Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev, an opinion of an American
Saturday, 24 June 2006
Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, was murdered by Russian soldiers on Saturday, June 17. Vladimir Putin and his people have been touting this action as a great success in the war on international terror. Their statements fill the Western media. I am writing this in the hopes that the American people, with their historic love of freedom, will be able to see this murder for what it really is, a blow to freedom and justice. So please, listen as I tell you the truth about our fallen hero, Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev.
Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev was the legitimate president of the revived Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which was lawfully declared on September 6, 1990. He was a head of State, not some bandit or rougue. He was a beloved son of the Chechen people, as well as of all the other mountain countries in the Caucasus. The Russian Government may name anyone they wish with titles such as "president" and "prime minister" of Chechnya, but the people will never recognize these puppets, they loved and respected the legitimate President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev.
The Kremlin Authorities also like to label their enemies as terrorists, whether or not this corresponds to reality. While the lie that Abd-ul-Halim was a terrorist has been repeated so often that most imagined it should be true, it could not be farther from the truth. During his 15 months as President no one action targeting civilians was perpetrated. This is remarkable restraint in comparison that Vladimir Putin and his minions have killed a quarter of the Chechen population already, including 50,000 Chechen children. Chechen civilians are taken from the street and killed every day, yet no one cries for the systematic and state sponsored destruction of the Chechen nation. Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev led the brave Chechen fighters in legitimate resistance against this barbarism and in defense of Chechen Statehood. He fought fiercely against the occupant troops, but never turned his hand against civilians, despite Putin's refusal to do the same. How can we condemn him as a terrorist, when he died resisting the terror?
Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev died bravely, refusing to submit to Putin's terrorists. While many of details remain unknown for now, this is what we do know about his last stand. This information comes from the residents of Argun, the town where he was killed. In the night of June 16, Russian troops sealed off the area of the town where he was staying. Not knowing the purposes of this operation, Abd-ul-Halim and his men laid low and prepared. Close to 2 a.m., the Russian forces closed in on his location in force. Abd-ul-Halim and his small group of men held out for nearly 2 hours. The residents reported seeing a truck full of dead enemy troops. Finally, Abd-ul-Halim was overcome, and died a hero's death. He did not hide in caves and bunkers to protect his own life, but he spent his Presidency with his men, sharing the same risks as them. He died leaving us a model of heroism.
So to you, the American people, I say this: remember the fallen hero, Abd-ul-Halim Sadulaev and the cause of Chechen Freedom for which he died. Remember that his death is not an isolated incident, it is but an example of the suffering of our whole nation, where 300,000 have already shared his fate. Many will wish to just ignore this event, and simply accept the lies they hear from the Russian authorities. But I urge you to stand for Liberty, as Americans historically have, and choose to remember this hero of freedom.
For the cause of freedom,
Bill Pearce
American Representative of the International Movement for Decolonization of the Caucasus.
glyndwr23@aol.com
http://caucasuslive.org/engl.htm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=32
