On December 24, the appeal of Sergej Kovalev, the Plenipotentiary on Human Rights of Russian Federation, to the Russian president Boris Eltsin:

Grozny, December 24, 1994, 23.00

Every day we see by our eyes the aircrafts, bombing with unpunity living blocks. Every day we see bodies of killed civilians - chopped by splinters, some of them without heads or legs.

Mr. Eltsin! I'm ashamed to answer the questions addressed to you, as well as to me: "When it will be over?", "When this barbaric violence will be stopped?".

It's time for a cardinal decision. Still, there is a choice. The possibility of such a choice will not be more repeated. It can be good seen here, under this bombs: either to stop the happening, or to cover it by coming back to the repressive state. It means terror, and not only in Chechnya.

I understand, Mr. Eltsin, that I enter into some confrontation with you. But it is necessary to understand finally, that you catastrophically loose time, that those who unleashed this war will soon not need you anymore.

But you still can break this vicious circle of lies and murder. Now only you can stop this crazy massacre, tear out the country from vicious circle of cynical, desperate, bloody lies. Lies, that here not Chechenians, but the aliens are at war, lies, that here people explode their homes in order to deceive the world community. The circle of lies, initiated by the declarations about unidentified aircrafts bombing a Russian city, about unidentified tankists in Russian tanks, now is closed. Now we lie on the highest level, that Chechenians annihilate themselves. This lies calls to response. This lies makes impossible to preserve the leadership in the hands of its authors.

I know that my appeals not always reach you. I know that also this appeal probably remains without answer. Therefore I appeal at the same time to the public opinion and to the international community.

I, as the Plenipotentiary on Human Rights of Russian Federation, being still in office, call upon all the political forces in Russia, all the international community to stop massacre of civilians. The negotiations should be immediately resumed. I know reliably, that Chechen part is ready to it.

I never called nobody to manifestate. Now I call upon: go! I call upon all the mothers to demand back their sons, dieing on this war.

I call upon again to exert all possible influence on Russian leadership using every open or diplomatic channel. I call upon the West to remember that Christmas is not only traditional vacations, but also remembrance about mercy and about many centuries' efforts to establish peace on earth.

Forget about peace in your hearts, until explosions thunder in Grozny.

Sergej Kovalev,

Plenipotentiary on Human Rights

of Russian Federation