RFE/RL: North Caucasus Resistance Sentences Chechen Leader To Death
posted by circassiankama on September, 2009 as CHECHNYA
North Caucasus Resistance Sentences Chechen Leader To Death
Akhmed Zakayev has met several times with Chechen Republic officials to discuss ways to promote national reconciliation.
August 25, 2009
The Supreme Shariat Court of the Caucasus Emirate proclaimed in late
2007 by former Chechen Republic Ichkeria (ChRI) President and North
Caucasus resistance commander Doku Umarov has issued a fatwa condemning
to death Akhmed Zakayev, who heads the ChRI government in exile. A
statement announcing that decision was posted on August 25 on the
Caucasus Emirate website kavkazcenter.com.
That
statement argued that Zakayev's public statements testify to his having
betrayed the Muslim faith. It said he "professes democratic religion,
propagates secularism, and prefers the laws established by men to the
Shari'a law of Almighty and Great Allah."
Two days earlier, on August 23, Zhalaudi Saralyapov, chairman of the ChRI parliament in exile, issued a decree
dismissing the cabinet in exile and Zakayev as its head, and taking
upon himself the duties of cabinet head. Saralyapov's stated rationale
for doing so was that Zakayev violated the ChRI Constitution by
recognizing the legitimacy of the pro-Moscow Chechen Republic
leadership.
Saralyapov said the parliament and government in
exile authorized Zakayev to discuss with pro-Moscow Chechen officials
only a proposal advanced by the latter that the Russian Federation
should recognize the Chechen Republic as an independent state just as
it recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia one year ago.
Over the
past three months, Zakayev has met several times with Chechen Republic
officials, including parliament Chairman Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov, to
discuss ways to promote national reconciliation.
Several ChRI parliament deputies officially endorsed those talks at a
meeting in Berlin on July 25 as an opportunity to bring to an end the continuing killing of Chechens by fellow Chechens.
Virtually
the entire ChRI parliament and government in exile have since disavowed
and distanced themselves from Saralyapov's decree. In a statement
dated August 25, three parliament deputies, eight government officials,
11ChRI diplomatic representatives, four former participants in the wars
of 1994-96 and 1999-2000, and the widow of slain ChRI President Aslan
Maskhadov denounced that decree as "irresponsible, politically
illiterate, and legally without foundation."
They confirmed
that Zakayev coordinates his moves with the ChRI parliament and
government and dismissed as "slander" Saralyapov's charge that Zakayev
has formally recognized the legitimacy of the Chechen Republic
leadership.
The signatories further praised the ChRI leadership
for demonstrating "mental flexibility and political acuity" and setting
in motion the process of resolving the Chechen conflict through talks
with representatives of the Russian Federation.
They further
called for convening an emergency session of the ChRI government and
parliament to which members of the Chechen community would be invited.
They stressed that the cabinet should in the meantime continue to
discharge its duties in order to preclude "disorganization within the
executive branch."
The statement failed, however, to clarify or
comment on Saralyapov's claim that the pro-Moscow Chechen officials
raised with Zakayev the possibility that Moscow should recognize the
Chechen Republic as an independent state.
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