Noviye Izvestia, February 24, 2001, N 34 (803), p.2

RALLIES IN EUROPE ARE MORE LOUD THAN IN RUSSIA

Yevgeniya Rubtsova, "Noviye Izvestia"

Yesterday, on the anniversary of Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingushes in 1944, mass rallies to protest against the Chechen war were held in minimum ten European capitals and several cities of the United States.

Europe that till now prefered to keep silence in respect of Chechen question, this time openly condemned shameful decision of the PACE to restore credentials of Russian delegation and demanded to stop the armed conflict in this republic of the Northern Caucasus. European human rights activists called to implement new economic and political sanctions against Russia up to its expulsion from the Council of Europe, if in the nearest future Moscow doesn't put an end to the atrocities that happen in Chechnya.

The manifestations were initiated by the French "Committee for Chechnya". The French who apparently feel spiritual kindred with the Chechen people since the times of Alexander Duma, elucidated and criticized both first and second campaigns in the most active way in comparison with other Europeans. They were the first to open their frontiers for Chechen refugees. In their traditional place, in front of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, French human rights activists conducted a rally to protest not only against the war in the Northern Caucasus but also against the indifference of the European parliamentaries in respect of the actions of Russian army in the Chechen republic.

The German "Society to support oppressed peoples" prepared a surprise for Russian generals who traditionally, on February 23, lay wreathes to the monument to the Soviet soldier in Berlin. At the hour of the ceremony the human rights activists with transparencies appeared in the Treptow park. On a small screen one could see sequences of a documentary about the deportation of the Chechens.

In Copenhagen and Washington, the human rights activists held manifestations with candles to support the Chechens in front of Russian embassies. They hoped to draw public attention with their action to the war in Chechnya, the lights of candles reminded of souls of those who died during Stalin's deportation.

The manifestations, though of less scope, were held also in Poland, England, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and Lithuania. The solidarity of European human rights activists with the Chechen people is of course praiseworthy. But even this all-European action of protest will hardly make the Council of Europe to undertake strong measures to influence Moscow. Europe is too interested in signing gas contract with Russia to care about rights of the Chechens who are being exterminated, all the more to accept refugees in its countries.

Besides that, it seems that in Russia itself there isn't much concern about the Chechen war for the moment. Only hundred people gathered to the rally of human rights activists at the Pushkin square. It's difficult to stop the war with such forces.