MosNews Russian rights activists have accused the European Union of whitewashing reality by giving an optimistic assessment of Chechnya’s parliamentary election, Reuters reported.
The EU hailed last month’s poll, won by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, as “an important step”. But in an open letter to the EU, seven rights groups said that such a statement called into question the EU’s commitment to human rights.
Rights groups have said the presence of Russian troops, and kidnappings and murder by Moscow’s proxy forces in the region made a free parliamentary poll impossible.
“A policy of whitewashing this reality by the EU, would consolidate Chechnya as Europe’s ’forgotten conflict’, and ignore the regional security threat posed by the conflict,” said the letter, addressed to the British government as president of the EU.
Tens of thousands of troops and civilians have died in the 11 years of the Chechen war, but Russia says the conflict is finally ending with just a few separatist rebels left fighting.
The parliamentary election on Nov. 27 was designed to give Chechnya the last institution required for it to be governed as a normal Russian region and marked the end of the Kremlin’s “peace process”.
Russia denies its forces have engaged in systematic rights abuses, and says much of the criticism of its policy is an attempt to undermine its rule over the region.
“By failing to confront the grave and systematic human rights abuses ... and ’welcoming’ the elements of the manipulated and dangerous ’political process’ contributing to the present crisis in Chechnya, the UK Presidency of the EU doesn’t hold up to its commitments,” said the rights groups.
“This statement not only contradicts the evidence assembled by the Russian and international human rights community ... but also calls the EU’s commitment to human rights, democracy and rule of law into question.”
The letter was signed by Russian rights group Memorial, the Helsinki Federation, the Russia-Chechen Friendship Society and others including the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights. http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/12/08/whitewashing.shtml
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