The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

[...] This afternoon, the Committee began consideration of a complaint by the Russian Federation about the Transnational Radical Party. According to the complaint, during the Commission's session, the representative of Chechen separatists and terrorists, A. Idigov, had made an address under the banner of the NGO.

Committee on NGOs 759th Meeting (PM)

21 June 2000

Letter from Russian Federation on Transnational Radical Party

In a letter to the Chairman of the Committee on NGOs, the Russian Federation expresses its grave concern over the activities of the NGO Transnational Radical Party. During the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on Human Right, held in Geneva, 20-27 April, the representative of the Chechen separatists and terrorists, A. Idigov, addressed the Commission under the name of the NGO.

The letter states that, in his statement, Mr. Idigov identified himself as the representative of the President of Chechnya in Europe and to the United Nations. On behalf of the Transnational Radical Party, this person was, therefore, propagating ideas, which were completely incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter. By offering its banner to those who were responsible for the widespread taking of hostages, slave labour and trade, burglaries, torture and summary executions, the Party seriously violated its consultative actions with the Council.

The letter states that the study of other activities of the Party showed the recent incident in Geneva was not the sole violation by the organization of the regulation governing the relationship between the United Nations and NGOs. In its quadrennial report of 9 May 2000, the Party mentioned that, since its affiliation with the Council, it had followed issues related to international drug trafficking.

In reality, the letter notes, the organization aggressively promoted the legalization of drugs by launching civil disobedience campaigns, distributing drugs, and denouncing anti-drug legislation. Leaders and members of the NGO had been repeatedly arrested for such actions in different countries. It was, therefore, the Russian Federation's firm belief that the general philosophy of the NGO and its public behaviour flagrantly abused its consultative status with the Council. The Committee was, thus, requested to take action and withdraw the Party's consultative status.

Response by Transnational Radical Party

A letter to the Chief of the NGO Section, Economic and Social Council, dated 9 June, states that Mr. Idigov spoke on behalf of the NGO. He was fully accredited and spoke about gross and systematic human rights violations, the right to self- determination, and the need to end conflict through negotiations. He called for respect for the peace agreement reached between the Government of the Russian Federation and representatives of the Chechen government in 1997. At that forum, Mr. Idigov also recalled that President Maskhadov, his government and the parliament of the republic were legitimately elected under international supervision of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Mr. Idigov is a well-known politician with a track record of working for peace. To the Party's knowledge, he is neither a terrorist nor has he ever participated in such activities. The Party does not dispute that serious violations of human rights have been perpetrated on both sides in the conflict in Chechnya, but that does not necessarily implicate him. He has consistently called for an end to violence and for peace, which was why he went to Geneva. The Party is dedicated to the Gandhian principles of non-violence and it would be unthinkable for the Party to knowingly accredit a terrorist.

The letter goes on to say that there is no evidence of any proceeds coming to it from the illicit drug trade and it has never supported the free circulation of psychoactive and psychotropic substances. Rather, it has always affirmed the need to prevent the diffusion of the substances and to remedy the "illegal liberalization" of the drug market and the civil, economic, political and social consequences of the deficiencies in current prohibitionist legislation. Also, the Party's drug-related activities at the United Nations have always been in conformity with the rules and regulations guiding its consultative status.

Statements

Complaint against the Transnational Radical Party

The representative of the Russian Federation stated that his Government's complaint was based on the presence of the representative of the Chechen rebels at the Commission's fifty-sixth session who was openly spreading propaganda against the Russian Government. The above-mentioned incident was not the only violation of the rules governing the relationship between an NGO and the Economic and Social Council.

The representative of Germany noted that the Party had admitted to misbehaviour on its part. His Government did not share the drug policy proposed by the organization, but other European States did. Advocating the legalization of drugs was not a violation of resolution 1996/31. But did the organization also advocate the illegal trafficking of drugs? he asked. He requested that the Russian delegation provide evidence that the organization was promoting paedophilia and child pornography.

The representative of Cuba said an apology from the Party was not sufficient, particularly if it was guilty of committing such acts as those mentioned today. From the inception, his delegation had had doubts about the nature of the Party. The representative should provide information about its operations.

The representative of Chile said it assessed the organization's response and felt that it was satisfactory. However, could the representative provide some clarification to the accusation of the Russian delegation?

The representative of the Transnational Radical Party said that Mr. Idigov had never sided with any separatist group. He had been one of the leaders of the negotiating team, along with the Russian Government, that had reached the peace accord in 1997. Furthermore, the Chechen Platform was based on dialogue and did not support secession or independence for any province in any part of the world. Mr. Idigov had never had any problems in entering other countries, he added.

Regarding allegations about its support for the spread of drugs, he said the Party had stated in its written response that its activities were not aimed at spreading illegal or psychotropic substances. Rather, its policies were aimed at reform of drug laws, as well as the fight in international crime and reform. By criticizing anti-drug laws, the Party might have given the wrong impression.

He said that his Party had co-organized a conference on paedophilia with the European Parliament in 1998 with victims, witnesses and journalists among the participants. The Party was concentrating its activities in that area with developed countries, mainly in Europe, and had organized another conference on that phenomenon's impact on the Internet. It never expressed any support for paedophilia, he stressed.