Brussels, 02/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The human rights defence organisations are concerned about the fact that the European Union may completely close its eyes to President Vladimir Putin's policy in Chechnya in exchange for Russian support to combat terrorism. On the eve of the EU/Russia Summit, they call on the EU to recall the concern that it expressed in the recent past regarding the situation in Chechnya and to demand that Russia fulfil the commitments taken for the protection of human rights.
According to the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH), the fight against terrorism cannot be used as a pretext for serious and massive human rights violations in Chechnya. It urges the EU to reject with the greatest firmness the attempts made along these lines by President Putin. The FIDH calls on the EU to demand that the commitments undertaken by the Russian authorities at international and regional level regarding human rights and humanitarian law, which are the basis of the partnership between the Union and Russia, be respected. For this, it must "use all the mechanisms available to it either in bilateral political dialogue or in any other international meetings".
The European Union must not "trade" human rights for Russia's support, writes Amnesty International in an open letter to European leaders. "There is a universal right to justice for innocent victims everywhere, whether they are buried under the rubble in New York, Grozny or Moscow", writes Amnesty International. It calls on the EU to ensure that the gathering of a broad coalition against terrorism does not give the impression that the human rights situation within this coalition is attenuated or judged differently. The same is true for the "credibility of the EU's entire human rights policy". Amnesty International, like Human Rights Watch, denounces the statement made by the German Chancellor after his meeting with the Russian President last week. Gerhard Schröder had said that a more "differentiated" approach was now needed regarding the situation in Chechnya. Human Rights Watch assures that the "intense scrutiny" by the EU and other international organisations of the situation in Chechnya has "encouraged a certain measure of restraint among Russian troops in Chechnya and Russia's political leadership". It has also brought the Russian Government to observe a "greater deal of openness and has led to an increased responsiveness by the authorities to complaints of human rights abuses".