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Press Release of Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA)

For Immediate Release

Moscow, August 22, 1996

Tomorrow morning expires the ultimatum given by mad general Pulikovsky to the citizens of Grozny in their absence. Afterwards this city would be finally erased together with hundreds of thousands of civilians, repeating the fate of Guernica, Dresden, Hiroshima. The generals who fulfil the order of unknown origin, could be named putsch generals. There is no doubt: war criminals ordering the extermination of civilians, must face the permanent International Criminal Court, whose creation should be decided this Autumn by the UN General Assembly. They - this new Herings, Karadzics and Mladics - before or later inevitably will be placed on the dock.

Apparently, it becomes evident for everybody: the stoppage of war is impossible without 1) immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of all Federal troops from Chechnya; 2) recognizing the right of Chechen people to self-determination including state's independence; 3) free elections and referendum about the future status under the international control.

The regime does not hear us. It spits onto what in a civilian society is used to be named as "public opinion". But how many other war crimes should be committed, how much cynical lie should be demolished onto our heads, how many zinc coffins should arrive to our cities in order to bring our society - first of all, "mental rulers", democratic (without quotation marks) politicians, journalists, personalities of culture - to the realizing: there is a need to organize in whole Russia a wide campaign of civil disobedience.

In one and a half months there will be the new Autumn conscription campaign, the new season of mothers' tears and despair. It's time for appeal to the young Russians: today your conscientious objection to the military service is already not only your legal right, guaranteed by the Article 59 of Russian Constitution. It is your civic duty too! Don't take comfort in idea that you will serve far from Chechnya and you will not be forced to become murderer or to be killed yourself. Standing by while somebody else commits a crime isn't more honorary exercise.

NO NEW SOLDIER UNTIL THE WAR IN CHECHNYA GOES ON! Exactly this should be the motto of anti-war movement in Russia in the next weeks.

And tomorrow - as usually, Thursdays, see each other on Pushkin square. At 6 PM. After the war?..

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