The Committee for Anti-War Actions

Moscow, tel. (095) 208-4902, war@hro.org, www.hro.org/war, ICQ 55963586

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Appeal to supporters of the anti-war movement

JOIN OUR PROTESTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTIONS

AGAINST THE WAR IN CHECHNYA ON MARCH 19, 2000

The Committee for Anti-War Actions, based in Moscow, was founded during the 1994-96 war in Chechnya and renewed its activities in January 2000. We organize actions of protest against the war, human rights violations, and violence that is committed in Chechnya by the Russian authorities. The Committee declared March 19, 2000 to be an international day of actions against the war in Chechnya. On this day, public protest actions and other anti-war events are scheduled in many cities of Russia and other countries. The Committee calls upon its supporters in Russia and abroad, all the people who do not agree with the actions of Russian authorities in Chechnya, to join the anti-war actions on March 19 and claim their protest and condemnation of the war and violence. The authorities of Russia and other countries should know that many people do not accept the war and demand that the Russian government immediately stops the hostilities and bloodshed that it wages in Chechnya. The Committee hopes that the joint action o

n March 19 will become the strongest one since the start of the recent war, both in the number of participants and in the number of participating regions of Russia and foreign countries.

On that day in Moscow the Committee for Anti-War actions will organize a mass demonstration on the Pushkin square, starting at noon. The main goal of the action is to show that there is a part of Russian society which stands against the governmental policy in the North Caucasus. Actions of protest are already scheduled on March 19 in St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Voronezh, and other cities of Russia, and also in some European countries. We receive new information about other people joining the International Day of Protest every day.

We ask all the people who think that the violence should be stopped immediately to organize actions of protest in their cities on March 19. The forms of anti-war events are numerous: demonstrations, collection of signatures under the Petition against the War, silent vigils, conferences, radio and TV programs, planting trees alongside anti-war signs, etc. The most important thing is not to stay silent. The people raising their voices against the war should know that they are not alone and have many supporters all over the world. Please let us know about your plans, so that we could inform the people at the Moscow rally and the mass media about the events in your city.

Many people in Russia and the world condemn the action of Russian powers in Chechnya. We are saying that this war is not ours. We maintain that the problems of Chechnya have no military solution. We condemn the crimes against humanity and human rights violations, including mass murder of the peaceful population and torture in the "filtration camps". We are saying that we will never forget this. We claim the authorities' treatment of refugees is a crime in itself. We demand dialogue and negotiations. We claim the governmental representatives, after all their lies, cannot be trusted; and we demand unconditional access of Russian and international observers into the conflict area. We are very concerned about the governmental persecution of journalists, about the unprecedented pressure that they put on the mass media, about the military censorship. We are very concerned about the escalating militarization of our society and the increasing role of various security services.

The Committee demands:

- To put an immediate end to hostilities waged by the federal armed forces in Chechnya;

- To start negotiations between the Russian federal authorities and the legitimately elected government of the Chechen Republic, in particular, with the Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov whose legitimacy is recognized by the Council of Europe, and was recognized, until recently, by the Russian Government;

- To initiate an immediate investigation into all military crimes committed in Chechnya, and to prosecute offenders;

- To end the information war against the Russian society by the federal authorities, to provide accurate information about the events in Chechnya to the Russian public, and to prohibit the illegal military censorship;

- To provide, without delay, all types of assistance needed to refugees who have fled Chechnya;

- To provide free and unconditional access to the conflict zone for Russian and international observers;

- To compensate the people of Chechnya for their losses inflicted on them by the Russian federal forces.

Adopted on March 10, 2000

The Committee for Anti-War Actions is a coalition of Russian NGOs and movements. Established in 1995, it conducted anti-war pickets and demonstrations during the 1994-96 war in Chechnya, and renewed its activities in January 2000. The Committee is comprised of representatives of the Human Rights Center "Memorial," the Union of Soldiers' Mothers Committees of Russia, Democratic Perspective, Antimilitarist Radical Association, Radical Party, Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Youth Human Rights Center, Anarchist Anti-War Movement, Human Rights Network, Movement Against Violence, Anti-Fascist Youth Action, Information Center of the Independent Women's Forum, and other groups, as well as non-affiliated individuals.