilisi (Georgia)