BBC MONITORING

CHECHEN WAR PROTESTERS IN MOSCOW CALL FOR RUSSIA'S PUTIN TO GO ON TRIAL

Text of report by Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on 19th March

[Presenter] At this very moment a rally against the war in Chechnya is under

way on Pushkinskaya Ploshchad [Square] in Moscow. The committee for antiwar

actions organized the rally. Our correspondent Natalya Bannova reports from

the site.

Hello, Natasha. How many people are on Pushkinskaya Ploshchad today?

[Correspondent] There is no official data available, but I don't think the

number exceeds 1,000. This rally is being held in the framework of an

international day against the war in Chechnya. That means that similar kinds

of actions are being held in other Russian cities, and in Europe as well.

At the very beginning of the rally, a statement by the committee for antiwar

actions called Victory for the Generals, Defeat for Russia, was read out.

The

statement, signed by this nongovernmental human rights organization, lists

the main demands being made on the Russian authorities. It demands the

immediate termination of the Chechen war and the start of negotiations with

legitimate Chechen authorities, as well as putting an end to torture and

humiliation in filtration camps, and a complete investigation of all

[alleged] war crimes.

I would like to mention that the rally participants see acting President

Vladimir Putin as an enemy of Russia who is pursuing the war. The protesters

suggest an alternative leader for the country. This is [Yabloko leader]

Grigoriy Yavlinskiy. One of the slogans of today's rally says: Yavlinskiy

for

president, Putin for trial, peace for Chechnya.

[Presenter] Have there been any acts of provocation at the rally? Moreover,

the organizers of the rally planned to collect humanitarian aid for Chechen

children.

[Correspondent] As for acts of provocation, everything has been quiet. There

are a lot of police here. As for humanitarian aid, they are collecting

signatures here against the war in Chechnya. However, I have not noticed any

collection points for humanitarian aid.