European Parliament resolution on the situation in Chechnya

The European Parliament,

• recalling its resolutions of 7 October 1999, 18 November 1999, 20 January 2000, 17 February and 16 March 2000, 13 April 2000,

• having regard to Council of Europe Recommendation 1444 (2000) of 27 January 2000 on restoration of the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy in Chechnya,

• having regard to Council of Europe Recommendation 1456 (2000) of 6 April 2000 on the implementation by Russia of Recommendation 1444 (2000),

• having regard to the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to the Russian Federation, Degestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya,

• having regard to the conclusion of the OSCE summit in Istanbul,

1. deeply concerned at the reports by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Russian, Chechen and international human rights organisations of grave and large-scale violations of international humanitarian law in Chechnya, in particular, extra-judicial executions, arrests and disappearances, illegal detention of civilians in prison, concentration camps (designated as 'filtration camps') and secret holding centres where ill-treatment and torture are inflicted on a daily basis as part of the systematic extortion from the families of these 'hostages' of the largest possible sums of money for their release,
2. extremely concerned at the living conditions of Chechen populations, often deprived of drinking water, food and electricity,
3. alarmed at the situation inside the refugee camps in the neighbouring regions, especially in the Republic of Ingushetia,
4. deplores the delays and inadequacies in the implementation of EU humanitarian action in Chechnya and the neighbouring republics, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Chechyens have sought refuge,
5. deeply concerned about the deaths of detainees at the Chernokozovo detention facility, the Internat facility at Urus-Martan, and the Khankala military base, in which the standards set forth in the United Nations Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions are totally absent,
6. denouncing the fact that most of the commitments made by Moscow to the international community have not been honoured up to now,
7. whereas President Aslan Maskahadov and the elected parliament have been recognised by both the OSCE and the government of the Russian Federation,
8. deeply concerned by the environmental damage caused by the war in Chechnya and by the lack of appropriate measures to remedy the situation,

1. Calls on the two parties to the conflict to declare an immediate cease-fire;
2. Calls on the President of the Russian Federation to open negotiations with the legitimate representatives of the Republic of Chechnya in the presence of international bodies;
3. Urges all the involved parties to respect fundamental human rights and allow relief workers, independent observers, journalists and the civilian population to move freely;
4. Emphasises the need for an independent Commission to look into allegations of war crimes committed by both sides of the conflict;
5. Urges the Russian authorities to allow unrestricted access to detainees and detention facilities by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Assistance Group of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and to facilitate prompt visits by the concerned UN bodies;
6. Urges once again Commissioner Poul Nielson to visit Chechnya and the Republic of Ingushetia to make a detailed assessment of all humanitarian aid needs, in order to make available as soon as possible the necessary aid needed to avoid a humanitarian disaster, in particular in the regions neighbouring the Republic of Ingushetia, where over 200 000 Chechen refugees are living;
7. Calls upon the Russian authorities to provide the necessary conditions to the international humanitarian NGOs to enter the refugee camps and to distribute direct survival assistance to the displaced people;
8. Calls upon the Council to remind the Russian government that the acknowledgement of human rights is the foundation of the PCA;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the President, Government and Parliament of Chechnya and the UN Secretary-General.