Annex 1
to the Reply by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Russian Federation
Extracts from the reports by the OSCE Assistance Group in Chechnya for 1999
7 January 1999, SEC.FR/10/99
"... On Friday, December 25, the beheaded bodies of four foreign
hostages: Darren Hichkey, Rudolph Petschi and Peter Kennedy from Britain
and one New Zealander - Stan Shaw (kidnapped in Grozny, on October 3,
this year) were found in Chernorechye forest in the suburb of Grozny.
Next day the Chechen leadership, flying to avoid direct contacts with
Federal authorities, suggested the OSCE AG to Chechnya to play a
mediatory role in its communication with the British Embassy in Moscow,
as well as to put all responsibilities for the remains' transportation on
the AG Members. But, due to the fact of our absence in the area of
application, Chechen authorities took a decision to deliver the bodies to
Baku. A cavalcade with four coffins left Grozny on December 28, in the
afternoon. Next day the remains were delivered to the United Kingdom by
the British Airways flight..."
19 Feb 1999, SEC.FR/119/99
"...President Aslan Maskhadov announced in the evening of February 3, the full
implementation of the Shariah rule in Chechnya". From the practical
point of view this step implies the abolition of the secular
Constitution, dissolution of the Parliament, and the creation of an
alternative legislative body - "Shura "- with enlarged competencies. The
rule of Islamic law - Shariah - was to be extended to all the spheres of
the social and political life.
"...Several terrorist attacks on the neighboring regions were reported in
January. Their number especially increased after the end of the holy
month of Ramadan. The criminals have mainly two targets: killing of the
Ministry of Interior troops and kidnappings, but, nevertheless, - murders
of respected members of the community as well as thefts of agricultural
property often took place.
Ingushetia and Dagestan are known as places were most of the terrorist
attacks are being carried out. Mobile patrols as well as permanent
checkpoints of the Federal Ministry of Interior seem to be the preferred
targets of the criminals. Five incidents of this type were reported in
January, with 5 people killed and several injured. While these criminal
acts seem to be politically motivated, kidnappings and killings of
Dagestani, Ingush and Chechen businessmen or of their relatives are
believed to have first of all an economic background. Either ransom is
demanded for the abducted or the kidnapped is killed for interfering with
the criminal's shadow economic interests. Attacks on North-bordering
Stavropol Kray have brought much criticism to the local and Federal
authorities- Local inhabitants blame them for doing virtually nothing to
stop the criminals, who are always escaping beyond the Chechen border. A
demonstration took place in the Kursky district after the 14 years-old
son of a local successful businessman was kidnapped in the early evening
of January 8..."
8 March 1999, SEC.FR/186/99
"...On Friday, March 5, at about 15.45, the representative of the Russian
Ministry of Interior, Major General Ghennadiy Shpigun was kidnapped in
Grozny.
Gen. Shpigun was abducted from a scheduled Grozny-Moscow flight, when the
plane was preparing for take-off.
According to reports from Grozny, a group of 5 or 6 passengers, sitting
in the back part of the cabin, and who turned out to be carrying guns,
forced the crew to stop the plane and took Gen. Shpigun away.
1 August 1999, SEC.FR/654/99
"...Since the beginning of 1999 illegal militant groups conducted 73
armed raids against Russian security forces deployed on the border with
Chechnya. 56 Russian servicemen were killed and 85 wounded. Tens or even
more than one hundred of Russian soldiers were abducted and hold captive
in Chechnya. During the last 10 days there were more than twenty
terrorist attacks by the militants on Russian servicemen on duty at the
Chechen border with the Stavropol territory in which allegedly 11
servicemen and civilians were killed and 9 wounded. The situation on the
Chechen-Dagestani border also remains tense..."
"...What regards to the developments on July 23, Chechen militants
abducted 9 out of 30 members of an Ingush musical theater who arrived in
Urus-Martan to ask for the release of two minor hostages captured earlier
in June in Nazran, the former capital of Ingushetia. Two days later, on
July 25 a group of masked perpetrators abducted an Orthodox priest, Rev.
Zakhariy, the acting church-warden of the Grozny parish Yakov Ryashin and
a believer strait from the St. Archangel Michael church in Grozny..."
"... According to the Bishop of Baku and the Caspian Region Alexander,
eight orthodox priests have been banned by the criminal actions of
criminals in Chechnya and adjoining territories. It is still unknown what
happened to two of them (Rev. Anatoly Chistousov and Rev. Pyotr
Sukhonosov). At the moment there are no Orthodox priests left in
Chechnya..."
18 May 1999, SEC.FR/442/99
"...On May 14 evening an expatriate staff member of the ICRC Regional
Office in Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria), Geraldo-Cruz Ribero from New
Zealand, was abducted by unknown perpetrators on his way from the office
to his residence. The ICRC authorities in Geneva announced that because
of this criminal act, ICRC activities in the North Caucasus will be
suspended. All locally employed staff are to be on a two week stand-by.
As reported from Grozny, no supplies are to be expected in the nearest
future. As might be recalled, the ICRC withdrew from Chechnya after the
murder of its six medical workers in Novye Atagi in December 1996..."
18 June 1999, SEC.FR/524/99/Corr.1*
"... According to sources in the RF Ministry of the Interior, during the
first half of June another seventeen hostages were released from Chechen
captivity. 12 of them were servicemen kidnapped in January and April
1999. One of the civilians, Ilya Lysakov, deputy head of the Rostov
administration had been kidnapped on March 18, 1998..."
"... In AG's opinion, the above mentioned frequent attacks on Russian and
Dagestan outposts which took place since May 28 undoubtedly seem to have
been carefully planned as an obvious provocation, probably, by field
commanders uncontrolled by the Chechen authorities. Perhaps, the
perpetrators' aim was to draw Russia's security forces into intervention
onto Chechen territory in order to present the international community
with a fait acompli of a new aggression against Chechnya..."
24 June 1999, SEC.FR/542/99
"...On June 19 the AG learnt from its locally hired employees in Grozny
about the abduction of the chairman of the Chechen Red Cross and Red
Crescent Society, Ruslan Isayev the same day in the morning. At first it
was not clear if he was kidnapped by criminals or arrested by Chechen law
enforcement agencies because of procedural problems regarding the
registration of the Chechen Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. It is
known that the Chechen Red Cross and Red Crescent Society has been
repeatedly harassed by the so called Chechen Red Crescent Society
(organization not recognized by the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescents Societies), and also by certain law enforcement
structures of Chechnya..."
24 June 1999, PC.FR/18/99
"... The AG fulfils to a certain degree the function of a human rights
watch; advising and urging Chechen authorities to adhere to
internationally recognized standards in the field of human rights. Recent
developments have, however, not been encouraging. The introduction of
Sharia rule contradicts the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms,
and seriously hampers the fulfilment of the AG's mandate to "support the
creation of mechanisms guaranteeing the rule of law...". This system also
leads to violation of human rights, especially to discrimination of the
political rights of non-Muslims..."
5 July 1999, SEC.FR/585/99
"...On Saturday, July 3, 1999, at 2.45 a.m. local time the Forensic
laboratory in Grozny was attacked by armed bandits. Besides light weapons
the bandits used also explosives, machine-guns and grenade-launchers to
conquer the security guards. According to our local staff, the fight was
rather intense and extensive. Two of the Laboratory's security guards
were heavily injured, some casualties were reported also on the side of
the intruders. In result two Russian citizens - specialists temporarily
dispatched to Grozny from the Forensic laboratory in Rostov - were
abducted and taken for an unknown destination..."
5 July 1999, SEC.FR/575/99
"...On June 27, 28 and 29 new major hostage taking incidents took place
in Dagestan and Ingushetia near the administrative border with Chechnya.
Chechen terrorists ambushed three majors and a soldier driver heading for
Vladikavkaz..."
5 July 1999, SEC.FR/576/99
"... On June 25, the day of RF Prime Minister's arrival in Makchachkala,
the capital of Dagestan, Russian security forces announced the release of
Lena Meshcheryakova, a four year-old girl who for 8 months was held
captive in Chechnya. Bruises on the undernourished body of the child bore
evidence of the brutality of her captors.
16 July 1999, SEC.FR/608/99
"... The North Caucasus regional department for combating organized crime
arrested several groups involved in abductions of people, which has
become a widespread practice and is still considered to be one of the
most profitable businesses. Local gangs have worked out a system of
kidnapping and getting ransom for hostages as well as to create special
routes to convey hostages to Chechnya which remains the main
hostage-taking center..."
"... President Maskkadov's press secretary Mayerbek Vachagayev reacted
aggressively to Rushailo's order in saying that in response to each
preventive strike the Chechen side will conduct tens of her own blows on
Russia's territory. He also warned that the Chechen president might at
last give the field commanders "free hand" in executing "Russian generals
and members of their families who are on the list of 273 war
criminals..."
19 August 1999, SEC.FR/681/99
"...On August 15 the AG was informed by the Ambassador of Poland in
Moscow that since August 12 two Polish citizens:
Prof. Dr. Zofia Fischer-Malanowska, director of the international Center
of Ecology at the Polish Academy of Sciences: and her deputy Prof Ewa
Marchwinska-Wyrwal were missing in Dagestan since 12 August. Two
Dagestani scientists were missing too. On 16 August Russian media
announced the above mentioned were kidnapped for ransom..."
6 September 1999, SEC.FR/715/99
"...Though kidnappings are still rampant in the North Caucasus, Russian
and foreign media were continuing to dispatch reporters to the conflict
zone in Dagestan. However, there were casualties like the Itar-Tass photo
correspondent Vladimir Yatsina (51) who had been abducted supposedly in
Nazran, Ingushetia, and brought to Chechnya. On 19 August the abductors
contacted Yatsina's family demanding a ransom of two-million-dollars for
his release. The fate of two Polish women-scientists abducted in Dagestan
two weeks ago is still unknown among fears that they might have been
taken to Chechnya..."
13 September 1999, SEC.FR/734/99
Background Report: Human Rights Violations in the Chechen Criminal Code
"... III. The Criminal Code of the Chechen Republic
Today, the Chechen Republic is the only territory in the OSCE area. where
the "Sharia-law" (so called by the Chechen authorities) is the base for a
criminal code. Although the Chechen Republic is part of the Russian
Federation, the Russian civil and criminal codes in practice are not in
force [in Chchnya] anymore. However, the new Chechen Criminal Code is in
severe conflict with the OSCE's human rights standards. The human rights
violation of the Chechen Criminal Code can be divided into two parts: one
part affects basic human rights of an individual in relation to the
administrative system (crimes against the state, violation of public
security). The other part affects individual rights concerning his
interaction with other individuals in the community (crimes concerning
the honor, reputation and social morality, crimes concerning the
religion). The following is a non-official translation by the OSCE AG of
those parts of the Chechen criminal code which violate OSCE Human Rights
Commitments most obviously..."
"... § 8
Violation of Public Security
Art. 69 "Any individual, violating public security or taking any measures
with the aim to violate public security or which might lead to the
violation of public security or public order (... ), will be imprisoned
up to one month or will be beaten twenty times with a stick."
§ 13
Crimes concerning the religion
Art. 125 (2) "An individual who is guilty of having committed a crime as
being a confirmed apostate, will be offered to repent, and therefore the
Court will offer a certain period. In case, the delinquent will not
return to Islam, but insists on his position, a penalty will be imposed
in form of the death penalty"
§15
Crimes concerning honor, reputation and social morality
(145) 1. "Guilty in committing adultery is regarded: a) Any male,
engaged in a sexual intercourse with any woman, who is not bound by legal
marriage to her.
b) Any female, who agrees to sexual intercourse with a man, with whom she
is not bound by legal marriage. (....)
Penalty for adultery
(146) 1. The delinquent who committed adultery will be imposed on a
punishment in form of:
a) Death penalty executed by beating with stones, in case he was married
b) Beating him a hundred times, in case he was not married
2. In addition to the punishment in form of beating, which is imposed on
the non-married male, a punishment in form of banishment up to one year
is possible
7 December 1999, SEC.FR/906/99
"...The current number of hostages in Chechnya is varying between 700 and
1,500 people, including 56 foreigners. A spokesman of the Russian
Ministry of the Interior, Nikolai Morozov, stressed that instances of
kidnapping have fallen following the federal forces taking control of a
considerable part of Chechen territory. At present - he said - Chechen
militants are attempting to involve the 500,000 strong Chechen Diaspora
in Russia in their criminal activities, including demands for ransom for
kidnapped people..."
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