08 September 2004, 19:25
NGO denies accusations brought against it
Actions being taken by Ingush prosecutors against the Chechen National Rescue Committee may become a precedent for authorities' massive attack on freedom of speech in the region, head of the Regional Public Movement "Chechen National Rescue Committee" Ruslan Badalov thinks. "What is happening with our organization hasn't come as a surprise for anybody, and for me in particular. The heart of the problem is that it is a direct consequence of the tough policy carried out by the authorities against human rights activists and journalists," Ruslan Badalov said in his interview with the Caucasian Knot correspondent. "Such repressive actions have a single goal - to block information about human rights abuse coming from Chechnya and Ingushetia. I have no doubt that in case this undertaking is successful, other non-governmental organizations engaged in the monitoring of human rights abuse in the region will also suffer persecution."
The Ingush Prosecutor's Office accuses the Chechen National Rescue Committee of extremist activity and has brought a number of accusations against this organization to the Nazran district court. In particular, it claims the Committee's materials do not represent the facts and discredit the activity of law enforcement agencies. "Some documents contain information suggesting readers an idea of mass crimes committed by Russian servicemen and law enforcers, which evokes an extremely negative attitude of the population to state officials and induces citizens to offer resistance to the authorities," reads the document.
Source: Caucasian Knot
