A Letter to Prime Minister (Italy) Silvio Berlusconi asking that at the forthcoming G-8 meeting address the decline of democratic freedoms in Russia and on-going Russian abuses in Chechnya.
We hope you will make clear that Russia must keep its commitment to respect human rights if it is to build a relationship of trust with its G-8 partners. And we trust that you will emphasize publicly that abuses in Chechnya cannot be justified by the fight against terrorism or what President Putin refers to as "extremism," and that they will not contribute to a Russia that is strong and respected by the world.
The delivery of such a message has never been more urgent, because the policies of Vladimir Putin's government pose the greatest long-term threat to democratic freedoms in Russia since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russia's only national independent television station (NTV) has now been brought under quasi-government control. Russia's most popular independent radio station, Ekho Moskvy, is at risk of meeting the same fate in coming weeks. Journalists and at least one human rights activist known for their hard-hitting or critical reporting have been harassed. Russian journalists who investigate abusive conduct by federal forces in Chechnya often suffer persecution; several from Eastern Europe have been deported or denied visas. Criminal prosecutions of several journalists and academics on unfounded charges of espionage point to the resurgence of the Federal Security Service (the former KGB) as a tool to curtail civic and political freedoms. A new government decree regulating Russian academics' interactions with foreigners has had a chilling effect on academic freedom. And rampant corruption has laid waste to the public institutions, particularly in law enforcement, crucial to the rule of law.
The most dramatic illustration of Russia's failure to ensure human rights and the rule of law is the appalling conduct of its forces in Chechnya. In just the past month, federal forces on sweep operations in at least seven villages arbitrarily detained, tortured, and ill-treated hundreds of people. Human Rights Watch researchers currently in the region have documented the cases of more than a dozen men tortured by federal forces in these operations. Outraged by the scale of the abuse, several Chechen administrators who had been loyal to Moscow resigned or threatened to do so. Lt. Ge. Vladimir Moltenskoi, acting commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, initially admitted that large-scale abuses had taken place. This was an unprecedented move, but officials backed away from the criticism, acknowledging that only "some violations" had been committed by individual soldiers. They gave no indications that future sweep operations would be conducted in any different manner.
Although Russian prosecutors say they have opened a criminal investigation into some of the recent abuses, there is little hope that the investigation will be meaningful. Earlier this week, the Council of Europe chastised Russia for ignoring its recommendation to investigate a detention center where guards routinely tortured inmates in early 2000. Just yesterday, a Chechen torture victim interviewed by Human Rights Watch called 2000 "the year of impunity." Russia has made no progress toward inviting U.N. monitors who could investigate torture, forced disappearances, and summary executions. And to the best of our knowledge, not a single high-level commander has been called to account for atrocities against civilians since the conflict began nearly two years ago.
Russia's invitation to join the G8 was predicated not simply on the country's size and importance, but on hopes for its democratic development. But Russian democracy has grown weaker, not stronger in recent months. That should raise serious questions among other G8 states about Russia's continued membership. We ask you publicly to raise concern about these trends at the G8 meeting and during your summit meeting. In particular, we ask that you seek assurances from President Putin regarding the independence of radio station Ekho Moskvy. We also ask that you urge President Putin to ensure access to Chechnya for all U.N. monitors mandated by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to investigate abuses there. Finally, we ask that you make clear that the international community requires a detailed accounting of investigations into abuses by Russian federal forces in Chechnya, including into the failure by the high command to stop and prevent abuses.
We hope you and other G-8 heads of state and government will agree at this meeting that significant financial assistance, including debt relief and restructuring, to Russia must be linked to progress on basic democratic freedoms and accountability. That is the only way to stay true to the founding premise of the G-8 - that Russia's future is important to the world and that respect for democratic freedoms is vital to Russia's future.
Please accept our best wishes for a productive summit.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Andersen
Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia division
Lotte Leicht
Director
Brussels Office
