Human Rignts Watch Honors Doctor from Chechnya (Human Rights Watch Press release, New York, November 13, 2000)

Human Rignts Watch Honors Doctor from Chechnya

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Press Release, November 13, 2000

(New York, November 13, 2000) On Tuesday, November 14, Human Rights Watch will give its highest recognition to a doctor from Russia who risked his life to protect human rights in the 1999-2000 Chechnya military conflict. Dr. Khassan Baiev, a surgeon in Chechnya, treated both Chechens and Russians, civilians and soldiers, in a conflict that has been marked by major human rights abuses on both sides.

The 2000 Human Rights Watch Annual Dinners, to be held in New York and Los Angeles, will honor five human rights defenders from around the world. Through their perseverance these individuals fought for justice in Russia, China, India, Jordan, and Sierra Leone. Often, they risked their lives to defend their fellow citizens from abusive governments and armed forces.

Human Rights Watch works with these brave individuals on the ground as part of our defense of human rights in more than 70 countries around the world. Human Rights Watch is a non-profit, international monitoring group with headquarters in New York. It accepts no financial support from any government or government agency.

Background on Dr. Baiev: A doctor and surgeon, Khassan Baiev organized a hospital in his village in Chechnya when war returned in late 1999. He treated both Chechens and Russians, at one point performing more than 60 amputations in 48 hours.

In January, a Chechen warlord threatened to execute him for treating Russian soldiers. Days later, his home was looted and burned by Russian forces. In February, many of his patients were executed by Russian forces, and Khassan had to flee when Russian forces labeled him a terrorist doctor for treating Chechen commander Shamil Basaev. Khassan kept a careful diary of abuses in the war, and provided detailed information on war crimes in Chechnya to Human Rights Watch. For more information on the human rights situation in Chechnya, please go to: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/russia/chechnya/.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH