I write to urge a vigorous investigation into the conduct of Russian federal troops in the village of Alkhan Yurt in Chechnya, and to suggest that you invite international agencies—intergovernmental and nongovernmental alike—to conduct their own investigations. We further request access to Chechnya—in particular to the village of Alkhan-Yurt—to continue our investigation.
There can be no doubt that Russian troops committed serious crimes in Alkhan Yurt after December 1. As you know, Russian forces took control of Alkhan-Yurt on December 1, after intense shelling and after encountering strong Chechen resistance, and began mop-up operations in the village. Human Rights Watch has interviewed more than two dozen witnesses to the events that transpired in Alkhan-Yurt after December 1. Nearly all witnesses were interviewed separately and at great length, and their testimonies were consistent, credible, and mutually confirming. On the basis of these interviews, we have found that after December 1 Russian soldiers murdered at least 17 civilians, engaged in widespread looting, and burned down a number of homes.
Among the civilians murdered in Alkhan-Yurt after Russian forces took control of the village were the following seventeen people:
Nabitst Kornukayeva, aged over 100, and her son Arbi Kornukayev, aged 65. A neighbor heard several shots at about 3:30 p.m. on December 2, coming from the Kornukayev residence. On December 4, Zara, a distant relative, found the two bodies close to the door. Both had several automatic gunshot wounds across their chest, and Nabitst was still holding the cane she used to walk. The gates to the home were broken, and tracks of armored personnel carriers could be seen in the yard.The house was burned down, and is believed to have been looted.
Maret Pashayeva, aged 65, Deti Temirsultanova, aged 70, and her daughter Sordat, aged 35. The three women were hiding in their neighbor's basement on Suvorov Street. They were killed on December 1 when Russian soldiers threw a grenade into their cellar. The three women were buried in Goyty.
Mamed Zanaraliyev and Alimkhan Dalakov, both aged 37. They are believed to have been shot by Russian soldiers during the first days of December, and their bodies were placed under a tractor which was covered with wooden planks and set afire. The homestead where they were killed was looted and torched. Their bodies were discovered under the rubble almost two weeks later, and were buried on December 16.
Khamid Khazuyev, 57 years old, was killed on December 3. Before they fled, other villagers had given Mr. Khazuyev, a former police lieutenant, their household valuables for safe keeping. According to his wife, Zura, early on the morning of December 3 Mr. Khazuyev emerged from his cellar to feed his livestock and was shot by Russian soldiers. Mrs.Khazuyeva's neighbor reportedly told her that he saw an armored personnel carrier and two cars drive up to Khazuyev's house; twenty minutes later the neighbor heard gunshots. When another villager went to find out what had happened, he found Khazuyev's body with bullet wounds. The raiding soldiers thoroughly looted Khazuyev's house and set the house on fire. Neighbors and other villagers reported to Human Rights Watch that they saw smoke emerge from Khazuyev's house. On December 15, Mrs. Khazuyeva saw the charred remains of her house.
Akhanpasha Dudayev, 63 years old, was murdered on December 4. Dudayev had spent the night in his basement, together with his younger caretaker, "Akhmed Akhmedov" (not the man's true name). According to "Yakha Yakhayev" (not the man's true name)," who spoke to Akhmedov, soldiers came to Dudayev's house and threw two hand grenades into the cellar. Akhmed and Dudayev survived the blast. When the soldiers came down to the cellar, Dudayev reportedly pleaded with the soldiers, saying "I'm an old man, don't shoot." Soldiers then reportedly shot Dudayev and burned his body using a gas canister. His house was looted and burned. His neighbors later collected his remains and buried them in the yard.
Kh. M. Nunayeva, age unknown, was reportedly shot by soldiers on December 4. Human Rights Watch is investigating the circumstances of his death.
Isa Muradov, aged 42. He was shot on the night of December 8. According to Muradov's father, Waha (who is Alkhan-Yurt's imam), that evening he and his son were in the cellar. Isa went to the veranda, but Waha remained in the cellar, where he had been staying for the past few weeks. When Isa did not return to the cellar, his father assumed that he would see him in the morning. The next day, Waha found his son's body in the courtyard. He told Human Rights Watch that Isa's left eye was destroyed, that half of his nose had been blown off, and that he had about 30 bullets lodged in his stomach. Muradov recalled hearing a gunshot around 11:00 p.m. on the night of December 8, but feared the consequences of leaving his cellar. Isa Muradov's body lay in the courtyard for five days, as the commander of the 15th regiment, deployed in Alkhan-Yurt, at first denied Waha Muradov permission to bury his son.
Musa Gilkayev, aged between 28 and 38, from Demilkhanov Street, was reportedly shot around December 8 by looting soldiers. Human Rights Watch is investigating the circumstances of his death. Ibrahim Hankurnanov, aged between 20 and 22, was reportedly killed by soldiers, although it is unclear whether he was shot or run over by an APC. Human Rights Watch is investigating the circumstances of his death.
Taus Sultanov, aged 49, was killed on the night of December 8. He wasshot by soldiers in the cellar where he was hiding with other members of his family. He was shot in the thigh and the stomach. The soldiers remained in the cellar for several hours, and Sultanov died due to lack of medical attention and blood loss. The soldiers asked demanded gold and money from the women in the cellar.
Alimpasha Asuyev and Ibrahim Usmanov, aged 25 and 34. They were killed at Pushkina Streetnumber 5 on December 9. A retired policeman from the village told Human Rights Watch that he visited the scene and found the body of Usmanov lying in the courtyard just by the entrance, and Asuyev's body close behind it. But had multiple bullet wounds to the body and face. A boiled chicken was waiting on the table, suggesting the two were killed as they were preparing to eat. The retired policeman believed that the two were killed by looting soldiers.
Sultanov was buried on December 13, together in the village cemetarywith Isa Muradov, Ibrahim Usmanov, Alimpasha Asuyev and Nabitst and Arbi Kornukayeva. Military officials had refused daily requests from the villagers to bury the bodies earlier, as required by Islamic tradition.
Aindi Altimirov, aged 38, was killed on December 18 when he went out looking for a missing cow. His father recovered his beheaded body on December 19 near a just-abandoned Russian position next to the Sunzha river. His father told Human Rights Watch what he saw when he arrived at the river: "There I saw the headless body of my son, I recognized him by his clothes. The head was found down by the river by the boys, about three meters away. There were traces at his feet, when the soldiers cut off his head he was shuffling his feet up and down [struggling] and we could see the traces in the grass. In his hand, there was grass which he had pulled out." Human Rights Watch has obtained photographs of the body of Altimirov which confirm he was beheaded. He was buried only on December 21, because military officials refused to allow an earlier burial as required by Islamic tradition.
Nearly every Alkhan-Yurt villager interviewed by Human Rights Watch was either a victim of looting by Russian soldiers, knew of other victims, or witnessed the looting of other villagers' homes. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that they watched as soldiers loaded household goods뾣urniture, clothing, refrigerators, televisions, and the like뾬nto trucks and armored personnel carriers.
Many witnesses also told Human Rights Watch that Russian troops blocked access to Alkhan-Yurt and prevented villagers from leaving the village.Villagers who had fled Alkhan-Yurt prior to December 1 subsequently pleaded with the Russian command for access to the village to inspect their homes and bury their dead. One woman described how a group of villagers attempted to meet with General Vladimir Shamanov around December 11 between Kulary and Alkhan-Yurt in order to request access; Gen.Shamanov, however, chased them off the premises, reportedly threatening to shoot them should they step nearer. Other villagers were able to gain access only if they bribed Russian checkpoint soldiers.
Russian soldiers' conduct in Alkhan-Yurt violates Protocol II additional to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which protects, among other things, civilian immunity in internal armed conflicts. Article 4(2) forbids, inter alia, "violence to the life, health and physical or mental well- being of persons, in particular murder. . .," pillage, and "outrages upon personal dignity." Human Rights Watch welcomed earlier reports tha tthe military procuracy had begun to investigate the crimes that have plainly been committed in Alkhan-Yurt. Several days ago, however, Acting Procurator General Vladimir Ustinov reported to you that no crimes had been committed in Alkhan Yurt. On Saturday, General Shamanov strenuously denied that soldiers under his command committed any wrongdoing, and made veiled threats to journalists and others who pursue the matter.
We are therefore deeply concerned that the military will not undertake an exhaustive, truly objective investigation into the crimes committed in the village and will not pursue justice against the perpetrators. We therefore urge you to allow international bodies뾦ntergovernmental and nongovernmental alike뾲o investigate the events and to grant them unfettered access to Chechnya, in particular to Alkhan-Yurt. We take this opportunity to respectfully renew our own request, lodged in November, for access to Chechnya.
I thank you for your attention to the concerns raised in this letter, and welcome your response, which may be faxed to me at +1.212.736.1300.
Sincerely,
/s/
Holly Cartner
Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
cc: Minister of Defense Igor Sergeev
Acting Procurator General Vladimir Ustinov
Maj.- Gen.. Vladimir Shamanov, Commander of the Western Group of Forces in the Northern Caucasus
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