- Hearing of Arguments of the Farid Babayev’s Murder Case Will Take Place Tomorrow

Tomorrow, on May 21, 2010, in the Supreme Court of Dagestan the hearing of arguments of the case of Farid Babayev’s murder (public figure and human rights activist, the head of "Yabloko" party in Dagestan region) will take place.

For more information visit Memorial’s site: www.memo.ru/eng/news/2010/03/31/3103101.htm.

- Dear friends and colleagues!

We are happy to report that a book "Stanislav Markelov: No one but me (Speeches and publications. Recollections of friends)," Moscow, Relics of historical thought, 2010, was finally published.

The presentation of the book prepared by Markelov’s friends will take place on Monday, May 24, at 7 pm in the Sakharov Museum (Moscow, Zemlyanoy val, 57). Everyone is welcome!

Since May 20, Stas’ birthday, till June 10, you can get a copy of the book in the offices of Memorial (contact person: Daria Soboleva, tel. 694-6506; M. Karetny per., 12), All-Russia movement For Human Rights (contact person: Nadezhda Radnayeva, tel. 974-7546; M. Kislovsky per., 7, building 1). The book is being distributed at cost 240 roubles. This week you can also buy a book at Sakharov May-Day worker rally on May 22 at 2 pm (Zemlyanoy val, 57).

Olga Trusevich, Aleksander Cherkasov, Irina Fedotova, Petr Ryabov, Yaroslav Leontiev

- President Medvedev Met Human Rights Activists Dealing with Problems of the North Caucasus

On May 19, 2010, a meeting of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with human rights activists dealing with problems of the North Caucasus took place in the Kremlin. The meeting was organized by the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation headed by Ella Pamphilova.

At this meeting HRC Memorial was represented by Svetlana Gannushkina – a member of the Board of HRC Memorial, the head of Migration and law network, the chairman of Civic assistance Committee, a member of the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, Alexander Cherkasov – a member of HRC Memorial Board, an expert of Hot spots program, Timur Akiyev – the head of Memorial office in Nazran’ (Ingushetia), Oyub Titiyev – HRC Memorial member in Gudermes (Chechnya) and Zaur Gaziyev – HRC Memorial member in Dagestan.

Svetlana Gannushkina spoke about inadmissibility of fighting with terrorism by means of state terror. “The ideology of the state is simple: collective charge, collective responsibility, collective punishment, – stated Gannushkina. – Only personal law can be set off against it, as well as maintaining legitimacy and respect for human rights.” The expert described in details the outset of campaign on pursuit of the suspected boeviks’ relatives in 2007 in Chechnya to the President. Law enforcement authorities are openly neglecting legislation, the residents fear to turn to both law enforcement authorities and human rights activists: “… The residents of the Chechen Republic are in such fear which can only be compared to the fear that the USSR citizens felt during Stalin terror, and which is unrivaled to even that during the high peak of the war.”

Gannushkina also spoke about the problems of human rights activists who have been placed on almost the same footing as terrorists by the authorities in Chechnya.

We can observe an example of collaboration between the authorities and civil society in Ingushetia. And, in Gannushkina’s opinion, this produces significant results. The expert expressed the hope for similar development of the situation in Dagestan. She told about an incident of arrest in Babayurt village in April of the current year, during which joint effective actions of the authorities, journalists and human rights activists led to discharge of the unlawfully detained people. Gannushkina also spoke about other means of cooperation between civil society and the authorities that effectively facilitate the North Caucasus residents’ problems solution, for instance, about small businesses development program by Memorial in Prigorodny Region of the Republic of Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya. Similar programs promote harmonization of inter-ethnic relations in the region.

Speaking of Ingushetia situation, Timur Akiyev noted that it had been worsening gradually since 2002. Abductions, murders during detention, tortures in the course of questionings create a mobilizing base for underground organizations. The replacement of authorities in 2008 received approval from the republic. The Evkurov team took a course that differs radically from that of his forerunners, involving recovery of legitimacy, publicity, dialogue with the society and the opposition. Akiyev mentioned regretfully that the situation in Ingushetia had not stabilized yet, in spite of correctness of the path taken by the authorities. The expert put forward two core reasons – the desperate state of the situation and public distrust for the authorities. “It is clear to us why Evkurov has become a target for boeviks’ attack – because his course represents threat for them, - Akiev said. – This course inevitably leads to the decrease in their supporting base. But why the representatives of the State work against Evkurov – this is the question we wanted to address to you, Mr. President.”

Akiyev, echoing other speakers, noted that struggle against terrorism should be conducted within the bounds of law. “Respect for human rights does not contradict the aim of ensuring the security of the state, and non-government human rights organizations are the authorities’ allies in the struggle with terrorism and banditry,” – Akiyev said. As a conclusion the expert from Ingushetia reminded about the problem of refugees from Chechnya and Northern Ossetia that still remains unsolved.

Oyub Titiyev spoke about human rights problems in the Chechen Republic. The main of them is the problem of the missing and the search for their bodies. During the last decade, according to incomplete data, three to five thousand people are missing. “To bury a close person means to experience a shock once, but to lose a living close person means constant suffering,” - Titiyev said.

Even when the bodies are found, it is usually impossible to identify them. The Memorial member suggested a way to solve the problem: creation of a body identification laboratory with DNA database of close relatives of the missing with a view to attempting to identify a body when one is found. Titiyev supposed that the number of the missing would decrease manifold. “For a mother who lives in a hut and is waiting for her missing son such a laboratory is way more important than the palaces and skyscrapers that are being built here”, – the expert said. Another problem of the Chechen Republic is impunity. Criminal cases on abductions are not investigated. Even when abductors’ names and their cars’ registration numbers are known, the investigation claims impossibility to identify the personalities of those involved in the crime.

Zaur Gaziyev, Memorial member in Dagestan, told that acts of terrorism, abductions, tortures, extrajudicial executions, the stirring-up of extremist underground organizations in Dagestan are the result of the civic confrontation, which has been the state of the local society. Gaziyev suggested six reasons of the confrontation that comprise all spheres of life – social, economic, political.

Gaziyev emphasized the islamization of Dagestan society. Because of the fact that the authorities had chosen the wrong communication tactics with salafits, the latter more and more often find themselves under fundamentalists’ influence. “The kind of environment has formed in Dagestan that will produce more and more suicide attackers and shahids,” – Gaziyev believes. The expert named MVD the main violator of human rights. Tortures of the suspected, which sometimes lead to fatal outcomes, have become a normal practice of the Dagestan policemen. In order to conceive the unlawful activities, the MVD staff claim that the people had died during clashes. As an example, Gaziyev turned to the events of October 27-28, 2008, in Gubden village. The bodies of the missing people were found on the location of the special operation then, as a result of which they were allegedly killed. The traces of tortures on the bodies, the absence of gunshot wounds on one of the corpses made “Memorial” doubt the fairness of the official information. Gaziyev noted that in the Dagestan case it is particularly difficult to find the solution to the situation, but it is vital to do so: “Due to its [Dagestan society’s] poly-ethnicity and multi-nationality it can not be simple. No simple recipes or ideal solutions exist here. But no matter how hopeless the situation might seem now, it is crucial to keep halting the bloodshed and taking people out of the woods”. “It is much more reasonable to bring the people who have not committed violent crimes back to peaceful life today than keep pushing Dagestan towards civil war because of obstinacy. Otherwise there will be no peace in Dagestan, and it can’t be excluded that the echo of the Dagestan war will be heard in the Moscow subway,” – the expert concluded.

Alexander Cherkasov failed to make his speech. The text of the speech, however, has been forwarded to the President in written form.

Please see the full texts of the speeches (in Russian) on Memorial’s website: www.memo.ru/2010/05/19/1905102.htm.

For further information: Memorial