September, 11, 2005
ПолитковскаяThe open letter to the President of CHRI
Dear mister Sadulaev!
Let me share the impressions on account of your last reference to us, to Chechen people.
You are right, these 6 years have brought much sorrow Chechens. Although it would be fair to tell, that our people have been in an extreme situation for more than 10 years. But, despite all monstrous trials which have been fallen to their lot, people are trying to survive and keep human dignity in the most difficult situations.
I have been engaged in problems of the Chechen refugees in Europe for three years and I gain an understanding of this hard and uneasy issue a little, therefore my reasonings concern just exactly this theme.
About 300 thousand inhabitants of the Chechen Republic were compelled to become refugees and to abandon their country. About 50 thousand from them today are in the countries of the Eurounion where some of them managed to receive an official asylum, whereas overwhelming majority are under the phase of consideration of the request for the asylim or have already been rejected.
I am not going to argue the reason which compelled more than 50 thousand Chechens to abandon their native land and to become refugees in Europe, but I can tell with responsibility, they did so not because of good living. Kindness is not searched from kindness.
Nobody has right to reproach these people for they became refugees, just exactly the same way as they do not ask the statesmen: what have you done for us not to become refugees?
Among 50 thousand Chechens presently being in Europe, there are people with completely different points of veiw about the ongoing and happening situation in the Chechen Republic and around the Chechen Republic, there are those who were on the different sides of barricades which were so skilfully constructed for us. There are also absolutely not privy people, but we try, in spite of everything to learn them to listen each other, to understand. We try to be united on the ground of that we are Chechens - indivisible people, and our land is common for us, and the our sorrow is common too.
It is necessary to tell, there is always some figure who tries to sow discord, to bring split in a society. Probably, in order to appear "important", they name themselves as "t1emol", and among them there are many "brigade generlas" and "field commanders", heads of committees, subcommittees, subdivisions etc. Various kinds representatives of someone and something fall abreast of them, longing for being "the fathers of nation" here, in Europe, on the safe distance. Here and there they make hotbeds of "t1emaloin stripping", "representative" and "deputy" wars, trying to involve there refugees and to divide them into contradictory groups. But, as a rule, they are reminded, that the front line passes little bit further from Paris, Warsaw, Strasbourg and Oslo. The difference of these people consists in the fact that they do not name themselves refugees like all others do, though they regularly receive aid each month, have social habitation. They have some sort of special tasks, missions, they came for us, someone even earlier in order to "keep us under the cover". It has been long since they have lost authority, they are not accepted in the decent houses, they are fed up with everyone.
But the matter does not concern them.
The most difficult thing for the Chechen is - to leave the native land. And consequently, when in 1994 the Eurounion allocated money to the program for reception of refugees from the Chechen Republic, there were no Chechens in Europe and the "ready-witted" who could at least say a couple of words in Russian took advantage of it. Even the tourists being in Europe at the time, called themselves Chechens and received all privileges of the refugee (that is because several millions "chechens" are in Europe). I often meet countrymen throughout the Europe, and the refugees who have arrived that time - only a few.
Chechens did not leave for even in 1999, and the basic stream of refugees falls to 2001. These are the people who have desponded to find protection, have lost habitation, relatives and belief that they are needful for somebody.
Anyway, in the countries of the Eurounion Chechens have received care which they had never seen either under the Russian authority, or under - Chechen. How many survived lives of oncological and tubercular patients, how many expensive operations on heart, transplantations of kidneys and other organs! And how many children with a pathology of development, having learned to speak and walk! I am not talking about invalids of the war! People were not asked whether they were "mojaheds" or "mukhajirs", the help was needfull for everyone. Gets anybody harm from this?
But, pay attention: no Chechen refugee has received and will receive a political asylum in Europe, having complained, that they suffered from the followers of "Dudaev", "Maskhadov" and "vakhabits". Though it is not a secret that there are people among refugees and several "emirs" being in cellars, suffered that they were only inhabitants of the "opposition" villages, or simply they lived not badly, had not we had lot of problems!? But there is no logic sense to declare about it, because it may follow the recognition of powerlessness of the native state which citizen you consider you are, the weakness of authority which should have protected its citizens.
Each, Chechen who ask a asylum in Europe, and, even Russian, demand protection against the Russian authorities. And the more statuses are given to Chechens, the more obvious becomes the recognition of a genocide in the Chechen Republic. Your people and your citizens receive protection in Europe because of a genocide! Souldn't we be happy for this all together?!
Today's refugees - this is separate category. Almost all of them have suffered from support of Resistance or because of suspicion of loyalty to it. Many of them have gone through tortures, mockeries, their members of families and relatives killed, burnt houses. Among them are plenty of oncological and tubercular patients, people with various sorts of psychical, mental disorders.
It is the most unfortunate part of the Chechen refugees against who the Dublin Convention took up arms, having enclosed them in "chechen reservation" in Poland. They do not receive medical aid, children do not go to school, their clothes, footwear were worn out, they are fed disgustingly. Regardless of these, they are not able to return to the Chechen Republic because they will really be pursued. They are not accepted by the countries of the Eurounion thaough Poland is the first country on their way and it is responsible for them.
The Polish refugees have already addressed to authority of CHRI with the request to interfere and help to resolve this situation, there have not been any reaction and reply up to now.
Rescueing Chechens from death, from illnesses, from mutilation, from psychological traumas, giving them highly skilled medical aid, an opportunity to receive fine education, Europe incurs a part of the state functions with which today, unfortunately, our country can not cope with. But any of heads of CHRI has never noted this important fact and nothing has made for assistance.
We sould not have called our children "karzaias". We are proud of them because they do always the best in study, in sports, they have succeeded in languages. Our children are held up as an example in local and city holidays, the parents are thanked for them. And only recently some of them have become students (thank God, in Europe for this purpose it is necessary not the patronage, but a clever brain), but with each year at the European Universities there will be more and more the Chechen students, insha Allah! The one who get harm from this, is doomed to be the loser forever!
The education, competence, health - are that luggage which the Chechen refugees will bring home from Europe.
I think, that those who advised you, mister Sadulaev, in hard issues of refugees, are not absolutely competent or have intentionally deformed a situation.
But it is very pity, that you have listened to those who continues to divide Chechens into "the good" and the bad". It will not bring the benefit both to the present and the future of the country.
Sometime we all will meet on the native ground, and we will be free from enemies and with hatred. We will not hide eyes each other if we are honest today.
Tina Ismailova,
The president of Association of the Belgian Chechens
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Comments to "the open letter to President of CHRI" from vice-premier of Chechen Government Ahmed Zakaev
I have attentively re-read the open letter of respected Tina Ismailova for several times. It concerns the problems of the Chechen refugees in Europe to which also our President has paid attention in his "reference to Chechen nation". However, despite polemic character of the open letter of Tian Ismailova, I have not found in it almost any statement or the fact which would contradict statements and the facts produced in "the reference" by president Sadulaev.
In that part of his "reference" which mentions a problem of the Chechen refugees in Europe, the President talks about that " it should be consetrated abroad the minimum quantity of the governmental structures and the organizations which are in condition to propagandize the state policy of CHRI and are capable of solving essential problems of the compelled immigrants (mukhajirs), instead of all Chechens in succession which call themselves "refugees". The matter is that today Europe is occupied by so called " the Chechen refugees ", considering themselves "victims" of policy, both the followers of "Dudaev" "Maskhadov", and "vakhabits" from among which, according to special services of CHRI, in prestigious western high schools are prepared the future "karazai" for Chechen nation".
doesn't Tina Ismailova remark it herself that (I cite) "Among 50 thousand Chechens presently being in Europe, there are people with completely different points of veiw about the ongoing and happening situation in the Chechen Republic and around the Chechen Republic, there are those who were on the different sides of barricades which were so skilfully constructed for us? I want to ask: what does in conditions of fierce, genocide wars when, without any exaggerations, the destiny of people is being determined to be "on different sides of barricade" mean?
It absolutely obvious, on what side of a barricade are the warriors of Chechen Resistance which are called by Russian agitation and propaganda department as the followers of "Dudaev", "Maskhdov" and "vakhabits". They are on that side where honour, freedom and the state independence of our Native land are maintained. In that case how to call the chechens being on the other side of the barricade? What they defend? In whose armed camp do they appear? How are similar people treated by Chechen authority and those governmental structures which work abroad?
Tina writes:... Not a secret that there are people among refugees and several "emirs" being in cellars, suffered that they were only inhabitants of the "opposition" villages, or simply they lived not badly, had not we had lot of problems!? But there is no logic sense to declare about it, because it may follow the recognition of powerlessness of the native state which citizen you consider you are, the weakness of authority which should have protected its citizens.. And I think, that there is a logic sense to slightly disscus this ill theme.
I completely realize, that in inter-war chaos 1996 - 1999 there was a set of things which will not make a subject of pride for the future historians of independent Ichkeria. However, observing objectivity, these historians should recognize, that any nation in one epoch did not begin restoration of the statehood in so heavy conditions, as Chechens did. Total ruin, monstrous unemployment, complex blockade, absence of not only material aid, but even moral support from the rest of the world, general armament of the population successfully inflated by agents of the Russian special services, such, as former "mufti", contentions and disagreements upon basic questions of a politics and ideology, continuous acts of sabotage and the terror, inspired losed war, and consequently up to a limit angered, by the opponent - this is only part of those problems which the Chechen authority after the First Russian - Chechen war had faced.
It is usual to think, that the matter is in "powerlessness of native state" and in "weakness of the authority". People who headed the Chechen state after the first war, may be called ather than "weak-willed dweebs". The "weak-willed dweebs" do not take such unequal war on shoulders and do not leave it with honour - for themselves and for people. The matter is different. Balancing on a thin side - between desire severe measures visit in the country the elementary order and fear to cause bloody civil strifes,- president Aslan Mashkadov (Shakhid, insha Allah!) used the best efforts also impossible to overcome this hardest inter-war crisis. As for we all are his colleagues, and helped our president in this job - is the other question.
But even if someone from Chechens in a reality has suffered from the followers of "Dudaev", "Maskhadov" and "vakhabits", being emirs in cellars", is it an occasion to pass on other side barricade", to become the enemy of the state, people? After all it means to stand on the russian invaders' side who destroy all Chechen people, especially not "classifing" him as "ours" and "others". Besides, we all, including Tina, perfectly see, that many of these "emirs", whose contemptible names are at all on hearing, to the beginning of the second war suddenly appeared in the structure of armies of the enemy, carrying on the shoulders officer straps of GRU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and FSB of Russia. They today sit in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and in a simple way, in a familiar way drop in to the Kremlin in sports costumes. So refugees, ostensibly suffered from hands of the followers of "Dudaevs", "Maskhdovs" and "vakhabits", have all legislative grounds to produce the claims to the chief and the commander-in-chief of these criminal "emirs" to Putin.
The question may appear: why the President in the Reference in general pays attention of this category of refugees? The answer is simple: inflating his - real or imaginary - insults on "weak Chechen authority", they - they consciously or by naivety - render huge propaganda support to the murderer and the executioner of Chechens Putin. You see they, as a matter of fact, speak the same, that approves also the Kremlin: that Russia, exterminating hundred thousand Chechens, conducts war against "banditism" and "terrorism". Hence, having run from the Russian genocide in the Chechen Republic, they not only justify this genocide, but also give to it " the second wind", averting the applications of the western public from desire to stop destruction of Chechen people.
And what does the Chechen President offer to make with this category of refugees? Nothing terrible. He simply demands from the Chechen official structures which are abroad to solve as much as it can the essential problems of the real Chechen refugees, not spending the efforts to these people who actually justify before the eyes of the western public and the Russian aggression to the Chechen Republic, and the genocide of Chechen people untied by Putin. Tina should recognize, that such requirement of the President quite lawful and has distinct "logic sense". Having agreed that among the Chechen refugees in Europe is also such who occupies "opposite side of barricade", Tina, probably, will agree also with that, that we have the full right to perceive these people according to occupied with them in this war by a position.
To prove, as far as there are not enough contradictions between opinion of the Chechen President and opinion of Tina Ismailova, I shall bring one more citation from her letter: "It is necessary to tell, there is always some figure who tries to sow discord, to bring split in a society. Probably, in order to appear "important", they name themselves as "t1emol", and among them there are many "brigade generlas" and "field commanders", heads of committees, subcommittees, subdivisions etc. Various kinds representatives of someone and something fall abreast of them, longing for being "the fathers of nation" here, in Europe, on the safe distance. Here and there they make hotbeds of "t1emaloin stripping", "representative" and "deputy" wars, trying to involve there refugees and to divide them into contradictory groups. But, as a rule, they are reminded, that the front line passes little bit further from Paris, Warsaw, Strasbourg and Oslo. The difference of these people consists in the fact that they do not name themselves refugees like all others do, though they regularly receive aid each month, have social habitation. They have some sort of special tasks, missions, they came for us, someone even earlier in order to "keep us under the cover.
It has been long since they have lost authority, they are not accepted in the decent houses, they are fed up with everyone". .
But you see about the same, only slightly in other words, president Sadulaev, speaks also when in the Reference writes: "If someone even realy thinks, that the destiny of Chechen people is solved in Strasbourg, Washington or Moscow he is deeply mistaken. The final point in the russian-Chechen war will be put by the Chechen mojaheds which with the weapon in hands protect freedom and independence of their Fatherland from the Russian aggression. All these notorious institutes of authority abroad, for last years have evolved as mushrooms after a rain, have failed to carry out any serious political action in the West which on the importance could be put in one number, for example, with recent special action of small mobile group of Chechen mojaheds in the settlement Roshni-Chu".
As for "karazaevs" - completely agree with the opinion of Tina Ismailova when it writes: "It was necessary to name our children "karaziams". Really, the real "karaziams" for sending to the Chechen Republic aren't prepared at all in Europe, but in Russia, and prepare not in usual HIGH SCHOOLS, and in more "specialized" educational institutions which are not brought in public catalogues. The same as also Tina, it is convinced that the Chechen young men and girls who today are in the European HIGH SCHOOLS join the high technologies of a civilization, will make original intellectual and professional elite in the free Chechen state. The higher education does not reduce such feelings as love to the Fatherland, desire to serve its blessing and prosperity, and, on the contrary, allows to realize these feelings in the most effective image. Otherwise, we should, after the Kremlin propagation recognize, what to assert freedom of the Native land there is "illiterate, uneducated" Chechen youth. but it is not so.
I think, while translating References of our President from the Chechen language into Russian have crept in some discrepancies. After consultations on this question with a authority of Administration of the President, I have serious bases to speak about inexact translation of words Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev.
Akhmed Zakaev, vice-premier of the Chechen Government
Chechenpress, the Department of letters, 11.09.05.
http://chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2005/09/11/04.shtml
