From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 1/1/2008 1:32 AM
December 31, 2007

Clarity in Chechen resistance

SIA CHECHENPRESS, December 31, 2007


 

Russia’s extreme atrocities against the Chechen people and oppression over the past fifteen years have, as might have been expected, radicalized parts of the Chechen resistance; religiously, militarily and politically. It is understandable that a people totally haunted and deprived of dignity and human rights seek to extremes for their own defence, especially so, when all reasonable and diplomatic endeavours fail to mobilize the international community to what should have been an obvious moral reaction to come to their rescue.

However, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism are not vehicles to resolving a crisis and building a new successful state structure. The crisis in Chechnya does not have a military solution, only a political one; and must root in the Chechen traditions of culture and religion. Hence, responses of the same character as deployed by the occupying perpetrators will not bring about a solution, but rather prolong the conflict – which may well be precisely what the aggressors want to achieve!

Those who have been deeply concerned about the Russian human rights abuses in Chechnya and the world’s shameful silence about it, have also been increasingly worried to see the radicalization of the Chechen military resistance on home ground. Since the murder of the last legally elected president in Chechnya, Aslan Maskadov in 2004, there has been a growing principle rift between his successors and their international envoy, Akhmed Zakaev, who is resident with political asylum in UK.

The legal Chechen Constitution was adopted in peace time in March 1992. Its article 1 reads as follows:

“The Chechen Republic is a Sovereign democratic legal state created as a result of self determination of the Chechen people. It has the supreme right concerning the territory and its national riches; independently determines external and internal policy, adopts the Constitution and laws governing its territory. The state Sovereignty of the Chechen Republic is indivisible.”

The rest of the Constitution is a rather modern democratic model, defining clearly full equal rights and responsibilities and the protection of individual integrity. It is the duty of the president and Government to uphold the values and virtues of the Constitution, and any change or amendments of principle character – such as the state form – can only be decided by the people in referendum; which again can only take place in normal peace time conditions.

Aslan Maskadov’s successor Abdul-Khalim Sadullaev, who was himself murdered in 2006, made statements to the effect he would change Chechnya from a “democratic” to an “Islamic” state. This rather astounding proposition was largely ignored, because it was completely illegal and without consequence. However, Chechnya’s good friends were very concerned when he also chose the infamous self-proclaimed terrorist Shamil Basaev to be his vice prime minister. It only got worse when Sadullaev was murdered in June last year and was followed by Dokku Umarov, who quickly promoted Basaev to become vise president, - which is next in line to the highest office in the land.