April 12, 2000
Prime Minister Anthony Blair
10 Downing Street
London SW1A AAA
United Kingdom
Via facsimile: 44-171-925-0918
Dear Prime Minister Blair,
I write with regard to the forthcoming visit by Russia's
president-elect, Vladimir Putin, to urge that you use this opportunity
to send a principled message about the consequences of Russia's brutal
actions in the context of the war in Chechnya.
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We believe that at this juncture Britain
must play a critical role in maintaining pressure on the Russian government to curtail abuses by its
forces in Chechnya, and to punish those who have perpetrated war crimes and other violations of
international human rights and humanitarian law.
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Your failure clearly to condemn the war crimes committed by Russian
forces and to call for accountability will undermine the action taken by
the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly. As you know, last week
that body voted to strip the Russian delegation of its voting rights,
put Russia on notice that it risked suspension from the organization,
and called on member states to file an inter-state complaint with the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Your meeting with President-elect Putin last month in St. Petersburg
signaled that Britain was eager to play a leading role in developing a
strong relationship with Russia in the post-Yeltsin era, but that it was
unwilling to use this relationship as leverage to secure better human
rights compliance by the Russian government. We believe that at this
juncture Britain must play a critical role in maintaining pressure on
the Russian government to curtail abuses by its forces in Chechnya, and
to punish those who have perpetrated war crimes and other violations of
international human rights and humanitarian law. As I am sure you are
aware, these abuses include the mass, summary execution of civilians,
arbitrary detention and subsequent beating and torture of detainees, the
indiscriminate bombardment of densely populated areas, systematic
looting, and rape.
In particular, there is an urgent need to ensure that war crimes, such
as the summary execution of civilians in Alkhan-Yurt and the
Staropromyslovsky and Aldi districts of Grozny, be vigorously
prosecuted. We remain skeptical as to the willingness of the Russian
authorities to investigate and punish these crimes in a transparent,
credible, and vigorous manner. You should make absolutely clear to
President-elect Putin that if the investigations currently underway
prove to have been carried out in bad faith or should they fail to
result in prosecutions, Britain will take the lead in calling for an
international commission of inquiry and will file an inter-state
complaint against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights for
gross violations of human rights. In this vein, we also ask that you put
President-elect Putin on notice that Britain stands prepared to withhold
its support for loan payments to Russia by the World Bank and other
international financial institutions.
We would also ask that you raise the matter of the disgraceful
obfuscation by Russian authorities during the recent trip by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to Chechnya
and Ingushetia. Mrs. Robinson was repeatedly denied access to detention
facilities and massacre sites, and President-elect Putin also refused to
meet with her. President-elect Putin should be made aware that Britain
will fully support a strong resolution at the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights, currently in session, that will condemn abuses and call
for their thorough investigation.
Only strong, consistent pressure on the Russian government can ensure
that Russian forces will desist from the atrocities for which they have
become notorious, and that their perpetrators will be held accountable.
We count on you to contribute to this effort, and to make clear now
Britain's opposition to the wholesale abuse of human rights with
impunity.
Sincerely,
Holly Cartner
Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
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